Don't use data standards! When the
business needs to record some item of data, just get it recorded in the
quickest way possible. You can always find it later, using a search tool.
I guess no one would say the above statement out loud, but it's how a lot of organizations behave. What they're ignoring is that by avoiding standards, they are creating huge problems for themselves. They're pursuing a false economy that is actually going to kill them.
Dylan Jones tells of a conversation he had with someone who implemented data standards for equipment recording. It wasn't glamorous, but it was of great benefit to the organization. Why? Because, with data standards in place, decision makers were now able to make decisions.
“Most think equipment naming standards are dull in the extreme but when they see the speed at which they can make decisions the light comes on,” Jones's contact told him. “Minutes of accurate decision making are now replacing months of indecision,” because managers can now compare devices, features, prices and so on.
People can forget that data standards have this great value in facilitating decision making. More worrying, they can forget that business is about making decisions. This is odd, because “agility” is the buzzword of our age, and agility is built on rapid, credible, decision making. For all those working to construct and implement data standards, the appeal to decision making benefits is critical. Standards help us move data. They also help us move forward. Dull but Decisive
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