Why mid-market companies need a fractional Chief Data Officer, not just better dashboards
By
CM Guest Columnist
Summary
The article argues that mid-market companies struggling with inconsistent data and reporting discrepancies should not reflexively blame their tools or dashboards. Instead, the real issue is often a lack of a dedicated data operating layer — a role the author calls the "fractional CDO" (Chief Data Officer). This person bridges the gap between raw data and business decision-making, providing governance, context, and consistency without the full-time executive cost. The piece makes the case that many data problems are organizational and operational, not purely technical.
Source
bskyWhy mid-market companies need a fractional Chief Data Officer, not just better dashboardscyprus-mail.comKey quotes
· 3 pulled"What is the customer churn rate?" One figure comes back. Great. But by Thursday the same question produces a different number, drawn by a different analyst from a different table.
The reflex would be to treat the discrepancy as a tooling failure and to reach for another dashboard, maybe a cleaner pipeline, or one more warehouse migration, after all. But in reality it's rarely a tooling problem.
The fractional CDO is the operating layer mid-market companies didn't know they needed.
You might also wanna read
The Rise of Chief Trust Officers in SaaS Companies
Tech companies, particularly SaaS and B2B software firms, are increasingly hiring chief trust officers (CTrOs) as C-suite executives to buil
itbrew.com·8mo ago
Domo CDO Chris Willis urges businesses to resist AI hype and adopt a deliberate, slow approach
Chris Willis, chief design officer at Domo, argues that businesses should resist AI FOMO (fear of missing out) and instead adopt a "slow-mo"
theregister.com·1mo ago
The Brittleness of Data Infrastructure: A Call for a New General-Purpose Model
The author reflects on over a decade building data infrastructure at major tech companies (Twitter, Google, Snowflake), identifying a persis
cambra.dev·2mo ago
Designing Database Management Systems for Telecommunications Requirements
The article discusses the design considerations for a Telco Database Management System (DBMS) that must handle critical telecommunications o
mikaelronstrom.blogspot.com·10mo ago
Coverage Cat Hiring Fractional Operations Specialist for Contract Role
Coverage Cat is hiring a Fractional Operations Specialist on a contract basis for an entry-level position. The role involves supporting the
UX Design Strategies for Effective Real-Time Dashboards
This article explores UX design strategies for real-time dashboards, emphasizing their role as decision-making tools rather than passive dat
Smashing Magazine·9mo ago
Comments
Sign in to join the conversation.
No comments yet. Be the first.