by KIMBERLY NEVALA STEPHEN PUTMAN with a foreword by …€¦ · Okay, you might not be laughing as hard as some of the business people we tell this joke to. Sometimes it elicits

by KIMBERLY NEVALA& STEPHEN PUTMAN

with a foreword by JILL DYCHÉ

GOVERNANCE

MAPS, MECHANICS & MORALSwhen launching your data governance initiative

2

this is not

a white

paper.The DATA GOVERNANCE eBook

Maps, Mechanics & Morals When Launching Your Data Governance Initiative

Brought to you by SAS Best Practices.

© 2013 SAS Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

a SAS best practices eBook 3

the DATA GOVERNANCE eBook

MAPS, MECHANICS & MORALS When Launching Your Data Governance Initiative

INTRODUCTION ................................................... 4

THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORY ......................... 7

overview ............................................................... 8

meet the team ....................................................... 9

THE KICKOFF .................................................... 13

Joan hears it again ............................................... 13

the kickoff part one .............................................. 14

the kickoff part two .............................................. 15

the kickoff part three ............................................ 17

the CIO’s office .................................................... 20

strategy with Sarah & Alan ................................... 22

THE FIRST WEEK ............................................... 25

road trip EVERYONE! ........................................... 25

the first checkpoint .............................................. 28

THE SECOND WEEK .......................................... 30

are we there YET? ............................................... 30

the second checkpoint ........................................ 36

REVIEWING THE MAP ....................................... 37

back on track ...................................................... 37

path to the future ................................................. 40

NUTS & BOLTS .................................................. 41

overview ............................................................. 42

executive sponsorship ......................................... 45

data governance ................................................. 46

data management ............................................... 48

data stewardship ................................................ 57

data stewardship: the role .................................... 58

bringing it all together ........................................... 60

ABOUT THE AUTHORS ....................................... 61

table of CONTENTS



INTRODUCTIONby Jill Dyché

INTRODUCTION

QUESTION: HOW MANY data stewards does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Answer: Two. One to go find funding, and one to recruit an executive sponsor.

[Pausing while you laugh.]

Okay, you might not be laughing as hard as some of the business people we tell this joke to. Sometimes it elicits an actual full-throated belly laugh. That’s because, as with all humor, there’s an element of truth to the joke. As far as data stewardship goes, we’re not sure how to launch the role in a tactical and deliberate way, so we fall back on old aphorisms like “build a business case” and “get an executive sponsor” that apply to almost every single initiative in business today. Since we don’t know where to begin, we revert to what we know. Or what we think we know.

The same can be said of data governance as a whole. Companies assume that they’ll launch their data governance programs like all important, cross-functional initiatives. They’ll recruit some key stakeholders. They’ll find an executive who sees the value. They’ll have a kickoff meeting and bring in lunch. So why do so many data governance efforts start with a bang, only to end with a whimper – the whimper likely coming from that same executive who was laughing so hard at the initial joke?

Just as the phrase “managing data as an asset” is becoming a cliché it’s also hitting the C-suite. The good news is the bad news: executives love the idea of managing data as an asset. They think that by putting structure around corporate information they can solve a host of business problems, and they’re right. But do they really know what this implies?

If executives understood the four criteria of an asset, they could apply those criteria to their data. The four criteria are:




1: An asset has value.

2: That value is quantifiable.

3: The asset helps the company achieve its strategic objectives.

4: The asset requires specialized skills to build and maintain.

Each of these criteria applies to your cash, your equipment, your IT platforms and yes, to your data.

I take a perverse enjoyment in asking Chief Information Officers if their companies are managing data as an asset. The CIO nods his head enthusiastically. “Yes!” he says. “Of course data is a corporate asset! We couldn’t do business without it!”

Then I ask him if he is funding data proportional to other corporate assets. Suffice it to say that this question is greeted with much less enthusiasm. Why? Because IT managers aren’t measured on the integrity of business information. Because they’re not investing in data as separate from the applications that use and generate that data. Because they haven’t circumscribed the rules of engagement between themselves and their business constituents. The business doesn’t know how to talk to IT about what it needs to do. And IT doesn’t know how to put the necessary structure around those conversations to engage the business in a sustained and meaningful way.

My clients on the business side usually beg me to have this conversation with their CIOs, since a) they’re legitimately curious about the response; b) the job of speaking truth to power (read: embarrassing executives) is best done by a third party; and c) they hope the realization that data is getting ignored will spark some much-needed change.

The parable recounted in this e-book is fictional. Nevertheless it’s based on real-life situations. The players are real people. Names have been changed to protect the guilty – and, interestingly, to protect the unwitting heroes who act as change agents in the name of data governance. Data governance, as we define it, is the business-driven policy making and oversight of corporate data. Data is not just an

“I TAKE A PERVERSE ENJOYMENT IN ASKING CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICERS IF THEIR COMPANIES ARE MANAGING DATA AS AN ASSET.”




asset but an enterprise asset, so the changes that are needed to transform isolated decision making and replicated delivery processes and incomplete skill sets are nothing short of transformative. And, as with most large-scale changes, they can also be disruptive.

As you read our story, you might recognize similar behaviors in your own organization. We wrote this e-book because we wholeheartedly believe that in the case of data governance and data management, forewarned is forearmed. We hope you enjoy reading the story, take the lessons to heart, and embark on your own data governance journey equipped with the right knowledge and tools to get it done right.

Good luck and safe travels!

Jill Dyché

Vice President, SAS Best Practices

“...WE WHOLEHEARTEDLY BELIEVE THAT IN THE CASE OF DATA GOVERNANCE AND DATA MANAGEMENT, FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED.”

7

the

SPECTRA

DYNAMO

STORY



THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORY

OVERVIEW

SPECTRADYNAMO INC. manufactures high-performance parts for automobile racing engines. Their products are renowned around the world for high quality and great workmanship, and they have a very loyal customer base. They are a leader in the racing industry, with clear market share advantages over their primary competitors. However, they have been experiencing a steady erosion of these advantages over the last few years. The company’s executive management has determined that better manage-ment and use of information can help them regain their leadership position.

The company collects a great deal of data as part of its manufacturing process through extensive testing and collection of real time racing telemetry data. This data enables SpectraDynamo’s engineers to analyze the performance of their parts, striving for constant improvement of their products. They also have an impressive back catalog of data from prior years designs so that they can track product defects, refine design, improve testing procedures and monitor expenses.

SpectraDynamo invests large amounts of money in technology but has issues with data catego-rization, retrieval and quality. The company had recently avoided an inquiry from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission regarding their external financial statements due to the Hercu-lean efforts of Barry Oswald, the Chief Financial Officer. Tom O’Brien, the Chief Information Officer, is under pressure to prevent another occurrence. He has also been increasingly under the gun to deliver more timely data from his applications. O’Brien subsequently commissioned a data governance study to address the previously identified root causes of their reporting issues, bringing in Joan Pleasance from the engineering team to lead the effort. With help from Alan Wainwright, a consultant retained to guide the effort, Joan has begun to get her arms around the meaning of data governance. Tom O’Brien knows that with Joan he has the project management skills required to lead the program to a success-ful conclusion.

Our story begins a couple of days before the initial kickoff meeting for the data governance program. Joan has been discussing governance informally with the team members over the past few weeks

while meeting almost constantly with Alan to get up to speed on the components of an effective data governance program.

about

SPECTRADYNAMO

OVERVIEW




meet the TEAM

THE TEAM DRIVES everything. And while this scenario has been invented for you, and the charac-ters you’re about to meet are fictitious, we suspect that you’ll find them all too familiar. Because even though every company is different, and one size does not fit all, it has been our experience that certain problems are all too common.

But with the right team, you can solve whatever problems arise. And if you work it just right, you can make them very happy – as seen below:

about

SPECTRADYNAMO

MEET the team

...WITH THE RIGHT TEAM, YOU CAN SOLVE WHATEVER PROBLEMS ARISE.



THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORYThomas O’Brien, Chief Information Officer

Tom is from the old school. He worked his way up from the plant floor, learning all of the facets of the business along the way. He is a relative newcomer to IT, but he is a quick study and has earned the respect of his department. He reads articles about analytics,

but he doesn’t understand why reports aren’t delivered as quickly as he wants. He’s also painfully aware of the poor quality of the data IT is deploying. Tom feels that the team is at a competitive disadvantage if they cannot deliver the data people need quickly and accurately.

