A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up a Data Governance Program

Setting Up a Successful Data Governance Program

In the digital world where data is everything, setting up a data governance program is crucial for a business. It allows you to unlock the potential of data for your company as an essential asset. The goal of the program is to deliver outcomes and solve the problems. But what is the key to success? Specify your business goals, outcomes, stakeholders, and the specific data needed. Data architecture and technology are the pillars of a successful data governance program.

The process consists of people, policies, processes, and technology. But what does this mean? The responsibilities and roles of the people involved in data governance are an important part of the process. Next, we have established policies that ensure consistency and compliance. The Process refers to the key steps for managing data, communication, and collaboration. Lastly, technology provides tools and systems to support the process.

We can take improving customer retention as a great example of a set goal for data governance for banks. If this is the case, then the program should focus on where the data is produced and how it is consumed. The customer data also needs to be readily accessible for the decision-makers trying to improve retention.

Coordinating and standardizing the whole process is crucial for achieving the defined goals. Thus, you might think that setting up a data governance program is a challenging process. While it can create hassles for businesses, starting with small steps and focusing on the business goals is important.

Steps for building a data governance program

Define strategy and goals

What are the business goals that you have set for your organization? Keep in mind that both short-term and long-term goals should be considered. But don't forget that external factors such as compliance and regulations can have a considerable impact.

Your data strategy will prioritize, identify, and align business goals across your organization. It will determine the KPIs, stakeholders, priorities, and capabilities. 

However, keep in mind that the business and  priorities are prone to changes. Therefore, you should do adjustments to make sure the process is aligned with the current situation. Building a data strategy is crucial, and the stakeholders are important for its success.

Executive support and essential stakeholders

The second step includes identifying the key stakeholders and roles. Think about everyone included in the process such as managers, employees, data architects, IT staff, and data custodians within and outside your organization.

Keep in mind that an executive sponsor has a crucial role in the process of establishing a data governance strategy. This person understands the goals and business values. At the same time, they support the process with the investment needed to achieve the results. You already have the executive sponsor; next comes creating the team. Once you have a team, you need to define the things that need to be completed, how to raise awareness and build a funding model.

Build and refine your data governance program

When everything else is set up, you need to see how you will achieve the defined objectives with the existing technology, people, and process. You should look at the ways the data is currently managed in your business. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the process and understand which improvements are needed to meet the objectives. Don't forget that this is a process that takes time. You won't need to do everything at once. However, focus on identifying the pain points and focus your efforts on the critical areas to achieve optimal results.

Document the data policies

Data policies are documented guidelines for how the data is managed, used, protected, and governed. They are defined by the already established data strategy that aligns objectives and outcomes. Don't forget that the data policies can also be affected by external and internal regulations. The data policies ensure that the data is used in a way that guides you toward completing your business goals. This enhances the data quality, improves decision-making, and increases trust in the data assets.

Responsibilities

Establishing the roles and responsibilities is the following step in building your strategy. You need to focus on defining clear roles and responsibilities to ensure everyone understands where their place is. With this, they can effectively contribute to meeting the goals. The structure can vary depending on your business size. For example, large enterprises will have a data governance team that takes care of everything. However, small businesses might not have the funds to create a dedicated team since they will transfer some of the tasks to the existing roles. Depending on the requirements, some companies can go for a mixed approach. While implementation can be challenging, it is essential for companies to start with small steps, learn, and adapt while keeping the focus on the goals.

Develop and improve the process

The process focuses on coordinating the teams in order to ensure consistent practices and effective decision-making. In some cases, the roles and responsibilities might be outside of the organization, so this should be taken into consideration. But also, the processes should focus on meeting the regulations and protect the sensitive data. Organizations should consider automating the data processes through workflow technology and tools. The implementation should be done lightly so you can achieve your business goals without adding extra tasks and unnecessary burden.

Implement, evaluate, and adapt

Once you have defined your program, it is time to put it into action. Whether you make changes to existing technologies or implement new ones, be sure they fit your current processes. A successful data governance program should provide value to the organization. Therefore, be sure to focus on measuring and reporting the delivery of the outcomes. Monitoring the right metrics and reviewing your strategy accordingly ensures a successful outcome. The evaluation process is continuous, so you can notice the improvements and adjust where needed. This allows your program to grow and adapt to the dynamic nature of businesses.

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