The Challenge:
The client, a national distributor preparing for a major digital transformation, faced a critical roadblock: the lack of an operational data governance model to support enterprise-wide Master Data Management and ERP initiatives. With transformation plans underway, leadership recognized that master data decisions were fragmented, inconsistent, and uncoordinated across business functions. To succeed, the client needed:
- Coherent and enterprise-approved definitions for core data domains including customer, product, and supplier
- Requirements-driven data hierarchies aligned to current and future needs
- Clearly defined mandatory and optional attributes to reduce ambiguity and improve data quality
- A scalable governance structure capable of both immediate impact and long-term sustainment
Without these capabilities, digital transformation efforts would stall under the weight of poor data quality and decision-making bottlenecks.
The Strategy:
Jabian partnered with business, technology, and data leaders to design and operationalize a modern data governance model across three foundational data domains. Key elements of the strategy included:
- Establishing roles, responsibilities, and team charters for enterprise and domain-level data governance teams
- Creating a blueprint for operating model design, including intake processes, communication protocols, and prioritization frameworks
- Leading working sessions to accelerate the first wave of high-priority data actions while upskilling client resources to take ownership over time
- Applying a “cost and impact to vision” model to prioritize governance actions that would unlock downstream transformation benefits
This approach laid the groundwork for scalable governance while building internal capabilities to own and evolve the model moving forward.
The Outcome:
Jabian’s work enabled the client to confidently move forward with its digital transformation efforts, now supported by an operational and sustainable data governance structure. Tangible outcomes included:
- A functioning enterprise data governance team with clearly defined roles and responsibilities
- Three domain-level governance teams – Customer, Product, and Supplier – equipped to scale
- Over 60 data actions identified, prioritized, and addressed using a formal intake process
- 13 high-priority data actions fast-tracked to enable ERP and MDM readiness
- 80+ field and corporate stakeholders engaged and educated in data governance principles
- A foundational operating model transitioned seamlessly to a newly hired Data Governance Director
This initiative reflects Jabian’s strength in Technology Enablement and Artificial Intelligence service areas, specifically in enabling enterprise data strategy, improving readiness for transformation, and creating scalable structures to unlock the value of digital investments.