DQ Asia Pacific 2009: an Opportunity for Networking
October 2009: Originally published in IDQ Newsletter Vol 5 Issue 4
Nonna Milmeister
Introduction
The internet boom has brought with it a sea of information. At any point of time, at any location around the world you can join discussion groups, networking groups, professional bodies, and interest groups in a wide variety of disciplines, such as data governance, data management, and data quality. Vendor-specific web sites likewise provide information about their latest technology offerings.
So with all this data available online, why did I attend the DQ Asia Pacific Conference?
- The opportunities to network at the conference are second to none. You meet with professionals you can discuss issues openly and honestly.
- You have a unique chance to talk to leading experts and ask for their professional opinion on topics of interest.
- You will hear real case studies and find creative ways that people use to solve a problem that you might face as well.
Something New Every Year
I hear you ask, 'But isn't it the same every year?' The answer is Yes and No.
Yes, because you sometimes meet the same speakers and the same professionals.
New Lessons. No, because presentations usually provide new insights even if we see the same presenters. Sometimes continuity and familiarity is important because last year's presentation could have been about the beginning of the journey, while this year's presentation covers the lessons learned and the subsequent targets set. In this way, we can learn and see the whole picture, end-to-end. Perhaps there were many questions last year about a particularly difficult issue, e.g. how to estimate the value of data, and this year, someone may present specifically on this thorny topic.
New Technologies. What about vendors? Are they always talking about the same tools, and isn't it just a sales pitch? Not entirely. It is important to be up-to-date on the recent developments in technology. At this year's conference, vendors were able to deliver presentations that highlight new capabilities that I have not seen before. While you may not buy the products presented at the conference, it helps to understand what the different vendors are offering. You are better informed and better prepared when your organization is ready to go through the tender or procurement process. You can even invite these vendors to present to your team; it becomes a learning exercise for your staff and an opportunity to trial something new without making any commitment.
I also found it helpful to have pre-arranged meetings during the exhibition break with some of the leading vendors, as these meetings were very beneficial.
New Insights. I also had positive feedback from my colleagues at Telstra who attended this conference. It was great to hear from Larry English and Dr. Thomas Redman, two of the most recognised people in data and information quality. Larry English is very well familiar to Telstra attendees because of the work he has done at Telstra in helping to establish TIQM training and certification. Even if you have attended his lectures before, there is still something new to learn every time with Larry presenting in his energetic and passionate way. Dr Redman's presentation on managing data and information assets was quite unique and his experience at presenting at the CFO Conference was very interesting to hear and learn from.
New Methodologies. This year's conference has seen presenters from different industries, with most of the presentations highlighting and confirming common issues and trends in DQ/IQ Management. From my perspective, the most interesting presentations were those from Shell (Ken Self) and National Australia Bank (Alan Doyle). Their presentations were full of practical advice, sharing techniques and methodologies that can be implemented straight away with great benefit to companies.
Conclusion
It was great to be able to catch up with some of the DQ/IQ professionals that I had met through IAIDQ, and I think this informal communication helped advance our professional knowledge. Overall I found this conference to be very beneficial from many different angles. However, I also think that attending the DQ Conference once a year is not sufficient and other means of networking should be used, including a more frequent exchange of ideas through IAIDQ.
Face-to face interactions with like-minded professionals are very important and maybe establishing an Australia/Asia Pacific branch of the IAIDQ should be the next step, or more granular geographical divisions. I welcome your opinions and encourage any pro-active action towards establishing such useful channels of communication.
Copyright © 2009 Nonna Milmeister
About the Author
Nonna Milmeister is a Group Manager, Enterprise Data Quality, in Telstra’s Information Technology Services organisation.
Prior to joining Telstra, Nonna had more than 10 years experience consulting in Information Quality, including establishing data quality governance, prevention of data quality errors, managing all aspects of data quality improvement projects and extensive program of work, including IT and process improvements.
Nonna is a Certified TIQM Instructor and Practitioner, who developed and delivered high quality client specific Information Quality Education and Training. Since 1998 Nonna has also developed and delivered a number of presentations at national and international Information Quality conferences, including USA and Europe.