4Knowledge's Sake, 10/05/2023

As a writer there are few things I love more than a good extended metaphor, so here’s one that applies to business transformation: data is the DNA of every company.

I don’t mean data in its more generic sense, synonymous with information. What I’m referring to are the alpha-numeric characters stored and transmitted by various computing systems and programs.

High school biology taught me that DNA is the fundamental building block of all organic life. Its sequences determine everything from the number of petals or eye colour of its host, including their propensity for certain diseases. DNA can be manipulated, it can be leveraged, it can be mapped, but it cannot be overwritten at the macro level. Furthermore, ignoring its influence does nothing to minimize the profound impact it has on an organism’s future state. Can you begin to see where I’m going with this?

Consider the number of times you have requested what felt like a straightforward report, only to be informed that “the data isn’t available in that configuration”, or an attempt to compare datasets from different sources has been thwarted by contradictory data lexicons.

When an organization approaches a business transformation, be it integrating a new business unit or upgrading a technology system, its awareness of its own data landscape is a key predictor of that transformation’s success. Too often, data is seen as a slave to the master that is the process or system in flux. But similar to DNA, data inhabits all aspects of each business process or system, and it dictates in which ways it can be used and changed.

Outside of the realms of science fiction, DNA can only be altered with meticulous precision and at great expense, and even these efforts pose the risk of an accidental mutation. Likewise, a company’s data is seldom purged and created anew. It evolves over time, as it encounters external forces.

Like DNA, data is difficult to conceive of separate from its outcomes. It is intrinsic. But just as a botanist would not crossbreed two varieties of flower without first knowing if they were genetically compatible, no business transformation should proceed without a thorough understanding of its underlying data landscape.

Only very large organizations have the wherewithal to maintain full-time resources whose sole duty is to understand and map the surrounding data landscape. For all other companies, the elemental structure and idiosyncrasies of their data are only likely to become apparent once they have thrown a wrench into an in-flight project. Even then, it is the transformation project that is often saddled with the overwhelming task of delivering its promised benefits while simultaneously coming to terms with the underlying data infrastructure.

Fortunately, just like DNA, data is not destiny. With the proper awareness and thoughtful scope design, a business transformation can account for the data landscape it will rely upon and circumvent future surprises.