by Angela Guess
A new article offers advice on how to win respect for data modeling projects from the bigwigs up stairs. It states, “Getting executive buy-in for modeling is an ongoing challenge for many organizations, but why? Data modeling tools are not cheap – at least the good ones are not. However, when you compare their costs against the budget expenses that organizations allocate for BI, data warehousing and MDM, the expense of a data modeling tool suite is minute. This begs the question: How can and should you justify modeling to the people holding the purse strings?”
The article suggests, “First and foremost, do your best to work with executive management, not against them. I hear many stories from customers and prospects that really sound more like complaints. They portray an ‘us against them’ mentality. They think the executive team just doesn’t get it. This contentious attitude is not going to sway naysayers to their side. The fact is that it’s the data management professional’s job to educate them so they do get it.”
It adds, “Many executives have a shiny object syndrome, where the latest project or technology to come in front of them completely consumes them and nothing else matters. That is, until another brighter, shinier object comes along. You need to clearly understand what the current object of affection is and vocalize how you can add value through modeling. Talk with others in senior management (heck, even take them to lunch) to stay ahead of the hot initiatives that are important in your organization and work to demonstrate how improved data architecture and modeling practices will help support those initiatives.”
