Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) guide the DOM’s processes, ensuring efficiency and consistency at each stage.
Purpose & Scope of the Data Operating Model
- Purpose: The Data Operating Model aims to create a unified, secure, and optimised data framework supporting BMT’s strategic goals. The SOPs integrated into each stage will ensure adherence to data quality, accessibility, and governance standards across the data lifecycle.
- Scope: This model covers end-to-end data processes, from acquisition to archiving, with SOPs providing the “how-to” framework for each function.
Standard Operating Procedures Across Key Stages
Data Planning SOPs
- Define Data Quality Goals: Set specific, measurable quality objectives aligned with BMT’s business needs.
- Assess Current State: Perform data profiling and gap analysis to establish a baseline for improvement.
- Data Quality Metrics: Set SMART KPIs to assess data accuracy, completeness, and timeliness.
- Stakeholders and Responsibilities: Define roles like data stewards, owners, and custodians for accountability.
- Data Quality Policies & Standards: Establish consistent standards for data handling, aligned with governance policies.
Data Acquisition SOPs
- Identify & Assess Data Sources: Ensure each source meets BMT’s data standards.
- Define Data Acquisition Requirements: Specify data types, update frequency, formats, and quality benchmarks.
- Quality Checks and Automation: Implement automated checks and ETL processes to maintain data integrity and efficiency.
- Data Governance Policies: Uphold data governance standards across acquisition and ingestion, including permissions and compliance.
Data Processing & Maintenance SOPs
- Data Profiling & Analysis: Monitor data quality metrics continuously to spot issues early.
- Data Quality Improvement Initiatives: Clean, enrich, and validate data as it progresses through transformation stages.
- Data Quality Governance: Appoint responsible parties for ongoing quality assurance and establish quality checks across transformations.
- Training and Education: Regularly train team members on quality standards and practices, including new tools and technologies.
Data Publish & Share SOPs
- Data Documentation & Publishing: Maintain metadata, data dictionaries, and lineage info for clarity and user understanding.
- Access Controls & Distribution: Use role-based access to publish data to authorised users and platforms securely.
- Data Quality Monitoring Post-Publishing: Ensure published data remains relevant and accurate with periodic checks.
- Feedback & Usage Tracking: Collect stakeholder feedback to improve future data outputs and track how data is used.
Snapshot & Archive SOPs
- Define Snapshot Requirements & Schedule: Specify retention and archiving policies.
- Snapshot Creation and Archiving: Establish regular intervals to create and archive data snapshots for historical integrity.
- Data Access Controls and Recovery: Ensure archived snapshots remain secure yet accessible for necessary use.
- Audit and Compliance Reviews: Regularly audit archived data to ensure compliance and integrity over time.
Data Flow and Governance within the DOM
- Data Governance SOPs: SOPs standardise processes around data governance, ensuring quality, accountability, and secure access at each lifecycle stage. For instance, SOPs outline specific steps to ensure data consistency, accuracy, and quality control across layers.
- Quality Assurance: SOPs bring a layer of predictability and assurance, so that every stage from acquisition through archiving operates with the same level of rigour, establishing BMT as a data steward.
- Data Integration and Interoperability: SOPs for integration allow streamlined data exchange and reduce redundancy, ensuring data moves seamlessly across departments and can be used universally.
Integration with Business Process Strategy
- SOPs contribute to embedding data into business workflows, providing predictable processes for gathering, processing, and disseminating data across departments, improving customer insights, operational efficiency, and compliance.
Adaptability & Scalability through SOPs
- SOPs ensure that as BMT scales or adopts new data sources, each addition follows a consistent and robust process, reducing risk and enhancing agility.
Performance and Accountability
- With SOPs, each role has clear responsibilities for executing and monitoring data processes, enabling accountability.
- SOPs support continuous improvement by regularly reviewing practices to meet changing needs and industry standards, tracking data quality KPIs, and ensuring every stage aligns with BMT’s strategic goals.