Within any business, particularly large enterprises, data management is a crucial player in the success of the operation. In a business model, information is the equivalent of blood flow in the human body, and must be regulated very efficiently. For companies that sell or trade a product, data management is vital. If information is not organized in a way that makes operations smoother, the business will suffer immediately. Below I have listed ways that a business can transform data management with the goal of improving business execution.
1. Recycle the paper. There is no need to continue the use of shipment forms or other paper documents when filing information. It’s a sad reality, but it’s time to put away the clip board and grab the Ipad. Business data management in 2013 should be based around the advanced IT and data management systems that are available. All shipping documents, client portfolios and stock inventory should be kept within a centralized data server, whether it is a mainframe computer system or an outsourced cloud service. All documentation should be made and monitored electronically. While human error will still be an issue that needs to be accounted for, it will be systematically easier to troubleshoot and locate crucial material if everything is documented within a centralized IT system. This idea is based around increasing automation within data management, but maintaining a fundamental level of human oversight.
2. Cross train employees. With the amount of information circling the business world in 2013, all employees need to be trained outside of their daily job role. Within an IT department and data management team specifically, a business needs to utilize the employees in unique ways. For instance, the data modeler within the department should present the conclusions to both the IT group and the general business leaders after analyzing the data. This ties everyone together and makes the results more universally applicable. It also helps employees better understand where their role fits in to the overall business model. The days of having Employee A troubleshoot the internet exclusively while on the clock are fading on the horizon. It’s time to train employees to the level of being able to move laterally and vertically within the company arrangement. The more skills an employee acquires through training or experience only increases their inherent value to the company.
3. Consolidate data software. If a business has one software provider for the payroll system and one for the business inventory, there is no reason that in 2013 both sectors cannot be satisfied through one provider. There are several reasons that the consolidation of software is useful, but the main reason is that employee training is much easier for data management and business leaders. If the same applications are being used across roles in the same department, the uniformity will grow exponentially. If the employees managing the payroll batch processing can also maintain the weekly processing of shipping data, two positions are fused into one. The employee or position that is left out of the equation can then be utilized elsewhere in the organization. Uniform and consolidated software agreements lead to reliability within a company. A business that has three separate software providers for different company operations only leads to confusion down the road. A business in 2013 can grow more rapidly if data management works in unison with each and every system under its watch.
Data management is the engine that drives commerce, and in 2013 this sector of business is more important than ever before. Whether it is inventory or payroll, the data management leadership needs to focus on making employees and software cross-applicable within the entire scope of the business model.
