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CHAPTER

Vision

8

Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.
dMark Twain

The “Vision” phase shows stakeholders and leadership what DG will look like. This means a bit more
than a one-page picture, although that is important, too. This phase also includes work on the mission
statement, and both vision and mission are defined in detail in the coming sections. Avision establishes
a picture of where an organization would like to be at a certain point in time in the future. The mission
talks about how to get there. The goal is to convey understanding and comprehension of what DG
means and what the organization wants to do to get there. This vision reinforces the fact that the
business of enterprise information asset management is the business.
This phase can actually result in a stalled effort if ignored or done poorly.
“Vision” can be an abused term. It implies fluff and waste to many disillusioned executives. With
DG, however, there is a profound need to convey the “big picture.” Earlier in the book we mentioned
the need for organizational change management. A key aspect of a change program is maintaining
a future vision in front of those undergoing the changes. Change does not happen among humans
without some view of the big picture. This is your goal for the vision phase. What will a “day in the
life” look like when DG is activated? What will be visible? What business goals will be more
achievable?
These activities are simple and should not take long, but we caution you to avoid defining a stated
period for fulfilling the vision. Although nice, it is unrealistic at this juncture and, frankly, could
alienate middle management who might perceive such statements as arbitrary.

OVERVIEW
Activity: Define DG for Your Organization

During this activity, the team will work with necessary stakeholders to draft a clear, brief definition
of DG. They also need to develop the mission and vision statements as well as a brief statement of
impact and considerations. In addition, we have found it advantageous to begin to define some of the
success metrics for DG. There is a natural connection between the impact of DG and how it is
measured. The metrics often help clarify the meaning of DG for business people. An “elevator
speech” is likely to be the most visible result from this step. Experience has proven that an elegant
elevator speech adds tremendously to long-term comprehension. (Yes, there is some marketing going
on here.)
Data Governance. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-415829-0.00008-3 83
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