How to Be a Great Data Steward: Responsibilities and Best Practices

What Is Data Stewardship?

In this data-driven economy, organizations rely on vast amounts of information to make decisions, innovate, and deliver improved operations and services. However, the sheer volume and complexity of data introduce challenges around quality, compliance, and security. These challenges make the function of data stewardship critical. Data stewardship is often defined as responsible management and oversight of data assets to ensure accuracy, accessibility, and ethical use throughout the data lifecycle. Data stewardship is primarily a business function that facilitates confident use of data through best practices that can support organizational objectives, comply with regulatory requirements, and enable trusted data management.

Overview of Data Management and Data Governance

Data management encompasses the practices, processes, and technologies used to collect, store, and utilize data effectively. Within the data management discipline, data governance provides the overarching policies and standards that dictate how data should be handled to ensure quality, security, and compliance. Data stewardship operates within the data governance framework and supports improved operational and analytical use of data. Data stewards focus on the execution of the data governance policies at a practical level by bridging the gap between data strategy and day-to-day operations.

Benefits of Data Stewardship

Data is often described as “a critical organizational asset,” but without proper stewardship, it can become a liability rather than an asset. Poor data management leads to inaccurate reporting, compliance violations, and reputational damage. For example, a financial institution that fails to maintain accurate customer records risks incurring regulatory penalties and causing customer dissatisfaction. Conversely, organizations that prioritize data stewardship and data governance gain competitive advantages such as improved decision-making, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency.

• Improved Decision-Making: Access to reliable data enables accurate forecasting and strategic planning. Data stewards define data elements in business terms and support organizing it efficiently for rapid retrieval and usage.
• Regulatory Compliance: Adherence to frameworks like GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA reduces legal risks. Data stewards work with compliance staff and others to support consistent implementation of legal and regulatory requirements.
• Customer Trust: Transparent and ethical data practices enhance brand reputation. Data stewards’ efforts should be based on clearly defined ethical principles and processes.
• Operational Efficiency: Clean, well-governed data reduces redundancies and streamlines processes. Data stewards core activities are focused on managing the data and enabling effective processes in their domain.

Leading organizations in every industry invest consistently in data stewardship programs because they recognize that data integrity is critical for innovation and sustainable superior customer experience.

Key Principles in Data Stewardship

Effective data stewardship is guided by several foundational principles: accountability, transparency, integrity, security, and ethical use. These principles ensure that data remains accurate, secure, and ethically managed across its lifecycle.

1. Accountability: Clear ownership and stewardship of data assets ensure responsibility for data quality and support proper regulatory compliance.
2. Transparency: Stakeholders must understand how data is collected, processed, and used, and data stewards are the critical link with stakeholders in each domain.
3. Integrity: Data should remain accurate, consistent, and reliable across systems and business functions. Data stewards should focus on ensuring the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of data in their domains.
4. Security: Protecting data from unauthorized access and breaches is a primary concern of most organizations. Data stewards support effective data security through collaboration with business stakeholders and technical teams ensuring appropriate data access and data classification.
5. Ethical Use: Data should be leveraged in ways that respect privacy and societal norms.  Data stewards should always apply accepted ethical principles to their data management activities.

These principles are embedded in frameworks like DAMA-DMBoK (Data Management Body of Knowledge), which serves as a reference for organizations seeking to formalize data stewardship practices.

Types of Data Stewards and Their Roles and Responsibilities

Data stewards can be categorized into several types: business data stewards, technical data stewards, domain or lead data stewards, and operational data stewards (also known as data custodians). Each plays a unique role in maintaining data quality and compliance in conjunction with other data management professionals, technical teams, and business stakeholders.

Responsibilities include:

• Defining and documenting data standards and business rules for data management and usage
• Defining and documenting business and technical definitions for all critical data
• Monitoring data quality and resolving issues within a data domain and across the organization
• Collaborating with IT and business teams to ensure the proper collection, storage, and usage of data
• Ensuring compliance with data governance policies and supporting regulatory compliance requirements

Some data management and data governance activities are shared by data stewards and non-steward roles. For example, in a healthcare organization, a business data steward might ensure patient records are accurate and standardized within their data domain, while compliance officers monitor adherence to HIPAA regulations across the organization.

