In today's hyper-competitive data-driven world, businesses are awash with data. Yet, without the ability to quickly transform it into actionable insights, its value often gets lost. When critical decisions hinge on timely data, delays in collecting, processing, and delivering data-based insights can result in missed opportunities, diminished profitability, or compromised customer experiences. These are known as “perished insights”. To stay ahead, organisations must commit to Data Excellence—capturing accurate, real-time data, and rapidly converting it into meaningful intelligence that drives agile, proactive decision-making and sustained competitive advantage.
Data Excellence is integral to the Tata group’s ethos of leadership and innovation. An ongoing journey, Tata Business Excellence Group (TBExG) first introduced the Data Excellence framework in 2018. Ever since, the Group has endorsed data as a strategic asset that helps enhance stakeholder satisfaction and provides competitive edge.
The Evolution of Data Excellence
The Data Excellence framework, underpinned by the TCS Datom™ framework, has been a catalyst for change across Group companies. It has provided a structured approach to assess and enhance data maturity, enabling Tata companies to take superior and faster decisions at the operational, tactical, and strategic levels. TBExG collaborates with subject matter experts from TCS and within the Tata group to leverage their experience and knowledge in delivering value to companies.
New and Improved 2025 Framework
As the world of data and analytics evolves, so does TBExG’s Data Excellence framework. The 2025 version of the Data Excellence Reference Manual, based on the TCS Datom™ Neo framework, incorporates the latest thinking and advancements in the field. It emphasises the foundational elements for artificial intelligence (AI), re-imagining data strategically, and developing enterprise technology architecture to maximise the impact of data and analytics programmes on business outcomes.
The TCS Datom™ Neo - Framework is an outcome of years of experience and expertise in conducting Data Maturity Assessments, and is built on four Key Result Areas (KRAs):
- Data: Ensuring the quality, security, and governance of data to maintain its integrity and usefulness for decision-making
- Technology: The deployment and adoption of modernised technologies to support data and analytics initiatives
- Process: The methodologies and practices that maintain the integrity and alignment of the data and analytics landscape with business needs
- People: The competencies and knowledge-sharing that empower the workforce to leverage data, AI and analytics in daily decision-making
The framework also places emphasis on measuring the tangible outcomes of data and analytics initiatives, evaluating their impact on business performance and strategic objectives.
These dimensions are further broken down into 24 sub-KRAs, providing a granular analysis of a company's current data capabilities and identifying areas for improvement.
The Data Excellence Journey
Becoming a truly data-driven organisation is a journey best visualised as a pyramid. At the base lies strong data management and governance—ensuring data is accurate, secure, and accessible. This sets the stage for meaningful analytics.
The next level involves turning data into insights using advanced analytics, including machine learning and predictive modelling. These tools help businesses make informed decisions, anticipate trends, and uncover new growth opportunities.
As organisations progress, the integration of analytics and AI into core business processes enables real-time, data-driven decision-making across functions. This marks a shift from reactive to proactive strategies.
At the top of the pyramid is a fully embedded data-driven culture—where data is valued, accessible, and leveraged at all levels. Achieving this requires committed leadership, ongoing education, and empowering employees to make decisions backed by data.
Fostering a Data-Centric Culture
The Tata group is committed to fostering a data-centric culture that goes beyond operational excellence, putting data and analytics at the core of everyday business processes and decision-making. This approach is supported by TBExG’s Data Excellence Assessments and Capability Building programmes, which are designed to help Tata companies adopt data-driven excellence and become more agile and future-ready.
The journey of Data Excellence is ongoing and ever-evolving. The Data Excellence framework serves as a guide, enabling Tata companies to advance and adapt to the changing landscape of data and analytics. It empowers them to realise their vision for Data Excellence and embrace new-age opportunities to not just compete but lead the marketplace, powered by data and analytics.
