Enterprise Data Quality Remediation Roadmap

Business Case:

A state agency embarked on an integrated systems redesign initiative.  The effort focused on the fragmented processing in the agency’s major business areas. The purpose of the redesign was to transform the agency’s primary system into a modernized system that would be responsive to the needs of its citizens and is able to meet recent internal and external information security requirements.  The new system would also address recent legislative changes and provide a comprehensive customer relationship management solution.  It was imperative that the agency achieve a high level of data quality prior to implementing the new system in order for the initiative to be considered a success.  At the time, the agency was absent a quantitative assessment of its enterprise data quality.  Such an assessment was necessary to provide the agency a roadmap for cleaning and integrating its data layer to the data structure that would support the new integrated system.

Solution: 

CapTech performed a comprehensive data quality assessment that included identifying data quality issues, related organizational implications, and the systems affected.  Then, CapTech assessed options to resolve the data quality problems and made prioritized remediation recommendations based on cost effectiveness and risk exposure of the various data quality problems.  CapTech presented these recommendations and created project plans that identified the steps needed to remediate critical data quality issues. In addition, a cost benefit analysis was conducted to help the organization identify the most effective solution moving forward.  The project produced six deliverables:

  • Findings Log – lists all identified data quality issues
  • Current State Analysis – analyzes the high priority data quality issues
  • Best Practices – compares data quality tools that could assist in the remediation of issues
  • Future State Vision – contains recommendations for continuous data quality improvement
  • Gap Analysis – details business plans around installing a Harte-Hanks Trillium data quality tool, cleansing and preventing high priority data quality issues, and integrating disparate systems
  • Strategic Roadmap – identifies ‘quick win’ opportunities as well as strategic initiatives that can be completed to improve the level of data quality within the organization

Finally, CapTech compiled tangible ROI estimates for fixing the top data quality issues, justifying the implementation of the data quality project with key stakeholders.

Tools: 
  • MS Office/MS SharePoint
  • Iconix business process and enterprise architecture tool
  • Harte-Hanks Trillium data quality software
  • Natural Code and Adabase data structure
Results: 
  • Manage risks to successful replacement of the agency’s twenty-year old computer systems
  • Enable targeting of services to the customer rather than the transaction
  • Provide greater controls for security/accountability