Who Should Be on Your Data Migration Team?
Last week we described how important it is to involve the business, and not just IT on your your data migration project. This week we dive down a bit and discuss specific team roles that you should fill in order to make your project successful. When planning a data migration project, choosing the right technology and tools is only part of the equation. The real success factor? Assembling the right team.
Data migration projects are complex, high-risk initiatives that touch nearly every part of a business. Done right, they set your organization up for streamlined operations, better insights, and future growth. Done wrong, they can result in lost data, business disruptions, and damaged reputations. That's why you need more than just technical expertise—you need a multidisciplinary team with clear roles, responsibilities, and a shared understanding of the mission.
Here’s who you need on your data migration dream team:
1. Project Sponsor
Who they are: A senior leader or executive who champions the migration effort.
Why they matter: The sponsor provides strategic direction, secures funding, and removes organizational roadblocks. Without executive support, data migration initiatives often stall when tough decisions need to be made.
2. Project Manager
Who they are: The person responsible for keeping the migration on time, on budget, and in scope.
Why they matter: Data migrations involve many moving parts—deadlines, dependencies, risks, and resources. A strong project manager keeps everyone aligned, tracks progress, manages communication, and ensures accountability.
3. Business Analysts
Who they are: Experts who understand business processes, data usage, and stakeholder needs.
Why they matter: Business analysts bridge the gap between IT and business teams. They define requirements, identify data sources, validate mappings, and ensure the migrated data meets real-world needs.
4. Data Owners & Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
Who they are: The people who understand the source data, its meaning, and how it’s used day-to-day.
Why they matter: These stakeholders provide critical insights on data definitions, rules, and nuances. They’re key to identifying obsolete, duplicate, or sensitive data—and play a major role in validating transformed and migrated data.
5. Data Architects
Who they are: Professionals who design the overall data migration architecture, including models, flows, and transformation rules.
Why they matter: Data architects ensure the new system is structured properly to meet business needs. They design the mapping logic, select tools, and plan how data will be extracted, transformed, and loaded (ETL).
6. Developers & ETL Engineers
Who they are: The hands-on team that builds scripts, performs transformations, configures migration tools, and automates the process.
Why they matter: These team members do the heavy lifting. They translate mappings and rules into executable logic that safely and efficiently migrates your data.
7. Data Quality & Testing Analysts
Who they are: QA professionals focused on verifying the accuracy, completeness, and integrity of migrated data.
Why they matter: Data is only useful if it's trustworthy. Testing analysts validate that data hasn’t been corrupted, lost, or altered inappropriately—through unit testing, reconciliation, and user acceptance testing (UAT).
8. Security & Compliance Officers
Who they are: Individuals responsible for ensuring data privacy, regulatory compliance, and system security.
Why they matter: Migration often involves sensitive data. These team members assess risks, manage encryption and access controls, and ensure compliance with legal and industry regulations.
9. End Users & Stakeholders
Who they are: The people who will ultimately work with the migrated data.
Why they matter: Involving end users early ensures the migration aligns with how data is actually used. They also serve as a critical check during user acceptance testing and go-live phases.
Final Thoughts
Successful data migrations are not just IT projects—they’re business change initiatives. That’s why your team must include voices from both sides: technical experts and business leaders. Assemble your team early, define roles clearly, and foster collaboration throughout the process. With the right people in place, your data migration is far more likely to succeed—on time, on budget, and with data your business can trust.
