Judy WindleSunflower Systems

jwindle@sunflowersystems.com

How to Clean Up Your Property Data: From Plan

to Execution

Purpose

To describe how to address data cleanup challenges

To present steps required to effectively plan and clean up property data

To review an Asset Catalog example

To describe how to maintain clean, consistent data

Overview

Understand how to achieve the following cleanup steps:

Address the challenge Create a plan Execute and Manage Maintain policies and procedures

Keeping data accurate, consistent and reportable is the key to success!!

Address the Challenge

Begin with the following suggested questions:

Is there one, centralized office driving polices, procedures and guidance on how to manage and track property?

Do the property managers and custodians understand the importance of entering clean, precise data into a property management system? Are they motivated?

What are the weaknesses of your property management system?

Address the Challenge

“If you take care of the small things, the big things will

take care of themselves.”

Lets focus on the weaknesses…

Step 1: Recognize the need for data cleanup

Step 2: Understand the importance of a cleanup effort

Step 3: Identify the cause behind the inconsistencies

Create a Plan

Step 1: Assign one, centralized office or person to lead the cleanup effort

Step 2: Establish uniform naming conventions This will drive consistency and accuracy

Step 3: Develop training and education processes Train and re-train users on how to use the system

properly Educate users on the new or updated naming conventions Plan weekly, for example, meetings with system users to

discuss concerns, questions, ideas, etc.

Create a Plan cont.

Step 4: Prepare to analyze the data Assign resources Understand the amount of data you may have to clean up Plan how to organize the data

Step 5: Define the scope Determine the number of users that need to be trained

on the system and educated on the new naming conventions

Decide what problem area (s) you want to focus on (if not all)

Define a timeframe

Create a Plan cont.

Step 6: Document…Document…Document Document the following:

The centralized office or person leading the effort

Naming convention (s) or guidance (e.g. ASTM standards)

Training and education processes and manuals Determine where the manuals can be found Determine who will train and what users (in

general) Training schedules Weekly meeting platform

Create a Plan cont.

Document cont. Scope involved to implement the cleanup

Why conduct a cleanup effortWhat problem areas and how much [data]The amount of time expectedAnticipated risks and assumptions

ApproachWho is carrying out the effort How to analyze the dataHow to execute the cleanup process

Maintenance StrategyHow to keep data intactWho will update all of the above

Execute: The Cleanup

Step 1: Complete all steps in the “Create a Plan” phase

Step 2: Once the plan is documented, start to train and educate users as the cleanup effort begins

Step 3: Analyze the data If limited resources are available, focus on one problem

area at a time Assuming a technical resource is available, multiple

queries should be run organizing data into categories (e.g. asset catalog, accountability, locations, etc.)

Execute: The Cleanup cont.

Step 4: Execute the cleanup Once all categories are organized and broken down

into elements or levels, it is time to clean up

Key steps to follow: Eliminate duplicate entries Correct misspellings Adjust entries to reflect new naming convention Map asset records to correct entries

Execute: The Cleanup cont.

Step 5: Wrap up!

Re-run all queries Review categories along with each level Make adjustments and correct

discrepancies Repeat until desired outcome is achieved

Asset Catalog

Cleanup category example: Asset Catalog

What is an asset catalog?

The metadata below are suggestions and are not limited to the

following:

Core data elements: Manufacturer Model Number Model Name Description

Asset Catalog

Additional data elements to consider:

Federal Supply Classification (FSC)

Part number

Stock Number

Unit of measure

Asset Catalog

Asset Catalog Cleanup

Manufacturer : Eliminate all duplicates and correct misspelled

manufacturers Map all assets to the correct manufacturer

HEWLETT PACKARD HEWLETT-PACKARDHP HEWLETT

PACKERDHEWLET PAC HPCHPACKARD HEWLETT

PACKHARD

Asset Catalog

Asset Catalog Cleanup

Model Number/Name: Eliminate all duplicate entries specific to each

manufacturer Correct inaccurate entries to follow the

naming convention

Asset Catalog

Asset Catalog Cleanup

Model Number/Name cont.: Decide if the model number column or field

should include the model name (e.g. Latitude E4310 or E4310)

Model name can be included in a additional field or column

Map all assets reflecting eliminated models to the correct models

Asset Catalog

Asset Catalog Cleanup Description:

Eliminate all duplicates, misspellings and “like” entries

Decide if the common denominator should be labeled first

Map assets to the correct description

Federal Supply Classification (FSC) Correct all FSC discrepancies In general, the same descriptions should have

the same FSCs

Maintain

Lessons learned

Knowledge transfer

Continue to train system users

Continue to educate and enforce naming conventions

Consider list of value data fields

Continue to host weekly meetings

Run queries on an annual basis (for example)

Summary

Understand the BIG pictureBalance structure, flexibility and usability of the system

Property data should be… Descriptive Standard Reportable

Review Address the Challenge Create a Plan Execute and Manage Maintain

Questions/Comments

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