Find out how you can start on data synchronisation in your business with our tips and hints

It’s important to remember this is a business project, not just an IT project, so you’ll need to engage stakeholders at all levels within your company to get it off the ground.

Step 1 – Getting buy-in

• Set up a core business team with subject matter experts and technical experts .
• ‘Sell’ your strategy –you will need to get commitment from senior management within the business. It’s a good idea to make sure your partners get this too, so each business is working towards the same goal.

Step 2 – Building your strategy

• Build a business case for your company – make sure you link it to key performance indicators so you can track the progress of your strategy. Start by looking at how your business currently operates and work from there to identify how GS1 GDSN will benefit your business. You’ll also need to look at your IT resources and identify costs so you can spread the investments you’ll need to make.
• Choose an implementation team – at this stage you’ll need to choose the GS1 GDSN Data Pool. 

Step 3 – Setting the standard for your data

• Check the quality of your data – make sure you’re not synchronising incorrect or wrongly classified data.  

Step 4 – Getting started

• Begin with small steps – before rolling it out to the whole business or all of your suppliers, start working with a few key items and just a few trading partners to test the water.
• Test it out – try to set up pilot tests with some of your partners. This will help you monitor the results and make any necessary changes before you go ahead with full production.