The Operational Excellence Library; Mastering Research Data Management

Effective research data management is no longer optional; funding agencies, scholarly journals and collaborative partners demand clear policies, traceable provenance, secure preservation, and reproducible workflows. Yet many institutions find it difficult to identify where their processes break down, how to allocate resources efficiently, or which controls need reinforcement to meet evolving compliance expectations. The Operational Excellence Library offers a structured Self-Assessment built around the RDMAICS framework - Recognize, Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control, Sustain. Inside, hundreds of targeted questions probe every facet of research data management, from metadata standards and data-ownership agreements to access controls, backup procedures, and long-term archiving strategies. Users rate each item on a 1-5 scale, and the system automatically generates a radar-style Scorecard that instantly highlights strengths and gaps, allowing even newcomers to grasp their organization's RDM maturity at a glance and to prioritize remediation efforts with confidence. Included Professional Toolkit (30+ Deliverables): Upon purchase, a fresh toolkit is emailed, reflecting the latest RDM standards, regulatory guidance, and industry best-practice frameworks. It is organized into ten logical sections - Getting Started, Assessment and Planning, Models and Frameworks, Processes and Handoffs, Operations and Execution, Performance and KPIs, Quality and Compliance, Sustainment and Support, Advanced Topics, Reference. Every file - Excel workbooks, PDF guides, markdown runbooks, and checklist templates - is crafted specifically for research data management, not generic project templates, and can be deployed immediately to support policy drafting, audit preparation, and continuous improvement cycles. Every buyer also receives Lifetime Updates. As data-privacy regulations evolve, new repository platforms emerge, and best-practice frameworks shift, the publisher sends refreshed content and updated toolkit assets so the assessment remains current without additional cost, protecting the investment over the long term. This book is ideal for research data managers, institutional compliance officers, and chief information officers who must demonstrate RDM readiness for grant proposals, audit inspections, or internal strategic planning. For example, a university's data-stewardship office can run the assessment to pinpoint weak metadata capture processes before a major funding deadline, while a pharmaceutical research division can use the toolkit to align its data-handling practices with FDA-required audit trails. Developed by The Art of Service, business process architects serving over 100,000 professionals across 160 countries since 2000. Every assessment and toolkit draws on 25 years of operational excellence research and a continuously updated knowledge base spanning hundreds of industry frameworks, delivering a proven, systematic approach to mastering research data management.