General:Business:Concepts:Principle:XPRINC-xxxx: Communicate Consistently

Categories : Business, Data

Title : Communicate Consistently

Statement : Use common, comprehensible, consistent plain language vocabulary and definitions in order to simplify interactions and reduce misinterpretation.

Rationale : The data that will be used in the development of applications must have a common definition throughout the Headquarters to enable sharing of data. A common vocabulary will facilitate communications and enable dialogue to be effective. In addition, it is required to interface systems and exchange data.

Impact : We are lulled into thinking that this issue is adequately addressed because there are people with “data administration” job titles and forums with charters implying responsibility. Significant additional energy and resources must be committed to this task. It is key to the success of efforts to improve the information environment. This is separate from but related to the issue of data element definition, which is addressed by a broad community - this is more like a common vocabulary and definition.
The enterprise must establish the initial common vocabulary for the business. The definitions will be used uniformly throughout the enterprise.
Whenever a new data definition is required, the definition effort will be co-ordinated and reconciled with the corporate “glossary” of data descriptions. The enterprise data administrator will provide this co-ordination.
Ambiguities resulting from multiple parochial definitions of data must give way to accepted enterprise-wide definitions and understanding.
Multiple data standardization initiatives need to be co-ordinated.
Functional data administration responsibilities must be assigned.

Resources : * See TOGAF Principle 13.
* See Simon Davis’s Mantras.

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