Benny Watson, IT Operations Manager

Benjamin Franklin Watson – Benny to his friends – is a no-nonsense administrator and a fairly competent manager. The systems he manages are the lifeblood of SpectraDynamo, at least in his opinion. His staff of IT specialists does a great job of maintaining and

enhancing the systems the engineers use to develop new products and squeeze every ounce of performance out of current products. He understands that the executive suite may want to have a sophisticated business intelligence system with fancy graphs and lots of colors, but he can’t justify the expense to himself because the business seems to run just fine on the operational reports his group provides.

Sarah Cavanaugh, Business Intelligence Manager

Sarah started with SpectraDynamo six months ago, after a successful five years at a major systems integrator as a business intelligence consultant. She has been a part of four successful system implementations, acting as program manager on the last two.

She knows what it takes to start and maintain a successful business intelligence program, and she knows how to sell the concept to reluctant, culturally-entrenched staff. This talent will come in handy at SpectraDynamo.

about

SPECTRADYNAMO

MEET the team



THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORYJoseph Adelson, Chief IT Architect

Joe is a 15-year technology veteran who has been with SpectraDynamo for half of his career. He started as a maintenance programmer in the Wind Tunnel Testing group and progressed through increasingly responsible positions until being appointed Chief IT

Architect. He works hand in glove with Benny Watson, and together they make a formidable team. Joe designs efficient physical infrastructure for the operational systems, but has little understanding of the changes required for an efficient dimensional database and reporting system. He is not eager to take on any responsibility for data, and is clashing with Sarah Cavanaugh with increasing frequency.

Robert Cumberland, Business Analysis Manager

Robert is responsible for the business analysis staff at SpectraDynamo, a five-person crew that develops business requirements for various systems in partnership with the business community. He is coming up to speed quickly on the differences in

requirements gathering for business intelligence. He recognizes the issues that business users have with getting access to the data they need. He is open to any constructive suggestion as long as it serves his business clients.

Sam Sullivan, Subject Matter Expert

Sam is a retired race car driver in the SCCA sports car class, where he was a two-time series champion. His racing teams have used many products from SpectraDynamo over his career, so he was the perfect choice to be a special consultant to the company’s

engineering staff. He has been identified as the best person to assist the data management and data governance projects from the engineering perspective. He is enthusiastic about his role and has a great relationship with the product development staff, so he can find answers quickly for the rare occasions when he does not know the answer himself.about

SPECTRADYNAMO

MEET the team



THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORYJoan Pleasance, Program Manager

Joan has been directed to oversee the entire data governance and data management program at SpectraDynamo. She is a seasoned project manager, with experience dealing with the diverse personalities on staff. She has developed a preliminary project

plan to implement the first stages of the program, but is nervous about potentially missing activities and unrealistic timelines. She is relying on the incoming consultant to show her the processes and tasks required, along with timelines for completion.

Mary O’Malley, Business Sponsor and Chief Operating Officer

Mary is an extremely hands-on type of manager, so she is the primary user of all data in the company. She understands the issues the company has with data retrieval and ac-curacy, and also understands the importance of data governance and management (and

realizes that SpectraDynamo has neither). She sees data governance as helping her do her job, and is anxious to get going.

Alan Wainwright, Governance Consultant

Alan is a senior consultant with Data Management Integrators (DMI), a respected data integration and management consulting firm. He has vast experience in the design and implementation of data governance and management. He also has access to

DMI’s experts at a moment’s notice for advice and confirmation of his direction. DMI recognizes the importance of this client by placing their best expert on-site.

about

SPECTRADYNAMO

MEET the team




joan hears it AGAIN

“SO, WHEN ARE we going to discuss metadata?”

“Oh, boy,” Joan thinks to herself. She has heard this exact question from almost all of the staff members involved in the data governance project at SpectraDynamo. She appreciates the question, but hates it at the same time. Joan likes the fact that her teammates know the terminology and want to begin implementing, but she also knows that metadata is not job one for data governance.

It doesn’t make it any easier to know that she is talking to Sam Sullivan, the subject matter expert on her team. Sam is a very knowledgeable person, and as a former world champion racing driver, he has a great appreciation for the organization’s massive amounts of data generated by racing opera-tions. As program manager, Joan knows that she can’t simply brush off the inquiry from Sam, but she would rather deal with the team as a whole instead of individually – and they have not had the meeting regarding topics to be included in the governance program. Sam knows enough to be dangerous, and has latched onto metadata as a key deliverable.

“Metadata is definitely part of the discussion, Sam,” said Joan. “I’m glad you have such a keen inter-est in it, and you can be sure that you will be one of my top experts when we take it up.”

Sam was pleased. “Thanks, Joan. I can’t wait to get started.”

the KICKOFF

COLD CUTS are served.

“SO, WHEN ARE WE GOING TO DISCUSS METADATA?”




the kickoff PART ONE

THE TEAM ASSEMBLED on Tuesday morning for the Governance Program Kickoff meeting. The meet-ing was scheduled for four hours, and Joan Pleasance knew that they would need every minute of it, and maybe more. She had reserved the large corporate conference room for the entire day and or-dered lunch from Catering just in case the meeting ran over time. It was difficult to get the entire group together at one time, and she was determined to take advantage of that.

Sam Sullivan was the first person to arrive for the meeting, five minutes before the start. This is no surprise, based on his level of enthusiasm for the project. Even though he is a consultant, Sam knows the value of having data organized and readily available – his championship racing team pioneered the use of telemetry data from his car to gain an advantage over his rivals. “Good morning, Joan.”

“Good morning, Sam. Have some coffee...”

Next to arrive were Benny Watson and Joe Adelson. Benny and Joe have worked together for several years and are rarely seen apart. They have a solid record of achievement in designing and managing the operational systems at SpectraDynamo and are well-respected across the IT staff. They seem dubi-ous of this data governance initiative and their place in it but do not openly show it – yet.

The rest of the project team trickled in – everyone but Tom O’Brien, the CIO. Tom was notorious for being late to meetings due to his busy schedule and had advised Joan to start the kickoff meet-ing without him. Joan would rather not start without the full team present, but she understood Tom’s schedule and was resigned to do so. The rest – Sarah Cavanaugh, the Business Intelligence Manager; Robert Cumberland, the Business Analysis Manager; Mary O’Malley, the Business Sponsor; and Alan Wainwright, the Governance Consultant – all took refreshments to their places around the table.

Joan started the meeting with a bombshell. “I’ve talked to all of you about data governance over the last week or so,” said Joan. “And all of you have it wrong...”

the KICKOFF


“I’VE TALKED TO ALLOF YOU ABOUT DATA GOVERNANCE OVER THE LAST WEEK OR SO. AND ALL OF YOU HAVE IT WRONG...”




the kickoff PART TWO

ALL OF THE meeting participants looked at each other, and then back at Joan. No one said a word.

Joan began again. “Good, now that I have your attention, let me explain what I mean. Alan, could you please come up to the whiteboard and help me take down some notes?”

Alan rose from his chair, took his coffee, and went to the board, picking up a pen. He knew that Joan was not referring to him when she made her initial comment. They had been discussing how to sepa-rate the concepts of data governance and data management since he arrived two weeks ago.

Joan continued. “Now, I’d like to ask each of you to describe some items that you think would be-long in a data governance program. Anyone?”

No one spoke. It was early in the morning, and since Joan had shocked them at the beginning of the meeting, they were all a little sheepish, concentrating on their coffee, tea and juice.

“Alright,” Joan said, “how about you, Sam?” She started with Sam because she relied on his enthu-siasm.

Sam started in a familiar place. “Metadata.”

Joan knew that he would say that, but it was as good of a start as any. “OK, write that up there, Alan,” she said. Alan wrote the word “metadata” on the board, upper left side.

“How about data stewards?” asked Sarah Cavanaugh, the BI manager. “Great, Sarah,” said Joan. “Alan...?” Alan noted the concept on the board.

At that time, Tom O’Brien walked into the room and took a place at the table quietly. The rest of the attendees acknowledged him with glances but no words.

the KICKOFF




THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORY“Anyone else?” asked Joan. She was unsure whether the team was out of ideas or whether the cof-

fee had not yet taken effect. “I know I’ve talked with all of you about different governance concepts over the last few weeks...”

