I have working on a new website for a client that interfaces with their internal systems, meaning we must collect the data fields required by the client. A look over the designs reveals such huge inconsistencies in the data input that we may as well not have bothered designing it.

From my experience data inconsistencies are an expensive issue in many corporations. Low quality data can cost a fortune. For example, a downstream data mistake may not be identified until an upstream process need it. This can cause delays and lost revenues. On the other hand high quality data = gold.

In some cases simple validation of the upstream data input can alleviate many downstream issues. In large complex organizations a Chief Data Officer (CDO) role can be created to map all data.