Remember the telephone game as a kid?

One person starts with a simple phrase…
“Butterfly.”

It gets whispered from person to person…
slightly altered each time.

By the end of the line?

“Whitewall tires.”

Same starting point.
Completely different outcome.

That’s exactly what happens to data inside many organizations.

We start with a single source of truth — the ERP.
But as it moves across functions…

Finance adjusts it.
Sales reshapes it.
Supply chain redefines it.
Marketing reinterprets it.

Each step makes sense locally.
But collectively?

We’ve turned “Butterfly” into “Whitewall tires.”

And now…

• Revenue doesn’t match across reports
• Volume tells a different story depending on the team
• Trade spend and margin are constantly debated
• Meetings shift from decisions → to reconciliation

This is the translation layer problem.

Not a data issue.
A consistency issue.

Because every transformation layer — no matter how well intentioned —
introduces drift between the business and the truth.

The organizations that break this cycle focus on:

✔ Shared definitions across functions
✔ Governed semantic layers (not just raw data)
✔ Alignment on metrics before analysis begins
✔ Reducing “local logic” in favor of enterprise logic

Because the goal isn’t just a single source of truth…

It’s a shared understanding of that truth.

Otherwise, you’re just playing telephone —
and wondering why your “Butterfly”
turned into “Whitewall tires.”

#DataGovernance #DataStrategy #Analytics #BusinessIntelligence #Leadership #DataGene #BeCurious