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Board-Ready Data Strategy Tied to P&L Outcomes in 6-12 Weeks

Data Strategy & Roadmap

Most data strategies are technology roadmaps disguised as business strategy. We deliver board-ready strategy tied to specific business outcomes—revenue growth, cost reduction, risk mitigation—with implementation roadmaps your teams can execute.

Why Most Data Strategies Fail

The CFO asks: 'What's the ROI on our data platform investment?' Most CDOs answer with technology features and engineering metrics. The right answer connects data capabilities to specific P&L line items. A data strategy that doesn't quantify business impact isn't strategy—it's a wish list. We build strategies that connect technology investments to outcomes the board actually cares about.

Our Four-Phase Methodology

A structured approach refined through dozens of Fortune 500 data transformations, adapted for the pace and constraints of mid-market and growth companies.

1

Current State Assessment

We audit your existing data landscape—systems, governance, team capabilities—and identify the gaps preventing you from achieving specific business outcomes.

  • Capability maturity assessment across data management dimensions
  • Team skills inventory and organizational structure analysis
  • Technology stack audit with redundancy and gap analysis
  • Quick-win opportunities for immediate value creation
2

Opportunity Mapping

Working with business leaders, we identify high-impact opportunities where better data capabilities drive measurable business outcomes. Every initiative gets an ROI model.

  • Prioritized opportunity portfolio with ROI estimates
  • Business case templates for top 3-5 initiatives
  • Data monetization opportunities (internal and external)
  • Risk mitigation strategies tied to compliance and operational exposure
3

Strategy Development

We design your target state: the data platform architecture, governance model, and organizational structure needed to execute the opportunity portfolio. Vendor-agnostic recommendations based on your constraints.

  • 3-year data strategy roadmap with phased milestones
  • Target architecture design (ingestion, storage, analytics, governance)
  • Operating model: team structure, roles, and decision rights
  • Data governance framework aligned to regulatory requirements
4

Roadmap & Governance

We deliver an executable implementation roadmap with sequenced initiatives, effort estimates, and success metrics. Plus the governance framework to keep it on track.

  • Quarterly implementation roadmap with dependencies and milestones
  • Vendor evaluation criteria and shortlist for key technology decisions
  • Financial model: capex, opex, and ROI projections
  • Governance playbook: decision-making processes and escalation paths

What You Own at the End

  • Board-ready strategy presentation with executive summary
  • 3-year implementation roadmap with effort and cost estimates
  • ROI models connecting data initiatives to P&L outcomes
  • Vendor evaluation framework and technology recommendations
  • Data governance framework with policies and decision rights
  • Organizational design: roles, responsibilities, and reporting structure
  • Quick-win playbook for first 90 days of execution
  • All working files, financial models, and diagrams in editable formats

Who This Is For

New CDO or CTO Inheriting Data Chaos

You've been hired to 'fix data' but inherited fragmented systems, unclear ownership, and no strategy. You need a roadmap the board will fund and your team can execute.

Post-Acquisition Integration

You've acquired companies with incompatible data platforms. You need a unified strategy that preserves what works, consolidates redundancy, and delivers synergies the deal promised.

Legacy Transformation Mandate

Your board mandated cloud migration or analytics modernization. You need a strategy that balances risk, cost, and business value—not just a technology lift-and-shift.

Board Mandate for Data-Driven Transformation

Your CEO committed to becoming 'data-driven' but no one defined what that means. You need a strategy that translates executive vision into executable initiatives with measurable outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a data strategy engagement take?
Standard engagements run 6-12 weeks depending on organizational complexity. Smaller companies (under 500 employees, single business unit) trend toward 6-8 weeks. Larger organizations or multi-business-unit enterprises trend toward 10-12 weeks. The discovery call will scope your timeline.
How much time does this require from our team?
Expect 15-20 hours from the executive sponsor over the engagement. Business unit leaders contribute 3-5 hours each for interviews and validation sessions. IT/data teams provide 5-10 hours for technical assessments. Most clients find this a small investment compared to failed initiatives that lacked executive alignment.
What format are the deliverables?
You receive a board-ready strategy deck (PowerPoint), detailed implementation roadmap (Excel or project management tool of your choice), financial models (Excel), architecture diagrams (Lucidchart or Visio), and governance documentation (Word/Google Docs). Everything is editable—you own the source files, not just PDFs.
Do you provide ongoing support after the strategy is delivered?
Yes, if needed. Many clients transition to a Fractional CDO arrangement for ongoing leadership during execution. Others schedule quarterly strategy reviews to keep the roadmap aligned as business priorities shift. We can also advise on vendor selection and implementation partner evaluation.
How is this different from what a Big 4 firm would deliver?
Three key differences: (1) You get me doing the work, not junior consultants learning on your dime. (2) We're scoped for speed—6-12 weeks, not 6 months. (3) Deliverables are implementation-ready with financial models and vendor evaluation frameworks, not generic strategy decks. I've led these transformations at Fortune 500 scale; now I bring that rigor to mid-market companies without the enterprise price tag.

Ready to Build a Board-Ready Strategy?

Let's discuss your data challenges and map a strategy that connects technology investments to measurable business outcomes.