Actionable Information Management Principles: People

I am now at the sharp end of creating an Information Management Strategy and Roadmap and I have started to draft a set of IM Principles while identifying practical ways for the organisation to make use of them. I have done some research and collected together my own thoughts.

Here is where I need the help of the community. Over the next few days I will share my principles and I hope that some of you will share your own reactions, thoughts and ideas. So the challenge is for us to come up with an actionable set of IM Principles.

The principles currently fall into 4 categories:

1. People
2. Process
3. Technology
4. Content

Today’s blog is about my principles and actions centred on People. Here they are:

Principle #1 – Information Is An Asset

Business Driver

Making decisions based on a single authoritative source of information earns the Company a financial return.

Actions

1. Each Company business is expected to seek opportunities to use information to increase the quality of the services it provides and reduce the overall cost of operation.
2. Manage Information based on the value to the Company – data critical to the operation of the Company should be identified and managed appropriately. Each the Company business shall employ management methodologies consistent to the Company nationally – to guide and control the planning, acquisition, development, operation, maintenance, and evaluation of information management applications.
3. Justify Exceptions – If an information management principle is to be broken then this must be justified
4. Data items, data interfaces, measures and all business and data quality rules must have Business and IT owners. Every item of data requires unique and ultimate ownership by a single role and person. This does not imply that all customers, products or other items of data maintain common ownership, rather that a matrix or responsibilities is managed. This ensures that issues or conflicts always have an ultimate point of escalation.
5. Data about data is also an asset – that can be even more valuable than the original piece of data. Metadata will be created and stored centrally as appropriate.
6. Information should be used consistently across the Company – consistently represented across systems, available at the same granularity and summary levels so that meaningful comparisons can be made between Company businesses. Information should be retained whenever physically possible within the constraints of government legislation, corporate ethics and privacy commitments. While data is of greatest value when aggregated and interpreted, it is important that the most granular or detailed data be retained to allow for other interpretations and aggregations to be made in the future.

Principle #2 – Information is Shared

Business Driver

Information value is increased when it is freely shared across Company functions, businesses and departments.

Actions

1. The value of information increases when people can use it collaboratively. Openness & sharing of corporate information is to be encouraged for all staff, except where the nature of the information would indicate otherwise. This openness facilitates the effective sharing and reuse of information across the Company.
2. Critical business data should be kept in a single location (system of record) wherever possible.
3. National View of Information – critical business data must deliver a trusted management view of all Company businesses. Accepting that one of the major assets of any large organisation is information. This information takes on much greater value as a whole when it is integrated across systems.
4. Consistent use of standard business and data quality rules makes sharing easier (cheaper).
5. Consistent Presentation Of Information – increases the value to the Company as it is easier to use and share.

Principle #3 – Information Must Be Available

Business Driver

Value can only be generated when information is managed as a part of real business processes.

Actions

1. Each Company decision maker should be knowledgeable about the information requirements and information management practices of the Company and should provide active leadership in the exploration of new opportunities to use information technology. Each Company business should establish clear lines of authority and responsibility for information management.
2. Each Company business shall establish and maintain an information management function consistent with its operational needs. This function shall serve to ensure Company’ ability to identify the information it collects, maintain the integrity and security of the information, and provide for appropriate access to the information.

Principle #4 – Fact-based Decision Making

Business Driver

Decisions that recorded and that are themselves based on recorded facts can be evaluated so that decision making improves over time. 

Actions

1. The information asset should be leveraged every day in every decision. Both strategic and operational decisions should be based on facts, which can be sourced back to data, which is held by the enterprise. The challenge in the organisation’s federated environment is that users may require information that originates in several systems to make their daily decisions. The solution provides a means for integrating data across operational and analytical systems so that users can make fact-based decisions in a federated environment.

            Apply information dynamically to:

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  Provide insight to support evidence-based decisions

   

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  Target our service delivery activity

   

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  Influence spend behaviour in our clients

   

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  Manage our business.

   

   

Principle #5 – Information Improves Our Clients Life

Business Driver

Customer improvements can be directly and indirectly monetised.

Actions

1. Make sure the information we give our clients helps them meet their needs.

 Over the next few days my posts will cover the other 3 categories:

• Process
• Technology
• Content