What is the first thing to do if you want to improve your company’s information management maturity ?

A. Buy a new datawarehouse

B. Buy a new ETL

C. Assign a Chief Data Officer

D. Invite Oracle

E. Fire all the DBAs

The right answer is C : assign a Chief Data Officer (CDO). Data is too important to be left to all and no one.

The CDO will have to start in the following tasks:

• identify the strategic data needs of the company
• conduct a data management maturity assessment
• set up an information management governance (data stewards, standards, procedures, concils…)
• plan information management projects: short, mid and long term.  The CDO can have a look at the DAMA DMBok for inspiration.

CDO on Wikipedia