Executive Data Quality Playbook

IBM research reveals that poor data quality costs the U.S. economy $3.1 trillion annually. Yet for most executives, this is an invisible problem—data looks reasonable, dashboards are polished, and trends appear logical. Until a quarterly projection is built on corrupted revenue data, a $50 million acquisition is approved on overstated retention numbers, or a client relationship collapses because portfolio performance figures were systematically wrong for three months. The Executive Data Quality Playbook solves this problem at its source: the executive level. Unlike IT-focused data quality guides that address schema validation and field-level cleansing, this book operates entirely from the C-suite perspective. Every chapter is designed to answer the question that actually matters to leaders: "Can I trust this data to make a decision that will define my organization's future?" The book introduces the Decision-Grade Data Classification System—a four-tier framework that matches data quality requirements to decision stakes, from Operational decisions (85% confidence threshold) to Bet-the-Company decisions (99.5%+ confidence threshold). This framework becomes the organizational standard for knowing which data to trust, when to trust it, and what to do when that trust breaks down. Executives receive the 24-Hour Data Quality Emergency Protocol, Executive Data Quality Dashboard templates, RACI accountability matrices, stakeholder trust-rebuilding roadmaps, vendor assessment frameworks, and technology ROI calculators. Each tool is field-tested—developed through 23+ years of managing high-stakes data quality at scale in one of the world's most complex financial institutions. The book targets a gap that no existing publication fills: practical, executive-level data quality management that requires no technical background, delivers immediate results, and builds sustainable organizational capability. For any leader who has ever made a strategic decision and quietly wondered if the data was actually telling the truth, this book is the system they have been missing. What You Will Learn: How to assess, contain, and communicate any data quality crisis using a proven 24-Hour Emergency Protocol — turning a potential career-defining disaster into a managed, recoverable situation. How to build an Executive Data Quality Dashboard that delivers early-warning signals before bad data corrupts a strategic decision — giving you real-time visibility into the trustworthiness of your most critical information. How to classify data by decision-grade confidence requirements — applying the right quality standard to the right decision, so quality-control effort lands where the stakes are highest instead of being spread thin across everything. How to protect the integrity of the KPIs your board, investors, and leadership team rely on — so the metrics that tell your company's story can withstand hard scrutiny. How to future-proof your organization against emerging risks like AI-generated data and automation errors — keeping your decisions trustworthy as your tools and business evolve. Who This Book is for:  This book is for leaders who make decisions on data they can't personally verify and want to trust it with their eyes open — no technical background required. It speaks directly to C-Suite Executives (CEOs, CFOs, COOs, Board and Audit Committee Members, Senior Managers and VPs, Finance, Risk, and Compliance Leaders and Data Governance and Quality Professionals.