Robert Cumberland jumped in. “Data quality.”

“Thanks, Robert,” said Joan. Alan wrote on the board without prompting.

The rest of the group warmed up a little after that. “Data usage policies,” said Benny Watson.

“Security,” added Joe Adelson, quickly afterward.

“Data definition dispute resolution,” added Tom. Alan wrote each of these bullet points as quickly as he could.

“That’s great, everyone,” said Joan. “Any others?”

The group looked at one another, hoping someone would step up with something else, but no one did. The group was definitely in need of more coffee, which Joe and Benny rose to retrieve.

“OK, I’ll add a couple. Alan, please add ‘information auditing’ and ‘data usage policies.’”

Alan complied, and Joan stood back and looked the list over slowly. “That’s a nice list, folks, but we have some items here that really belong in a data management initiative, not data governance. Let’s separate these out now.”

The crew looked at each other again, this time with a tinge of frustration. This wasn’t going to be as easy as they had all hoped.

the KICKOFF


“...WE HAVE SOME ITEMS HERE THAT REALLY BELONG IN A DATA MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE, NOT DATA GOVERNANCE...”




the kickoff PART THREE

JOAN SENSED THE unease in the room. “Don’t get me wrong, everyone. There’s a lot of confusion about the difference between data governance and data management, and it isn’t just in this room. A lot of organizations don’t know the difference, and they try to implement both programs at once with the concepts mixed, and it often leads to disaster. I know we don’t want to fail – that’s certainly not why I showed up for work today – so we should get things straight from the beginning.”

One of Joan’s talents had always been to diffuse tense situations with humor, and her quick self-deprecation did the trick here. The initial frustration seemed to lift from the room, and the group looked ready to settle into work.

But Benny and Joe continued to wear the stern expressions of disapproval. They did not understand why this initiative was started and had voiced their concerns to anyone who would listen – and many who didn’t, including the CIO, Tom O’Brien. Tom knew that SpectraDynamo had issues with the accu-racy of data coming from their operational systems and that a governance program was a great place to start getting those issues under control. He insisted that Benny and Joe participate in the initiative since they knew the systems of record, but it was obvious they were not participating of their own free will. Tom also knew there was a confrontation coming, but the beginning of the kickoff meeting was not the time.

“Alan, please create two columns on the board – one for Data Governance and one for Data Man-agement,” Joan continued.

Once the columns were placed on the board, Joan began the discussion of the first subject. “The first item on our list is ‘metadata.’ Can anyone tell me what column this concept belongs in?”

Tom interjected, “Joan, perhaps it would help everyone to define what we are talking about before we decide what column each topic belongs in.”

the KICKOFF


“THERE’S A LOT OF CONFUSION ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DATA GOVERNANCE AND DATA MANAGEMENT...”



THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORY“Great idea, Tom. Sometimes I forget that not everyone has had the two-week coaching and prepa-

ration I’ve had from Alan. Can anyone give me a definition?”

Sam Sullivan started right in since metadata is a subject he loves. “Metadata is often defined as ‘data about data,’ but I like to think of it as the definition, implementation and maintenance of the data that is most important to the organization.”

“That’s a really good definition, Sam. Can anyone add to that?” There was no response from the group.

“Okay, let’s talk about that. What are things that are implied in Sam’s definition that would allow us to collect and manage data about our most important data elements?”

Robert Cumberland started, a little hesitantly. “Well, I heard that we would need definitions...”

“Right,” said Joan. “And it would stand to reason that we would need to agree on those definitions for all parts of the business.” The group nodded in agreement. “Great. Anyone else?”

“How about a system to track where the information came from once it’s collected?” asked Benny.

“Yes! We definitely need that, and it should be a real application, not a collection of spreadsheets like I’ve seen before,” said Tom. Several in the group wrote notes at that point, since Tom’s ideas were often the best of the group.

“You’re right, folks,” said Joan. “Metadata has a lot of aspects, and all of them are important. How-ever, I think we’re getting a little off track. Does anyone have an opinion on which column ‘metadata’ should reside?”

“I think it’s a management function,” said Benny. “With input from the business users.”

“Great, Benny. Metadata has an effect on governance from the angle of understanding how data moves and is defined, but at its core, it’s a management function. Alan, please add that to the Manage-ment side.”

the KICKOFF


“METADATA HAS AN EFFECT ON GOVERNANCE FROM THE ANGLE OF UNDERSTANDING HOW DATA MOVES AND IS DEFINED, BUT AT ITS CORE, IT’S A DATA MANAGEMENT FUNCTION.”



THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORYThe meeting continued defining their terms and classifying them in the appropriate columns. There

were some spirited discussions on some of the topics, but the group came to consensus on all of the topics, and all of the participants became more and more engaged as the discussion continued. Joan was pleased with the group’s progress, and she felt that the process was off to a great start.

Here is the list of topics that the group discussed – with their classifications:

Data Governance Data Management

Metadata Data Quality

Data Stewardship Metadata Repository

Data Usage Policies Security and Access Control

Information Auditing Data Modeling

Dispute Resolution Change Tracking and Monitoring

Data Correction

the KICKOFF





the CIO’s OFFICE

TWO DAYS LATER...

Joan Pleasance was walking past Tom O’Brien’s office Friday morning when she heard Tom call her name. She stopped, went back to his office, and poked her head in.

“Yes, sir...”

“Hi Joan. Do you have a few minutes to chat?”

“Sure, Tom.” She was making her way to the cafeteria for another cup of coffee, but she’d happily forgo it to have some time with Tom. His time was so valuable, she’d grab any opportunity for a few minutes with him.

Tom began. “I wanted to touch base with you to get your impressions on the kickoff meeting and how you think the team is accepting the need for the program.”

“Well, Tom, I thought the meeting went well. I thought the team was becoming more engaged as the discussion progressed – for the most part – and they seem energized to get going. I’ve already had some follow-up discussions with the key players to talk tactics.”

“That’s great, Joan. But what do you mean by... ‘for the most part?’”

“Well, I did feel that Benny and Joe were a little hesitant, but I did get some valuable information from them.”

“Do you think that it will be an issue?”

“No, not really,” said Joan. “I’ve worked with people that weren’t completely sold on the program I was implementing in prior projects, and I’ve found that as long as the lines of communication are open and they feel like they can weigh in, they’ll be fine.”

the KICKOFF


“...THE TEAM WAS BECOMING MORE ENGAGED AS THE DISCUSSION PROGRESSED – FOR THE MOST PART – AND THEY SEEM ENERGIZED TO GET GOING.”



THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORY“I have confidence in your abilities, Joan – that’s why I brought you in to lead this program. And I

know you’ve worked with naysayers in the past. Do you understand Benny and Joe’s issues?”

“Well, I’ve heard some things...” Joan’s voice trailed away. She didn’t finish the sentence out loud, but if she had, she would have said something like, “but it’s probably smart for me to hear it from you.”

“Benny has been a valuable employee here for a long time. He has overseen the implementation of just about every system we have around here, including reporting. Joe has been around just as long, and he’s a wizard integrating our systems. I really have no complaint with either of them except for the fact that they have limited their expertise to operational systems. The racing industry is very competi-tive, and we are just now collecting a lot more information than we used to, from testing results to rac-ing telemetry data and all stops in between. I’ve had several conversations with them about the com-petitive value of business intelligence, but I sense they think that current systems can fulfill the need.”

Joan listened intently, and shook her head in agreement as Tom spoke. This confirmed what she had heard from others, but it was valuable to hear it directly from Tom.

“I know that an effective data governance program is essential for deploying successful business intelligence,” Tom continued, “but I’m afraid Benny and Joe need some more education. I’m hoping that the data governance effort will help them see the light, and that’s one reason why I’ve put you in charge.”

“I’ll do the best I can to make sure they see the value,” said Joan, “but I can’t let them derail the process, Tom.”

“Tell you what, Joan. If you have any issues, let me know and I’ll handle them.”

