In my last post we saw how Mark Simpson recovered from stalled program funding by rolling out a working process for governing data within World Vision International. He switched his focus from general enterprise concerns to establishing much needed data controls for a few key technology initiatives. He then coordinated implementation of those controls across virtual work teams within each initiative.

Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? Mark laid a foundation by first meeting the immediate needs of a handful of senior business and technology managers. Then he transformed that group of managers into World Vision’s first data governance steering body to provide support, direction and priority.

Here’s a simple truth. Senior managers are far happier to embrace programs with proven success than those promising future success. It always helps to be able to look back on milestones of clearly recognized value to stakeholders. This certainly set Mark up nicely for acting on his next three principles.

Establish Data Governance Steering Council. Contrary to common wisdom, Mark deferred forming a steering council for about six months. But when he did, he came prepared with a working process. Council members were shown exactly what they would be asked to contribute. Mark started with key sponsors of the initiatives he was already supporting then gradually expanded participation over time. Recently the chief enterprise architect agreed to join.

Formulate Data Governance priorities. The steering council first reviewed and validated current DGO engagements. They provide critical guidance on what to take on next by approving controls drafted by the DGO. Each member of the council benefits directly as the DGO contributes to their initiatives. They also discovered a number of common pain points that could be prioritized for broad benefit.

Define roadmaps for adoption and validation. Mark maintains a practical balance between the controls specified by his steering council and how each World Vision group will adopt them over time. He listens intently to make sure that governance objectives make sense to those who are asked to adopt them. And the roadmap must adapt to a shifting landscape. Organizational change continues to be one of Mark’s most critical challenges. People come and go. Priorities change. Mark’s DGO must provide the continuity that spans these changes.

Steering body in place, Mark realized he now had representation from three different major divisions within World Vision with a good balance of business and technology managers. Each of those managers reported to division leadership reaching as high as executive management. Each had become a vocal supporter for governing data. This choir of champions created a foundation for securing critical executive sponsorship going forward. It seemed almost accidental. Or was it? You be the judge!

In my next post we will see how Mark sustained momentum by staying focused on business value through project priorities, avoided positional stalemates through Fit-For-Use assessment, and turned his first data quality project over to the rightful owner. Exciting stuff!

In my last post I began sharing how nine principles are guiding a large international organization dedicated to community development, disaster relief and advocacy in successfully governing federated data. That organization is World Vision International. Mark Simpson is the Data Governance Manager there and this is really his story.

With funding for his proposed centralized data governance team on hold a few years ago, Mark clearly needed a new plan. He realized that a number of key technology initiatives remained funded and were moving forward. Mark decided to leverage that momentum.

The first rule of enlisting support from an active project team is to do no harm. Asking a team to slow down or add costs related to vague or seeming irrelevant external requirements is pretty much a non-starter, leading to a polite brush-off like “gosh, we really appreciate how important this is but maybe another time.”

Mark knew, however, that key stakeholders were concerned over a range of data related challenges. He simply began aligning his needs with theirs. The first three of his nine principles help establish that strategic alignment by embedding governance activities directly into projects to avoid adding additional drag to project timelines.

Organize according to system change cycles. The best time to nudge an object in a different direction is when it’s already moving. Introducing incremental improvements when a system is already being updated or modified eliminates the need to justify a separate data governance project. It also allows specific data concerns to be addressed by embedding governance checkpoints into existing system development lifecycles.

Identify clear, actionable requirements. Many times project teams lack either the resources or expertise to address complex data challenges. As an expert, Mark began contributing his time and perspective to translate often times vague requirements into clear specifications that also aligned to emerging policy. He was soon recognized as a valuable asset rather than an unwanted burden. As awareness of the value of this contribution grew, project planning began to include data specific resources and Mark was able to fall back to a coordinating role across multiple projects.

Establish virtual working teams for each system. Few organizations can justify staffing up for a whole new job family of dedicated resources. But the work must be done somehow. Mark began organizing temporary resources into virtual working teams. Project managers are a great place to start. They are often keenly aware of issues that keep coming up project after project. And they are often highly motivated to find ways to avoid those risks in future.

In my next post we will look at three principles that Mark followed to translate embedded governance checkpoints, requirements and virtual working teams into a long-term strategic plan. And yes, it’s true, it may seem like we’re trying to solve world hunger. In this case we really are, so hold onto your hats!

Over the past year I have been privileged to see how data governance at a large international organization went from a de-funded program (in the wake of the economic melt-down) to become an active, increasingly influential business process. Focusing on delivering business value early and often, they started small and grew steadily. Now they are finding opportunities to influence culture and behavior more and more broadly as a success model for federated data governance.

Centered on a data governance office that works through a steering council, the sole full-time person dedicated to governing data works with a handful of key people to establish a lifecycle of activities for continually evolving data practices across business groups literally scattered around the world. This started from nine simple principles:

1. Identify clear, actionable requirements
2. Organize according to system change cycles
3. Establish working teams for each system
4. Establish Data Governance Roundtable
5. Formulate Data Governance priorities
6. Define roadmaps for adoption and validation
7. Iterate according to business value and project priority
8. Work according to “Fit-For-Use” criteria
9. Initially focus on Reference Data and Taxonomies

These principles have guided the creation and launching of a people-centric process for governing federated data that achieves measurable improvements and changes in culture and behavior. One critical milestone was the first end-to-end completion of that process. Suddenly stakeholders saw exactly how governing data achieves results and how each of them contributes to that success.

As mentor, I have had a front-row seat as I support day-to-day activities and attend monthly steering council sessions. The really exciting part for me is that this organization is dedicated to community development, disaster relief and advocacy. I like to think I am playing a small role in solving world hunger and peace, or at least improving the data that makes this all possible. Over the next few posts I will be sharing how each of the nine principles listed above have contributed along the way. Together they form a pragmatic and effective approach for putting in place a living process for governing federated data that supports improving lives around the globe.