Structuring Your Data Management with People and Processes

As we continue our deep dive into GS1 and the GDSN, make sure you’ve reviewed our guide on the terminology first. From the history of GS1 to defining GTINs and UPCs, that guide is your ultimate reference point for unpacking the complexities of the GDSN. What we’re going to talk about next is taking that knowledge applying it to your data governance strategy.

You might be assuming that takes us to the technology piece—but we have another chapter that precedes that. Before you can successfully implement and use the proper platform, like Syndigo, you need to have a handle on roles and processes for managing it all.

In this blog, we’ll provide guidance for setting up a proper framework for your governance structure by getting the right teams and approaches in place.

Who does what?

Let’s think about this like a train: The train might be moving the data where it needs to go, but it needs various leaders running it to ensure it moves along smoothly. Your organization needs to have people dedicated to the following areas for successful data governance:

• Owning the project of exchanging data through the GDSN
• Managing the multiple elements involved in the product content and metadata
• Closely reviewing the data to identify key information and action to take

Of course, these team members need to be experts on the GS1 Standards and have strong involvement in pursuing top data quality. Having a handle on this framework as an organization empowers people to take hold of the ever-important processes that move the aforementioned data train forward. Consider item set-up, for instance, and how this will take it from a departmental task to a centralized center of excellence. To give an example, for recipients, this means having someone dedicated to reviewing the data inputs from vendors, someone moving the data downstream, and someone holding content accountable to the GS1 Standards.

Streamlining complete, accurate content

Now that we’ve gone through those organizational tips, you should have a clearer idea of how the data successfully comes to life (a.k.a. how that data train keeps moving). The purpose of the GDSN, after all, is exchanging fulfilled product content. When you have the appropriate people and processes in place, you can feel confident those GS1 Standards are being met and your content is accurate and up to date.

From continuous internal audits to documented steps for a review cycle, there are plenty of moving pieces amongst your teams to maintain data completeness. But what makes it easier? A comprehensive platform that can ingest, validate, and syndicate the content across trading partners, of course! Better yet, when that platform is also a leading GDSN data pool, you should look no further. This is exactly how Syndigo comes into play.