Data Governance Template?

Of all the various questions I get asked, one of the most frequent is "Do you have a template for a data governance strategy that I could have?"

When I respond that I don't, I sometimes get the impression that the individual doesn't believe me and thinks that I am being deliberately unhelpful.  But the truth is that I don't advocate using a template for creating a data governance strategy or copying other examples, so I don't keep any.

The reason for this is that for a data governance strategy to be successful it has to be aligned to the overall strategy of the organisation that it is for.  By this I mean that it has to support achieving that strategy. It needs to be specifically written for each company with reference to its strategy and goals.

No two companies are identical (not even within the same industry) so you would not want to even rework or copy other examples.  Getting your data governance strategy well defined and aligned with your corporate strategy is a key foundation for successful data governance and if you "cheat" this step, it is likely to have negative impact on the resulting data governance initiative and the benefits achieved. 

Understanding how data governance will help your organisation achieve its strategy (or in the very least not hamper or distract from achieving it) is a key step to implementing data governance successfully, but it is only one part.  If you are interested in learning more about how to develop your own data governance strategy and how to successfully design and implement a data governance framework, I am running my Getting Started in Data Governance course in London on the 25th March.  In this one day workshop we will work through my proven methodology for implementing data governance. As an added bonus all attendees on the course will get a free Data Governance Coaching call, enabling them to start working out how to apply my methodology and framework in their organisation.  For more details and to register for the course click here or feel free to contact me if you have queries about the workshop.

My free report reveals why companies struggle to successfully implement data governance. Discover how to quickly get you data governance initiative on track by downloading this free report

New Year, New Interviews

Firstly I'd like to start off this short blog post by wishing all my readers a happy New Year!  The beginning of each year is traditionally a time when people take the opportunity to plan their activities for the year ahead, so I do hope that you are all planning to implement, embed or improve data governance in your organisations.

I too have been planning for the year ahead and I’m considering some interesting developments for my business, but rest assured that although I sometimes struggle to find time to blog as frequently as I would like, my blog has not been overlooked in my planning for 2015. 

I have received such great feedback on the Data Governance Guru interview series and I will of course be continuing with that, but I'd also like to take a slightly different tack and include interviews with Data Governance Practitioners i.e. those on the ground doing data governance for their organisation.

I know from the conversations that inevitably arise when I run courses and tutorials, as well as in discussions at conferences and networking events, that anyone who has been involved in data governance has valuable experiences and lessons they have learnt that would be of benefit to others in the same position.  I have a few people in mind that I would like to interview, but if you think that you have an interesting story or case study that you are happy to share please do get in touch.

I'm looking forward to some interesting interviews this year and wish you all good luck in your data governance ventures in 2015!

My free report reveals why companies struggle to successfully implement data governance. Discover how to quickly get you data governance initiative on track by downloading this free report

Thank you for your time...

I'd wondered if you would be kind enough to spare me a couple of minutes of your time?  I usually run my Getting Started in Data Governance course in-house for clients, but recently I have had a some requests to run an open / public version of the course. 

I have devised a short survey with just five quick questions to help me work out how best to deliver the course in way that is accessible for companies that do not have a big enough team to get me to run the course just for them, or for individuals who are interested in finding out more about data governance.

Thank you for your help, I really do appreciate you taking the time to help me.

My free report reveals why companies struggle to successfully implement data governance. Discover how to quickly get you data governance initiative on track by downloading this free report

Data Governance Interview - Gary Allemann

Gary Allemann kindly agreed to be interviewed for this blog and shares valuable advice for all those working in Data Governance:

How would you describe yourself and your data management experience?

I have been passionate about data since long before it was fashionable – delivering niche solutions for data quality, master data management and data governance for more than ten years. I am fortunate to have been exposed to a range of industries – including financial services, mining, telecommunications and government – as this allows me to put data issues into business context.

I started my Data Quality Matters blog to try and share practical ideas and approaches for taking data quality and data governance into business. Hopefully it is a valuable resource for others.

How long have you been working in Data Governance?

I have been working in the data quality space since about 2000. Data Governance as a formal function began to emerge in South Africa in around 2007 and it is a logical extension to our data quality and MDM work

Some people view Data Governance as an unusual career choice, would you mind sharing how you got into this area of work?

