Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
equally in the success or failure of the process. The strength of any partnership
develops over time, as you work together toward a common goal.
Partnerships are strong when each individual in the relationship invests
equally. Everyone must pull his or her own weight. The strongest partnerships
are developed when teams or individuals are dependent on each other in order
to be successful. This is clear when looking at a sports team. While success
may result from the performance of one superstar, a team is more likely to
achieve success when it contains multiple strong contributors. In the 1980s,
Michael Jordan alone was not enough to ensure success for the Chicago Bulls.
However, in the 1990s when he was surrounded by other strong partners, the
Bulls were unstoppable.
How a partnership works for a data warehouse may not be as clear as the
relationship between players on a sports team. For any partnership to succeed,
all partners must have a clear understanding of what is expected of them, take
ownership of those expectations, and follow through by fulfilling their own
responsibilities.
Organizations that are committed to building a strong partnership between
the business and IT communities typically fall somewhere on a continuum.
At the low end of the continuum, organizations designate people for both
groups and encourage them to learn, understand, and partner with each
other. At the midrange of the continuum, organizations create performance
goals and incentives based on the ability of the groups to build strong
partnerships. Finally, on the high end of the continuum, organizations build
competency centers or centers of excellence where both the business and IT
partners are reassigned into this new organization with integrated goals and
a single management team. No matter where your organization falls on the
continuum, all parties must to be committed to building a true partnership.
If this commitment does not exist, then your chances of a successful project
decrease dramatically.
Many organizations have well-developed, strong relationships between
business and systems. In order to capitalize on that experience, let's take a
look at how you will contribute to the partnership through your role.
What the Business Partners Should Expect to Do
Before delving into specific roles and responsibilities, it is worthwhile to take a
step back to reflect on how the various parts of the business are often perceived.
Business professionals can be intimidating to systems people. Salespeople are
outgoing and gregarious. Marketing people are creative and trendy. Folks
from finance are detail oriented and demand that everything balance to the
penny. Engineers are methodical. Actuaries are incredibly intelligent and
detail-aware.
