Improve data quality the simple way

Who this is for

Founder led lower-middle market companies with 5 to 50 million in annual revenue that want better data and faster work.

The quick answer

Limit required fields to those you use in decisions. Set clear owners for each key field. Add light checks in the workflow such as stage plus next step with a date. Review a short data quality score each week and fix causes, not just entries. Remove reports that nobody uses.

The method in six steps

List decisions and fields
Write the decisions you make and the fields that support them. Remove required fields that do not tie to a decision.
Assign field owners
Name one owner for account data, one for product data, one for supplier data, and so on. Owners approve changes and fix root causes.
Add light workflow checks
Require a stage plus next step with a date in the CRM. Use simple picklists where needed to avoid free text.
Publish a weekly quality score
Build one score from a few checks. Missing owners, missing next steps, and stale records are common. Review in the leadership meeting for ten minutes.
Fix causes, not only entries
If a field is often wrong, change the workflow or the form. If a report is unused, remove it.
Train with short refreshers
Teach the why and the few rules that matter. Use two slides and a worked example.

Example

A services firm cut required fields in half and added a rule for next step with a date. The weekly score improved and forecast accuracy rose.

Pitfalls and fixes

Many required fields that slow work. Keep only what you use.
No owners for core objects. Assign owners and make them visible.
Policing entries without fixing process. Change the workflow.

Checklist

Decisions and fields map
Owners by object
Light workflow checks
Weekly quality score
Short training and examples