Key data strategy learnings for ALBs
Written by Civiteq’s Principal Consultant, James Illingworth
Why ALBs need to think about their data now
As an Arms-length Body (ALB), your data is key to everything you do, which is why you should have a data strategy in place now, so you’re ready for your shared service transition. A data strategy in this context means being clear on who owns your data, what state it’s in, what you need to protect, and how it will fit into a new shared environment.
You might have a whole ecosystem of different services and systems. And if you don’t understand where your data is and how it serves your business needs and your legislative commitments, then moving it to a new, central service will be more challenging. A clear, well-prepared data strategy doesn’t just help you mitigate risk – it ensures you can make the most of what shared services have to offer.
Key considerations for getting your data strategy right
The first thing to think about is how much effort is needed to prepare your data and ensure it smoothly migrates to the new platform.
Your data strategy should include:
- Governance: Get a clear understanding of who your stakeholders are, who owns the data and who can make decisions about it. Defining clear roles and responsibilities and the framework which guides strategic delivery of your goals for shared services is a crucial foundation. There is significant data risk – establish strong data risk management for the programme.
- A programme of work: Put a plan in place to ensure the governance and management of your data is fit for purpose to support the transition and align to future-state processes.
- A map of your data architecture that includes:
- Where it’s created, used, and stored
- Data lifecycle
- Stakeholders
- What the information is being used for
- Reporting and analysis services – tools, skills, and stakeholder information requirements
- Data security and data protection/compliance rules
- A blueprint for post-migration:
- How will your data environment look after the shared service move?
- How will your data support your transformed business processes?
The pitfalls to avoid with data
When it comes to getting your data ready, these are the main hazards to watch out for:
- Starting too late: If you’re not ready to engage with the shared service journey, it will come at you in a flood. There’s a huge legislative and business risk around not being ready.
- Underestimating the work and expertise needed: It’s important to have the capacity and the right skills to successfully execute your data strategy.
- Not considering data readiness: What shape is your data in? For example, do you have lots of redundant data or data that contravenes GDPR? Do you understand your data’s structure and meaning well enough to work with the shared service on mapping and transformation rules?
The risks of getting your data migration wrong
If your ALB doesn’t have its data organised and ready for the change, you might migrate to the new system with incomplete or inaccurate data. This undermines system integrity and user trust and might not support your business needs. Or it could end up costing you more money if you need to helicopter people in at the last minute to deal with the data alignment issues.
It’s important to remember: your ALB still owns that data, so the responsibility for compliance – including with GDPR – remains with you. The need to conduct Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) for both transformation programme streams, and use of the shared service, should be part of your planning to ensure personal data remains compliant before, during, and after the transition.
The benefits of getting your data migration right
A successful data migration means no unnecessary disruption – or headaches – for your organisation. Plus, you’ll be able to make the most of the benefits of being on a shared service, for example:
- Access to a modern, evergreen solution that is constantly improving and offers a better user experience
- You can retire any existing IT systems you don’t need anymore
- The shared service will look after your data – but this can only be effective if it has been well prepared, documented, and supported by clear agreements and aligned governance.
Getting your data ready for a shared service transition
At Civiteq, our ERP experts can support your ALB with all aspects of data strategy and migration to a shared service.
Take a look at the work we’ve been doing with a government department preparing for their transition.
Get in touch or book a meeting with our Account Manager, Tom Roseveare, to discuss your ERP data strategy with us.