Data Management Best Practices

Effective data management is crucial for successful IT Asset Management. Leveraging a structured approach like the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle can help structure your efforts.

This approach should be easy to integrate into the existing processes and/or management framework you have implemented in your ITAM practice. 

PLAN: ITAM Scoping as the prerequisite for data management

Data management for ITAM has a few similarities to configuration management. One of the most important is the importance of scoping. Without a clear view on what data you want, need, or are even able to manage, you will set yourself up for failure. Use the "Plan" phase to develop clear objectives for asset data collection, storage, and management, aligning them with business goals and compliance requirements. 

Are all the publishers in scope? Probably not. All asset types? Not very likely. Also, there may be practical, technical or political reasons why certain BUs, geo’s, or infrastructure parts are not in scope for your ITAM practice. There are many instances for example, where R&D departments, production sites or retail locations are kept out of the ITAM scope for good reasons.

A few things to consider when determining the scope of your ITAM practice and subsequently the scope of your data management efforts:

• Document and communicate your choices and considerations in a register* for future reference.
• Communicate your current maturity- and ambition levels in a backlog**.
• Make sure your scope is signed off by the appropriate management representatives by including a periodic review in your ISO 19770-1 management system.
• Avoid the discussion about the definition of “Asset” by adding your preferred definition to the signed scoping and/or mandate documentation. This way you can re-use the definition in stakeholder communication, while creating processes and procedures etc. A nice starting point can be the visualization in the ISO19770-1 documentation, or the revised visualization in the ISO19770-10. (“Guidance for implementing ITAM)

If you can explain your reasoning, the battle is half won! 

DO: ITAM data gathering considerations

The "Do" phase focuses on implementing strategies and deploying the necessary tools, systems, and workflows to capture and maintain accurate asset information. When gathering data for ITAM purposes, it is essential to collaborate with your stakeholders. Where to start?

• Before you barge into the office of a (usually overworked) configuration management team, try getting a higher-level view with an (enterprise) architect. They usually know what suppliers, integrators and internal teams have which interfaces and responsibilities.
• Try to get an idea of how data flows. When are assets added to a system? What do the different statuses mean? Is the data enriched? What databases are connected, and how do they sync up? Make sure you document and maintain the knowledge you gain on the subject.
• Read that last sentence again. Document. Really. Not kidding, this will come back later.
• Before you can have a constructive conversation about data, you need to make sure all your stakeholders are on board. Don’t assume they all know what you are trying to accomplish and how they fit into that plan. Be open, learn and communicate.
• Tooling can help with consolidation, normalization and cleaning up data. Especially when you are combining different data sources, this can be a daunting task without specialized help!

CHECK: Asset Verification

During the "Check" phase, data integrity and performance are regularly monitored, ensuring that the system is working as intended and meeting the established benchmarks. Experience with asset verification has taught us a few things we want to share:

• Verified asset data improves the trust internal and external stakeholders have in your ITAM reporting. So make sure you have the verification planned and executed frequently.
• Setting clear KPIs on verification and communicating the trends is a great way to spread the word on the good work your ITAM team is doing.
• When asset verification is set up properly, the reports can be an indicator of (unintentional?) changes in your company’s infrastructure, data flows or databases. Sometimes you will even notice before anybody else does!
• The way you match assets, normalize, extract and interpret statuses are all a reflection of (mostly informal) business rules in your organization. Make sure you document them for future conversations!

ACT: Working with stakeholders

Finally, in the "Act" phase, you can assess opportunities for optimization and make adjustments to enhance accuracy, efficiency, and security. This is where the value realization takes place. But, if you really want the maximum benefit from your efforts, you have to play it smart:

• Don’t just bombard stakeholders with delta-lists and actions. Agree on a frequency, process and tool where you share and discuss findings.
• Especially in the beginning, schedule meetings and circle back to your data flow documentation (told you it would come back), and the business rules you explored earlier. This will help get everybody acquainted with the process.
• Nothing big is going to change during the first run. Differences in data sets may have historical, technical or practical reasons that are not easily resolved. Give it some time. Accept and communicate it will take a few runs to start seeing improvements.

Final thoughts:

Don’t be afraid to start small. Make sure you communicate that like every ITAM subject, a data management best practice has to mature over time.

Celebrate your success! Not just the KPIs and all the nice graphs (Lines are going up, so all must be good right?) but also the less tangible efforts like being in contact with stakeholders around the organization, improved collaboration and trust in the data.