Trying to establish "one version of the truth" when it comes to operational data can be like searching for the Holy Grail at a lot of companies. With a redoubled focus on managing via metrics these days, it is more important than ever to have one version to work with, writes Chris Murphy at InformationWeek.

A CIO should just "declare" one version of the truth, suggests Jeanne Ross, director of MIT Sloan School's Center for Information Systems Research. Simply choose a source and then announce that it will be the version everyone will use. "Once you tell everyone 'This is our single source,' they work pretty hard to make it more accurate," Ross said at the TechTomorrow conference last month. 

It may sound a bit impulsive, Murphy writes, but this approach can significantly cut the amount of time IT groups spend gathering and filtering information to deliver what they believe is the right data--even when there are constituencies who would just as soon leave some ambiguity in the numbers.

This approach is somewhat reflective of a project at Procter & Gamble, where CIO Filippo Passerini and his group built a meeting room for executives to analyze business metrics. They did not wait for a perfect set of data to initiate the project, however. "We intentionally put the cart before the horse, because it is a way to force change," Passerini said.

Trying to establish perfect data to serve as the "one source" does not necessarily match with any business goal. "It reeks of data for data's sake," Murphy warns. "But if people can see how a single source of the truth relates to gaining market share, or not ticking off customers, then they know why it's important. That's a truth they'll find worth seeking."

For more:
- see Chris Murphy's post at InformationWeek

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