How do you measure the impact and value of data democratization in your organization?

2 Data culture

Another benefit of data democratization is that it can foster a data culture in your organization, which is the mindset and behavior that values and leverages data as a strategic asset. Data culture can enhance the alignment, transparency, and trust among your data stakeholders and across your business functions. To measure data culture, you can use indicators such as the alignment and clarity of data goals, the involvement and accountability of data leaders, the recognition and reward of data achievements, and the communication and collaboration of data stories.

3 Data value

A third benefit of data democratization is that it can generate data value for your organization, which is the tangible and intangible impact that data has on your performance, innovation, and growth. Data value can be measured by the outcomes and benefits that data delivers for your customers, products, services, processes, and strategies. To measure data value, you can use indicators such as the revenue and cost savings generated by data, the customer satisfaction and retention improved by data, the product quality and differentiation enhanced by data, and the process efficiency and agility enabled by data.

4 Data governance

A key enabler of data democratization is data governance, which is the framework and practice that ensures the quality, security, and compliance of your data assets. Data governance can help you manage the risks and challenges of data democratization, such as data quality issues, data privacy breaches, data misuse, and data silos. To measure data governance, you can use indicators such as the completeness and accuracy of data cataloging, the effectiveness and efficiency of data policies and standards, the responsiveness and resolution of data issues and requests, and the awareness and adherence of data ethics and regulations.

5 Data feedback

A vital component of data democratization is data feedback, which is the process and mechanism that collects, analyzes, and acts on the input and output of your data users and stakeholders. Data feedback can help you monitor and improve your data democratization efforts, such as identifying data gaps and opportunities, enhancing data usability and relevance, optimizing data tools and resources, and evaluating data impact and value. To measure data feedback, you can use indicators such as the quantity and quality of data surveys and reviews, the insights and actions derived from data analytics and reporting, the satisfaction and loyalty of data users and stakeholders, and the improvement and innovation of data products and services.

6 Data maturity

A final metric of data democratization is data maturity, which is the level and stage of development and sophistication of your data capabilities and culture. Data maturity can help you benchmark and compare your data democratization progress and performance against your peers and best practices. To measure data maturity, you can use models and frameworks that assess your data readiness, capabilities, culture, value, and vision across different dimensions and levels. For example, you can use the Data Democratization Maturity Model (DDMM) developed by Dataiku, which evaluates your data democratization maturity across four dimensions: people, process, technology, and governance.

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?