|
|
Portland Chapter
Data Administration Management Association
P.O. Box 2343
Portland, OR 97208-2343
www.dama-pdx.org
Board Members
President
Wayne Little
VP Membership
Krishna Moorthy
VP Education
Open
VP Communication
James Lee
VP Financial Services
Nancy Hallock
VP Online Services
Sakthi Angappamudali
Atul Borkar
VP Secretarial Services
Don Rognlien
Past President
Hanteng Dai
| |
May 17, 2006 Meeting |
|
The Human Side of Data Modeling: Proven Techniques for Improving Communication with Subject Matter Experts |
Presented by Alec Sharp
Time: Registration/Refreshments - 8:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Presentation - 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Announcements - 11:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Location: CNF Campus Ad-Tech II (Freemont Conference Room)
Download: The Human side of Data Modeling
Above all, data models should be viewed as a communication vehicle among different stakeholders, including decision-makers, content experts, business analysts, and designers.
Unfortunately, the communication often gets lost, either in the clouds, in the weeds, or somewhere off to the side. Whether the modeler has drifted too quickly into abstraction and generalization, or has taken the "deep dive for detail," the result is the same - confused, frustrated, or detached subject matter experts. And the result of this is inaccurate or incomplete models!
Experience shows that it doesn't have to be this way - simple techniques, consistently and regularly applied, will go a long way to ensuring involvement, buy-in, and communication. Drawing on over 20 years of successful data modeling experience, this presentation will discuss the core "human side" behaviors - accessibility, direction, simplicity, consistency, visibility, relevance, plurality, patience, humility, tangible involvement, and empathy.
These will be illustrated through a variety of topics and examples:
- "Role induction" for clients, and why you can skip the "tutorial" on data modeling
- Getting started - choosing between top-down, bottom-up, or sideways-in approaches
- Presenting vs. modeling - considerations for the emerging world of "systems archaeology"
- Appealing to all learning styles - visual, auditory, and kinesthetic
- Conventions for comprehension - guidelines for data model graphics
- "Scripts" for growing the model - the value of consistency
- Using other techniques - workflow modeling, use cases, and service specifications
This is an updated version of the presentation Alec first delivered at the 2004 DAMA International Symposium in L.A., where it was the top-rated session of the conference.
Alec Sharp
Alec Sharp began his career as a systems programmer and DBA, but became a convert to modeling after building his first data model in 1979.
He founded his consulting practice in 1981 and went on to assist many clients with initiating data management programs, developing large database applications, and applying model-driven requirements definition techniques.
For the past fifteen years, he has been heavily involved in large-scale process redesign initiatives, during which he still manages to find a central role for data modeling.
Currently, Alec is helping a number of organizations with business planning and process redesign, including assisting the government in Northern Ireland with improvements to judicial processes mandated by the peace agreement. Other interesting recent assignments have included reverse-engineering conceptual models from purchased and legacy applications so clients could understand the business impacts of their systems, helping a forensic sciences agency adjust their processes to deal with a changing crime profile, and assisting a government agency in selecting an "off the shelf" application and migrating from their highly-customized purchased application .
Alec is a past president of the British Columbia DAMA chapter, and in 1983 was a founding member of its predecessor. He is a popular conference presenter, and has spoken for DAMA on many occasions, including DAMA International Symposia in North America and the UK, various DAMA Regional Symposia, and numerous chapter meetings.
Alec conducts workshops on Data Modeling (introductory and advanced), Workflow Process Modeling, and Use Cases & Application Services at large organizations throughout North America and abroad. Recent assignments have been in locations as diverse as Russia and India. His book "Workflow Modeling" (co-authored with Patrick McDermott) was published by Artech House in February 2001, and is currently the best-selling book on the topic.
He can be contacted at 604 925-2440 or asharp@clariteq.com <mailto:asharp@clariteq.com>. | |
