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IBM Champion for Business Analytics Frank Brooks shares his data management journey

As director of data management and information delivery and the chief data architect at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Frank Brooks is in the middle of a world where data, technology and rules are constantly changing. Since joining BlueCross in 1986, when “no one knew what ‘data management’ meant,” Frank has been instrumental in creating and implementing numerous data management strategies.

Today, he heads a team of 125 professionals charged with database administration, data integration, business intelligence, information management (IM) health informatics, enterprise architecture and IM business informatics.

Frank is also an IBM Champion for Business Analytics, which is why we were fortunate to speak with him recently about how data management has evolved over his career.

Throughout our conversation (listen to the full podcast below), Frank stressed that success comes from people, not technology. Frank firmly believes that success stems from hiring the right people with the right blend of technical and soft skills. Additionally, having IT team members with a business background offers a different perspective on what is important.

Once you have the right people on your team, you must anticipate what the business will need down the road. By staying ahead of the curve, you can plan for the demand, but you can also help create demand for evolving technologies and solutions.

If you wait until the business is aware that they need a solution, you’re already behind the curve. Frank meets weekly with a team that discusses the future inventory of technologies available to meet their evolving needs.

You must also acknowledge that data is a key asset that can drive solutions and processes. Businesses must move beyond retrospective data mining and analytics and move towards forecasting and predicting with their data. Building a predictive model for the point of engagement, using all the available data, can help both the organization and members. Over time, the model can be further refined to provide better, timelier information.

But to do so, you must really understand and trust your data.

In the 1980s, Frank saw the “executive information management systems” that delivered information but overlooked the underlying data problems.  Today, we’re delivering that in the guise of business intelligence, performance management and other titles for delivery of info.

The biggest change, though, has been the recognition of data as the primary asset that enables delivery of information. People were aware they needed certain reports and information, but it didn’t translate into better data collection, organization and governance. Now, data is needed faster.

The other big change is a shift from retrospective reporting to more predictive analytics.

“People are starting to understand the relationship [between the value of the underlying data and the information],” Frank explains. “I can’t deliver information from data that doesn’t exist or is not quality or trusted or timely. Processes are good, but processes need to be built on top of data. And processes need to be integrated by the sharing of data.”

With shared, integrated data, BCBS and other organizations can gain a better understanding of trends and how to optimize processes to improve member services and efficiency. Predictive analytics are extraordinarily powerful, and the possibilities are endless.

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Listen to our podcast with Frank to hear more about his journey from executive information management systems to data marts and warehouses to contemporary master data management.