We were recently contacted by a master data manager at a manufacturing company that outsources its master data governance operation and uses a platform from an akquinet competitor.
The initial topic of the conversation was to understand how we could help him better educate requesters.
According to him, the low quality of the information submitted was creating a lot of friction with the outsourced master data governance operation. (On this point, we have a very clear opinion: the requester knows the operational need, but should not have to become a master data specialist. We wrote about it in [this article](/en/blog/governanca-dados-mestres-solicitantes-especialistas-cadastro))
But what really made us reflect more deeply was another sentence said by this manager as he pulled his phone out of his pocket:
“Despite this friction, the service is great. Look here: I'm on WhatsApp talking directly to the manager of my outsourced master data provider, solving the problems that come up day to day quickly and attentively.”
Great service is, without a doubt, a positive thing. However, we took the opportunity to better understand what these problems were that required the daily involvement of a manager from the outsourced provider - and that is when the realization came: most of these problems simply should not exist at all, not after a Master Data Management operation that is already stabilized.
The trap of confusing good service with good governance
What was described to us were not unpredictable exceptions or extraordinary situations; they were recurring problems related to inconsistent information, repeated returns, workflow doubts, discrepancies in validations, among other situations. This reveals a common trap: judging the quality of a solution by how fast its professionals put out fires and not by how many fires the project managed to eliminate.
An MDM project as it should be
A consistent MDM project should:
- guide the requester within the process itself;
- prevent incomplete or inconsistent information from moving forward;
- make responsibilities and approval criteria clear;
- automate validations, integrations and routing;
- measure returns, rework and quality at the source;
- eliminate the causes of recurring problems;
- reduce dependency on messages, spreadsheets and specific people.
A good MDM project does not eliminate every exception - it prevents exceptions from becoming routine. Human service remains essential. However, it should be dedicated to truly exceptional situations, to continuous improvement and to the evolution of governance, and not to the daily compensation for process, technology or implementation failures.
So, before celebrating that the provider solves everything quickly over WhatsApp, it may be important to ask a few questions:
- Why do these problems keep happening?
- How many of them should already have been eliminated?
- Is the volume of returns and rework decreasing?
- Is there a plan to remove the causes or only to treat the symptoms?
- Does the operation work without the constant intervention of certain people?
An attentive manager is an important asset, but a manager permanently mobilized to solve avoidable problems may be the symptom of a debt left behind by the project.
Good service solves exceptions. A good project prevents recurring problems from needing heroes.
At your company, are managers advancing governance or spending the day putting out fires?
About akquinet Brasil
We are specialists in master data governance and Master Data Management (MDM) solutions. As part of the German group AKQUINET, we have been present in Brazil since 2012, developing and implementing a wide range of projects for clients in various sectors such as retail, manufacturing, agribusiness, pharmaceutical, among others. With an experienced and highly qualified team, we have established ourselves as a market reference, offering solutions such as MDM+ BRO, an SAP-certified add-on for ECC and S/4HANA environments, and MDM+ MUB, a SaaS platform for other ERPs, in addition to specialized consulting services in master data governance and processes.