Data Governance refers to exactly what it seems like. It is the management of the data of the company, the availability, usability, and security of the information used in the organization.
Control is important for every business. Control of the processes, control of the employees, control of the goals and its achievement. The control of the information shared and updated by the team is of no least importance, since it is based on it that everybody is going to act.
The best data governance definition is the one that says that it ensures that the data entry by the team members or by an automated process meets the company’s standards, such as integrity, business rules, and goals, etc.
Also see: content management definition.
Definition of data governance goals
So what are the objectives to achieve with data governance? Being a system of decision rights executed by a model that describes: who can take which action with which information, when, using what methods under what circumstances, it accomplishes:
- A better decision-making process: with everything defined, is much more safe to make decisions
- Protect the needs of data stakeholders: needless to say that the more control, the more safety
- More efficient processes: with the standards and repetition data governance brings, all the processes flow smoothly and faster
- Cost reduction: with the coordination of efforts, there is a wastage reduction
- Transparency: all the steps are clear and transparent
Check also: how to cut costs in the business.
Data governance steps
A robust data governance program includes a body council, a clear set of procedures and a defined plan. Data is valuable. Protect client’s and company’s information. With everybody connected all day is increasingly difficult to control all the pieces of information spread throughout the enterprise. Therefore, we will approach steps to accomplish that
1 – Identify the holders of information
The first step in defining data governance to your company is to determine who is accountable for various aspects of data. That person is the governor, and he can create a council to formulate policies and report progress.
2 – Determine current situation
As with the process mapping, with data is crucial to determine what the situation is before implementing changes. What are the current practices? An assessment methodology is essential at this point.
3 – Develop a strategy
After the data governance study, the leadership council must think of a strategy thinking of the future, how the company will define data governance in the next few years. One of the most common problems with data governance projects is the lack of follow-through. To avoid this problem, the council can start by prioritizing areas of the company to start, such as marketing, to start, thus making it easier to follow. This area must be determined by thinking which one can bring better results to the company faster.
4 – Make most of the data
To a significant data governance, a definition of the data is essential. Make sure the information is available before anything. If it is hard to reach, it will block the possibility to improve it. Data can come in many ways and may be assessed in bulks, alone, in sequence, etc. Therefore, it has to be organized and available.
Also, it is crucial to calculate the value of your data. You cannot protect and enhance something you do not know how much is worth. Although, information is not a usual resource, and this may be difficult. An information governance platform helps a company to better value their information assets over time.
5 – Measure risks and results
Monitoring is the most important part of the project, since without it is impossible to know if the results were achieved and what needs improving. Organizations change every day, and therefore their data, its value, and risk also shift rapidly. Unfortunately, most organizations assess themselves only once a year.
Defining a good data governance system will help companies not only safeguarding their information and improving data quality but also retain customers, cutting costs and seizing excellent opportunities.
Now that you understand the data governance definition read about IT Governance definition.