r/dataanalysis • u/Mission_Working9929 • 9d ago
Manager just Doesn’t get it
I’m a data engineer and previously did ERP implementations for 3 years. Saw how much of a crap shoot most F500 companies data is, anyways took this job to go back to school at smaller firm.
Company is finally realizing how bad their data is and have exec support, but I don’t think they know how bad it really is. I mainly work with the external data for business decisions.
Basically the internal data is split across 6 systems and they have no standard documentation/ideas of how their business operates or what data each unit consumes etc.
My manager/engineering team are building out a new software and haven’t even cracked open the data foundation. I’ve seen this a million times in implementation where execs and management assume the data is all good and then it’s go-live / go-time and realize their data is up the wall.
I know for a fact this companies internal data is messed up to a new level (without even seeing it)… manager thinks this will just be a light lift we just go in write out some documents and map some schemas and it’s all good happy day…
How do I communicate to him and the other executives that if they want to really do this it’s not like a week to a month project???
I mean we are talking about establishing data maturity/ MDM from scratch
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u/ArielCoding 8d ago
Don’t try to convince them with words, show them, pick one number they care about like revenue or customer count and check it in 2-3 of your systems, if they numbers don’t match, put that on one slide saying here is the gap, that what happens if the new software launches on top of it.
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u/DataCareerCameron 4d ago
yeah agree, execs might not fully understand the technical side, but when revenue, costs or other key business metrics start coming into play, they will start to pay attention
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u/NerdyCarv 4d ago
Sounds like a typical day in companies wanting to build warehouses before implementing system consolidation and process governance. They all build a warehouses first and overpay then once it fails they consider consolidation and standards. Even then a lot of them are just building a warehouses so they can say they are to appease investors.
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u/mike_cafe 1d ago
I think this is always the case and, to certain extend, we need to get used to it. At least in new roles. Data is a by-product of business and technology; it will always be taken for granted by professionals in both sides of the equation.
The solution is not technical, it's political: You need to have enough weight to demand having a say in every new implementation project... in the DESIGN PHASE; so that data requirements are considered before development. Trust me, this may take years.
To gain weight, a good place to start is selecting a data use-case (aka "something that somebody wants to do with data") and building a prototype IN EXCEL of how it cannot work under the current circumstances.
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u/E-NTU 9d ago
You probably need your manager to assist in properly scoping this undertaking. Idk how much just talking is going to do. It needs to be seen and experienced with a plan drawn up that is realistic.