As organizations begin to adopt master data management (MDM) techniques and tools, they often make presumptions based on faulty premises that lead to process flaws. If the goal of MDM is to integrate into a long-term information strategy, the focus must shift away from the concept of creating a “single source of truth” towards providing “unobstructed access to a consistent representation of shared information.”
By rethinking MDM, organizations can develop a phased approach and incremental implementation plan, which will deliver the benefits of sharing consistent, high-quality data while aligning the milestones and deliverables of a medium- and long-term information strategy.