The data quality manager has to have the most thankless task in the organisation, but the main problem seems to be that there is confusion about (a) the difference between data and information and (b) ownership differences between the data content (things stored in the electronic filing cabinet) and the data container (the electronic filing cabinet).
In most organisations, IT owns the database container, and other areas – marketing, finance, sales, etc. – take ownership (or perhaps not) of the database content. The result is that data quality easily falls through the gaps created.
The irony is that the database and its content are really a board level responsibility and should be treated as such. Hence the database content should be valued by everyone in the business as an intangible asset and perhaps added to the balance sheet, in the same way as physical assets are cherished.
It’s the classic ‘Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, Nobody’ no ownership story:
Data quality management is an important job and Everybody is sure that Somebody will do it.
Anybody can do it, but Nobody does.
Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job.
Everybody thinks that Anybody can do it, but Nobody realises that Everybody won’t do it.
In the end, Everybody blames Somebody when Nobody does what Anybody could do.