“Deal,” said Joan. She was relieved that Tom was so supportive. She knew that was not the norm in the other companies she had worked for.the

KICKOFF


“...AN EFFECTIVE DATA GOVERNANCE PROGRAM IS ESSENTIAL FOR DEPLOYING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM...”




strategy with SARAH & ALAN

SARAH CAVANAUGH WAS ready to go. “Hi, Joan, c’mon in.”

Joan walked into Sarah’s office and sat at one of the two chairs in front of her desk. “How are you today?”

“Fine, fine. Have you seen Alan?”

Before Joan could answer, Alan Wainwright entered the office and took his place in the other chair.

Sarah smiled. “Hey, Alan! Good, let’s get going. Lots to talk about.” Alan prepared his notebook quickly.

Sarah started right into the discussion, dispensing with the usual pleasantries. “So I think we made a great start Wednesday. I heard a lot of constructive ideas, and I thought that there was good participa-tion from the group. However, there were some things I think were left out.”

Alan nodded. “I agree. Even though we had four hours with the group, there are always issues left on the table. However, I think between the three of us, we can cover what needs to be done for this first iteration.”

Sarah took out her notes from the kickoff meeting. “I agree, Alan. Let’s go over the items that we classified the other day and make sure we agree that they are in the right place.”

Joan looked a little puzzled, but understood why they would review. “Well, I had a question about the concept of metadata and the metadata repository being separated. Shouldn’t the repository be a subset of the overall subject of metadata?”

“I agree, Joan. I remember that none of us were sure about that, and I have no problem putting them in the same column. Alan, what do you think?”

the KICKOFF




THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORY“Well, the good news is that metadata is both a business and a technology issue. The business needs to communicate the metadata it needs. So it’s really the purview of data governance to circumscribe metadata and highlight metadata requirements. But the repository enables those requirements. I’ll tell you what: Let’s add the word ‘definitions’ after the word ‘metadata’ on the Governance side, and keep the repository on the Management side. Okay?”

“Great idea. Any others?”

Joan studied the list. “I think the rest of them are in the right places.”

“I agree, Joan. I’ve prepared a list of a few the things I think were left out.” Alan handed his list to Sarah.

a ) Data inclusion in SDLC.

b ) Data validation.

c ) Evangelize data governance throughout the organization.

“Great list, Alan,” said Sarah. “Let’s put these in their appropriate columns.”

The group spent the next 30 minutes discussing the new items and came up with this list:

Data Governance Data Management

Data Stewardship Metadata, Including a Repository

Data Usage Policies Security and Access Control

Information Auditing Data Modeling

Dispute Resolution Change Tracking and Monitoring

Data Quality Standards and Rules Data Correction

Evangelizing Data Inclusion in SDLC

Data Validation

the KICKOFF


“WELL, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT METADATA IS BOTH A BUSINESS AND A TECHNOLOGY ISSUE.”



THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORYSarah looked over the final list. “Pretty impressive – and a little daunting. I think we should publish

the list to the team, with reasoning as to why each item is in its column, and let them know our initial focus will be on the items in the Governance column. Joan, could you please set up follow-up meet-ings with each of the team members for the next couple of weeks – an hour each should be fine – so we can get their input on the steps required to implement each of the items? Alan, you and I can split the team list up so we can get this done quickly.”

“Sure, Sarah. Look for the meeting invites. And I’ll modify and publish the list, too. It’ll be out this afternoon.”

“Thanks, guys,” said Sarah. “I’m excited to get going – how about you?”

“Us too, Sarah,” said Joan, though she was feeling a bit over her head.

the KICKOFF





road trip EVERYONE!

JOAN SET OUT to schedule the one-on-one meetings the following Monday morning. She knew it would be difficult to schedule the interviews into their agreed timeframe, even though there were only six interviews. SpectraDynamo was a very busy place, and these were some of the most important people to the operation of the business.

Joan sent meeting invitations to each of the team members suggesting a time, but leaving it open for them to propose other times that were more convenient. By Wednesday she had received replies from five of the six team members. Joe was the only one who didn’t reply since he was involved in the rollout of another operational system scheduled for the weekend. Robert Cumberland and Tom O’Brien (to her surprise) accepted their meeting invitations for the current week, while Benny Watson, Mary O’Malley and Sam Sullivan set times for early the next week. Joan was so excited that she had sched-uled O’Brien that she did not consider the amount of work that would be required to complete this phase of the program in the allotted time.

Sarah and Alan split up the assignments for the interviews. Alan took the first interview with Robert on Wednesday afternoon. Robert had great insight into the business side of the SpectraDynamo world, based on his position of Business Analysis Manager. Robert took a look at the latest classification list as Alan explained the focus on the Governance side of the table.

“Do you have any questions about the breakdown, Robert?”

“Well, I think it’s a solid list, and judging by what’s on the Governance side, I’m thinking my role will be to assist in developing specific requirements for the data.”

“That’s what we had in mind for you. Ultimately, the IT reporting systems exist to serve the business with timely, accurate information. The proper standards for usage and quality really should originate with the business, with IT merely executing and enforcing these standards. I took the liberty of printing

the FIRST WEEK

ROAD TRIP everyone!

“THE PROPER STANDARDS FOR USAGE AND QUALITY REALLY SHOULD ORIGINATE WITH THE BUSINESS, WITH IT MERELY EXECUTING AND ENFORCING THESE STANDARDS.”



THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORYout some sample templates and checklists for effective policies and standards that my company has developed over the years.” Alan handed a small stack of paper to Robert.

Robert skimmed through the templates, pausing occasionally for questions, which Alan was able to answer. “The idea is to determine what specific data is necessary to meet reporting and analysis needs, and gain consensus on how to ensure that the data is accurate and timely. That way, you’re well on your way to supporting better business decisions.”

“I understand. It sure looks like a lot of work...”

“Remember that all this is done incrementally,” Alan explained. “Start with the most important items and grow outward from there. Once everyone gets the hang of what’s required, individual efforts will go a lot faster. We’d like to shoot for a completed data requirements form by the end of next week. Do you see a problem with that?”

“I’ll take a shot at it, Alan. Can I rely on you if I have any questions along the way?”

“Of course – that’s why I’m here.”

Robert stood up from his seat, gathered the templates, and wished Alan a good day. “One down,” thought Alan.

Meanwhile, Sarah was waiting in Tom’s doorway for her meeting. Tom was on the phone. “Be with you in a sec,” Tom whispered, covering his handset. Sarah took a seat at Tom’s meeting table.

Tom finished his call and came over to the table. “How are things going?” Unlike many people who say that, Tom genuinely cared about the answer.

“Things are getting off to a bit of a slow start, which really isn’t surprising considering how busy ev-eryone is. I really appreciate you taking the time for this, Tom.”

“Well, information is critical to our long-term growth and competitiveness, so I want to be as support-ive as I can.”

the FIRST WEEK

ROAD TRIP everyone!



THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORY“Well, I want to conduct this meeting a little differently than the others we’re doing. We are diving

into specific deliverables with the others, but with you, I thought we’d spend our time talking about the issues and risks you see, and how you think we should be addressing them in this program.”

“Sounds great, Sarah. I’ll tell you what I think is our biggest risk: the exploding amount of data we are collecting without a clear road map as to how we define it and use it. A lot of the new data is very detailed and isn’t really valuable to us at its basic level. We need to agree on how we integrate the data to a level where it’s the most useful to the most people. I’m uncomfortable with IT making that determi-nation, as they’ve done in the past.”

“Can you expand a little on that point?”

“Sure. I’ve relied on Benny and Joe a lot to prioritize what the business needs in their systems, and they’ve done a great job. I fear that they want to exert the same influence on our business intelligence projects, but they may be a little out of their league. Also, they have produced some systems in the past that have not been used effectively by the business, and I think that’s because business users weren’t actively involved in design and execution. I want to avoid that this time.”

“I get that. Alan and I realize that the main driver for the success of ongoing BI will be business in-volvement, and we want to support that as best we can.”

Tom and Sarah continued their discussion, and Tom’s list of issues and risks sounded like it came from a textbook on data governance – inconsistent data of questionable quality, lack of adoption of previous reporting systems and the lack of integration of disparate data sources. Sarah assured Tom that each of these topics were under consideration by the team and laid out the preliminary strategy for addressing each topic, with resource assignments and rough time estimates.

“Sounds like you folks have been busy the last couple of weeks, Sarah. I’m impressed. Please con-tinue on and let me know how I can be of help.”

