Building the data roadmap
We’ve covered assessing the current state of data, defining the data vision and strategy, and identifying key data initiatives and projects. Today, let’s dive into building the actual data roadmap by sequencing initiatives, estimating resources, and establishing timelines.
Build a Data Roadmap Series
~ Part 5: Building the data roadmap ~
A. Sequencing data initiatives and projects
To build a practical and effective data roadmap, you need to sequence your data initiatives and projects in a way that aligns with your organization’s priorities and resource constraints.
1. Aligning with business priorities – Sequence your data initiatives to address the most critical business needs and deliver the greatest value to your organization. This may involve prioritizing projects that support key business objectives, mitigate risks, or offer a high return on investment.
2. Balancing short-term and long-term initiatives – Ensure that your data roadmap strikes a balance between short-term projects that deliver quick wins and long-term initiatives that lay the foundation for future success. This approach helps maintain momentum and demonstrates the value of your data initiatives to stakeholders.
B. Estimating resources and budget
A solid data roadmap includes a realistic assessment of the resources and budget required to implement your data initiatives.
1. Human resources – Identify the roles and skills needed to execute your data projects, and determine whether you have the necessary expertise in-house or need to hire new team members or engage external partners.
2. Technical infrastructure – Evaluate the technology infrastructure required to support your data initiatives, such as data storage, processing, and analytics tools. This may involve upgrading existing systems, procuring new technologies, or adopting cloud-based solutions.
3. Financial resources – Estimate the costs associated with implementing your data initiatives, including personnel, technology, and training expenses. This will help you build a budget that supports your data roadmap and ensures that your organization invests its resources wisely.
C. Establishing timelines and milestones
A well-defined data roadmap includes clear timelines and milestones to help your organization track progress and stay on course.
1. Defining project phases – Break down each data initiative into manageable phases, such as planning, implementation, and evaluation. This will help you manage the complexity of your data projects and ensure that your team stays focused on the tasks at hand.
2. Setting realistic deadlines – Establish realistic deadlines for each phase of your data initiatives, taking into account your organization’s resource constraints, dependencies between projects, and other factors that may impact the timeline.
Main tasks involved: – Sequencing data initiatives and projects – Estimating resources and budget – Establishing timelines and milestones.
Roles involved: Data Strategist, Data Architect, Data Analyst, Data Engineer, Data Stewards and Business Leaders.
With your data roadmap in place, your organization is ready to embark on its data-driven journey. In my next blog post, I’ll discuss how to implement the data roadmap, build a data-driven culture, and monitor progress. Stay tuned for more insights into the exciting world of data strategy!
Resources
- Dataversity – “Developing a Data Roadmap: A Collaborative Approach”: This informative article discusses the importance of collaboration in developing a data roadmap, providing a step-by-step approach to building an effective and actionable data roadmap. URL: https://www.dataversity.net/developing-a-data-roadmap-a-collaborative-approach/
- TDWI – “The Data Strategy Roadmap”: TDWI offers a detailed guide on creating a data strategy roadmap that covers key components such as data governance, data quality, and data integration, providing a practical framework for sequencing data initiatives. URL: https://tdwi.org/whitepapers/2020/03/adv-all-the-data-strategy-roadmap.aspx
- Sisense – “How to Create a Winning Data Roadmap”: Sisense shares insights on creating a data roadmap that aligns with your organization’s strategic objectives, focusing on elements like data sources, technology stack, and analytics capabilities. URL: https://www.sisense.com/blog/how-to-create-a-winning-data-roadmap/
- Journey to enterprise frameworks
These resources offer valuable guidance on building a data roadmap that effectively sequences data initiatives, estimates resources and budgets, and establishes timelines and milestones. By leveraging these resources, you can create a practical and actionable data roadmap that sets your organization on the path to data-driven success.
