The 28-Day Master Data Management Challenge
Stop arguing about whose numbers are correct and start building the trusted, single source of truth that powers your entire business.
Purchase Your Challenge & Build Your Data Foundation Today
Are your teams spending more time reconciling spreadsheets than on strategic work? This challenge is the definitive, day-by-day blueprint to decommission the "hidden factory" of manual data correction. Stop building on a foundation of sand. In just four weeks, this practical guide will take you from the chaos of data conflict to a fully designed, ready-to-execute master data management program.
What You'll Learn
This is not a book of abstract theories; it is an action-oriented system for building a tangible plan. By the end of this challenge, you won't just understand MDM—you will have the complete strategic and technical plan for your MDM implementation.
- Week 1 (Strategy): Build your unshakeable foundation by creating a powerful business case with a clear ROI and establishing a formal data governance charter to guide your program.
- Week 2 (Blueprint): Move from strategy to architecture by designing the detailed data model for your ‘golden record,’ choosing the right architectural style, and mapping your data integration flows.
- Week 3 (Implementation): Bring your blueprint to life by configuring match/merge rules, establishing the human-led data stewardship process, and planning your initial data load.
- Week 4 (Scaling): Go from a single project to a mature program by learning advanced strategies for DataOps, building a business glossary, and creating a multi-year roadmap for the future.
Read the First Challenge for Free!
Ready to build a foundation of trust in your data? Get Day 1 of The 28-Day MDM Challenge sent to your inbox for free. Take the crucial first step by identifying the specific, high-impact business problem that will become the anchor for your entire MDM business case.
Challenge Resources
Every challenge comes with a complete toolkit of free, downloadable resources to guide your work. Gain immediate access to our business case template, a data governance charter outline, a data model worksheet, and an RFI template for vendor selection.
From the Blog
Dive deeper into the world of enterprise data management. Our blog features expert advice on data governance, stewardship, and the latest trends in building a successful master data management program.
Why is this challenge different?
Most MDM resources are either overly technical IT manuals or high-level business theory. This challenge is different because it bridges that gap. It's a business-focused framework for IT leaders and a technical implementation guide for business champions. It's built for the entire team that needs to solve the enterprise data problem.
This is not a book you just read; it’s a book you do. The daily structure is designed to build the muscle memory of a professional data leader. By completing the small, focused tasks each day, you eliminate overwhelm and ensure that by the end of the four weeks, your MDM program is not just a plan, but a reality waiting to be executed.
Ready to build your single source of truth? Purchase the challenge today.
What to Expect During the Challenge
Each day, you will receive one focused lesson, a real-world case study, and a single, actionable task that methodically builds your complete MDM program plan from the ground up.
- A daily email with your MDM lesson and your single, actionable task.
- Hands-on exercises to build your business case and data governance charter in Week 1.
- A guided framework for designing your 'golden record' data model in Week 2.
- Step-by-step instructions for defining match/merge rules and your data stewardship process in Week 3.
- Templates for creating a multi-year roadmap and calculating your program's ROI in Week 4.
- The confidence of having a complete strategic and technical plan for your MDM implementation.
- A clear path to finally achieving a single source of truth for your critical business data.
How to Get the Most Out of the Challenge
MDM is a team sport. Identify your key stakeholders in IT and the business from day one. Use the daily exercises in this challenge—especially the business case and data modeling tasks—as structured activities to complete together. This collaborative approach will build the cross-functional alignment that is essential for any successful data program.
Start building your trusted data foundation by purchasing the challenge now.
About Your Guide
Robert M. Coles is a business strategist and author who knows that in a world drowning in data, a lack of trust is the single biggest barrier to growth. He has witnessed countless meetings devolve into arguments over conflicting data, draining millions from the bottom line and eroding organizational confidence.
He designed The 28-Day MDM Challenge to be the definitive, business-focused blueprint for solving this critical problem. He believes that MDM shouldn't be a complex, multi-year IT project but a strategic, value-driven program. He has distilled the core principles of successful data management into a simple, actionable, and achievable daily process. This challenge is his system for empowering leaders to stop arguing about data and start building the trusted foundation their business deserves.