It appears to be an unalterable truth: in SAP Programs, the Data Management team is red, going red, or not reporting status accurately. Why is that, and what can you do about it?
What is Data Management?
In SAP programs, there is usually a Data Management team responsible for some combination of transformation tasks, specifically:
- Master Data Design: the definition, data model and architecture for things like customer data, vendor/supplier data and material/product/item data.
- Data Migration or Conversion: orchestrating and developing tools and programs for moving and transforming data to the new systems
- Data Cleansing: standardizing, correcting, verifying and enriching existing data before loading them into new systems.
- Master Data Governance: design of the processes and organizational constructs to maintain and manage quality of the master data
The team may go by different names like Master Data team, Data Conversion Team, or the Team-Causing-Most-Defects. The team’s responsibilities may be some variation of the above and may also include things like Data Verification or Validation.
Unique Data Management Challenges
So, why is the Data Management team always behind? In a future series of articles, I will explore some of the unique challenges of Data Management. I know of no silver bullet, but we can take action to prevent Data Management to become cause for delay. Or to turn things around if it already has.
Shared Responsibilities
The organizational principal of unique, unambiguous responsibilities is difficult to establish between the Data Team, Functional or Process Teams, and business data owners.
Cross-Team Task Management
Many Data Management tasks and deliverable require collaboration, but they show up in one team’s work plan or task list. As a result, collaborating teams will prioritize the task differently. Specifically, the Data Team may find themselves begging for time from a Process Team to get ‘their’ assigned functional specification or data design document completed.
High Degree of Inter-Dependencies
When the rubber hits the road during a Mock Cutover, dependencies between data loads lead to a cascade of decreasing success. For instance, if the Customer Data load is 75% successful, the success rate of Customer Specific Pricing load may only be 40%, leaving the Sales Order load with a meager 15% success.
Latest Start, Earliest Finish
Functional Teams will require to have some level of process / solution design done before they feel they can write meaningful specifications for data conversions. At the same time, the converted data is required to do meaningful testing, so the programs and data have to be ready even before the functional solution is ready to test.
Extremely Expensive to Test
A fully orchestrated test conversion is too expensive and time consuming to do too often. It is also very visible. Consequently, when doing one, expectations should be managed and the team should make it count.
What To Do About it?
Preventing or resolving issues caused by these challenges is doable but will take some work – no silver bullets. In summary:
- Don’t expect it to solve itself: These team dynamics are complex and not intuitive. It will take a leadership effort to get everyone to understand how they will work together.
- Focus on Data Management leadership: it takes a special type of talent and empowerment to unleash the unique collaborative micro-management work required.
- Duplicate Data Management work plan tasks and deliverables: when a collaborative tasks is behind, make sure it shows behind for each of the collaborating teams (duplication of tasks may not be required to accomplish this, depending on the work planning method).
- Set realistic expectations: team morale and program credibility will suffer if unattainable expectations are set. A first mock cutover or test conversion probably won’t be great…
- Plan for iterations: start with a technical conversion with mostly plugged values. Track improvements over time.
- Make Data Conversion everyone’s accomplishment: plan for orchestrated tests and celebrate its successes across teams
Need Help?
If you are still reading, the above probably resonates. You are not alone. Let’s have a conversation to see if Great Landings Consulting can help you get it turned around.