Common Core Activities of Data Stewards

Data stewards perform a range of activities that ensure data remains accurate, accessible, and compliant. Some of the most common core activities include data profiling, metadata management, issue resolution, and documentation.

1. Data Quality Monitoring
   Data stewards regularly check for inconsistencies, duplicates, and missing values.
   Example: A retail company’s customer data steward (or team) runs weekly reports to identify duplicate customer profiles and works with the data custodians to merge or delete duplicates, maintaining a single source of truth.
2. Metadata Management
   A main activity of most data stewards is documenting data definitions, lineage, and relationships for clarity and transparency.
   Example: In a financial institution, business data stewards define and document how the organization describes and uses each critical data element. Business and technical stewards maintain a metadata repository or data catalog that explains the meaning(s) of “net revenue” across different business areas and in the organization’s systems.
3. Data Issue Resolution
   Investigating and correcting errors reported by business users or automated systems is a common task for business data stewards and their technical colleagues.
   Example: A healthcare data steward resolves and documents discrepancies in patient birthdates flagged during insurance claim processing. The technical stewards and data custodians facilitate corrections in each affected system.
4. Compliance and Policy Enforcement
   Business data stewards are expected to ensure data handling processes are aligned with internal policies and external regulations and support proper data classification.
   Example: A data steward (or team) in a pharmaceutical company verifies that clinical trial data meets FDA reporting standards and reports results.
5. Data Access Management
   Business data stewards participate in classifying data based on organizational and regulatory security requirements, which grant or restrict access based on roles and responsibilities.
   Example: In a government agency, business and technical stewards approve access requests for confidential demographic data only to authorized analysts.
6. Training and Communication
   Business data stewards often deliver training to non-steward colleagues on data standards, data literacy, and data governance practices.
   Example: In a product distribution organization, a business data steward conducts quarterly workshops for marketing teams on proper use of customer segmentation data.

These activities form the backbone of data stewardship in most organizations and directly affect data reliability and organizational confidence in data.

Best Practices for Successful Data Stewards

To excel in data stewardship, organizations need a structured approach that balances accountability, technology, and collaboration. Below are a few essential practices that form the foundation of a strong data stewardship program:

Establish Clear Roles

Data stewardship thrives on clarity. Every data steward should have well-defined responsibilities and authority levels, and each data stewardship team should have clear boundaries and expectations identified. This includes specifying who manages which datasets, who ensures compliance, and who handles data quality issues. Clear role definitions prevent duplication of effort and ensure accountability across the organization.

Implement Data Quality Metrics

Quality is the cornerstone of trustworthy data. Organizations should track key metrics such as accuracy, completeness, and timeliness. These indicators help identify gaps and measure progress over time. For example, setting thresholds for acceptable error rates or missing values ensures that data remains reliable for decision-making.

Leverage Technology

Modern data governance tools can automate repetitive tasks, monitor compliance, and provide dashboards for real-time insights. Automation reduces human error and frees data stewards to focus on strategic initiatives. Features like data lineage tracking and anomaly detection can significantly enhance oversight and reduce the volume of work for data stewards to avoid burnout.

Foster Collaboration

Data stewardship is a business-wide responsibility, and not simply an IT function. Encouraging open communication between business units and their data stewards, and IT teams can ensure that data policies align with operational needs. Regular cross-functional meetings and shared platforms for feedback can bridge gaps and create a unified approach to data governance and enterprise-level data management.

Expert Training for Every Data Steward

Regulations and technologies evolve rapidly. Continuous education keeps data stewards informed about new compliance requirements, emerging tools, and best practices. Training programs, workshops, and certifications help maintain a culture of learning and adaptability. Get started with the following:

• How to Be a Data Steward Learning Plan: Build a strong foundation in data management, governance, and stewardship best practices.
• Applied Data Governance Practitioner Certification: Gain a comprehensive understanding of real-world data governance and validate your knowledge.

Data stewardship is no longer optional; it is a strategic imperative for organizations seeking to thrive in a digitally focused world. By embracing accepted data stewardship principles, assigning clear roles, and leveraging technology, businesses can transform data from a risk into a powerful asset. Ultimately, effective data stewardship fosters trust, drives innovation, and ensures compliance, positioning organizations for long-term success.