5 August 2026

Master Data Management: Questions to Ask Before Starting a Project

Master Data Management (MDM), in its strictest sense, refers to the set of processes involved in creating a single repository for widely shared enterprise data, such as customers, products, suppliers, employees, locations, organizations, and so on.

Choosing an MDM is a strategic initiative for brands seeking to put information at the service of the customer, make sales and marketing efforts more effective, and optimize the supply chain.

More specifically, MDM Enterprise automates the management and enrichment of information for distribution through your specific channels: catalogs, e-commerce sites, email campaigns, and more.

What is an MDM?

In an environment where digital transformation is on everyone’s mind, it is essential for many companies to establish this single source of truth. All companies within the same group, as well as brands and channels, have access to up-to-date information, while retaining the ability to adapt it to their specific needs.

Here, we no longer view the usual data silos—such as DAM (Digital Asset Management), PIM (Product Information Management), and MRM (Marketing Resource Management)—as such. Instead, we focus on centralizing the data needed for marketing production.

Encompassing the concepts of PIM and DAM, MDM aggregates product information for the storage and management of images intended for print, web, and social media channels.

In short, consolidate existing data to reach a variety of channels.

Planning Your Project: What Questions Should You Ask Yourself?

Deploying an MDM can be costly and time-consuming, given the specific requirements it involves in terms of quality, traceability, validation, and data access. So you might as well be well prepared!

We've compiled a list of the most important questions to ask yourself before you get started:

How many brands/companies are involved in this project?
How many products do I have?
How much data has my product generated?
In how many languages should I provide my information?
How complex are these products?
Do I have product lines, categories, or subcategories for my products?
What information is available about my products (origin, label, size, color, material, weight, etc.)?
How secure is my data?
How many people will have access to the MDM, and what will their roles be?
What types of internal skills will be required?
To what extent is the IT department available to handle this type of project?
Should I plan ahead to hire for this occasion?
What kind of hosting solution am I looking for?
How urgent is a project like this for my company?
How long do I have to set it up?
What existing tools do I plan to integrate into this future MDM (ERP, supplier databases, DAM, Excel files, etc.)?
What growth goals is my company aiming for?
How do you budget for an MDM project?

Getting Started with an MDM Project: How Do You Define Your Needs?

A project of this type will begin with a series of scoping workshops led by experts. These discussions will be essential for identifying user needs, tailoring the solution to your internal processes, and establishing a comprehensive roadmap.

How are your internal processes structured today?
What business challenges have you encountered that are driving you to invest in this type of project?
How will product information be structured and linked within the Platform? For what purpose?
Will they be broadcast on different channels? If so, which ones?
What will the upstream product information collection processes look like?
What are the steps in the data collection process for a product sheet?
What will the data validation workflows be?
What is the timeline for this project?
What is your budget for this?
What qualitative and quantitative goals do you expect to achieve?

Why now?

MDM is a highly topical issue. In fact, it ranks among the top three IT priorities for 50% of CIOs. Addressing data quality issues has become a matter of urgency.

For many companies with multiple brands or subsidiaries, having a single repository where data is centralized and constantly updated is essential.

Do you need help defining the scope of your Master Data Management project? Let our experts help!