VIDEO | Insight Partners CDO and CMU Heinz College Adjunct Faculty: Data Observability Helps Build Trust in Data

(US and Canada) Christopher Stephens, Chief Data Officer in Residence at Insight Partners and Adjunct Faculty at CMU Heinz College, speaks with Robert Lutton, Vice President at Sandhill Consultants and Editorial Board Vice Chair at CDO Magazine, in a video interview about the role of data observability, the lack of trust in data, and the importance of metadata.

Stephens says that data observability as a discipline and concept has emerged in the past few years. He adds that trust in data across an organization is typically low, and data observability helps teams build trust to ensure good business decisions and the use of machine learning and AI.

Further, Stephens states that the trust issue needs to be addressed. To move forward on the AI and machine learning path, companies need to start by establishing trust with their data. This is done through data observability which allows for transparent insight into how data decisions are made and to what extent they can be trusted for AI and machine learning decisions.

Furthermore, to ensure trust and avoid embarrassing and reputationally damaging experiences, companies must ensure transparency and show stakeholders the detailed workings behind any AI-based decisions. He believes that regular data observability is crucial for effective data management and trust in the organization. However, that trust must first start with the data team and their trust in themselves.

According to him, an individual can measure the quality of organizational data and provide a baseline with the right observability platform. He recommends data teams take ownership of the improvement by setting reasonable goals and expectations and showing progress against them. Stephens asserts that this dynamic approach allows teams to ensure the data is increasingly trustworthy while avoiding taking ownership of the historical lack of trust.

Next, he highlights the importance of context in understanding data, noting that metadata can provide insight into the data itself. He suggests that without the context that metadata provides, the real value of the data may be lost.

In conclusion, Stephens opines that valuable data is brought together to understand the metadata surrounding it. He adds that this metadata needs to be made active in the context, and this concept is essential to evaluating data.

CDO Magazine appreciates Christopher Stephens for sharing his insights and data success stories with our global community.

See more from Christopher Stephens 

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