The phenomenon of collecting and storing a company’s data for the sake of better performance and operational outcomes has become widely recognized since the second half of the 20th century. Essentially, data management serves as an umbrella term for the processes of collecting, storing, organizing, analyzing, and governing the data in the company’s possession (Steadman & Vaughan, 2019). Some of the major aspects of data management include the creation of data architecture, or the patterns of its collection and storage, data input and quality checks, data inventory, and analysis of the data in order to make decisions based on quantitative and qualitative outcomes.
Hence, as far as personal competence in data management is concerned, my strengths include the ability to account for data when making a business decision. Moreover, I have the skill of data management integrity, which stands for one’s ability to acknowledge the potential flaws of data and consider the potential errors during the analysis. Thus, I never treat data as genuine and estimate the potential weaknesses it may provoke during decision-making. Another important skill I acquired is known as business intelligence, which stands for the ability to see the data not as a quantitative indicator but as a business tool to improve the company’s strategies and vision of success.
However, the areas for improvement in terms of data management include the lack of cooperation with the team in order to acquire insights into the data. Moreover, I am currently unable to operate the data architecture patterns autonomously, so I require external assistance in terms of withdrawing and accessing data. The final skill that requires more development includes managing the data storage software, as I am unaware of all the features that could be used to systemize the data.
In order to increase the competencies in the area of data management, the primary strategy would be to improve communication skills within the setting. Indeed, when analyzing or withdrawing data, obtaining various perspectives from colleagues is an integral part of the critical evaluation of data. Moreover, brainstorming and sharing ideas on how to improve business outcomes is a foundation for beneficial change. The ability to communicate my ideas to the team while accounting for their perception of data would, by all means, increase personal competence and the setting’s productivity patterns.
The next activity would be to pursue additional education on the matter of data management. The current paradigm of data operation within the business sector is marked by innovation in cloud data storage, big data software, and the emergence of more corporate businesses to store and analyze data. For this reason, in order to remain relevant, it is imperative to enhance personal competence with the help of online courses and certifications, most of which can be found online for free.
The final activity to increase data management competence would be to create the habit of regular data checks and quality reassurance. The inconsistencies in checking data for errors and duplicates tend to snowball and create a challenge for future analyses and strategic planning. For this reason, it would be beneficial to develop a monthly or even weekly habit of checking the data storage for common mistakes for the database to show relevant indicators in the future. Considering the notion of data management, it may be concluded that the primary competence required for success concerns the recognition of the data’s importance in terms of developing a business, as it catalyzes the urge to improve other skills.
Reference
Stedman, C., & Vaughan, J. (2019). What is data management and why is it important? Search Data Management. Web.