About Jim Harris

My name is Jim Harris, I am the Blogger-in-Chief here at Obsessive-Compulsive Data Quality (OCDQ), which is an independent blog offering a vendor-neutral perspective on data quality and its related disciplines.

I am a recognized industry thought leader on data quality with over 15 years of professional services and application development experience in data quality, data integration, data warehousing, business intelligence, master data management, and data governance.  I am also an independent consultant, speaker, and writer.

I have dedicated my career to helping clients implement data-driven solutions for their business problems.

 

The Circle of Quality

I believe that the key to an organization’s success is The Circle of Quality.

An organization’s success is measured by the quality of the results it produces.  Those results are dependent on the quality of its business decisions.  Those decisions rely on the quality of its information.  That information is based on the quality of its data.  Therefore, data must be viewed as a corporate asset because high quality data serves as a solid foundation for business success.

The Circle of Quality illustrates the business context continuum formed by data, information, decisions, and results.  Additionally, it demonstrates why a sustained enterprise-wide data quality program as well as a data governance framework are both necessary for an organization’s continuing success.

Therefore, it’s easy to imagine the highly questionable results that will be produced when data quality is not considered vital to an organization’s success—and how failing to manage data as a corporate asset is nothing less than extremely risky business.

 

Data Transcendentalism

I also believe that the success of all enterprise information initiatives depends on the strategic, tactical, and operational alignment of people throughout the organization in relation to data access, data sharing, data quality, and effective data usage, all of which is necessary for the united and shared purpose of enabling better business decisions and delivering optimal business performance.

However, as a data professional, my strongest belief is what I refer to as Data Transcendentalism.  People, business process, data, and of course, technology, are all important to an organization’s success.  However, by far the most important of all is—People.

The faster an organization can avail itself of the business understanding already present within its unique corporate culture, but not yet shared across the enterprise, the sooner it will realize its great potential.  A corresponding reliance on the human side of business will transcend data, business process, and technology—and it will be the organization’s people who will lead the way.

I have helped people make the promise of data-driven solutions for business problems a reality for Global 500 companies in finance, brokerage, banking, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, retail, telecommunications, and utilities.

 

Additional Information about Jim Harris

I have strong skills in engagement, communication, technical translation, negotiation, collaboration, change management, presentation, training, mentoring, writing, and using social media for business purposes.

I am a 2009-2010 IBM Information Champion and I am a regular contributor to the DataFlux Community of Experts.

I am on the Expert Panel and a Contributing Editor to Data Quality Pro, which is the leading data quality online magazine and community resource dedicated to data quality professionals.

I am a member of the International Association for Information and Data Quality (IAIDQ) as well as the Iowa Chapter of the Data Management Association International (DAMA).

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