The scene is a large boardroom. Managers have just arrived from across the organization for this very important meeting. Today our company will decide whether or not to sell one of their facilities and merge with a leading competitor. The information used to make this decision needs to be accurate and up-to-the-minute. Unfortunately the managers have arrived with only the best data they could get their hands on prior to the meeting. They show up with information from a number of different sources in a variety of formats with inconsistent freshness. HR data has come from an Access database built and maintained by HR. Customer information has been assembled in Excel-based scorecard, which is built and managed by a consultant working for one of the business units. Finance numbers are on printed reports from the Financial Applications system. Budget and Forecast data are cut and paste from an Excel application and printed for reference. There is also marketing data used, which is assembled from Internet sources. On top of all that, other data just exists in someone’s head from a conversation they just had on the phone and is spread by word of mouth. With all of this, the meeting starts…

As the discussion ensues, it becomes apparent there are issues. Well my reports say this and your reports say that. “Your numbers are 1, 2, 3? Well, those number don’t match my numbers.” At this rate, it appears the company will be making a best guess as to what to do. What will be the decision? Will it be the right decision? Is there any reason given the technology we have today that organizational management should be going through this type of chaos when trying to make basic but critical business decisions. I don’t think so -- at least no good reason.

Unfortunately this scene is commonplace in many organizations today. This is how decisions are being made. Right or wrong, there’s no need for this anymore. The investments on IT over the past thirty years have created all the pieces required to put together the first true information management and delivery system. This complete architecture and delivery system is The Information Asset .


In the following chapters, I will walk you through the discussions on our way to completely changing how organizations operate by enabling the hidden and invaluable asset that exists or can exist in every company today. This is The Information Asset.


In Section I, we’ll discuss important background to provide some motivation and historical insights in the following chapters:


[Motivation]  Chapter I Making The Case

[History]  Chapter II The Stage Is Set


With that background, we’ll move into Section II and get into the details of understanding the Information Asset and all of its components. We’ll then outline an approach or recipe to assist with the challenging task of making this happen in the “real world.” These steps will be covered in the following chapters:


[Definition]  Chapter III What Is The Information Asset?

[Architecture]  Chapter IV The Foundation: Data Flow Architecture Components

[Solution Delivery]  Chapter V Solution Delivery and Management

[The Recipe]  Chapter VI “The Recipe” Building The Information Asset


And finally in Section III, once we’ve laid down where we’re going and how to get there, our final discussion point will be how to measure success and integrate with future direction. This will be covered in the following chapter:


[The Legacy] Chapter VII Ensuring Your Legacy


Through these three sections and seven chapters, we will travel a long way from the problems and major issues that exist within information technology today to the opportunities and direction that can be taken to resolve these situations. Every tomorrow will look like today unless we take steps to enable and enact effective change. Only through quality work today, can we build a better tomorrow.

As discussed in the opening example, it’s a wonder that business can operate with the approach that has been taken in reference to organizational data and information. For years “reporting” has been one of these “we know we need it but don’t want to spend money on it” areas. As much as that made sense for years -- data warehousing, data marts, portals and business intelligence have recently been able to drive some real tangible value to the table. Businesses who make strides in these areas have made great progress in increasing their value, growth and success in the marketplace.

Just consider how important having good information or reporting is in the real world today. Should our country attack another country because they have nuclear weapons? Should we recall all of our medical products because someone died from a taking one of our aspirin? Do we evacuate a city before a hurricane hits that will cause major loss of life? Do you execute a person for a crime? Do you operate on someone’s heart because they felt a chest pain? Big decisions like these occur every day in the world. For each of these, the people making the decisions require valid and accurate information, knowledge and decision intelligence to choose the best approach. With the best information, the best choices will be made. With less than the best, poor decisions will be made.

Well, the same applies to business. Big decisions occur every day in every company. Each decision requires information, knowledge and intelligence to support it. Who are our best customers? Should we acquire this other company or build ourselves? Where do we open a new store? How do we market our services? What skills do our people have? How many people work here? What’s our current pipeline of opportunities for expansion? These are all interesting questions that could be answered in the most effective ways if the people making decisions had the decision intelligence information they needed, when they needed it.

With the value of organizational data and information more apparent than it’s ever been in the past, over the next few years…..