How to Build Alignment Around Your Data Initiatives (Before You Start Building)
- Dave Findlay
- Jun 26
- 2 min read
Good decisions made poorly are bad decisions.
That’s why alignment isn’t just a formality — it’s the difference between forward motion and friction.
In our last post, we covered how to define a data initiative: taking raw input from discovery and shaping it into a focused, meaningful opportunity.
But once you have a list of potential initiatives, what happens next?
This is where alignment matters.
Because without it, even the best ideas can stall out.
Start with a business-led committee
At Fuse Data, we recommend forming a small working group of business leaders who all have a stake in data-driven decision-making. This becomes your committee — the team that helps shape and sequence the work.
It’s not about getting consensus on every detail. It’s about:
• Reviewing proposed initiatives together
• Creating space for tradeoff discussions
• Ensuring no single voice dominates the process
A clear, shared process gives everyone a seat at the table and reduces the risk of politics, posturing, or priority whiplash.
Use objective prioritization
To keep things fair and focused, we use a simple scoring framework, RICE:
• Reach: How many people or decisions will this affect?
• Impact: How much could this improve trust, efficiency, or insight?
• Confidence: How well understood is the need?
• Effort: How much work will it take to deliver something meaningful?
This isn’t about chasing the highest score, it’s about framing a thoughtful, shared conversation. Your committee can discuss where initiatives land and why. That transparency helps get buy-in before anything is built.
Be realistic about engagement
Prioritization isn’t just about value, it’s also about readiness.
Once you’ve surfaced a top initiative, ask:
Who on the business side has the capacity to engage in their initiative right now?
Be clear and up-front that this will require their time and energy because successful data work is co-created. If the business can’t partner with you during design and delivery, it’s probably not the right time, even if the idea is good.
Align on your delivery model
We recommend working in 3-month delivery cycles.
Each quarter, you:
1. Choose one initiative to focus on
2. Partner with the business to design and build something useful
3. Report back to your committee with what was delivered and what you learned
That learning then informs your next round of prioritization.
This cycle keeps the work visible, energy high, lets your business partners see real progress, and ensures your roadmap stays dynamic, not dogmatic.
Final Thought
Alignment isn’t a meeting. It’s a mechanism.
It keeps you honest. It keeps the work connected. And it makes sure that what gets built actually matters.
Because good ideas only create value when they’re delivered well and that starts with getting everyone aligned from the beginning.
At Fuse, we believe a great data strategy only matters if it leads to action.
If you’re ready to move from planning to execution — and build solutions your team will actually use — let’s talk.
