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Our opinions do not really blossom into fruition until we have expressed them to someone else.
dMark Twain

INTRODUCTION

While the main purpose of this book is to give the reader a solid head start on the deployment,
implementation, or “standing up” of a data (or information) governance program, it is also intended to
supplement all other literature written about data governance. If you have a data governance program
in place, but it is faltering, there is still plenty of advice in the following pages. In the following
chapters, every attempt was made to keep the positions and processes disclosed as neutral as possible.
In addition to a large amount of background, definitions, and preferred practices, this book will present
a generic version of the steps and activities required to deploy data governance. Some case study
examples and a few artifacts will help tie the process together. There are templates included in the
appendices as well that serve as starting points for the various deliverables and artifacts that you may
need to create, or as supplements for existing programs that may not have addressed all of the
necessary factors required for success.
The content in this book represents what we have been doing in our practice over the years. That is
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why the pronoun “we” is used by the author. A lot of experience and refinement has gone into the
material you are about to read. These processes are not the ramblings of one person as to what should
be done. This material is battle-tested. Some of the material may vary from other published methods.
Where this is the case, we try and point it out.
For example, Gwen Thomas of the Data Governance Institute has a defined data governance life
cycle. It is focused on the entire life cycle, from learning about DG to selling the concept to imple-
menting. We focus on implementation.
There are two intended audiences, and for this reason the book is assembled into two layers. The
next three chapters (2 through 4) can be considered an executive overview, suitable for CIOs and other
organizational leadership. The remainder of the book provides the details to move forward. In this way,
a project manager can read the book from start to finish, but a senior leader will also find value by
reading Chapters 1–4.
There is a secondary purpose to this book, which is to absolutely convince you, the reader, that data
governance (DG or IG) is not a new kind of IT or technology project. In addition, DG is not an
accumulative programdthat is, if done correctly, you do not need to add an eternally funded
requirement for manpower and capital. In fact, the perfect deployment of DG will result in nearly or
absolutely no visible separate DG area. Therefore, while this book may seem to be a simple “how to,” it

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An early reviewer remarked that we were “channeling Gollum.” What a precious comment!
Data Governance. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-415829-0.00001-0 1
Copyright Ó 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.