Appendix D. Information: The Raw Material of CRM

Information is the foundation on which all successful CRM programs are built, but it is often ignored because of the belief that information just happens after the system is up and running. The business functions think information is the job of Information Technology, and the IT department believes that its job is only technology. In fact, they share responsibility. The business team doesn't need to know how to build a database, just what information they need to run their business. On the other hand, it's not a programmer's responsibility to define what information needs to be collected; they are responsible for building the storage facility to contain and protect the value of the information that the business identified.

Because there is so little expertise or experience available in managing the information engineering process, we will take XYZ's Valencia project as an example and detail exactly the process the company went through for Valencia. Often, it is the Information Technology experts who facilitate this process, but the early steps require active participation and ownership from the business experts who need the information. Both sets of experts must work together closely, using a formal methodology to ensure good communication and to manage the transition of responsibility from the business team members to the IT team members. Much like designing a filing system such as the one shown in Figure D-1, you would never expect the file cabinet manufacturer to decide what to put into each folder or how to arrange the folders in the drawers.

Of course, you would expect that the manufacturer built a cabinet such that standard files would fit in the drawers, the cabinet was sturdy and secure, and the drawers worked properly.