Why Data Should Not Be Left Late
Data migration is often treated as a technical task to be completed near go-live. This is a mistake. Data quality, mapping, and validation should be addressed early — or programmes pay the price later.
Data migration is often treated as a technical task to be completed near go-live. This is a mistake. Data quality, mapping, and validation should be addressed early — or programmes pay the price later.
Why Programmes Leave Data Late: Common reasons include "We'll deal with it closer to go-live", "The technical team will handle it", and "We need to focus on functionality first". All of these are wrong.
What Happens When Data Is Left Late: Poor data quality is discovered too late to fix. Mapping issues cause delays. Testing is incomplete because data is not ready. Go-live is delayed or compromised. Business operations are disrupted.
The Right Approach: Data should be addressed early. Define data requirements, assess data quality, create mapping rules, test early and often, and plan cutover carefully.
The Result: When data is addressed early, issues are identified and resolved before go-live. Testing is more realistic and effective. Go-live is smoother and less risky. Business operations continue without disruption. Data is not a technical task. It is a programme risk that must be managed from the start.
"Strong programmes treat data as part of delivery — not a final step."
— The Strativa
More from Strativa
Why "Ready with Conditions" Is Not a Failure
Perfection is rarely achievable in complex programmes. What matters is not whether issues exist — it is whether they are understood.
What Most Programmes Get Wrong About Go-Live
Go-live is not a technical milestone. It is a decision point — and most programmes treat it as the former.