Welcome to the Data Theme

How often do you sit back and spend a moment to actually think about how much data we actually generate and use on a day to day basis? Whether it be in the office sending an email to a colleague, or updating a financial spreadsheet for your CFO we are using and generating data. Do you ever think that when you simply stop on the way home to fill up your car with gas, or scroll through the TV guide looking for your favorite show to TIVO, you are generating and using data?

With advances in processor speeds, data storage capabilities, and application technologies our capacity to generate and capture data is forever increasing. Many organizations are leveraging this data, turning it into usable, sustainable information that can be used as an asset to help gain competitive advantage. The majority of organizations however are simply overwhelmed as to what to do and where to start.

Over the next couple of months I welcome you to join me as we explore the theme of Data. We will look to discuss a variety of topics that relate to the challenges faced by organizations who are working to develop an "information architecture for the 21^st century". Not only will we discuss the traditional well heeled topics such as "Data Strategy", "Data Quality" and "Data Integration", but also others that often influence the success of organizational initatives due to lack of prioritization or simple underestimation, such topics may include "Data Governance", "Master & Meta Data Management", and "Managing Unstructured vs Structured Data" to name a few. Of course if there is a topic of interest that you wish to discuss I fully encourage the suggestion.

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Glyn D. Heatley bio - I'm a Director and Leader in the Information Strategy and Architecture Practice at The Palladium Group. I bring over 13 years of experience in delivering large scale Corporate Performance Management solutions with a primary focus in Data Management and Business Intelligence. Over the years I've gained experience in all areas of the Data Warehouse Life Cycle including Requirements Gathering, Solutions Architecture, Data Architecture, Data Integration, Business Intelligence and Project Management.

E2.o enables Business Design Innovation

This is my inaugural post as the facilitator of both the E2.o theme of the TalkDIG blog and of the upcoming DIG conference in May, 2008. I must say it is such an exciting time to be talking about information and decision-making. The plethora of technology available to us is unprecedented. And the opportunity that it allows for new management thinking is confounding.

Revolution?
Simply put, I think that we have the makings for management revolution! And I side with the writings of gurus/consultants Eric Beinhocker, Lowell Bryan, and Gary Hamel who each tout (from my vantage) the possibilities available to those organizations that embrace a more evolutionary approach to business markets and a more "social" approach to management (my words).

The E2.o theme of this blog will be all about exposing and sharing the business information available to our companies in such a way that more eyeballs, and therefore smarts, can be harnessed toward innovating products, innovating customer experiences, and ultimately innovating all aspects of business design. The future is one of co-creation with people inside and outside our organizations - and we have the ability to encourage this trend using the information and Web 2.o tools currently available to us.

Prepare those Minds
Remember the saying by Louis Pasteur, “In the field of observation, chance favors the prepared mind.” Well, if we believe that the business climate is chaotic, then we better make sure that our people have prepared minds to detect and respond to their environment. I will go as far as suggesting that we pull out the texts of Stafford Beers on cybernetics despite the US nationalistic taboos that he might incite. I think he was on to a new paradigm of management many years ago. But enough said, I’m excited to be sharing my thoughts on E2.o and I hope that many people with more smarts and experience than me will join the dialog so that we can all grow and learn as a community.

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George Veth bio - I have been consulting to large companies in the domain of Business Intelligence, Corporate Performance Management, and Strategy Execution for 15 years. Over a year ago, I left my consulting post and have just recently joined a startup, BigTreetop, which is looking to spur on Experience Co-creation in small and medium sized businesses. The BigTreetop (Web 2.o) platform is created to enable your favorite local businesses to share their plans and questions with their community in order to leverage the experiences and insights of their customers and partners to continuously evolve to the current needs of the marketplace. We’ll see!

Welcome to the Analytics Theme

How do you make important decisions? Do you trust your gut - or crunch the numbers? Flip a coin - or build a spreadsheet? Ask your spouse - or ask your SPSS?

Does your company make decisions the same way? Decision-making is becoming a key management competency driven by globalization, complexity, and risk. Should we be making these bigger, harder, riskier decisions the same way we've decided things in the past?

