Building a Business Case for Data Governance

Building a business case for data governance

• What are common drivers?
• Risk mitigation
• Minimize processing errors stemming from DQ issues
• Utilize data that's fit for purpose vs. misusing data based on incomplete/inaccurate understanding
• Efficiency
• Increase STP and minimize exception handling resulting from DQ issues
• Reduction in complex data mapping and architectural rationalization exercises due to the fact that data is already well structured, stored in domain/subject specific sources, high quality and is accompanied by good metadata
• Operational agility
• Reduced time-to-market for new initiatives due to the fact that data is high quality, accessible and architected in a way that is 'ready for use'
• Revenue generation?
• Data is structured in a manner that allows for ease of analysis
• What are common hurdles to adopting a formal data governance program?
• Education
• Misunderstanding of what a data governance effort entails
• Commonly thought of as the following issues...
• an organizational issue - appoint people to governance roles and the problem is solved
• a technical issue - technology owns this space and should be responsible for its outcome
• a manual audit control - 'throw' people and resources at the problem and quality can be maintained at the desired level
• Cost
• Unknown cost beyond personnel
• Program initiatives
• Software
• Hardware
• Process changes
• Common questions
• How 'big' should a data governance program be?
• When are you done?
• Who pays for it?
• Ownership
• Ownership models
• Business
• IT
• Joint
• Operations
• Accountability
• Senior sponsorship required
• Business ownership suggested
• Owners should be accountable for measurable outcomes
• Alignment to strategy/initiatives
• Commonly align to reference data/master data management (MDM) initiatives
• Questions:
• Can a data governance program be instituted independently of other data initiatives?
• When should a data governance program be created?
• What are the boundaries of a data governance program?
• Enterprise-wide?
• Business unit specific focus?
• Initiative-related (e.g. creation of a new reference data/master data repository; response to regulation - such as Basel II)?
• Can a data governance program succeed if its scope is
• too narrow?
• too wide?