Maturing Data Processes at a Decentralized Federal Organization

The Challenge A large government agency sought EK’s help in addressing significant data management challenges they were facing. The agency had a decentralized organizational structure and a complex technical ecosystem, which created unique challenges for remote employees in finding, accessing, and sharing critical data at the time of need. These challenges resulted in the agency experiencing difficulty in addressing critical operational needs, such as:  Quickly collecting data points and information requested by legislators and appropriators in Congress; Providing data-backed evidence to support budget justifications for agency programs, generating insight for executives to enable data-driven decisions; Demonstrating operational compliance with various regulations; and  Collaborating with other agencies at the state and local levels in complementary initiatives.  The agency enlisted EK to develop a data management strategy with the goal of standardizing data practices, increasing data accessibility, fostering cross-team collaboration, and making valuable information accessible for reuse across the organization. The goal at the organization was to have a fully implemented set of prioritized data management initiatives, anchored in a comprehensive Data Management Maturity and Modernization Strategy and Roadmap, which would lay the foundations to build advanced cloud data analytics programs in the future.