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Creating a shared structure to unlock the true value of data
In my previous articles, we’ve explored how data alone isn’t enough—it’s raw gold ore that needs refinement to become truly valuable. We’ve also seen how a disconnect between strategy and operations often leaves meaning lost, turning potential value into piles of unprocessed data. Read Article 2 here: Why Meaning Gets Lost: The Disconnect Between Strategy and Operations
Now it’s time to introduce the essential next step: moving from fragmentation to flow. To do this, we don’t need yet another isolated framework or tool—we need a shared structure for meaning.
From Misalignment to Shared Meaning
As organizations grow, complexity increases. Teams multiply, responsibilities specialize, and silos naturally form. Strategy and operations drift apart because each speaks a different language.
The solution isn’t stricter control—it’s a shared interpretive layer that bridges these silos and creates a coherent flow of meaning across the entire organization.
Imagine if every person interacting with data—whether they’re in security, compliance, operations, or architecture—interpreted and understood it exactly as intended. That’s what shared meaning achieves.
What Shared Meaning Requires
Achieving shared meaning isn’t about better metadata. It’s about embedding purpose, ownership, risk, and impact into every process and decision. This includes:
- Ensuring the same data prompts the same interpretation, no matter who’s viewing it.
- Embedding business context directly into data—not merely documenting it in isolation.
- Designing information flows explicitly around the movement and preservation of meaning.
In other words, shared meaning is structural—not optional.
What This Looks Like in Practice
In practice, a shared interpretive layer spans horizontally across the organization, creating alignment from strategic vision to operational execution:
- Strategic goals clearly translate into Architectural Guidelines.
- Architectural guidelines inform the design of Business Processes.
- Business processes clearly specify how data supports operational tasks.
- Operational teams clearly understand why data must be secured, measured, and prioritized.
For example, a customer-centric strategy might clearly define which data points matter most to customer satisfaction. Security teams understand precisely what data requires the highest protection. Data analysts know exactly which metrics align directly with strategic outcomes.
Why Current Frameworks Can’t Do It
We already have robust frameworks: TOGAF for architects, ITIL for service managers, ISO for compliance, NIST for security. But each works within its domain, vertical and specialized.
None of these frameworks inherently connect horizontally across the entire organization. None clearly define why the data matters across every layer and role.
We need an approach that doesn’t replace these essential frameworks but integrates and harmonizes their purpose and usage across roles. We need a shared language that everyone understands, not just specialists.
The Vision: A Structured, Flexible Layer for Meaning
The solution is a structured, yet flexible interpretive layer that sits atop existing frameworks, aligning them without adding complexity. It must be:
- Lightweight: Easy to implement and use.
- Context-driven: Grounded in the actual business context, not abstract theory.
- Role-aware: Clearly showing each individual their specific responsibility in preserving meaning.
- Cycle-based: Continuous, iterative, and self-improving through feedback loops.
This approach will not dictate specific solutions—it orchestrates and aligns existing resources, ensuring everyone understands exactly what their data means, why it matters, and how it should be protected, analyzed, and used.
In Article #4, we’ll explore exactly how to put this shared interpretive layer into action, including specific roles and an orchestration model that any organization can adopt.
For now, remember: data without shared meaning is just noise. Shared meaning turns noise into clarity—and clarity into action.