A project we're proud of
Strengthening Data Culture Across a Major U.S. Bank with DCAM®
A three-year DCAM journey that helped a major U.S. bank cut confusion, build clarity and set a stronger foundation for its data strategy.
Our client knew its data capabilities needed to improve. Not in theory, but in practice.
They needed a clear, honest capability baseline, a framework to measure progress year over year, and a simple way to get dozens of teams aligned on what “good” actually looks like.
The goal: stop debating definitions, build shared data culture and create a solid footing for enterprise data strategy.
How we helped them
We’ve worked with the bank since 2023 and recently completed the third annual DCAM assessment.
Our client worked with familiar faces and a proven, repeatable process that works.
- Discovery: Reviewing the bank’s strategy, operating model and design documents to ground the assessment.
- Education sessions: Getting participants level-set and speaking the same language from day one.
- Guided workshops: Two capability-level DCAM sessions with in-person and virtual teams.
- Real engagement at scale: 80 participants across 21 teams, contributing 2,240 capability scores and 617 qualitative comments.
- Practical scoring: People submit their own assessments during the workshop; we average results and capture the reasoning behind them.
- Clear outputs: An assessment report, the full dataset and benchmark comparisons.
With a cohort of new data stewards, the workshops doubled as hands-on training, helping them understand every team’s responsibilities.
What the client got
The bank made meaningful strides across the organisation: Data Governance, Program & Funding and Education (Data Academy).
More consistent policies. Clearer accountabilities. Training people actually use. Leadership that’s visible and trusted.
Most importantly, the assessment now acts as the backbone of their upcoming 2026 data strategy and roadmaps.
Progress was no longer a guess, but measured, understood and actually used by its people.
Why this matters
This is what real change looks like in a large bank. It was not a flashy transformation, but steady, structured improvement that compounds value year after year.
The client’s two-year rise from early-stage capability to a defined, consistent data-management approach shows what happens when:
- leadership commits,
- stewards get the right support, and
- you build data literacy into the day-to-day
It mirrors what we see across the financial services sector: organisations investing in data culture, governance and accountability are the ones ready for AI, automation and regulatory pressure.
About the client
A large U.S. commercial and retail bank with millions of customers and a major regional footprint. Highly regulated. Highly complex. And like most banks, dealing with the day-to-day reality of inconsistent data practices across teams.
- HQ: United States
- Employees: 10,000+
- Sector: Banking
- Ortecha Solution:
- DCAM Assessment
Ortecha Team
Mark McQueen
Managing Partner, Head of North America
Cindy Sullivan
Engagement Lead
Caroline Koricke
Senior Analyst Consultant
“It’s been extremely gratifying to work alongside this company since 2023 to guide their adoption of DCAM and witness the dramatic year-over-year improvements to their data-management capabilities.”
– Cindy Sullivan, Engagement Lead, Ortecha
