Visualization tool for Innovation in Data governance

Challenge & selection

My challenge consisted in helping one of my customers, a railroad company, to define its data  governance organization for railroad infrastructure knowledge. Railroad activities involve different  roles from different units respectively responsible for sales, circulation, maintenance or projects.  Those units mostly operate apart from each other however their efficiency and the company  efficiency depend on their ability to generate and exchange data at the relevant level of quality. The  current organization only provides poor data quality. Growth of circulation needs, safety issues and  market opening are the challenges that they have to face together that oblige them to ensure a  stronger data governance.

Talking about data governance or data ownership in the context of this company was a challenge  because it is really abstract for most of the people involved. That is why I chose visualization tools to  overcome this difficulty. I did use visualization tool first to share the results of a journey mapping  phase, it took the form of user experience graphic pointing out daily good and painful moments  when generating, processing, controlling, publishing or using key railroad infrastructure data. Then I  used visualization tool during a Workshop where participants created a prototype of the future data  governance organization.

Application

I used journey mapping and “user experience graphic” to scope the problem taking into account the  point of view of each unit (I focused my study on key roles of data generation, control, publishing and  use). Journey mapping was the opportunity to deeply understand the expectations of every  stakeholder and to point out the main pain points and their root cause. It took me a month and a half  with the help of a co-coworker to follow the activities of each key role. I shared the results with the  stakeholders and I let them time to discuss, challenge and appropriate the outcomes.

Then I set a workshop and selected 12 participants from different units to generate ideas for each  pain point. During the first step of the Workshop, I split the group into 3 groups of 4 people with a  representative of each unit in each group. Each group shared their ideas with everyone. For the  second step, I mixed the group to make another 3 working groups of 4 people and I invited them to  use the generated ideas as building blocks to define the future data governance organization. For  each group the data governance organization took the form of a graphic compliant with the process  notation standard of the company (BPMN). A person of each group shared their view and responded  to questions and remarks of other participants. Finally during the last step, we draw the target  organization by identifying the common denominator of each proposition and completing with ideas  agreed by the whole group.

I finally set a meeting to validate with the management the main outcomes and the milestones of a  pilot roll-out. The pilot is currently in progress on a narrow scope, every key role has been  distributed, and the main processes are roughly defined and will be detailed during this  experimentation.

Insight & Approach

Using journey mapping and user experience graphic allow me to point out the painful moments  experimented by each stakeholder and to identify the main root cause of the data governance  problems which is the various key data definition and different uses across the different railroad  units respectively responsible of sales, circulation, maintenance or projects. The sharing of the  journey mapping outcomes using visualization tools (user experience graphic) was also a key success  factor as it was the first step to set a common view overcoming unit specificities. Every stakeholder  realized the operating consequences of poor data quality and their role in the big picture.  Visualization tool was very helpful to create empathy from everyone.

Ideas generated during the workshop were gathered in different themes: new roles, tools,  organization principles, activities, macro processes. The Workshop was really productive and  performed in a good mood despite former tenseness between units. When we draw the target  organization, I paid attention to everyone and made sure that each participant even the quietest  validated each decision. I learned that silence does not mean agreement. The use of visualization  tools (Process drawing) helped me a lot to mitigate vocabulary sterile debate especially when we  started to talk about data “ownership”. Visualization tools helped to redefine necessary roles and  associated activities in a very effective timing as the Workshop only took a day.

The experimentation is currently in progress. The people involved are enthusiastic and proud and act  as ambassadors to their colleagues. The result is very different from state of the art in data  governance, more simple and understandable for people working in this railroad company.


Visualization tool for Innovation in Data governance Challenge & selection My challenge consisted in helping one of my customers , a railroad company , to define its data governance organization for railroad infrastructure knowledge . Railroad activities involve different roles from different units respectively responsible for sales , circulation , maintenance or projects . Those units mostly operate apart from each other however their efficiency and the company efficiency depend on their ability to generate and exchange data at the relevant level of quality . The current organization only provides poor data quality . Growth of circulation needs , safety issues and market opening are the challenges that they have to face together that oblige them to ensure a stronger data governance . Talking about data governance or data ownership in the context of this company was a challenge because it is really abstract for most of the people involved . That is why I chose visualization tools to overcome this difficulty . I did use visualization tool first to share the results of a journey mapping phase , it took the form of user experience graphic pointing out daily good and painful moments when generating , processing , controlling , publishing or using key railroad infrastructure data . Then I used visualization tool during a Workshop where participants created a prototype of the future data governance organization . Application I used journey mapping and “ user experience graphic ” to scope the problem taking into account the point of view of each unit ( I focused my study on key roles of data generation , control , publishing and use ) . Journey mapping was the opportunity to deeply understand the expectations of every stakeholder and to point out the main pain points and their root cause . It took me a month and a half with the help of a co - coworker to follow the activities of each key role . I shared the results with the stakeholders and I let them time to discuss , challenge and appropriate the outcomes . Then I set a workshop and selected 12 participants from different units to generate ideas for each pain point . During the first step of the Workshop , I split the group into 3 groups of 4 people with a representative of each unit in each group . Each group shared their ideas with everyone . For the second step , I mixed the group to make another 3 working groups of 4 people and I invited them to use the generated ideas as building blocks to define the future data governance organization . For each group the data governance organization took the form of a graphic compliant with the process notation standard of the company ( BPMN ) . A person of each group shared their view and responded to questions and remarks of other participants . Finally during the last step , we draw the target organization by identifying the common denominator of each proposition and completing with ideas agreed by the whole group . I finally set a meeting to validate with the management the main outcomes and the milestones of a pilot roll - out . The pilot is currently in progress on a narrow scope , every key role has been distributed , and the main processes are roughly defined and will be detailed during this experimentation . Insight & Approach Using journey mapping and user experience graphic allow me to point out the painful moments experimented by each stakeholder and to identify the main root cause of the data governance problems which is the various key data definition and different uses across the different railroad units respectively responsible of sales , circulation , maintenance or projects . The sharing of the journey mapping outcomes using visualization tools ( user experience graphic ) was also a key success factor as it was the first step to set a common view overcoming unit specificities . Every stakeholder realized the operating consequences of poor data quality and their role in the big picture . Visualization tool was very helpful to create empathy from everyone . Ideas generated during the workshop were gathered in different themes : new roles , tools , organization principles , activities , macro processes . The Workshop was really productive and performed in a good mood despite former tenseness between units . When we draw the target organization , I paid attention to everyone and made sure that each participant even the quietest validated each decision . I learned that silence does not mean agreement . The use of visualization tools ( Process drawing ) helped me a lot to mitigate vocabulary sterile debate especially when we started to talk about data “ ownership ” . Visualization tools helped to redefine necessary roles and associated activities in a very effective timing as the Workshop only took a day . The experimentation is currently in progress . The people involved are enthusiastic and proud and act as ambassadors to their colleagues . The result is very different from state of the art in data governance , more simple and understandable for people working in this railroad company .