How can you build and maintain a data governance committee?

1 Identify your data governance goals and scope

Before you form a data governance committee, you need to have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish with data governance and what areas of data you want to cover. For example, you may want to improve data quality, compliance, security, or analytics. You may also want to focus on specific data domains, such as customer, product, or financial data. Having a well-defined scope and objectives will help you select the right members, roles, and responsibilities for your data governance committee.

2 Choose your data governance committee members and roles

The data governance committee should consist of representatives from different business units, functions, and levels who have a stake in the data governance outcomes. Ideally, the committee should include senior executives who can sponsor and support the data governance program, as well as data owners, stewards, custodians, and consumers who can provide input and feedback on the data governance issues and solutions. The committee should also have clearly defined roles and responsibilities, such as chairperson, facilitator, decision-maker, advisor, or communicator.

3 Establish your data governance framework and policies

The data governance committee is responsible for developing and approving the data governance framework and policies that will guide the data governance activities and practices across the organization. The data governance framework should outline the vision, mission, principles, goals, roles, processes, and metrics of data governance. The data governance policies should specify the rules, standards, and guidelines for data quality, security, privacy, ethics, and usage. The data governance committee should also ensure that the framework and policies are aligned with the business strategy and objectives.

4 Communicate and educate your data governance stakeholders

The data governance committee should not work in isolation. It should communicate and educate the data governance stakeholders, such as the data users, producers, and managers, about the data governance framework, policies, and benefits. The committee should also solicit feedback and suggestions from the stakeholders to improve the data governance program and address any issues or challenges. The communication and education strategies may include newsletters, webinars, workshops, training sessions, or dashboards.

5 Monitor and measure your data governance performance

The data governance committee should also monitor and measure the performance and impact of the data governance program on the data quality, security, compliance, and value. The committee should use data governance metrics and indicators, such as data quality scores, data breach incidents, data compliance rates, or data usage reports, to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the data governance activities and practices. The committee should also review and report the data governance results and outcomes to the senior management and the data governance stakeholders.

6 Review and update your data governance program

The data governance committee should not consider the data governance program as a one-time project. It should review and update the data governance program regularly to ensure that it adapts to the changing business needs, data requirements, and best practices. The committee should conduct periodic audits, assessments, and surveys to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the data governance program. The committee should also implement changes, improvements, or innovations to the data governance framework, policies, or processes based on the feedback and findings.

7 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?