Microsoft Fabric adoption roadmap: Executive sponsorship

Note

This article forms part of the Microsoft Fabric adoption roadmap series of articles. For an overview of the series, see Microsoft Fabric adoption roadmap.

When planning to advance the data culture and the state of organizational adoption for data and analytics, it's crucial to have executive support. An executive sponsor is imperative because analytics adoption is far more than just a technology project.

Although some successes can be achieved by a few determined individual contributors, the organization is in a significantly better position when a senior leader is engaged, supportive, informed, and available to assist with the following activities.

• Formulating a strategic vision, goals, and priorities for data, analytics, and business intelligence (BI).
• Providing top-down guidance and reinforcement for the data strategy by regularly promoting, motivating, and investing in strategic and tactical planning.
• Leading by example by actively using data and analytics in a way that's consistent with data culture and adoption goals.
• Allocating staffing and prioritizing resources.
• Approving funding (for example, Fabric licenses).
• Removing barriers to enable action.
• Communicating announcements that are of critical importance, to help them gain traction.
• Decision-making, particularly for strategic-level governance decisions.
• Dispute resolution (for escalated issues that can't be resolved by operational or tactical personnel).
• Supporting organizational change initiatives (for example, creating or expanding the Center of Excellence).

Important

The ideal executive sponsor has sufficient credibility, influence, and authority throughout the organization. They also have an invested stake in data efforts and the data strategy. When the BI strategy is successful, the ideal executive sponsor also experiences success in their role.

Identifying an executive sponsor

There are multiple ways to identify an executive sponsor.

Top-down pattern

An executive sponsor might be selected by a more senior executive. For example, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) could hire a Chief Data Officer (CDO) or Chief Analytics Officer (CAO) to explicitly advance the organization's data culture objectives or lead digital transformation efforts. The CDO or CAO then becomes the ideal candidate to serve as the executive sponsor for Fabric (or for data and analytics in general).

Here's another example: The CEO might empower an existing executive, such as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), because they have a good track record leading data and analytics in their organization. As the new executive sponsor, the CFO could then lead efforts to replicate the finance team's success to other areas of the organization.

Note

Having an executive sponsor at the C-level is an excellent leading indicator. It indicates that the organization recognizes the importance of data as a strategic asset and is advancing its data culture in a positive direction.

Bottom-up pattern

Alternatively, a candidate for the executive sponsor role could emerge due to the success they've experienced with creating data solutions. For example, a business unit within the organization, such as Finance, has organically achieved great success with their use of data and analytics. Essentially, they've successfully formed their own data culture on a smaller scale. A junior-level leader who hasn't reached the executive level (such as a director) might then grow into the executive sponsor role by sharing successes with other business units across the organization.

The bottom-up approach is more likely to occur in smaller organizations. It might be because the return on investment and strategic imperative of a data culture (or digital transformation) isn't yet an urgent priority for C-level executives.

The success for a leader using the bottom-up pattern depends on being recognized by senior leadership.

With a bottom-up approach, the sponsor might be able to make some progress, but they won't have formal authority over other business units. Without clear authority, it's only a matter of time until challenges occur that are beyond their level of authority. For this reason, the top-down approach has a higher probability of success. However, initial successes with a bottom-up approach can convince leadership to increase their level of sponsorship, which might start a healthy competition across other business units in the adoption of data and BI.

Considerations and key actions

Checklist - Here's a list of considerations and key actions you can take to establish or strengthen executive support for analytics.

• Identify an executive sponsor with broad authority: Find someone in a sufficient position of influence and authority (across organizational boundaries) who understands the value and impact of BI. It is important that the individual has a vested interest in the success of analytics in the organization.
• Involve your executive sponsor: Consistently involve your executive sponsor in all strategic-level governance decisions involving data management, BI, and analytics. Also involve your sponsor in all governance data culture initiatives to ensure alignment and consensus on goals and priorities.
• Establish responsibilities and expectation: Formalize the arrangement with documented responsibilities for the executive sponsor role. Ensure that there's no uncertainty about expectations and time commitments.
• Identify a backup for the sponsor: Consider naming a backup executive sponsor. The backup can attend meetings in the sponsor's absence and make time-sensitive decisions when necessary.
• Identify business advocates: Find influential advocates in each business unit. Determine how their cooperation and involvement can help you to accomplish your objectives. Consider involving advocates from various levels in the organization chart.

Questions to ask

Use questions like those found below to assess data literacy.

• Has an executive sponsor of Fabric or other analytical tools been identified?
• If so, who is the executive sponsor?
• If not, is there an informal executive sponsor? Who is the closest to this role? Can you define the business impact of having no executive sponsor?
• To what extent is the strategic importance of Fabric and analytics understood and endorsed by executives?
• Are executives using Fabric and the results of data and BI initiatives? What's the sentiment among executives for the effectiveness of data solutions?
• Is the executive sponsor leading by example in the effective use of data and BI tools?
• Does the executive sponsor provide the appropriate resources for data initiatives?
• Is the executive sponsor involved in dispute resolution and change management?
• Does the executive sponsor engage with the user community?
• Does the executive sponsor have sufficient credibility and healthy relationships across organizational boundaries (particularly the business and IT)?

Maturity levels

The following maturity levels will help you assess your current state of executive support.

Level	State of executive support
100: Initial	• There might be awareness from at least one executive about the strategic importance of how analytics can advance the organization's data culture goals. However, neither a sponsor nor an executive-level decision-maker is identified.
200: Repeatable	• Informal executive support exists for analytics through informal channels and relationships.
300: Defined	• An executive sponsor is identified. Expectations are clear for the role.
400: Capable	• An executive sponsor is well established with someone with sufficient authority across organizational boundaries. • A healthy and productive partnership exists between the executive sponsor, COE, business units, and IT. The teams are working towards shared data culture goals.
500: Efficient	• The executive sponsor is highly engaged. They're a key driver for advancing the organization's data culture vision. • The executive sponsor is involved with ongoing organizational adoption improvements. KPIs (key performance indicators) or OKRs (objectives and key results) are used to track data culture goals and the results of data, analytics, and BI efforts.

Related content

In the next article in the Microsoft Fabric adoption roadmap series, learn about the importance of business alignment with organizational goals.