Episode Summary

Unleashing the power of Data Products, and transforming CDOs into Product Visionaries.

In this the 28th episode of the CDO Matters podcast, Malcolm explores the topic of Data Products and what CDO’s should know about them. Malcolm taps his expertise as a prior Chief Product Officer to explore the differences between data products as they exist within a Data Mesh architecture, versus the more general concept of data products outside a Mesh. Malcolm takes issue with the idea of a ‘bottoms up’ approach to defining data products, and instead advocates that CDOs take a more practical view of a data product as anything that a customer is willing to pay for.

Malcolm urges CDOs who are curious about data products to ensure they first establish a business justification for their efforts – one which focuses more holistically on the benefits that can come from the integration of the discipline of product management into a data and analytics function. Malcolm shares his insights that data products should be treated as an output of a product management focus, and the many benefits that are realized when CDO’s embrace the discipline of product management.

Lastly, Malcolm dives into the role of a data product manager, sharing details on the core responsibilities for these experts and how they would differ from the concept of a data ‘owner’. Along the way, Malcolm touches on the misguided idea of data literacy, and how taking more a product-centric approach to building and supporting data solutions could enable CDOs to completely transform their customer relationships.

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