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52 Enterprise Data Governance

MDM was already important then and was integrating
itself into the novel concept of the agility chain or Agility
Chain Management System (ACMS). [BON 09] highlighted,
from an IT engineering perspective, that the agility level of a
piece of software is equal to the weakest link in the chain
consisting of its reference/master data (MDM), its business
rules (BRMS) and its processes (BPM). Indeed, as the
processes are based on business rules and these are based on
reference and master data, there is no point in being agile
about the processes and the rules, if, at the same time, the
reference and master data is neglected.

2.3.1. The new management control

The Agility Chain Management System (ACMS) guides IT
in the right direction for the transformation of systems,
putting in place an MDM system, BRMS followed by BPM, in
that order. This order is logical as soon as the agility chain is
understood and taken on board. This is also an order,
however, which is the complete opposite to that chosen to
most of the transformation attempts selected by companies.
It is easier to start a process renewal because it does not
require a very big modeling effort. Of course, the processes
are modeled, but they are treated as objects localized above
the existing IT. These processes claim to orchestrate
operations which for the most part would already be
available in the existing IT system. They are therefore
applied as a logical complementary layer, with no impact on
the heart of the system in place, which nonetheless imposes
rigidity and reliability problems. This approach is like
putting a plaster on a broken bone, with no chance of
treating either the pain or the handicap. Worse still, in
delaying the required steps for too long, the fracture mends
in a way that sets the handicap in a way which is all but
irreversible, ensuring a long legacy.