InformationWeek
9 Tips for Data Governance Success
By: Jessica Davis
Data governance is essential for organizations that rely on consistent, quality data. But embarking on a new data governance project can be a daunting task. Here's a look at some of the key elements recommended by experts in the field.
Treat Data Governance As A Product
Apply your IT product methodology to the concept of data governance using a structured approach and a consumer-centric mindset as you prepare for your project. Instead of delivering a set of ad hoc policies and procedures, deliver this as a product that is designed for the future, according to Sicular.
Find An Executive Sponsor
A successful data governance project requires an active executive sponsor. "If you don't have an executive sponsor, I can guarantee your data governance program won't get far," Sicular said. Executive sponsors ensure that your data governance program gets visibility with other executives and with the enterprise as a whole. It also can help you remove roadblocks to your success. Medved noted that without top-down executive and stakeholder reports your data governance effort will be plagued with problems.
Appoint A CDO And Data Governance Council
In addition to the executive sponsor, you need a chief data officer to manage this project and a data governance council to supervise and direct the program. This council should be made up of senior people inside the organization who are empowered by the data governance program. Sicular recommends that the chief data officer should be a tireless individual to tackle this huge task. Much of the early part of the project is legwork -- going to each stakeholder to collect information about his or her data problems. Then this person must evaluate those data problems, and then build a business case for data governance that resolves those data problems.
Build Relationships
Success in data governance also requires the support of stakeholders. These individuals are influential people who can benefit from data governance and promote your project to others within the organization. Sicular also said that the data governance project must be infused with entitlement and authority from the beginning. If it is not, some people you approach may respond with aggression and question your authority. Avoid that response by ensuring you have that authority from the beginning. But she also noted that a good data governance program is based on good relationships, not enforcement. Medved said that these programs must be part of company culture and be perceived as business as usual.
Create A Vision And A Strategy
Step one in your vision and strategy is to establish a foundation. What is it that you are governing? Look at a small subset of your most important data -- data that is of great importance to your stakeholders and that has an impact on business outcomes. This is where you start.
Establish Priorities
Proposed features must be prioritized by your data governance council. You may have a pet feature that you want, but if all indications are that your stakeholders and business users won't immediately use it, you need to let that go. By sticking with prioritization, you develop features around your user community and are more likely to win user acceptance.
Start Small
Sicular recommends organizations pick one small, high-impact project to start with, and then build on that project's quantified and recognized results. This approach provides your project with a high degree of focus. Don't make the mistake of starting unrelated projects until the data governance project is mainstream, she said. Tackling unrelated projects will compromise your whole data governance program.
Monitor And Measure
It may look difficult, but it's essential to quantify your data governance results, Sicular said. Make documentation a requirement and then use that to reproduce your results. As you report your results to business stakeholders, pay close attention to the language that you use. You may use IT lingo in your day-to-day work, but you must translate that to business lingo -- reporting on dollars generated or saved -- when you report back to the business stakeholders.
