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32 CHAPTER 3 Overview of a data governance program

standards, and policies in the 1980s and 1990s, and then went looking for a project to spring them
on. You need to show benefit, and that means tying the DG effort to a visible initiative.
3. You must manage organizational culture change. At the risk of being repetitive, you are doing
DG because you are NOT doing something correctly. Therefore, something needs to be changed.
We have dealt with numerous organizations who wanted all of their data fixed, but did not want to
change their views or the behaviors or processes that created the mess. So, you will need to orient,
train, educate, communicate, hold hands, encourage, and offer incentives. Then repeat it all again.
4. Data governance must be viewed as an enterprise effort. You can implement it in segments, but it
must always have an enterprise perspective. Otherwise, you will end up with conflicting standards
and accountabilities.

WHAT ABOUT GLADYS?
We always run into situations where management sets formal organization change management aside. Usually the
reasons are [with our response in brackets]:
• We don’t have enough time. [It does not take very long.sorry.]
• We cannot afford it. [DG has a net cash cost of zero. Plus, can you can afford to have the project crater?]
• It is squishy. [Anything that, if done improperly, can cost you millions of dollars/euros/pounds, etc., is not
squishy; and there is data behind that statement.]
But, in spite of piles of data proving this is not a very bright thing to do, it still happens. If you are experiencing this
problem, try telling this story:
Gladys works in procurement in the plant in Iowa. Every day (for the last 20 years), she logs on to four
applications to do her job. Once a week, she downloads operational data into a spreadsheet and prints out the
weekly inventory updates for her boss. From a data standpoint, she is the sole integration point for three opera-
tional systems affecting finance, work orders, and inventory. She is proud of her accumulated knowledge that
allows her to accomplish her duties, in spite of the poor data management aspects.
When the company finally fixes the kludge of applications, should the new processes and training be handled via:
a) An e-mail on Friday that comes Monday; she has a new password and the instructions will be on her desk.
b) A change program that has her participate over time to define the new interfaces and processes, including flying
her into headquarters to meet others going through the same process.
c) Have the vendor of the new software stop by and do a one-day training class?
Obviously, b) is the kinder method, but b) stems from the change management discipline. Sadly, a) and c) are the more
typical approaches because no one ever gets to consider b) since the organizational change effort was squashed.
Hey, Mr. Executive, what if Gladys was your Mom?

SUMMARY

Businesses are accustomed to controls. All organizations have a standard means of ensuring the
integrity of financial assets. There is not a single CEO on the planet that would condone multiple sets
of accounting standards in their departments. DG is no different. The DG program offers a set of
elements that behave like any other business program. It is not easy, but the entire enterprise needs to
accept that twenty-first–century organizations’ dependence on data assets implies the acceptance and
institutionalizing of a data governance program.