Data Governance Charter and Council Initiative (3 of 5)

This third blog in the series of five will address the Data Governance Charter and Data Governance Council (DGC), which will solidify the Data Governance initiative. I would say they are a pre-requisite, but really they’re more of a positive Catch 22 … you can’t have a Data Governance initiative without a DG Council or Charter, and, Vice Versa.

Following through on the previous post on that organization’s cultural maturity, similarly there can be a wide variance in the way data is governed in an organization. Some organizations may have NO Data Governance initiative, but are handling their data just fine; while other organizations may have a governing body, documented processes and still be dysfunctional.  But, it’s best to set up a Charter and Council that is designed to ensure consistent and maintained data governance standards.

Being on the DGC should be an honor.  The Executive Committee or the President/CEO will sanction it.  The Charter is owned and governed by the DGC. It outlines the structure and operating guidelines of the DGC.

The general purpose of the DGC is to maintain, oversee and promote the use of data governance according to best practices and business needs. The DGC will ensure that management of all systems is done with a global view of their data.

The data governance procedures are designed to keep data governance consistent and maintain informed guidelines for data standards, accuracy and efficiency.

The DGC is a committee sanctioned by the organization's Administrative Team and responsible for developing, maintaining, validating and governing data. The DGC is also responsible for recommending actions to be taken with respect to any data–related issue, including projects that will affect or be affected by any metadata (Enumerations/List-of-Values, Taxonomies, etc.).

The DGC’s role includes the following functions related to the management of the data governance process:

• Review, approve and implement changes to data governance;
• Manage the quality and relevancy of data governance;
• Provide oversight and direction on the use of data governance within the organization;
• Provide and maintain documentation regarding the appropriate use of data governance, data governance training, and data governance rules and standards;
• Provide and maintain documentation regarding the data governance management process;
• Communicate data governance issues and changes to stakeholders, and publish changes to the data governance deliverables on a regular basis.

Here is a typical Table of Contents for a Data Governance Charter:

• Revision Table – Detailed to track all changes to the charter
• Council Responsibilities and Tools – This will include some key dynamic processes as well as any new obstacles or requirements. Here are  few:
• RASCI Charts
• Maturity Model
• Priority Factoring
• Project Management
• Data Flow Diagrams
• Data Dictionary and its Maintenance
• Council Responsibilities and Tools – This will include some key dynamic processes as well as any new obstacles or requirements. Here are  few:
• Team Membership – DGC membership will be fulfilled by representatives from the major stakeholder groups and shall assume the responsibilities according to his or her role. Appropriate stakeholder groups will appoint resources.
• Roles & Responsibilities – Example of Roles:
• Data Governance Sponsor
• Data Governance Lead
• Line of Business Representatives
• IT/System Owners
• Meeting Protocols – All meetings should be held in the highest regard and considered mandatory for the team. Here are a few areas to consider for this section:
• Roberts Rules of Order
• Frequency
• Cancellation & Changes
• Attendance
• Decision–Making – For overarching DG issues, decisions generally are made by consensus of team members.
• Shared activities require a consensus of all representatives listed as “C” (consulted) and “A” (accountable) in the DG RASCI matrix.
• The Functional Area Representatives that own individual activities of the DG (no other areas require consultation) will have final decision authority on those respective DG facets.  Those changes may be implemented without going through the official decision-making process. However, such changes may be reviewed and contested by any member of the DGC.
• On changes impacting the overall structure of DG, other groups in the organization, specific IT systems or diverging from organizational standards, consensus is required.
• The DG Sponsor and the DG Lead are responsible for helping the team achieve consensus. If consensus is unattainable, the DG Sponsor makes the final decision.
• There is no quorum required for decision-making. All members are required to submit feedback on pending changes either during regular meetings or by email if they are unable to attend. Feedback must be received by the date and time of the meeting.
• Communications – Example documentations to consider:
• Meeting Minutes recaps
• Change Request Forms
• Functional department Status Reporting