How can you design and implement effective CRM data governance policies?

1 Assess your current data situation

The first step is to assess the current state of your CRM data, including its sources, types, volume, quality, and usage. You can use tools like data profiling, data auditing, and data cleansing to identify and fix any data issues, such as duplicates, errors, inconsistencies, or gaps. You should also review your existing data policies, roles, and responsibilities, and evaluate how well they align with your business goals and customer needs.

2 Define your data governance goals and principles

The second step is to define your data governance goals and principles, which will guide your data decisions and actions. Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, and reflect your desired outcomes for your CRM data, such as improving data accuracy, security, accessibility, or analysis. Your principles should be clear, concise, and consistent, and express your core values and expectations for your CRM data, such as ensuring data quality, compliance, or customer trust.

3 Establish your data governance roles and responsibilities

The third step is to establish your data governance roles and responsibilities, which will assign the tasks and authority for managing your CRM data. You should create a data governance team that includes representatives from different business units, functions, and levels, and assign them roles such as data owners, data stewards, data custodians, or data users. You should also define their responsibilities, such as defining data standards, implementing data policies, monitoring data quality, or resolving data issues.

4 Develop your data governance policies and procedures

The fourth step is to develop your data governance policies and procedures, which will specify the rules and guidelines for handling your CRM data. Your policies should cover topics such as data collection, storage, access, security, retention, deletion, or sharing, and align with your data governance goals and principles. Your procedures should outline the steps and methods for executing your data policies, such as data validation, encryption, backup, or reporting.

5 Implement your data governance policies and procedures

The fifth step is to implement your data governance policies and procedures, which will put your data plans into action. You should communicate your data governance policies and procedures to all your data stakeholders, and provide them with the necessary training, tools, and support. You should also integrate your data governance policies and procedures with your CRM system, and use features like data validation, automation, or workflow to enforce them.

6 Monitor and improve your data governance performance

The sixth step is to monitor and improve your data governance performance, which will measure and optimize your data results. You should use metrics and indicators to track and evaluate your data quality, security, and usability, and compare them with your data governance goals and benchmarks. You should also collect feedback and suggestions from your data stakeholders, and use them to identify and implement any data improvements or changes.

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?