What are the best practices for data retention and deletion in product management?

2 How to define your data retention and deletion policy

A data retention and deletion policy is a document that outlines how you collect, store, and delete data in your product. It should be clear, consistent, and aligned with your business goals and user needs. To define your policy, you should identify the types and sources of data you collect, and why you need them; determine the legal and ethical obligations and risks associated with your data; specify how long you keep each type of data, and what criteria you use to decide; explain how you securely store and protect your data from unauthorized access or loss; describe how you delete or anonymize your data when it is no longer needed or requested; and communicate your policy to your users and stakeholders, updating it regularly.

3 How to implement your data retention and deletion policy

To ensure that your data retention and deletion policy is effective, you should use tools and processes that automate and simplify data retention and deletion, such as cloud services, databases, or scripts. Additionally, it's important to monitor and audit your data regularly to ensure accuracy, relevance, and compliance. It is also beneficial to educate and train your team and partners on the policy and best practices. Lastly, review and evaluate the policy periodically to make sure it is still valid and effective.

4 How to balance data retention and deletion

Data retention and deletion should be balanced according to product objectives and user expectations. Retain data that is essential for product functionality, user satisfaction, or business growth, and delete data that is redundant, obsolete, or sensitive. Additionally, archive or back up data that is valuable for historical or analytical purposes, and anonymize or aggregate data that is useful for research or innovation. Doing so will ensure that you are meeting user expectations while still achieving your product goals.

5 How to communicate your data retention and deletion practices

Data retention and deletion are not only technical, but also strategic and ethical decisions. It is important to communicate these decisions transparently and honestly to your users and stakeholders, while involving them in the process. For instance, you should inform users about what data is collected, how it is used, and how long it is stored; provide them with options and controls to access, update, or delete their data; notify users of any changes or incidents that affect their data; and solicit feedback from users and stakeholders on how to improve your data practices.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?