Start Small, Scale Fast: Hard Lessons from Data Catalog & Data Quality

Technology initiatives fail most when organisations scale complexity before they’re ready. Teams are asking CIOs to fund ‘enterprise-grade’ platforms for data, AI, security and more before they’re even clear on data ownership, platform priorities and use cases. In turn, organisations invest in high-ticket technologies that teams don’t adopt, yielding unsatisfactory outcomes. This session introduces a practical framework for starting small and scaling smart when implementing complex enterprise capabilities. Focusing on the real-world example of data catalog and data quality, we’ll explore how starting with small, user-driven solutions allows teams to get to what really matters - ownership, definitions, quality metrics and operational decisions. Rather than focusing on which technology to choose, it’s about sequencing - knowing what can be built first, what can be delayed and understanding when scaling makes the most sense. The framework has a broad application that CIOs can use for any initiative where tooling, behaviour change and governance need to evolve together. Join Inigo Antolin, Head of Data Management and Governance at the British Council, to receive a practical mental model to reduce risk, preserve optionality and scale with confidence rather than hope. Key Takeaways: - Why scaling enterprise platforms too early results in wasted resources and lost trust. - How starting small can strengthen decision-making across ownership, definitions and quality. - Discover the Start Small, Scale Fast framework that you can apply across all new tech initiatives. - How to use constraints as a strategic advantage rather than a limitation.