A data leader is an asset manager.
Why?
Because our greatest challenge will always be generating value (and attracting investment).
Your data strategy is akin to a financial or real estate portfolio.
It deploys resources (people, tools) and processes to manage your assets (and the projects and products they create).
So, what does it take to manage your data portfolio?
💎 Valuation: How do you know whether an asset is worth managing? Well, you need to understand its value potential - what it could create for your organisation. This vital point is so often missed, but taking the time to do it is the key to building an impactful portfolio.
🤹♂️ Diversification: Like a financial portfolio, balance is critical. You’ll need to invest in 'steady and stable' assets that help keep the lights on, but be prepared to deal with higher-risk, 'high reward’ assets, that unlock innovation and change.
📈 Invest for return: Like any investment, data requires resources. The expected return (doesn’t always have to be financial btw) should justify these investments. This is all about prioritising those assets with the most significant potential for impact, however you measure it.
🚒 Risk Management: In a portfolio, risks are carefully managed and mitigated. A data strategy also builds in consistent and proactive risk management of its assets, to keep that risk vs reward equation well balanced.
⭕ Synergy: In a portfolio, overall performance depends on how different assets work together. In a data strategy, integration through a combination of architecture, engineering, tools, and good governance, ensures data assets become greater than the sum of their parts.
⚖ Review and Rebalance: It's important to review and tweak portfolios to meet current needs. The same is true with a data strategy, which needs to dynamically respond to evolving business demands.
👁 Long-term vision & short-term goals: Great portfolios are built with a vision in mind but nimble enough to capitalise on short-term opportunities. Data strategies also need to play the long game but be flexible enough to adapt as conditions change.
How’s your data portfolio doing?
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