Pick The Low Hanging Fruit of Data Quality and Data Governance

This has always been my favorite terrible consulting / business cliche. I suppose I’m using this forum to solidify it’s status there, but I imagine many of you have been told or said something very similar. Of course this fits into my Lightweight Data Governance theory as well.

Saying that you are going to Pick the Low Hanging Fruit resonates with budget conscious managers and technologists who want to see quick results. It shows that you are unwilling to get bogged down in low value projects, and that you want to make a difference quickly. And, with slim budgets for new tools and consulting services due to the Economy, it’s a good approach for Data Quality and Data Governance today. Now which sagging branches are the most attractive?

Review Existing Processes

Have you reviewed your matching logic for external data entering your systems? What about the rejection rows from your ETL? These activities are essentially free - you can do them while you’re sitting on conference calls or waiting for others to join a meeting. They don’t take long but you may see patterns that help you to recommend great new projects.

Rethink Rollout of Underutilized Tools

I was at a conference recently and saw a demo of a Data Quality report from a vendor we work with. I went back and asked my Sales Rep if we owned the tool, and sure enough we do. It’s part of a larger contract, but no one is using it. Ca-Ching. That’s a free reporting tool from my perspective. How am I going to use it? To rollout Key Quality Indicators (KQIs) of course!

Educate, Communicate, and Build Relationships

Another freebee. A down economy is a great time to reach back out ot the business to understand their issues, and how you can help to resolve them. Also, take the time to formalize your message. Create a "walking deck" if you don’t have one. A walking deck is 3 or 4 slides you keep in your binder that you can present whenever the topic comes up. I use these when I meet someone new to quickly educate them on the Data Governance work at my company. It’s a relationship building opportunity that could lead to a new sponsor or commitment from a new department to join in your efforts.

Please comment with other ideas!

KQIs (Key Quality Indicators) To Measure Data Quality

At the recent MIT Information Quality Industry Symposium, the hot topic was measuring the impact of data quality programs. In a bad economy, it makes perfect sense. If your company is cutting programs, you need to justify your data quality initiatives, or they too will be cut. My favorite presentation on the topic was from Delphine Clement, whose topic was the, “Cost of Non Quality Data.” I thought that was an interesting way to look at it, and she presented a very mature view of Data Management. Delphine credited sessions from previous MIT Information Quality Symposiums with some of the underlying theory. I’m sure there are others to credit as well, and if you know the history please comment.

Delphine reports on the Key Quality Indicators (KQIs) that matter the most to her business partners. She has taught the business community that KQIs are needed to build confidence in the KPIs. I like that the KQI approach mirrors the KPIs (in naming and level of importance), and that they are presented as a complementary report. Think of this as the metadata for the KPIs. That’s the way I rationalized it.

KQIs would make sense to any Data Quality lead, but it might not to a VP of Marketing or VP of Sales. It’s not their job to care how we do ours. So how do you bridge the gap with the executive KPI users? You must understand their needs, and show them that the KQIs are driving the data quality projects in your organization. They will only care if the KQIs help to resolve their issues. Also, KQIs may be used to show them progress in your data quality programs. When you complete a project and are able to turn a yellow (cautionary) indicator to green (good), they will understand how the project affected their work.

Delphine’s approach begins by asking business leads and other data users a simple question, “How should we measure data quality.” She gathers feedback via surveys from her business customers and measures progress through response trending over time. Sounds like internal Marketing, right? Delphine also presented a methodology for measuring direct vs. indirect cost savings from Data Quality initiatives. She has clearly spent a lot of time working on this approach and is doing a great job. I really enjoyed this presentation.

She also recommended involving the end users early on to define:

• What are the Key Quality Indicators (KQIs) that are important to the business?
• Should the KQIs be global or local?
• What is the cost of poor quality data?
• Are the KQI’s different by country?

I love these questions. Simple, direct, and open. Rather than telling our peers how we should be measured, ask them and include them in the KQI process.

Patriot Place Foxboro Restaurant Reviews

As a resident of a nearby town, I couldn’t help but get excited when I saw the plan for Patriot Place in Foxboro. From the start it seemed focused on restaurants and entertainment venues. I’ve now been to most of them, and thought I’d put my opinions out there. I’ve left places at the bottom for future restaurants reviews.

Davios

One of the better meals I’ve had outside of a major city. Davios is known for their mix of Steak and Italian food. It’s a nice combination that lots of restaurants attempt, and fail miserably. Davios on the other hand does a great job at both, and makes the menu fun with appetizers like the Philly Cheese Steak Spring Rolls, a decadent choice that tastes great. The hand-rolled gnocchi was also great, but be sure to save space for an aged ribeye or sirloin! That’s why you spend the money to go to Davios.

