Data Leadership
A selection of our most senior consultants have occupied data leadership roles in globally prestigious retail, telecoms, media and insurance organisations. Today, you can tap into their expertise in a way that is best aligned with your business’s specific needs. Whether that’s just a few hours of consultation or leadership support, longer-term flexible retained services or a senior interim engagement.
More details
Our data leadership experience is broad and deep. Our senior consultants have occupied interim leadership positions at major global brands including The Economist and NHBC. With our leadership and support, Acrotrend’s clients succeed in mobilising data as a core strategic asset and accomplish positive data cultural transformation.
Our Data Leadership Experience
| Position | Organisation |
|---|---|
| Interim CDO | BPA Quality |
| Interim Head of Data | The Economist |
| Interim Head of Data | NHBC |
| Managing Director | Saltare |
| Head of Information Management | Connaught |
Data and Analytics Strategy
“A goal without a plan, is just a dream”
If you’re aiming to make your business truly data driven (and why wouldn’t you?) then an effective data strategy is an essential tool for outlining your data vision and defining how that vision will be achieved. Acrotrend has devised and implemented successful data strategies for many eminent organisations, and we can cost-effectively formulate a data strategy that’s right for your business, too.
More details
Every data strategy that Acrotrend devises, features all of these crucial aspects:
| 1. | Clarification of why data is important to the business, and how data can serve as a high-value strategic asset. |
| 2. | Explanation of how the data strategy is devised based on core data capabilities. |
| 3. | Quantification of the levels of data capability required to fulfil the business’s strategic goals. |
| 4. | Objective assessment of the current state of the business’s data capabilities. |
| 5. | Proposal of a phased approach for relevant and beneficial improvement of the business’s data capabilities. |
A common emphasis of data strategy is analytics and business intelligence. In some cases, it is appropriate to bring this key role of data to life in an accompanying set of strategic recommendations. In other situations where the organisation already has a data strategy or a ‘full’ data strategy is not required, a more lightweight strategic review can be appropriate.
To see redacted examples of these kinds of strategies that we have developed for previous clients, please contact us to discuss how your business can benefit from Acrotrend’s data strategy expertise.
The basis for our strategic work is 4dDX – the simple but effective data strategy framework that Acrotrend has developed and honed over many years and multiple real-world assignments.
Data Capability Assessment
Quickly and cost-effectively answer the fundamental questions – Is my data really driving achievement of my business’s goals? And what changes will ensure my data is a high-value strategic asset?
How it works and further details
Simple online tools enable you to gather assessment data from as many people in your business as you wish. The 4dDX framework is then used in analysis of those data to reveal credible insights which are highly relevant to your business’s objectives. Real-world expertise then formulates a roadmap of recommendations in direct consultation with your stakeholders.
The deeply insightful analysis combined with the powerful simplicity of 4dDX, drives a powerful and engaging conversation with everyone in the business. In addition, you receive the rich raw data gathered by the online tools during the assessment. Download the fact sheet for a full breakdown of the solution benefits, deliverables and typical timelines.
Acrotrend’s data capability maturity assessment combines online tools, insightful data analysis, and consultancy expertise to rapidly create a clear and accountable view of how suitable your data capabilities are for driving achievement of your business’s goals, and what actions are appropriate for closing any gaps. And because this assessment is simple and lightweight, it can be easily repeated at no extra cost to see how your data capabilities are evolving over time.
Data Catalogue Accelerator
Before you can gain control of your data, you need to know what you’re dealing with.
A data catalogue is a powerful tool which enables people to discover and understand the data they need. For businesses that haven’t yet started cataloguing their data, Acrotrend’s data catalogue accelerator provides a way of quickly and inexpensively getting started by gaining clarity on what data the business has, what it’s about, where it is and why the business has it.
How it works
Acrotrend’s data catalogue accelerator focuses on a rapid prototyping approach. To create a prototype data catalogue, knowledge and information about data is gathered through analysis of IT infrastructure, and through consultation with business and IT stakeholders. This allows you to understand a lot more about the size and shape of data in the organisation, and what you need from a data catalogue long-term. From there, you can use what you’ve learnt from the data catalogue prototype to make well-informed decisions about the cost-benefits of using more advanced or specialised data cataloguing tools and technology.
A prototype data catalogue needs to encompass just 3-layers of information.
- Layer 1 – Data Relationships.
- Layer 2 – Data Flows.
- Layer 3 – Data Lineages.
Data relationships are simply the data links that exist between the various systems and processes in the business. Data flows are the actual movements of data flowing through each data relationship. And Data lineages are a number of data flows arranged in a sequence, according to a specific scenario.
Data Governance Accelerator
Don’t reinvent the wheel. Acquire a powerful data governance framework honed through multiple deployments to launch or reinvigorate your data governance with greater speed and effectiveness, higher value, lower cost and zero fuss.
The Data Governance Accelerator is a high-value package of field-tested documentation, process architecture, operational specifications and supporting expertise which rapidly installs a highly effective data governance framework.
Deliverables and benefits
Solution Deliverables
| 1. | Data governance terms of reference document. |
| 2. | Data governance policy and procedures document. |
| 3. | Data governance charter document. |
| 4. | Data governance organisation structure diagram. |
| 5. | Data governance role descriptions documents. |
| 6. | Data governance process architecture documents. |
| 7. | Data governance procedure library document. |
| 8. | Data governance onboarding materials. |
| 9. | Data citizenship promotion materials. |
| 10. | 3 days of professional expertise. |
| Benefits | Enablers |
|---|---|
| Reduced time, effort and cost in establishing your data governance framework. | The Data Governance Accelerator enables you to bypass months of bespoke research, development and documentation effort. |
| Increased speed in the deployment and growth of your data governance capabilities. | By installing your data governance framework in a matter of weeks, you can accelerate plans to roll it out to the business. |
| Increased assurance in the adoption and effectiveness of data governance behaviours. | You will be able to shift emphasis away from building policy and designing processes to focus instead on valuable business change. |
| Greater confidence in the effectiveness of your data governance framework. | The effectiveness of the Data Governance Accelerator has been honed during multiple previous installations at other organisations. |
| Reduced cost of launching or evolving your data governance capabilities. | The cost of this fixed-price approach is far lower than the cost of other approaches of developing a data governance framework. |
Download the fact sheet for a complete picture of the solution benefits and visibility of the content of some of the documents packaged inside the Data Governance Accelerator.
The Data Governance Accelerator saves you time and money on setting up, so you can focus sooner on the crucial operational, behavioural and cultural changes which are the true drivers of greater quality, integrity and performance of your data.
Compared to other methods, you can expect to reduce initial effort by around two months and reduce initial costs by approximately £20,000.