“Great, Tom. Thanks again for your time.”

the FIRST WEEK

ROAD TRIP everyone!

“I’LL TELL YOU WHAT I THINK IS OUR BIGGEST RISK: THE EXPLODING AMOUNT OF DATA WE ARE COLLECTING WITHOUT A CLEAR ROAD MAP AS TO HOW WE DEFINE IT AND USE IT.”




the first CHECKPOINT

SARAH CAVANAUGH WAS in a great mood. She felt that the first week of interviews went very well, and the core team of herself, Joan and Alan were deliberately defining the components of data gover-nance the right way.

Alan and Joan walked into Sarah’s office together, chatting amiably. “Hi, Sarah,” said Joan. “Happy Friday!”

“Happy indeed. I had a great meeting with Tom yesterday. He seems very supportive of our efforts, and I got a great picture of the issues from his desk. It sure is a treat to have him on board.”

“That’s great, Sarah,” said Joan. “Alan, how did your meeting with Robert go?”

“Just as well, from the sound of your meeting, Sarah. Robert took the templates and checklists I gave him and will begin to apply them to the ‘low-hanging fruit’ straight away.”

“Did you talk with Tom about schedule expectations at all, Sarah?”

“Yes, in general terms. He expects to see a data governance process in place in the next two months, and to begin tackling the data management pieces right after that.”

“Hmmm...” Joan looked a little concerned. “That’s great that Tom has realistic expectations on timing, but I have a couple of thoughts. First, we really want to strike while the iron is hot. Data gov-ernance isn’t the most glamorous subject, and it’s easy for people to get caught up in the day-to-day, and the next thing you know we’re behind schedule with little hope of recovery.”

Alan nodded. “I’ve seen that with a lot of clients. We definitely want to get out in front of that.”

“Secondly, we’ve actually talked to the most supportive people this week – the visionary and the business representative. Tom warned me that the IT folks might not be so accommodating.”

the FIRST WEEK

ROAD TRIP everyone!

“DATA GOVERNANCE ISN’T THE MOST GLAMOROUS SUBJECT, AND IT’S EASY FOR PEOPLE TO GET CAUGHT UP IN THE DAY-TO-DAY...”



THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORY“I agree,” said Sarah. “Tom and I talked at length about the fact that IT is used to driving the bus, and

they might not relinquish control so easily, even if the benefits are laid out for them.”

“So, I think we all see the challenge before us. We need to make sure that the team doesn’t forget about our goals. I think it makes sense to follow up with the same people you interview to make sure deliverables are actually being successfully delivered.”

“Perhaps some semi-regular communication from Tom stressing that he’s watching the process might help,” Sarah said. “That, plus the monthly update meetings with the entire team, should keep us visible.”

“Absolutely,” Joan agreed. “Now, let’s review what we learned this week and prepare for next week.”

the FIRST WEEK

ROAD TRIP everyone!

“SO, I THINK WE ALL SEE THE CHALLENGE BEFORE US. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE TEAM DOESN’T FORGET ABOUT OUR GOALS.”




are we there YET?

MONDAY

The second week didn’t get off to a very good start.

“I’m really too busy to meet with you about this governance project, and I don’t see what I can con-tribute to it.”

Sarah read the words over and over, becoming more despondent with each pass. The email waiting for her from Joe Adelson was her worst fear – dissension before they really got the wheels moving. “If this spreads, we could be sunk,” she thought to herself.

Sarah picked up the phone. “Joan, do you have a minute?”

“I saw the email. I’ll be right over.”

Joan tried to calm Sarah down. “We knew that Benny and Joe would be difficult, so I’m not too surprised. I’ll mention it to Tom to see if we can free up some of Joe’s time. Meanwhile, we should get together a concrete list of things that Joe can help us with. Architectural standards, systems of record, extract files, anything. Just so he can see that we need his help.”

“OK, Joan. I should have seen this coming as well. I’m sorry, but things were going so well last week.”

Joan left Sarah’s office and walked toward Tom’s. He was not in, but she left a note with his assistant that she needed to see him. Sarah started on Joe’s list.the

SECOND WEEK

ARE WE there yet?



THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORYTUESDAY

Sarah welcomed Benny Watson into her office. Benny sat down and took out his notebook and a stack of paper.

“Hi, Benny, thanks for coming. What’s that you’ve got there?”

“I took the liberty of bringing the operations manuals for a couple of our more important systems. I thought you’d like to look them over. They’re copies, so you can keep them.”

Sarah leafed through the documents. “This is great, Benny. Lots of information. Looks like a bunch of transformation rules. How do you see these being used in data governance?”

Benny looked momentarily confused. “Well,” he began. “Could you explain the difference and what things I would have that would be part of governance?”

“Sure. These documents describe the things you must do to keep the system running, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Remember the two lists you received, where one list was Data Management and one list was Data Governance?”

“Uh-huh...”

“Well, we’d be looking to you to help with the data management piece. So transformation rules are a good start. We’d also be interested in standard extract files from the operational systems, definitional metadata and change management.”

“Change management?”

“Yes, the data change controls. Information regarding source data content changes. So when you add a new field, or add new values, or repurpose existing data. That sort of thing.”

“Well,” said Benny hesitantly. “We really don’t track that stuff…”

the SECOND WEEK

ARE WE there yet?

“COULD YOU EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCE AND WHAT THINGS I WOULD HAVE THAT WOULD BE PART OF GOVERNANCE?”



THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORY“What about requirements that drive transformation rules. Do you have anything like that?”

“Yes, we have that in our document repository.”

“That’s awesome, Benny. We’ll definitely use that stuff when we address data management, probably in a couple of months, so I’ll just keep these and read them if I have trouble sleeping.”

They both laughed. Sarah thought to herself, “One land mine avoided...”

“We’re compiling much the same thing for data as you already have for your operational systems. You have these standards and procedures because you deal with many millions of dollars on an annual basis. Most people don’t think of data in the same way, but it’s just as valuable, perhaps more so.”

“I can understand that, but it’s harder to measure. I can easily tell if I’ve met my standard by just looking at my budget numbers.”

“Exactly. What I’d love for you to do is help the rest of us understand and craft standards and poli-cies for data in much the same way that you do your documents. Sort of as a consultant to the pro-cess.”

“That sounds easy enough. I’ll get some other documentation to you that might be more helpful.”

“That’s great, Benny. I appreciate it.”

Later that day, Joan caught up with Tom. “Hi Tom, got a minute?”

“Sure, Joan. How are you?”

“Just fine, thanks.” They walked into his office.

“Tom, we got a note from Joe saying that he didn’t think he’d have anything to offer to the gover-nance program and that he was too busy to talk with us.”

the SECOND WEEK

ARE WE there yet?



THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORY“Yes, I heard about that, but I appreciate you bringing it to my attention. I’ll have a chat with Joe and

remind him of the importance of what we’re doing here.”

“I’d appreciate that, Tom. We’re getting a detailed list of things together where he could add value.”

“Excellent. I’ll mention that you’ll be touching base with him. Anything else?”

“Nope, not at this time. Thanks, Tom!”

WEDNESDAY

Alan arrived a few minutes early for his meeting with Sam Sullivan. “Hi, Alan. Come in.”

“Hey, Sam. Thanks for taking the time to chat.”

“I have to say, Alan, that I’m really disappointed that metadata isn’t going to be addressed right away. I think that getting a handle on our data definitions is imperative. When I look at our test reports, sometimes I don’t really even understand what I’m looking at.”

“I agree with you, Sam, but setting off on a metadata initiative is putting the cart before the horse in our case. We need to set up the processes first before we start categorizing. I’ve seen a lack of appre-ciation for the value of data in this organization, so setting up standards and policies is a great way to show people that data is important to the health of the company.”

“Well, I know how valuable data can be. Sometimes it’s the difference between life and death on the race track.”

“Absolutely. That’s why we’re counting on you to bring the passion you have for this to the rest of the team.”

“So how can I help?”

“I want to put your name forward as a resource to the rest of the team when they get frustrated and they’re missing the big picture. To get them to understand what you do, how you use data. In return

the SECOND WEEK

ARE WE there yet?

“...SETTING UP STANDARDS AND POLICIES IS A GREAT WAY TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT DATA IS IMPORTANT TO THE HEALTH OF THE COMPANY.”



THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORYI can assure you that you’ll be front and center when we get to data management. By that time, we’ll have a good foundation laid, and everyone should be on board with how data governance benefits the company. That will make the job of defining and gathering metadata that much easier.”

“Sounds great, Alan. I can’t wait to get started.”

At the same time that Alan and Sam were meeting, Sarah was updating Mary O’Malley, the main business sponsor. Unlike the meeting with Sam, Sarah had a specific and urgent task for Mary.

“Mary, I need to get a list of candidates to be data stewards in each major organization that will be using the BI environment.”

“What exactly do you mean by ‘data steward,’ Sarah?”

“A data steward is someone who is intimate with the data that helps run the organization. They un-derstand how data is used – or how it should be used. They’re the point of contact for gathering and disseminating definitions for business terms, the data representations in the reporting system. Ulti-mately each data steward will be the liaison to the data governance council, when we get that far.”

“That sounds like a huge job and something most people can’t do in addition to what they do al-ready.”

“Well, Mary, the good news here is that you have a veritable army of people who are doing this already. When IT implements a new system or upgrades an existing system, IT architects chat with people in the business who are familiar with the data and processes that are used in their area. These are the exact people we’re talking about.”

“I can understand that. With that explanation, I think I can get a list together for you. This could be a résumé-builder.”the

SECOND WEEK

ARE WE there yet?

“A DATA STEWARD IS SOMEONE WHO IS INTIMATE WITH THE DATA THAT HELPS RUN THE ORGANIZATION.”



THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORY“Absolutely,” said Sarah, secretly relieved. “After we get the list, I’ll meet with some of these folks to

see if they’re interested. Then maybe the two of us could go meet with HR to look into what it will take to formalize the role.”

“Sounds great, Sarah. I was wondering where I would come into this program.”

“It turns out that you actually have one of the most important pieces!”

the SECOND WEEK

ARE WE there yet?




the second CHECKPOINT

JOAN PLEASANCE AND Alan Wainwright were waiting for Sarah Cavanaugh in her office for their weekly meeting. Sarah walked in with a fresh cup of coffee.

“Hey guys. How are things going?”

Joan gave a project manager’s summary. “It was an up-and-down week for sure, as we thought it would be. We met with everyone except for Joe, but he touched base with me yesterday and said he’d have some time next week. Sarah, could you schedule an hour on his calendar?”

“Sure, Joan.”

“I read the minutes from both of you this week. I really like how you’re selling the concept of what we’re doing. You’re taking people’s doubts and turning them into opportunities for them to provide value and feel a part of the group. Great job!”

“It’s sometimes a challenge,” Alan admitted, “but it’s great to see doubt turn into understanding.”

The crew spent the rest of the hour reviewing the interviews, organizing the schedule for incoming deliverables, and planning the next week’s work. Sarah volunteered to interview Joe, using the same techniques she had on Benny and hoping for the same results.

the SECOND WEEK

ARE WE there yet?




back on TRACK

OVER THE NEXT two months, the core team of Joan, Sarah and Alan worked to move the data governance program forward. They made efforts to stay current with the other team members and provided as much guidance and encouragement as they could.

Unfortunately, a pattern was emerging that was familiar to Alan. The team members were much more focused on their everyday jobs than the data governance program; they only did program work during the week prior to the monthly meeting with Tom O’Brien. The team was skilled at the appearance of work – instead of actually doing the work – and the lack of progress became apparent during the team meeting at the end of November.

Tom sat stoically while the team’s status was reviewed during the meeting. It was impossible for the others in the room to determine what Tom was thinking, but they knew that things should have been further along than they were. There was an atmosphere of apprehension as Tom rose and stood in front of the whiteboard to address the group. This was unusual, and everyone knew it.

“Thanks for the updates, everyone. I’ve been observing the interaction of the team members and reading the status reports, and I think we’ve lost sight of the real reason we’re going through this project. Remember back in July, when we had SEC investigators looking through our books? We had difficulty answering some of their questions because we didn’t know where some of the numbers came from. I resolved to never have to go through such an uncomfortable meeting again. I’m sure we can all understand that.”

“Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I’m disappointed in how things are going. I get the impression that you feel that this is work that is extra to your regular duties.” He addressed no one in particular. “Understand that none of us will have jobs if something like that audit happens again. That should give us all a sense of urgency.”

reviewingTHE MAP

LOOKING through a new lens.

“THE TEAM WAS SKILLED AT THE APPEARANCE OF WORK – INSTEAD OF ACTUALLY DOING THE WORK – AND THE LACK OF PROGRESS BECAME APPARENT ...”



THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORYThe group looked at each other in confusion. Tom continued.

“My hope was that everyone in this room would have the strategic view that I have. That’s why you were chosen for this team. I may not have communicated the opportunity well enough, and if that’s the case, I apologize. So I think I’m going to explain things in a different way.”

“I want everyone to think of the data in the organization as coins in a jar. We do a great job of col-lecting a lot of coins, but since each coin is not very valuable in itself, we tend to think of all the coins as trivial. It’s just loose change. But, taken together, all of the coins add up to a tremendous amount of money. It would make sense for us to take care of these coins with more care, no?”

Heads nodded in unison.

“What we are trying to do here is get a sense of where the coins are coming from, how many we get at any one time, and what pile we should put them in. We want to know how many we have, how many we can spend, the value of each coin, who deposits it and who spends it. I know, I know – the meta-phor kind of breaks down here because the data describes other things and coins do not, but please indulge me.”

“So, a show of hands: How many people here want to make sure we know where all our coins are?”

All hands went up.

“Keep those hands up. Now, how many people think it’s a wise business move to understand how our coins are collected and used?”

All hands were still up.

“Good. I do too. That’s really what we’re talking about here. We have the ability to drive business growth here, folks, and reduce the likelihood of future financial difficulties. I think we can find a way to re-prioritize our days to make some time to help in this effort.”

There were murmurs of agreement among the group.

reviewingTHE MAP




THE SPECTRADYNAMO STORY“I also want to address a comment that Mary O’Malley made to me a few days ago. Now, Mary, I

don’t want to make an example of you, but I think it’s important because I think the others may feel as you do.”

Mary sank a little in her chair.

“Mary told me that she was frustrated because she was asked to list potential data stewards but didn’t know how to properly identify the appropriate skills. I can understand that – these concepts are new to most of us, and we all want to do this right the first time.”

“Sarah, I’d like you to take a little different approach with Mary. Instead of tasking her with identifying people right away, perhaps we can develop the criteria for what makes a good data steward. If we can describe that correctly, perhaps the right people will jump to mind immediately.”

“Sure, Tom,” said Sarah. “I’ll get to work on that right away, and I’d like to ask the rest of the crew for their help in developing a complete description.”

The meeting continued along these lines, with a series of new ideas being presented and discussed. There were a few items that were brought up that Tom did not approve of, but there were many more ideas that he enthusiastically endorsed.

The team left the meeting with a renewed sense of purpose and energy. Tom hoped that it would last longer than a couple of weeks this time.

reviewingTHE MAP





path to the FUTURE

THE TEAM CONTINUED to refine its data governance program over the next month. Things were not always smooth, but the metaphor of the coins was referenced whenever things began drifting away, and it was an effective way to regain focus. Over the course of building the data governance process, Joan, Sarah and even Alan realized that data management needed to be addressed more quickly than expected.

Tom was gratified that the team had internalized his message and had started implementing his vision. He was sure that the business intelligence capabilities they would ultimately deploy would be much more effective and usable with data governance and management in place. He knew that Spec-traDynamo was in a much better competitive position in the marketplace and would be a successful company for years to come.

reviewingTHE MAP


HE WAS SURE THAT THE BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE CAPABILITIES THEY WOULD ULTIMATELY DEPLOY WOULD BE MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE AND USABLE WITH DATA GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT IN PLACE.

41

NUTS & BOLTS



NUTS & BOLTS

THE MORAL OF the story: Data governance can be tough.

Take a page from SpectraDynamo and ask a random sampling of your business and technology executives and stakeholders what data governance is. And what is does (or should do). Be prepared for myriad answers: Business data ownership. Data policies. Data quality. Metadata management. Master data management. Data security. The list goes on.

