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Data Governance and Governance 11

DATA GOVERNANCE AND GOVERNANCE

The concept of managing information assets in a formal manner has been established. Now we need
a process to ensure that management actually takes placedand is being done correctly. Unplug your
technology thinking and turn on your accountant thinking. Accountants manage financial assets.
Accountants are governed by a set of principles and policies and are checked by auditors. Auditing
ensures the correct management practice of financial assets. This is what data governance (DG)
accomplishes for data, information, and content assets.
DG is defined in the DMBOK as, “The exercise of authority, control, and shared decision making
(planning, monitoring and enforcement) over the management of data assets.” In turn, governance is
defined as, “The exercise of authority and control over a process, organization or geopolitical area. The
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process of setting, controlling, and administering and monitoring conformance with policy.” This
definition is, of course, roughly synonymous with government.
Slightly different definitions are often stated with an emphasis on the policy and programmatic
aspects of DG. The one we use in our consulting work is, “Data governance is the organization and
implementation of policies, procedures, structure, roles, and responsibilities which outline and enforce
rules of engagement, decision rights, and accountabilities for the effective management of information
assets.” Regardless of style of definition, the bottom line is that DG is the use of authority combined
with policy to ensure the proper management of information assets.
Make sure you do not confuse the management of data with ensuring data is managed. Let’s
introduce a concept we will expand throughout this book. We call it the “Governance V.” (See
Figure 2-2).
The left side of the V is governancedproviding input to data and content life cycles as to what the
rules and policies are, and activity to ensure that data management is happening as it is supposed to.
The right side is the actual “hands on”dthe managers and executive who are actually doing the
information management. The left side is DG, the right side is IM. It is absolutely essential that you
keep this next phrase in mind all through your data governance program:
Data governance is NOT a function performed by those who manage information.
This means there must always be a separation of duties between those who manage and those who
govern. The V is a visual reminder of this. This is a key concept that business people understand, and IT
staff often experience as a problem. For example, in business there are auditors and managers. Managers
control, monitor, and ensure work gets done and rules and standards are adhered to. Auditors verify
compliance to standards, and define and implement new controls and standards as required. This is exactly
the sameprotocolthatisrequiredbydatagovernance.TheDG“area”identifies requiredcontrols,policies,
and processes, and develops rules. Information managers (essentially everyone else) adhere to the rules.
At the confluence of the two lines (the bottom of the V) are the activities that operate the orga-
nization through maintaining information life cyclesdcreation, use, manipulation, and eventual
disposal of data, information, and content.

HELPFUL HINT
Keep a version of the Governance V around all the timedyou will be amazed at how much it helps.

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Cite from DMBOK.