Some organizations lose momentum with their data governance (data intelligence) initiative. In this blog post, we’ll mention some of the reasons to restart your data governance initiative.
A few comments first. Have clear goals for why you want data governance. Look at where you have barriers and where can data governance help. Define the data governance initiative around that. For example, the goal is not to build a data dictionary. The goal is to provide transparency and clarity and understanding of the data that is being used within your organization, either for people who are creating the reports or people who are consuming and requesting information. Remember that data governance is not about control, it is about helping people.
So, let’s look at some of the reasons why your data governance initiative failed in the past and why it is important now to make it a priority.
#1 Buy in / People
In the past, maybe leadership was not concerned with (or educated about importance of) data governance.
Now, new leadership, such as a newly created Chief Data Officer position, or more knowledgeable leadership, see the value in having data governance. They understand the importance and can spread the word, approve resources and create buy-in for a data governance initiative to succeed.
#2 Compliance
In the past, maybe there was not the compliance pressure to focus on data governance.
Now, new compliance regulations such as GDPR and CCPA are making data governance a priority. Maybe you have auditors who say that you need a data governance plan in place and that can really help move data governance to the top of the data governance list.
#3 Other Priorities
In the past, maybe there were higher priorities such as a software upgrade, the data warehouse implementation, or installation of a new reporting solution. Data governance had to take a lower position on the priority list.
Now, maybe previous projects are wrapped up and data governance is now a top priority. And data governance might assist with making those previous priorities (say reporting solution or data warehouse implementation) more effective.
#4 Budget
In the past, maybe budgets were tight, and no money was allocated to data governance.
Now, maybe budget priorities have shifted back and there is additional money that can be allocated toward implementing more formal data governance (get a solution, more manpower, etc.). Maybe software upgrade has been completed or the new reporting solution has been installed or the data warehousing project is complete. Data governance will make any of these more effective.
#5 Peers
In the past, you talked to peers and maybe most of them were not focused on (or successful with) data governance.
Now, you have talked to others (your peers) and you are hearing about their success with data governance. It is a big motivator to see what can be done. Maybe now is the time to emulate what they have done for your own organization’s success.
#6 Not Enough Content
In the past, maybe you wanted data governance but realized you did not have the necessary (or minimum amount of) content (specifications, shared business glossary, etc.) for a data governance initiative to succeed.
Now, maybe the organization has a better data culture and more individuals focused on content so the data governance initiative that requires content is achievable. You want to have as much good content as possible so that people’s 1st experience with data governance is a good one and that they can find the answers they need quickly.
#7 Competition
In the past, maybe there was less competition for customers, students, professors, staff or whatever so your data was not used effectively for decision making.
Now, competition has increased and the need for better decision making is important which has necessitated a focus on data governance, which improves the data and the decisions making from this data.
#8 Data System Explosion
In the past, maybe you did not have as many connected data systems so data governance was not a top priority.
Now, with the data system explosion that has occurred, data systems cannot be managed the old way. There is more connected data and thus needs data governance and having a data systems inventory.
#9 Solution
In the past, maybe you looked for a data governance solution or a data governance framework to assist in your data governance initiative and did not find one that met your needs.
Now, there are solutions such as the Data Cookbook, that have all the features you need at an affordable cost. Now solutions have better training and are easier to implement. Solutions contain workflows, data quality monitoring, data systems inventory, data request tracking and other features that are necessary in a data governance solution. There are solutions available that can handle the technical side of data governance as well as the functional side. And integration is available to get the data system inventory and technical data model components necessary for enterprise data governance.
Conclusion
Look at the 9 reasons above and determine if the situation has changed at your organization. Maybe there are multiple reasons why your data governance initiative failed or did not meet expectations or was never started. But times change and so do the factors involved in data governance. Evaluate your organization and determine if now is the time to achieve successful data governance.
Hope this blog post was beneficial to you and your organization. Additional resources on data governance adoption and return on investment can be found in this blog post. You can access all of our data governance resources here.
IData has a solution, the Data Cookbook, that can aid the employees and the organization in its data governance, data stewardship and data quality initiatives. IData also has experts that can assist with data governance, reporting, integration and other technology services on an as needed basis. Feel free to contact us and let us know how we can assist.
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