Data takes on a dichotic role in organizations; it has endless possibilities for generating insights and taking strategic action, yet can feel like an impossible thing to wrangle. Cortico-Xplorations can ease this push and pull – learn more about our partnership with a client to accelerate their journey to Data Excellence.
Cortico-Xplorations, as explained in a previous article, can take on a few different forms. At its core, Cortico-Xplorations is your technology strategy accelerator. To illustrate how it comes to fruition and its transformative power, we share the story of a client who wanted to accelerate their data excellence below. The fundamental goal of this program is driving impact while navigating the complex environment of emerging technology, and in the below case, the complicated commodity that is data. Join us as we explore this story of acceleration, immersion, and movement for a sports and entertainment organization’s quest for Data Excellence.
A leading sports and entertainment firm had just gone through a major acquisition in hopes of refueling its growth. As a byproduct, the company now had a patchwork of legacy systems, with the imminent need to re-establish its Data Office to sort through the noise.
This type of open-ended issue is where Xplorations thrives. There are a multitude of business problems to tackle, providing the opportunity to build the muscle of data aptitude of those involved and to bring cross-functional groups together to strategically leverage the data or technology at hand. The client was ultimately looking to enable better decision making, operations, and growth through trusted data, in addition to building a culture of Data Excellence amongst the organization and strengthening data capabilities and quality.
“ The team first assessed data management capabilities using an authoritative industry framework, addressing key questions like “Where do the largest gaps lie?” and “What should be prioritized to tackle first? ”
As with any Xplorations project, the focus was on providing rapid time to value and building sustainable processes, so Data Excellence was not a point-in-time achievement but rather a foundational behavior. As a result, the team first assessed data management capabilities using an authoritative industry framework, addressing key questions like “where do the largest gaps lie?” and “what should be prioritized to tackle first?” This assessment provided the blueprint of where to go.
The next step was alignment—aligning around what Data Excellence meant within the organization and how that anchored towards industry best practices and certifications. This newly crafted path was cascaded to teams both onshore and offshore through an immersive two-day experience to build foundational data literacy and vision alignment and develop potential solutions to close their gaps. Let’s explore how this was accomplished:
For each of the core gaps that were identified, the team then operationalized workstreams to establish organizational KPIs, priorities, communications, and an organizational model in support of Data Excellence. This highlighted the focus on not just creating near-term value but also long-term support of the goal at hand.
Finally, the team developed a business case for what we define as “Data as a Product,” shifting perceptions of the Data Office from a cost center to a value-creation center. This is most paramount in creating a data-centric culture and organization – data can and should be seen as a value-creating asset, not just a diagnostic tool. This organization is taking the steps to be at the forefront of that school of thought.
In addition to the above outcome, the Cortico-X team and client established a value-additive and sustainable data office and structure that led to the hiring of key leadership team members, recommended and implemented various enterprise technology enhancements to strengthen data ecosystem across the enterprise, and became a founding member of a data industry organization.
As data continues to play a pivotal role in organizational success, the journey to Data Excellence is more crucial than ever. Whether you’re facing similar challenges outlined above or are seeking to elevate your data strategy, Cortico-Xplorations is here to help. Our tailored approach can accelerate your path to data-driven decision-making and cultivate a data-centric culture within your organization. Don’t let data complexities hold you back. Reach out to us today to explore how we can partner with you to unlock the full potential of your data assets and drive your business forward. Let’s embark on your Data Excellence journey together.
Dayna Larson
is an Associate Principal at Cortico-X based out of New York City.
