Data Operating Model: Driving Clarity and Transformation
Project Overview
A global healthcare leader reached a turning point: their existing data environment no longer matched the scale of their ambition or the complexity of their operating context.
The challenge was familiar but serious. Different business units were pulling in different directions, existing data approaches were reactive rather than strategic, and there was no unifying “North Star” to guide decision-making. Without alignment on a vision, milestones, and the foundational elements of a data operating model (DOM), the risk was clear: fragmented initiatives, duplicated effort, and lost opportunities. The executive team needed a structured, actionable way to create clarity, gain consensus, and align on a roadmap that could anchor long-term change.
Our Solution
Afiniti worked with the client to co-design and facilitate a three-day immersive workshop that delivered both alignment and a tangible plan for action.
Preparation and design: Participants received pre-reading and tailored facilitation materials structured around a creative mountaineering theme, underscoring the idea of charting a shared climb toward transformation.
- Day 1 – Framing the Future: The team began by articulating a North Star vision — the outcomes and major milestones required to achieve success in the coming years. Using diagnostic tools such as SWOT and force field analysis, they examined the current “as-is” state. This set the stage for identifying and prioritizing the most critical data operating model elements to address.
- Day 2 – Designing the Data Operating Model: With vision and milestones defined, the group shifted to design mode. Iterative working sessions explored each priority DOM element, defining the “to-be” state and pinpointing the key shifts needed to bridge the gap from today’s reality. This produced a structured backlog of initiatives tied directly to the milestones set on Day 1.
- Day 3 – From Design to Action: The final day blended design with execution planning. Initiatives were validated, ownership was assigned, and priorities were confirmed. By the close of the workshop, the team had a clear activation plan with quick wins to launch immediately, plus a pathway for communicating outcomes and next steps to senior stakeholders.
The result: concrete outputs that enabled both team ownership and senior-level engagement, setting the stage for effective delivery.
The Differences We Made
Afiniti’s role went beyond facilitation. By combining proven tools with practical delivery expertise, the engagement achieved:
- Shared alignment: Participants left with a unified vision and a data operating model framework they could all endorse.
- Clarity of focus: Prioritization cut through noise and directed attention to the most critical elements.
- Momentum for action: The workshop didn’t stop at ideas — the team left with a detailed backlog, clear accountabilities, and an activation roadmap.
In just three days, Afiniti helped the client shift from ambiguity to clarity, from competing priorities to alignment, and from aspirations to a pragmatic delivery roadmap. The data operating model design was grounded in industry best practices, supported by maturity assessments, and informed by an honest appraisal of the current landscape — balancing the company’s ambition with external realities.
