Keep your team aligned by building a Single Source of Truth (SSoT)

We're in an age where information flows faster than your morning coffee. Organizations are at risk of drowning in scattered information. An SSoT acts as a lifeline to bring order and connect people with reliable information. This helps with swift decision-making.

An SSoT gives your organization a competitive edge by eliminating time spent on hunting for information and losing files.

What is SSoT?

SSoT (Single Source of Truth) is a data management principle that ensures access to the most up-to-date information for your organizational members. This principle works on collating authentic information in a single place and granting access only to relevant members.

Most teams use disconnected tools and work with fragmented information, resulting in scattered data across multiple platforms. Have you ever scrambled to find the right file when Sales asks, "Do we have the updated product deck for a prospect?" If this sounds like you, read on to discover the benefits of the SSoT principle.

How does SSoT benefit teams?

A properly maintained SSoT acts as a home where the most important and relevant information lives. This can help you and your team move forward with clarity.
 

Less time searching for information

The most obvious advantage is the time saved in getting access to the latest information. When your team knows where a particular file lives, they can find it instantly. No more meaningless ventures in search of files with confusing names.
 

Maintains truthful data

When you keep all of your files and data in a single, centralized location, the risk of duplicate or outdated files drops significantly. Gone are the days of confusing file versions like “Prospect_deck_finally_final.” With SSoT, everyone has access to accurate information they can trust.
 

Reduces confusion within teams

When you maintain a place where truthful data can live, there's no space for confusion to creep in. Your team can trust that every file they access contains the most accurate, up-to-date information. No need for double-checking.
 

What can you store in your SSoT?

There'll be a diverse set of information in your organization based on departments. Below is a sample blueprint to help you get started.

Marketing
1. Meeting notes
2. Feature presentation decks
3. Competitor battle cards
4. Go-To-Market (GTM) documents

Sales
1. Sales enablement documents
2. Product features
3. Common requests from prospects
4. Competitor analysis

Development
1. Product roadmap
2. Root Cause Analysis (RCA) for bugs
3. Feature documentations
4. Troubleshooting workflows

Legal
1. Contracts and agreements
2. Compliance policies
3. Legal correspondence
4. Company and employee handbooks

How do you implement SSoT in your workplace?

As we saw above, SSoT has the potential to convert your information from chaos to clarity. Let's explore how you can implement it in your workplace.
 

Identify your authoritative truth

Not all data deserve an SSoT. Figuring out what information carries the most weight and finding a common home for it is crucial. This can weed out unwanted fluff from the most important information.
 

Maintain consistency with templates

Consistency is key while you're maintaining a single place for information that’s accessible to the masses. Having a specific template for each file type can ensure familiarity and reduce confusion. Others can use this familiar template to add new information.
 

Clean and migrate data

After deciding to implement the SSoT principle, migrate all shared data into one central location. Move files instead of copying them. Duplicates defeat the purpose of SSoT by causing confusion.
 

Train your employees regularly

Maintaining an SSoT isn’t a single-person responsibility. Your employees must be educated to sustain this intricate system because a single out-of-place file can ruin it for everybody. Educating your employees on the benefits and best practices of SSoT should be a priority.
 

How can you avoid common SSoT pitfalls?

SSoT is your company’s North Star, steering everyone toward the truth. But even stars can go dark if their nuclear fusion breaks. Let's analyze some common pitfalls to keep your SSoT up and running without any hiccups.
 

Establish clear responsibility

Assign clear DRIs based on their domain expertise (e.g., legal, marketing, development) to create and maintain an SSoT for their respective fields. This limits any confusion and sets clear expectations, ensuring who's responsible for what information.
 

Avoid shadow data logs

Shadow data logs are an enemy of SSoT. It gives rise to issues like data duplicates, outdated or inaccurate information, or data compromises. Enforce it as a company policy to prevent employees from keeping unofficial copies on their personal devices.
 

Lack of buy-in

Not seeing the immediate benefit of an SSoT will deter individuals from maintaining it diligently. Educate your employees on the importance of time saved and the accuracy gained with SSoT. Such information provides a clear buy-in and motivates them to implement this.
 

Being rigid and incapable of change

No system is perfect at first. The aim here is to monitor and constantly upgrade it based on the ever-changing work landscape. Being firm on your initial SSoT setup and not evolving will make it a place where outdated information and unreliable truths reside.
 

Summing up

Having a Single Source of Truth (SSoT) that provides you and your employees with up-to-date information on demand can guarantee efficiency. It saves valuable time that can be spent on impactful tasks instead of frantically rummaging for files at the eleventh hour.