Add to the mix conflicting business priorities and objectives, unclear accountabilities, a lack of mea-surable outcomes and incumbent politics. It quickly becomes clear why data governance programs without a deliberate strategy most often start with a bang and end with a whimper. And once you fail, it’s difficult to get a second chance.

Executed correctly, data governance provides measurable business value by:

a ) Linking business and data strategies.

b ) Rationalizing data-related efforts based on business value and priority.

c ) Creating an active, sustainable method for managing data across its lifecycle.

But, like any other strategic program, data governance requires deliberate design and execution to be successful.

the mechanics of

DATA GOVERNANCE

INTRODUCTION and definitions

OVERVIEW



NUTS & BOLTS

THE FACT IS: There is no standard playbook for data governance. The structure of your program is dependent on the specific problems governance needs to address and the organization’s incumbent organization and culture. Some companies – like SpectraDynamo – find a bottoms-up approach cen-tered around core data management functions provides the greatest initial leverage. Organizations that are more hierarchical or consensus-driven in nature may require formal enlistment of executive spon-sorship and deliberate assignment of decision rights for governance to take root. And yes, you may start somewhere in the middle.

What is consistent? The fundamental roles and responsibilities found in functioning data governance programs. In this chapter we define those core functions: executive sponsorship, data governance (policymaking and decision rights), data management and data stewardship. As shown in the figure on the following page, these functions align with and support everything from strategy alignment and organizational buy-in to tactical enablement and operations.

the mechanics of

DATA GOVERNANCE


INTRODUCTION

THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR PROGRAM IS DEPENDENT ON THE SPECIFIC PROBLEMS GOVERNANCE NEEDS TO ADDRESS AND THE ORGANIZATION’S INCUMBENT ORGANIZATION AND CULTURE.



NUTS & BOLTS

EXECUTIVE SPONSORSHIP - Responsible for championing, sanctioning and raising awareness and support for the data governance program and information as an asset.

DATA GOVERNANCE - The organizing framework for establishing strategy, objectives and policies for corporate data.

DATA MANAGEMENT - The tactical execution of day-to-day activities required to implement data governance policies and ensure information is created, stored and utilized appropriately.

DATA STEWARDSHIP - Responsible for defining, monitoring, educating and advocating for appropriate usage and management of critical enterprise information assets.

the mechanics of

DATA GOVERNANCE


some DEFINITIONS

ExecutiveSponsorship

DataGovernance

DataStewardship

DataManagement



NUTS & BOLTS

WHAT MAKES AN effective sponsor? In our experience, this is a person who is feeling the heat when data issues are the crux of the success or failure of a program or campaign. That’s a great motivator. However, this person should also have the organizational authority to drive change and the ability to articulate the value proposition for data.

And let’s face it – this candidate should also have some funding money and be willing to be a key participant in designing data governance. We find this last factor is often proportionately related to our first qualification: feeling the heat.

The Executive Sponsor Checklist:

a ) Fosters a culture that values data.

b ) Promotes discipline and compliance.

c ) Champions data governance with executive peers.

d ) Secures authority and funding.

e ) Approves data governance prin-ciples and objectives.

f ) Sanctions policies, standards and metrics.

g ) Resolves escalated issues.

the mechanics of

DATA GOVERNANCE

EXECUTIVE sponsorship

executive SPONSORSHIP


DataGovernance

DataStewardship

DataManagement

...[THE EXECUTIVE SPONSOR] SHOULD ALSO HAVE THE ORGANIZATIONAL AUTHORITY TO DRIVE CHANGE AND THE ABILITY TO ARTICULATE THE PROPOSITION VALUE FOR DATA.



NUTS & BOLTS

the mechanics of

DATA GOVERNANCE

DATA governance

data GOVERNANCE

THE TERM “DATA GOVERNANCE” is often used to refer explicitly to the policymaking (definitional) function within an overall data governance or data management program.

The data governance function establishes policies for information, including decision rights for who determines how information is created, maintained and used within the organization.

Data governance members must have the tenacity to stick with it as the program is rolled out and refined. The best candidates have the ability to rise above our innate urge to focus on the negative, celebrate incremental wins and keep the organization moving even in the face of issues that inevitably arise. In a nutshell, they should see challenges as opportunities for improvement, not roadblocks.


DataGovernance

DataStewardship

DataManagement

THE DATA GOVERNANCE FUNCTION ESTABLISHES POLICIES FOR INFORMATION, INCLUDING DECISION RIGHTS...



NUTS & BOLTS

the mechanics of

DATA GOVERNANCE

DATA governance

data governance: POLICY MANAGEMENT

THE POLICY MANAGEMENT function is typically performed by a data governance council or steering committee composed of key stakeholders and, in some cases, data stewards.

Key responsibilities include:

a ) Approving data management policies.

b ) Chartering subcommittees, temporary and permanent.

c ) Assessing and prioritizing data issues and initiatives.

d ) Allocating funding for data-related initiatives.

e ) Appointing and formally sanctioning data stewards.

f ) Ensuring data stewards work towards process efficiencies, alignment of systems, synchroni-zation of data and automated cleansing.

g ) Arbitrating issues that span responsibilities of multiple data stewards.

h ) Evangelizing and educating.

i ) Monitoring overall progress of data governance.



NUTS & BOLTS

the mechanics of

DATA GOVERNANCE

DATA management

data MANAGEMENT

WHILE DATA GOVERNANCE is the decision rights and policymaking for corporate data, data manage-ment is the tactical execution of those policies. Both require executive commitment.

Both require investment. But data governance by definition is business-driven, while the data man-agement function is diverse, skills-rich, and very often reporting to the CIO.

Of course, the practice of data management isn’t new. In fact, if you have an existing data ware-house or BI program your company is probably farther along with data management than it is with data governance.

Leverage your incumbent data management skills for the purpose of supporting a broader data gov-ernance effort, and you’ll hit the ground running.


DataGovernance

DataStewardship

DataManagement

...DATA MANAGEMENT IS THE TACTICAL EXECUTION OF [CORPORATE DATA] POLICIES.



NUTS & BOLTS

the mechanics of

DATA GOVERNANCE

DATA management

data management: AGAIN?

THAT BEING SAID, the problem for many companies is that data management practices have been discretely applied to multiple data-intensive endeavors such as CRM, ERP and, last but not least, BI/DW initiatives.

We think this quote from Wikipedia sums up the problem nicely:

Data management should not be viewed as dependent on a specific technology strategy or related to an explicit data type definition. It arose to address circumstances where users within organizations independently source, model, manage and store data.

These uncoordinated approaches by various segments of the organization can result in data conflicts and quality inconsistencies – making it difficult for users to trust the data as it is incorpo-rated into applications...

Data governance provides a platform for reconciling and rationalizing data management practices in a holistic and systematic way.

“THESE UNCOORDINATED APPROACHES BY VARIOUS SEGMENTS OF THE ORGANIZATION CAN RESULT IN DATA CONFLICTS AND QUALITY INCONSISTENCIES...”



NUTS & BOLTS

the mechanics of

DATA GOVERNANCE

DATA management

data management: FUNCTIONS

AS SHOWN IN the figure below, we break data management into six primary functions.

Taken together, these functions account for the complete data life cycle from creation to retirement.

dataadministration

dataquality

metadatamanagement

privacy &compliance

datarequirements

dataarchitecture

datamanagement



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data management functions: DATA REQUIREMENTS

IN COMMON PARLANCE this function would be referred to solely as “business analysis.”

However, we differentiate this activity as “data requirements analysis” to emphasize the need to proactively address information or data requirements as a discrete step in the requirements gathering process.

dataadministration

dataquality

metadatamanagement

privacy &compliance

datarequirements

dataarchitecture

datamanagement



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data management functions: DATA ARCHITECTURE

DATA ARCHITECTURE ENCOMPASSES those activities that define and explain enterprise data char-acteristics. Data architecture focuses on how the data is designed and deployed: conceptually, logi-cally and physically.

Data architecture’s objective is to promote consistency in data capture and usage by providing ex-pertise in tools and methods for:

a ) Data modeling standards.

b ) Capturing policies, definitions and rules.

c ) Promoting the use of common standard codes and data definitions.

Note that data architecture is not just about structured data anymore.

