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IVM has been developed and used over many years; it encapsulates everything we do as a company as we focus on one area i.e. Information Management. Information Management combines three core disciplines: Intelligence, Integration and Quality.
As illustrated below at the high-level we break-down delivery into four linked layers / cycles of activity and we support all of them.
First we define the information management strategy, which may be specifically for a data warehousing programme or more broadly a complete information management capability. This sets the direction based on high-level benefits, understanding of business priorities and alignment of IT. From the outset we recognise the importance of addressing both the human (process and organisation) factors as well as the technical (technology and data). This ensures that a complete and sustainable solution is delivered, delivery teams are trained and mentored to be able to support and enhance the solution going forward, and end-users trained and mentored to ensure that the solution can be fully exploited.
Acuma IVM
Acuma has over 20+ years experience of delivering Information Management solutions and Acuma’s Information Value Model (IVM), a full lifecycle methodology, has been developed to encapsulate all of our acquired knowledge and experience around IM solutions delivery.
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Based on the strategy, which identifies a number of key initiatives, the next cycle is solution delivery. Solutions are delivered in iterative phases combining detailed requirements, design, build, test and implement. We aim for short delivery cycles of between 3-6 months. This controls scope, reduces risk, focuses effort and traditionally means team sizes are relatively small and therefore can more easily maintain focus, share information, and be adaptive to change.
We fully recognise that data warehousing solutions are not static and therefore to gain maximum benefit must be adaptive and scaleable to allow for change, both organisationally and technically. The third cycle of IM Service focuses on the exploitation of the solution by the end-users. It takes account that the rate of change of data structure is slower than for new forms of analysis / reporting etc. By getting the data right it is relatively straight forward to overlay new forms of analysis and therefore can be and must be supported in a much more dynamic way, which impacts on how you organise and separate the solution delivery and service delivery teams.
The final cycle is the Quick Win cycle(s). Where possible, even at strategy level, it is important to identify opportunities for quick benefit realisation e.g. this may be about providing a quick report on some newly extracted data. This is an important part of the approach as it means the team is always looking for ‘added value’ opportunities.
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