I started working with data with Siebel in the late 1990’s. We were selling the ideal of the “single view of the customer” but, when you looked at the contact and account data stored in the CRM system it was clear that the ideal was not being delivered. Poor data quality and some interesting design choices (we had seven instances of Siebel across various business units) meant that we could not achieve the goal.

This was the Eureka moment – applications do not solve business problems without the correct data.

What characteristics do you have that make you successful at Data Governance and why?

 I think my principle strengths are that I am pragmatic, and that I am able to communicate.

In many cases, data governance becomes very theoretical. Anybody can go onto the Internet and pull down templates for data governance structures, processes,  roles, etc.

Making these things fit the organization are the real challenge. Each organization is different, and the as the culture of the organization matures the data governance approach may need to adapt. So it becomes a journey – one step at a time.

Communication is critical. The change process means that different stakeholders may need to be engaged in different ways. Wins must be promoted, and mistakes and there will be mistakes) must be managed so that they are not blown out of proportion. The data governance journey is a sales process.

Are there any particular books or resources that you would recommend as useful support for those starting out in Data Governance?

For formal education in data governance, data stewardship and related functions I am a big fan of the material offered by eLearningCurve.com It allows beginners to get a sound foundation in data management principles, and offers tips and techniques to enhance the skills of more experienced staff.

Otherwise there is a host of less formal material available on line.

Information-Management.com often has interesting perspectives, as do various LinkedIn communities. Specialist vendors, like Collibra, bring practical insights via whitepapers, blogs and webinars.

What is the biggest challenge you have ever faced in a Data Governance implementation?

The isolationist view – by which I mean that data governance is used as a vehicle to push the agenda of one stakeholder without involving or supporting others.

This may be an IT centric view, for example to promote a particular technical approach to master data management that business has not bought into. Or it may be an agenda of a particular business project – for example, when data governance is strongly driven by compliance projects the policies may not seem sensible for customer facing staff.

This kind of “one sided” view can often alienate other role players who feel ignored – a massive risk to the whole data governance initiative. While these kind of initiatives can be a starting point for data governance the bigger picture should always be kept in mind.

Finally what single piece of advice would you give someone just starting out in Data Governance?

Don’ t try to force it and don’t focus on a single stakeholder’s problems. Data governance relies on support from all stakeholders – you get that by giving each of them value.

My free report reveals why companies struggle to successfully implement data governance. Discover how to quickly get you data governance initiative on track by downloading this free report

Building Relationships and Rapport

I spent last week at two amazing data conferences in the US. Firstly I was at Enterprise Dataversity in Chicago and from there I flew to Richmond, Virginia to join the International Data Quality Summit.  Both were excellent events and gave me the opportunity to meet in person some data friends that until then had only been “virtual” friends via the wonders of social media.  Of course I also got to meet up with others who I had been lucky enough to meet previously and finally there are my new data friends who I would never have come across if I had not met them at the conferences.

Going back to my virtual data friends, I have always considered that I had good relationships with these people, but it's amazing how much better I know these people now that I have actually met them and spent some time with them.  It really doesn’t take long to build rapport with people, just a chat over coffee or a meal makes a huge difference in building relationships.

It bears out something that I taught on one of my tutorials this week - the importance of building relationships and rapport with your stakeholders (especially your Data Owners and Data Stewards).  Sending an email asking them to be a Data Owner is unlikely to be successful, but meeting them face to face and explaining what data governance is and why you think they should be a data owner will be much more successful.  Especially when you take the time to get to know them and the challenges that they are facing, so that you can articulate what being a Data Owner will mean to them.

Sometimes it just isn’t possible to meet up face to face and in those circumstances you will need to work hard to make the most of the communication options that you have available.  But as I experienced on numerous occasions last week, good long distance relationships can very quickly become so much stronger when you can meet up in person.

So if it is possible to meet your senior stakeholders when implementing data governance, make sure that you do and make the most of that opportunity to build relationships and rapport.  And of course if you get the opportunity to attend a data conference, make sure that you take it. It really is an excellent environment for learning from others experiences and meeting and networking with your peers. 

My free report reveals why companies struggle to successfully implement data governance. Discover how to quickly get you data governance initiative on track by downloading this free report