In the Analytics Theme at DIG we're going to discuss how decision-making can be improved by developing performance models and applying different analytical techniques to those models.

These techniques - decision trees, probability and statistics, simulation, regression, and optimization - may be ideas you vaguely remember from your Management Science 101 class, or they may be things you and your company are doing on a daily basis. Either way, we want to talk about them.

Once limited to the "quant jocks" with their cumbersome analytical software packages, these techniques are now widely-available thanks to advances in software tools and increased availability of data. And they're being used in some fascinating ways.

We'll hear some of these stories from our speakers and clinicians, but we're hoping to hear the best ones from you. How are you using the tools? How are you applying the techniques? And how are you improving decision-making through analytics?

To get started on this section of the blog, check out CNN's coverage of the Texas and Ohio primaries this Tuesday. I've been watching the campaigns with interest and have been fascinated with CNN's "Delegate Counting Map." They have the typical color-coded states (or counties, depending on the view) showing the results, but are able to run numerous simulations of future scenarios just by tapping a few icons..."If Obama wins the remaining states 55-45, here's what the delegate-count will look like heading into the Pennsylvania primary..."

An intuitive user interface, lots of good data, and the ability to quickly run simulations - that's a powerful analytical environment. Wouldn't it be great to apply the same ideas to your monthly reporting environment?

Are you ready to DIG in?

Welcome to the Decisions, Information and Governance 2008 Conference blog, or as we like to call it....DIG. The purpose of the DIG conference is to discuss the key management competencies to make better decisions; how to organize data into information; and develop a management rhythm to ensure the entire organization is in lock-step.

For DIG 2008 we have developed a conference agenda along 3 core themes, with a heavy emphasis on Enterprise 2.0.

Creating One Version of the Truth : The goal for any corporation is constructing an information platform for the 21st century. To be successful, it is critical that the organization start by establishing a common business taxonomy that describes the organization in consistent terms. This includes a commitment to define, secure and improve the integrity of information assets, both internal and external to the organization. It also requires a commitment to define common terms and formulas for measuring performance and a willingness to resolve semantic data inconsistencies throughout. Once a common language has been agreed upon, it is critical that the enterprise data architecture is put in place that represents the business taxonomy and simplifies data access.

Insights from Advanced Analytics : Once an organization has consistent data, it is critical that insights can be made to drive decisions. Decision-making is becoming a key management competency driven by globalization, complexity and risk. Drawing insights through performance models that leverage leading business indicators can quickly uncover operational opportunities and issues in real time. Understanding the drivers and levers that can be controlled allows a nimble organization to react to changing market conditions and to constantly meet expectations. By combining consistent data with advanced analytics, organizations can achieve breakthrough enterprise performance management.

Enterprise 2.0 : To build a culture of decision-making, organizations must look beyond a small group of information workers and leverage the collective intelligence of the entire organization. Leveraging the social networks that exist inside of your organization can create new insights that are more accurate and meaningful. Emerging collaborative platforms that support blogs, wikis, tagging, mashups and predictive markets improve decision-making when extended to the enterprise and beyond, including customers and partners. Each platform provides improved knowledge sharing that drives management, problem solving, and, ultimately, continuous innovation.

What makes DIG unique is our focus on practical application of each of these themes within an organization. In addition, we will focus on a blend of case study presentations with facilitated panel discussions with the attendees. The goal is to step beyond the one-sided lectures and spark open and honest dialog between you and our presenters.

If you have an interest in rolling up your sleeves and immersing yourself in DIG, we will also provide a set of pre-conference clinics covering the 3 DIG themes. Check out the DIG conference website for details on the pre-conference clinics.

In addition to a compelling conference agenda, DIG will take place at the Green Valley Ranch Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Check out the GVR website for accommodation and reservation details.

That's it! There will be more to come here on the talkDIG blog as we approach the event. The DIG conference team will be actively blogging on the site from now until the event. Our goal is to engage with YOU on the topics of DIG...before, during and after the event! So stop reading, dive in and DIG.
Pete Graham, DIG Conference Chair