How to Draft an All-Star Data Governance Team

In the ultra-competitive market of the 21st Century, any means of gaining an advantage over rivals can spell the difference between a successful venture and one that fails miserably. Making the best use of their data assets is one method that businesses can use to set themselves apart from the competition.

Understanding Data Governance

Data governance is a widely-used technique with which organizations can manage key data resources. It incorporates various aspects of the way enterprise data is used, stored, and maintained. This includes maintaining data security and consistency as data travels throughout an IT environment. Data governance has been adopted by many large organizations as a means to exert more control over their data assets.

The Role of Human Resources in Data Governance

As with any methodology that a corporation attempts to implement, the human resources involved in the initiative are critically important.

Importance of Proper Staffing

In cases where data governance is being introduced to the organization, properly staffing the team that will oversee the program is an essential step that can impact its viability and usefulness. Choosing the wrong personnel for specific roles can make it difficult to achieve the benefits promised by data governance.

Filling Data Governance Roles

The process of staffing the data governance team requires us to have detailed knowledge concerning the strengths and weaknesses of potential team members. We can evaluate each candidate to make an informed decision regarding their qualifications to fill specific vacancies on the team. It’s kind of like putting together a professional sports team through the free-agent process, but of course, without the multi-million dollar contracts. 

Perhaps unfairly, mediocre relief pitchers and running backs are paid better than superior data stewards.

Identifying Key Skill Sets for Data Governance

Just as a football or baseball team needs to obtain individuals with different skill sets to play the positions necessary to be competitive, multiple roles need to be filled in the pursuit of success in a data governance program. The individuals chosen to fill these positions should be carefully selected from among the available resources with an eye toward developing the strongest data governance team possible.

Common Roles and Responsibilities in Data Governance

The terminology used to categorize data governance roles may differ slightly depending on which definition is consulted. We will look at the most common roles and the responsibilities of those positions:

• Data Steward: Manages and maintains data integrity.
• Data Owner: Holds responsibility for data accuracy.
• Data Custodian: Manages the storage and accessibility of data.
• Data Governance Lead: Oversees and implements governance policies.

Steering Committee

1. Overview of the Data Governance Steering Committee

The data governance steering committee is composed of upper management and company executives. This may include corporate Vice Presidents overseeing business areas that align with data domains such as finance, customer relations, or production.

2. Importance of Leadership in Data Governance

Effective leadership from the steering committee is crucial for achieving a successful data governance program.

3. Key Responsibilities of the Steering Committee

• Strategy Setting and Outcome Definition:
  • Defining the overall strategy and specific outcomes for the data governance program.
• Program Accountability and Oversight:
  • Ensuring the program stays focused and is held accountable for meeting predefined outcomes and timelines.
• Support and Promotion of Data Stewardship:
  • Advocating for data stewards by endorsing time spent on the initiative.
  • Encouraging collaboration across business units to foster a cooperative environment.

This structure ensures alignment and promotes active engagement across all levels involved in the data governance initiative.

Responsibilities of Data Owners

Data owners are associated with a specific data domain and may also be part of the steering committee. They are responsible for verifying that the information pertaining to their data domain is governed across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Data Definitions and Glossaries
  Approving data definitions and glossaries.
• Data Accuracy
  Ensuring the accuracy of their domain’s data as it is used throughout the enterprise.
• Data Management Initiatives
  Reviewing and approving the approaches, outcomes, and initiatives associated with data management.
• Collaborative Problem Resolution
  Working collaboratively with other data owners to resolve discrepancies in the way data is defined or used across different domains.
• Issue Review
  Reviewing issues identified by data stewards.
• Steering Committee Contributions
  Providing input to the steering committee regarding policies, regulatory requirements, and software solutions related to their data domain.

Role and Responsibilities of Data Stewards

Data stewards are subject matter experts who are responsible for the daily management of data. They know what the data in their domain means and how it should be used. They have a range of responsibilities, including:

Key Responsibilities of Data Stewards

• Subject Matter Expertise: Serving as subject matter experts for the data domain.
• Issue Resolution: Working with other stewards to cooperatively resolve data issues.
• Policy Creation: Participating in the data steward council, which is responsible for creating data policies.
• Stakeholder Communication: Reporting data decisions to stakeholders in their domain and ensuring that their interests are represented.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Crossing business lines to ensure that the domain’s data is used appropriately.

Selection Criteria for Effective Data Stewards

The selection of individuals to fill these roles should consider factors like their availability and enthusiasm for the data governance program.

• Motivation & Engagement: A motivated and technically skilled resource will make a better data steward than one who is overworked and skeptical of data governance value.
• Team Collaboration & Communication Skills: Choose team members who have demonstrated the ability to work collaboratively and convey information to stakeholders across the business.

A Tool for the Team: Enhancing Data Governance Through Collaboration

The foundation of any viable data governance program is made up of shared data definitions, glossaries, and dictionaries. Policies and standards need to be agreed upon that satisfy all parts of the organization. Creating these artifacts requires a collaborative effort by the members of the governance team.

IDERA’s ER/Studio Enterprise Team Edition

IDERA’s ER/Studio Enterprise Team Edition is a valuable tool that can assist with the collaboration required by an effective data governance team. You can discover and document the existing data assets in your environment to provide a realistic starting point for your efforts. The tool lets you catalog metadata and build a solid foundation for the program. Impact analysis can be performed on proposed policies before they are implemented.

Enhancing Team Collaboration

• Centralized data glossary: A hierarchy to model your organization’s data resources.
• Automatic application of data naming standards: Ensures consistency for logical and physical data models across the enterprise.

With a good team and ER/Studio Enterprise Team Edition, your business will be ready to use data governance productively.