Skipjacks

Every time I go to a Skipjacks (other regular location for me is in Newton, and in Brookline Village before it closed) I think, why do people go to Legal Seafood? The fish is of better quality at Skipjacks, and the chefs keep it simple so the natural flavor of the fish comes through. My one complaint about this location is that we ate there on a cold Winter night, and the whole restaurant was freezing. My wife wore her coat the entire time. Hopefully, by their second winter season, they’ll figure out that they need one of those canvas entry ways out front to shield the wind from entering.

Red Robin

It’s exactly as advertised. Big, lively, fun. The experience was fine, but I hate it when restaurants feel the need to hide mayonaise on the bottom bun to make the burger taste more juicy. It’s cheating. And disgusting. And they never say it on the menu for fear of offending health concious diners. You know how not to offend us? Don’t put that crap on the burger unless I ask for it! I’m willing to eat unhealthy food (see Philly Cheese Steak note in Davios review), but I want to know it before the first bite. Red Robin is always packed with families and teenages who love the environment. I think I’ll leave this place for them. I must also mention on a positive note that they get a huge thumbs up for customer service. While waiting outside for our table, the host staff passed out free baskets of french fries. Very smart.

Tavolino

I love their sister restaurant, Siena in Mashpee Commons on the The Cape. [look for Cape Cod Restaurant Reviews soon] I really wanted Tavolino to be better than it was, but they butchered our first experience there. They sat us in the bar area when the whole restaurant was empty. When we asked to move they let us know that all of the tables were reserved. The restaurant was brand new and was still empty when we left. It made us feel very small. We also had to leave before our entrees were delivered. We ordered and ate a tasty, crunchy flatbread pizza as an appetizer. After 20 minutes of waiting for our dinners to arrive we asked the waitress and she let us know that they’d be right out. 10 minutes later… nothing. So we asked again, and then watched two waitresses trying to figure out why our meals hadn’t come, and then finally enter our order into the computer. One of them then came back and blamed the kitchen. I called BS, told them to keep the dinners and left without tipping.

N.B. We’ve been back since and had a wonderful experience the night of the Elton John / Billy Joel concert in July. They have figured out some of their new restaurant issues, and our waitress was very good. I should also note that the Prosciutto Fig pizza was excellent, and we will surely order it every time we go.

CBS Scene

If you’re a guy, you have to go. The food is too fancy to be called bar food, and priced accordingly. It’s not great, but that’s not why you go to CBS Scene. It starts with the idea of an ESPN Zone, but goes so much further. The perfect location allows you to see into the stadium, which alone is quite cool. But inside if there’s a game on TV you won’t miss it regardless of where you’re sitting. Each table has a personal audio / video jukebox with some live TV and some old CBS shows. There’s also a multi-level spiral staircase with games projected on metal mesh walls as you walk down to your table. It’s just a cool place to see.

Bar Louie

I like Bar Louie for the drinks and not the food. It’s great to have a huge, well designed bar in the suburbs. I find myself staring at the menu and wishing I had eaten before I came out. That’s not a good sign. I don’t want to be too down on this place, since it’s a great bar scene. It gets packed Thurs - Sat, which is a good thing for those looking for a scene.

BR Cafe (Baskin Robbins)

A concept store from the Dunkin Folks. The ice cream is fine and they sell some fancy, overpriced cakes. But it’s a fun place for the kids. They also have a topping bar that makes this my wife’s favorite place to get ice cream. We can’t go to Patriot Place without stopping here.

5 Guys Burgers and Fries

Why did it take so long for this to make it to New England? They sell two things. Burgers and Fries. I love that! What more do you need? They give out peanuts and fry in peanut oil as mentioned on exactly 857 signs. Peanut allergy fears? You bet. The burgers are tasty, juicy masterpieces and come with any toppings you want for free. The fries could be the best I’ve ever had (and as shown above, I’m a critic). They are fresh cut daily from bags of idahos and the town they were grown in is displayed proudly on the wall next to the counter. This is what I picture burgers to have been like when people ate at drive throughs. The red and white diner tiles only emphasize the classic cuisine.

Studio 3 / Showcase Cinema De Lux

This could be the true gem of Patriot Place. Not because of the food, which is fine, but because this is the most intelligently designed VIP cinema experience I’ve been to. The huge leather seats are comfortable and allow you to eat and drink without having to do contortions. The VIP seats are accessed from the second floor of the theatre, and stretch across multiple theatres. Great idea. The food is fine allowing you to combine your dinner and movie experiences.

Q’doba, BlueFin, and Olive Garden

These restaurants are not why I go to Patriot Place. I worked at Olive Garden as a teenager, and will likely never eat there again. No specific reason related to food quality, cleanliness, etc. Just a lack of interest eating somewhere I worked.

Tastings

coming soon…