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What is the Data Governance Institute?
The Data Governance Institute, LLC is the premier provider of in-depth, vendor-neutral information about - and assistance with - tools, techniques, models, and best practices for the governance of data and information. The Institute provides a wealth of resources: the free DGI Data Governance Framework, information on data laws, regulations, and standards, whitepapers, case studies, best practices, data humor, and non-technical briefings on data-related issues and disciplines.
The Institute also provides community for governance practitioners, and it directly assists clients through training, issue analysis, and program assistance as they roadmap, design, and implement governance programs.
What is the DGI Data Governance Framework?
The DGI Data Governance Framework is a logical structure for classifying, organizing, and communicating complex activities involved in making decisions about and taking action on enterprise data.
Why was the DGI Data Governance Framework created?
Frameworks help us organize how we think and communicate about complicated or ambiguous concepts. In recent years, the term "Data Governance" has been used by academics, theorists, managers, and vendors to mean many different things - rules, rules of engagement, people, process, and tools. The Data Governance Institute wanted to introduce a practical and actionable definition and supporting materials that could help a variety of Data Stakeholders from Business, IT, Data Management, Compliance, and other disciplines come together to achieve clarity of thought and purpose.
Does our organization need a Data Governance framework?
All organizations need to be able to make decisions about how to manage data, realize value from it, minimize cost and complexity, manage risk, and ensure compliance with ever-growing legal, regulatory, and other requirements. Management and staff need to make good decisions - decisions that stick. They need to reach consensus on how to "decide how to decide." They need to create rules, ensure that the rules are being followed, and to deal with noncompliance, ambiguities, and issues.
In short, they need to do more than manage data; they need a governance system that sets the rules of engagement for management activities. Small organizations, or ones with simple data environments, may be able to succeed in these goals through an informal system of governance. They may not even be aware of when they are switching between making management decisions and broader governance decisions. On the other hand, larger organizations, or ones with more complex data or compliance environments, generally find that they need to step back and agree upon a more formal system of governance. The DGI Data Governance Framework is designed to assist these organizations.
What does the DGI Data Governance Framework include?
The DGI Data Governance Framework describes the 10 components a formal Data Governance program.
The 10 Components of a Data Governance Program
Rules and Rules of Engagement
1. Mission
2. Focused Goals, Governance Metrics, and Success Measures
3. Data Rules and Definitions
(Policies, standards, guidelines, compliance requirements,
business rules, quality rules, and data definitions)
4. Collection of Decision Rights
5. Collection of Accountabilities
6. Collection of Control Mechanisms
People and Organizational Bodies
7. A Data Governance Office
8. Data Stakeholders
9. Data Stewards
Processes
10. Proactive, Reactive, and Ongoing Data Governance Processes
For each component, framework materials answer the following questions:
o What is the framework component?
o Why do we need it?
o Who uses it, and when, and to do what?
o How might we customize it?
o How do we measure its success?
Is there a fee to use the DGI Data Governance Framework?
Not for non-commercial use. Organizations are free to incorporate the framework into their internal governance programs and educational efforts. Consulting firms can recommend the framework to their clients under the same arrangement. Vendors wishing to incorporate framework components into their own materials and products should contact the Data Governance Institute for a license.
Do we need a framework if we're not introducing governance throughout the entire enterprise?
The Data Governance Institute believes that a governance model should be consistent regardless of the size of the organization or the percentage of the entire organization participating in it. For instance, a tripartite, representative form of political governance will include three branches: one to legislate rules, a second one to execute them and also protect and serve its citizens, and a third branch to resolve issues. This single model is followed for small towns, cities, states, and even for countries, progressively affecting larger groups of people, but still following the simple model. In this same manner, the Data Governance Institute recognizes that formal Data Governance programs are often introduced in a limited manner and then later expanded across an enterprise, with participants following a "think global, act local" model for designing their activities. The DGI framework is designed to work with the smallest projects, but also scale to enterprise use.
What type of organization is the framework designed for?
The framework is designed to work for corporations, government agencies, schools, and other types of organizations that work with data. Since it's scaleable, any size of organization can introduce it with a limited scope and then expand it later. Or, if you're planning a "big bang" approach to governance, you can use the Data Governance Framework to align stakeholder needs across the enterprise so that your program can meet many groups' needs at the same time.
We're not in a compliance environment. Do we still need a governance framework?
The framework is used to align requirements and to ensure checks-and-balances in decision-making and managing data-related actions. It considers regulatory compliance as just one of many types of requirements. So while the framework includes elements that support the transparency, documentation, and auditability required by many compliance programs, it is designed to be used by operations to address typical strategic and tactical data needs.
What types of data issues are addressed by the DGI Data Governance Framework?
The framework was designed to support a multitude of organizational imperatives: to realize value from data, to manage cost and complexity, and to works for the many focus areas that Data Governance is applied to
It serves as a solid foundation for detailed processes - whether you create your own or customize standard processes from the DGI or any other source
How much of the DGI framework should we use?
The ten components of the DGI Data Governance Framework are universal; they're present in every type of organization, every culture, and every environment. However, they may not be formally recognized and documented. Whether they need to be formally acknowledged will depend on what you're trying to accomplish with your Data Governance efforts. Most organizations use at least 6-7 of the 10 components of the framework, right from the beginning of their efforts.
Where can I get more information?
The Data Governance Institute offers a free whitepaper describing The DGI Data Governance Framework in detail. Download it from the Data Governance Institute website at the DGI Whitepapers page.
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