Why you should treat data as inventory, not infrastructure

For product managers struggling with delays due to data issues, the article advocates treating data as inventory rather than infrastructure to improve reliability and predictability in product delivery. It emphasizes managing data with the same rigor as APIs, including setting explicit contracts, versioning changes, and conducting regular reviews of data quality and freshness. By viewing data as a product with a clear lifecycle, teams can make more informed trade-offs between cost and freshness, leading to more consistent feature releases and fewer surprises. The approach involves classifying datasets by business criticality, assigning ownership, and tying reliability investments to specific KPIs. Ultimately, this strategy aims to transform data management into a more structured, accountable process, ensuring that data dependencies are well-managed and contribute positively to product development.

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