Data contributors play a vital role in data governance and stewardship. These individuals will be the key players in the processes and practices of data, and it’s essential to understand who they are. Just as important is to understand that it’s not necessary to restructure your organization or make major changes to create a governance organization.
The key is to assemble a group of people who are dedicated to treating data as an asset.
Governance organizations and teams are typically made up of the following:
Executive Leader/Sponsor
This is the executive who promotes, sponsors, and facilitates governance and stewardship activities across an organization. This individual doesn’t need to be an expert in Information Governance or complete specific governance tasks, but must be able to:
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Introduce the concepts of Information Governance and champion the investment.
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Understand the importance of Information Governance and the value of managing data as an asset.
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Derive maximum value from the investment by enabling the team to act and managing politics in a way that aligns interests and people.
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Support and manage change so that it’s implemented consistently and effectively.
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Ensure that the Information Governance initiative advances the business goals of the organization.
Governance Committee
Sometimes referred to as a Steering Committee or Governance Board, this group is responsible for defining, aligning, and managing the implementation and continuous improvement of Information Governance. Generally, this committee:
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Decides where to invest in Information Governance to achieve the business goals of the organization.
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Consists of people who are senior enough to understand business strategy but are also familiar with how data is used by various groups.
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Is large and diverse enough to represent all aspects of the business that are included in the scope of its responsibilities.
Data Steward
Each Data Steward in an organization is responsible for the health and fitness of data. Typically considered a “power user” and driven by continuous improvement, this individual is focused more on collaboration, influence, and leadership — and less on technical data work or querying. Among the Data Steward’s responsibilities are:
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Ensuring that the appropriate data policies are being established and enforced.
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Responding to a data policy violation by correcting the problem and implementing processes to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
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Understanding the business processes in a specific area of expertise and how data is used to drive those processes.
Data Custodian
Responsible for the technical structure of data storage across an organization, this technical expert is typically an IT employee with a title such as Database Administrator, Enterprise Architect, or ETL Developer. Although the Data Custodian does not own the data itself, this individual:
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Provides expertise in how data is stored, transferred, and manipulated.
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Offers unique insights into the use of data, especially in terms of what can be accomplished with data.
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Remains up to date on the latest technologies for driving data insights
Data Owner
This is the business user of data — responsible for entering, changing, copying, expanding, deleting, and approving data. Data Owners are the users of the data who:
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Understand the meaning and purpose of the data they work with because it is how they perform their day-to-day jobs.
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Adhere to the policies gathered and created by Data Stewards.
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Work within the systems managed by Data Custodians.
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Execute the business processes informed by the Governance Committee.
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