Whether we are defining a data model or taxonomy to catalogue content, similar precepts apply. Activities involved in this function include data and information modeling, data design (data-base or other), diagramming information flows, develop-ment of data standards and metadata repository man-agement.

dataadministration

dataquality

metadatamanagement

privacy &compliance

datarequirements

dataarchitecture

datamanagement

DATA ARCHITECTURE FOCUSES ON HOW THE DATA IS DESIGNED AND DEPLOYED: CONCEPTUALLY, LOGICALLY AND PHYSICALLY.



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data management functions: DATA ADMINISTRATION

IN ORDER TO leverage information assets and track compliance against data governance standards, data must be stored correctly and reliably. data administration is a systematic process for keeping data aligned as the business evolves.

Data administration’s objective is to manage information assets on behalf of the stewards and own-ers by providing expertise in tools and methods for:

a ) Data access and usage.

b ) Data certification.

c ) Security and protection of the data.

dataadministration

dataquality

metadatamanagement

privacy &compliance

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dataarchitecture

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data management functions: DATA QUALITY

DATA QUALITY NEEDS to be addressed as a discrete, ongoing function whose scope extends be-yond any single project. The steps in a closed-loop data quality process can be summed up simply as such: define, prioritize, measure and correct. In addition, ongoing monitoring is required to ensure data “keeps up with the business.” This latter responsibility falls to the data stewards.

Ultimately, data quality determines whether data is “good enough” and whether the business impact or risk merits the cost and effort to correct or improve it. Good data is not cheap, and the cost of main-taining content and unstructured data is even less so. Therefore, the data quality function represents a key intersection with the business to identify, prioritize and fund holistic data initiatives.

Data quality functions are often owned by data stewards working in conjunction with business ana-lysts, data architects, data analysts and data administrators.

dataadministration

dataquality

metadatamanagement

privacy &compliance

datarequirements

dataarchitecture

datamanagement

DATA QUALITY NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AS A DISCRETE, ONGOING FUNCTION WHOSE SCOPE EXTENDS BEYOND ANY SINGLE PROJECT.



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data management functions: METADATA MANAGEMENT

METADATA MANAGEMENT IS the systemic documenting and publication of information about the organization’s data. We call metadata management out as a discrete activity because every enterprise has problems with the misuse of terminology. While having metadata may or may not solve these ter-minology debates, it does enable unified decision making.

In order to capitalize on enterprise information or data, users must know:

a ) What information is available.

b ) Where it is.

c ) How to get at it.

d ) What it can be used for.

In a very real sense, meta-data is your enterprise user guide and operations manual for information. Metadata is also crucially important within IT to ensure folks are aware of what data exists where, where it came from, and what methods and procedures should be used to access and use it.

dataadministration

dataquality

metadatamanagement

privacy &compliance

datarequirements

dataarchitecture

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...METADATA IS YOUR ENTERPRISE USER GUIDE AND OPERATIONS MANUAL FOR INFORMATION.



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data management functions: PRIVACY & COMPLIANCE

PRIVACY AND COMPLIANCE is, perhaps, one of the best understood but least implemented functions supporting a data governance program.

Privacy and compliance is accountable for monitoring and promoting adherence to usage, access and data/information sharing policies. A common focus is on customer or financial data which often has specific external regulatory or compliance requirements associated with it. Social networking and media data are also a prime concern.

P&C is an internal auditor whose reach extends beyond IT or any individual business unit. It is re-sponsible for ensuring policies are appropriately implemented while also taking into account customer privacy and preferences, and the rules of external agencies. Its final charter is to ensure personnel are educated about policies that are in effect.

This function can be found in a diverse range of locations within different organizations. However, with the increased focus on regulatory compliance and risk, we often find it seated within enterprise risk manage-ment, compliance or corpo-rate security offices.

dataadministration

dataquality

metadatamanagement

privacy &compliance

datarequirements

dataarchitecture

datamanagement

PRIVACY AND COMPLIANCE IS ACCOUNTABLE FOR MONITORING AND PROMOTING ADHERENCE TO USAGE, ACCESS AND DATA /INFORMATION SHARING POLICIES.



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THE TERM “DATA STEWARD” is confusing because it’s too generic for most companies. The result is a “roving linebacker” who’s not accountable for delivering anything and just sits in any meeting where data is on the agenda.

The definition of stewardship is the practice of managing or looking after the well-being of something owned by someone else. In the case of data governance, data stewards are responsible for the care and feeding of the enterprise information asset. Therefore, stewardship is not about being a data “czar” or dictator.

In practice, data stewards are the bridge ensuring defined information policies make the transition into real-life implementation and usage (data management). In addition, data stewards ensure that real-life business usage and context are considered when defining information policies.

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data STEWARDSHIP


DataGovernance

DataStewardship

DataManagement

...THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF DATA STEWARD, ONE ON THE IT SIDE, AND ONE ON THE BUSINESS SIDE.



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IN REALITY, THERE ARE two different types of data steward, one on the IT side, and one on the business side. We refer to these as “Source System Data Steward” and “Business Data Steward.”

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data stewardship: THE ROLE

System(IT) DataSteward

BusinessData

Steward

A business expert who understands and applies rules about the usage of information according to business strategy and data governance inputs.

An IT specialist who understands and traces the lineage, meaning,

relevance, and format of data within a specific source system.



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DATA STEWARD RESPONSIBILITIES may include the following:

a ) Ensure compliance with governance policies and procedures.

b ) Promote integrated data strategies across domains.

c ) Promote standard use of data vis-à-vis common processes and definitions.

◊ Establish a common vocabulary.

◊ Capture business metadata.

d ) Define data procedures, standards, and guidelines.

◊ Help ensure appropriate business use of data within their domain.

e ) Accountable for the quality of data.

◊ Share quality perceptions and facts about the data.

◊ Define data quality metrics and thresholds, audit guidelines.

◊ Evaluate business cost and lost opportunities due to poor data.

f ) Serve as primary contact for data issues.

g ) Identify opportunities for data improvement.

Ultimately, the greatest value is derived when the data steward is actively promoting and aiding the enter-prise in gaining maximum leverage from its data.

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data stewardship: RESPONSIBILITIES



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AS OUR SPECTRADYNAMO SAGA clearly demonstrates, data governance requires a deliberate, sus-tained effort. This doesn’t, however, mean you need to turn the exercise into a protracted academic thesis or science project. In fact, casting the net too wide or expanding too quickly is a common cause of failure.

Companies who keep on the right side of the governance road:

• Understand their culture.

◊ Do you need start by enlisting the executives or work from the bottom up with an initial proof of concept to gain support?

• Have a clear charter.

◊ Clearly articulate program objectives and (if required) solicit formal authority to execute.

• Start small.

◊ Identify an initial need, pain or problem to solve.

◊ Determine the capabilities and activities required to address the pilot concern.

◊ Institute only the roles and tools required to execute.

• Define roles and responsibilities before assigning people to those roles.

◊ Hint: RACI or RAPID charts are great for clearly delineating what activities and decisions will be expected of participants.

◊ Augment these with simple operating procedures and workflows showing key decision points and escalation criteria.

• Plan for continuous improvement.

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bringing it all TOGETHER



MAPS, MECHANICS & MORALS When Launching Your Data Governance Initiative

about the AUTHORS

KIMBERLY NEVALA is the Director of Business Strategies for SAS Best Practices, responsible for industry education, key client strategies and market analysis in the areas of business intelligence and analytics, data governance and master data management. She has over 15 years’ experience advising clients on the development and implementation of strategic customer and data management programs and managing mission-critical projects.

She is the co-author of the TDWI educational pamphlet, Ten Mistakes to Avoid When Launching A Data Governance Program and Planning your BI Program: A Portfolio Management Approach.

STEPHEN PUTMAN has over 25 years of experience supporting client/server and Internet-based operations from small offices to major corpo-rations in both functional and technical roles. He is a thought leader in the fields of data governance, master data management, big data and semantic technologies.

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. ® indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. 106769_S118382.1213

The Data Governace eBook: Maps, Mechanics and Morals When Launching Your Data Governance Initiative© 2013 SAS Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

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by KIMBERLY NEVALA STEPHEN PUTMAN with a foreword by …€¦ · Okay, you might not be laughing as hard as some of the business people we tell this joke to. Sometimes it elicits