An Ode and Aspiration to the Simple Brilliance of Master Data Management (Nerd Alert).

If you’ve ever heard Neil DeGrasse Tyson speak, you’ve witnessed the height of subject mastery. Dr. Tyson delivers lectures about astrophysics, astronomy, and geo-politics to paying sold-out crowds the world over. With an infectious sense of humor, a deep curiosity, and raw emotion and passion for world we share, Dr. Tyson speaks…. simply, effectively...to connect the layperson to the science, distilling the most complex of topics to core concepts that inform the novice and excite the apathetic. https://twitter.com/neiltyson

A number of years ago I was given an opportunity to step into a role managing commercial systems for a large pharmaceutical manufacturer. My new responsibilities included Business Owner of the Master Data Management System and lead of a massive MDM system upgrade project already in process (‘in progress” would be an overstatement, hence being pulling in as program recovery leader…). Having hailed from a completely different part of the company, I had very little working or strategic knowledge of Master Data Management, but it seemed that no one else really did either. In fact, the most that I could get from those around me when I asked for the 411, then the 101, and finally in some panic the 911, was “Well, MDM is hard…..”. Like, as in a “Barbie doesn’t like math” kind of way. What? Isn’t this your job, aren’t you able to explain it? And why make it my job if you don’t think I’m capable of understanding, at least at a managerial level, what the general objectives are?

The myth of “MDM being hard…” had been handed down from one imposter syndrome consumed business side manager to the next, growing deeper roots each time a well-meaning consultant or a defensive tech lead attempted to explain the practice with hyper granularity, system-specific terminology, and no understanding of how to tie the value of Master Data Management to the Business Problem it was meant to address.

Without much external help, I focused on what I *knew* I could do well, business analysis and project management. I kept pulling back the layers of the jargon onion to understand the space and keep the project on track by being transparent that I was absolutely relying on each team member to bring their expertise to the table because I had none. Most importantly, I was committed to not being afraid to ask questions, to push on inconsistent answers, and call out crossed wires whenever I heard them. Eventually, I knew enough to be helpful with deliverable identification and resource/time estimation.

But it was still a while before my brain fought the mentality of respected mentors telling me “MDM is hard, just let it be” and my mental funnel digested the complexity of the discipline to:

***I am Rebecca Greenberg. I am also Becca Greenberg. You might even know me as Rebeca Bruce. But I am NOT Rachel Greenberg.

***My post-college roommate or my partner’s ex-wife does NOT live in my house.

***In the past, present, and future, Rebecca Greenberg will belong to many different organizations, has many varied interests, and relationships to others.

The unknown and unexamined will always be hard to comprehend, even harder to explain. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Find advisors that trust your mental funnel and gut sense (you *aren't* stupid, I promise (probably)), you'll get this.

~Rebecca Greenberg