As this blog is largely about data, you can rest assured this post will not be about the recent federal budget standoff in the US. Instead, I wanted to outline a growing issue that relates to the false promises that many data governance initiatives deliver.
One of the big challenges that we have with the term "data governance" is that many senior practitioners and even authors absolutely hate it. Even if they don’t hate it, they still find it hard to agree on precisely what it means.
I’ve spoken to data quality leaders who have introduced wide-ranging enterprise data quality management landscapes that other organisations would class as data governance. I’ve met other organisations who have rolled out their IT roadmap and labelled this as a data governance initiative.
Confusion still reigns across the land when we talk of data governance!
Teaching a course this week, I chatted with the students and discovered that several of them have data governance initiatives in place at their organisations, but they’re not entirely sure what data governance means to them. They cited a lack of communication, engagement and support from "central office," so they simply go about managing their own local processes.
This brings us neatly to perhaps the biggest failing of federal data governance programs that I’ve witnessed, which is communication and engagement. Nicola Askham, a popular independent data governance blogger, published an interesting article on this topic recently that had a number of tips – but the two big takeaways that I feel data governance leaders must adopt were the need to draw analogies and match your message to the audience.
It’s not enough to create a 10-page formal data governance policy and give yourself a pat on the back. Likewise, data governance forums often don’t mean much to professionals working in a distributed manufacturing site.
Nicola cites some great examples of using "intranet sites, wikis, lunch time learning sessions and road shows" to get the data governance message across. Clearly, my students had experienced none of this activity and were outside of the federal data governance catchment area.
So if you’re a leader of a data governance initiative, then take time out to speak with all sections of your organisation and ask what data governance means to them. If you receive blank stares, it’s time to re-think your communication and engagement strategy.
If you’re a professional out in the field and are confused by what data governance means to your organisation, why not take time to learn more? Become a data governance ambassador for your business unit. Get some new skills under your belt and perhaps you just might find yourself taking on a much broader job description.
Don’t forget, with Data Steward’s Day looming, now is the chance to recognise those around you who are communicating and engaging in a more proactive way.
How is data governance delivered in your organisation? Are you engaged and supported or left to fend for yourself? Welcome your views below.
