Any IT program manager will be familiar with the time and effort it takes to manage the data discovery stage of an IT program. You can use your CMDBs and Systems Management Systems to scan and create a list of your hardware and applications but relying on these tools alone will only give you so much. The information may be out of date, have gaps, or conflict with data gleaned from other tools.

For example, you may know that there are at least five servers associated with ‘x’ application, but you can only see one. And there will likely be applications and servers without owners attached to them – maybe because people have moved within or left the company. All these gaps and mismatches need further investigation, and you’ll likely want to confirm much of the data you do have.

Reconciling this data means numerous emails, meetings, and a lot of time spent designing forms in a way that you hope will persuade your end users to fill them in with the information you need. Answers will need to be manually entered into a spreadsheet – creating room for errors to creep in. And when end users still don’t respond even to the simple yes/no question of ‘do you own x application?’, you’re left chasing responses, escalating and spending more time creating reports to share with managers, trying to get that information that will allow you to move forward with your program.

Automate Workflows to Trigger Data Attestation Via A Self-Service Portal

The answer is to leverage a digital platform conductor (DPC), which uses AI and intelligent automation to eliminate hundreds of hours spent on data collection and attestation. A DPC collects, normalizes, and correlates imperfect data from multiple sources. It then automates communications and orchestrates workflows to streamline the discovery phase – and every phase – of your program.

ReadyWorks is a DPC. Use it to automate communications including requests for data, reminders, and escalations. Communications can include links to a self-service portal where users can validate information or provide missing data.