Data Governance:
On the Right Track

Data governance, the holy grail of digital transformation and enabler of the data-driven organization, can often be misunderstood.

DataGalaxy’s innovative methodology and Data Knowledge Catalog platform equip your organization with the right toolset to enable successful digital transformation and reach state-of-the-art data governance capabilities that work best for your organization.

Where to begin?

DataGalaxy recommends starting your data governance journey by taking a data maturity assessment.

Discover our free maturity assessment model below or get an in-depth review by one of our experts during a pre-audit workshop or trial call.

Assess your maturity level

Based on the size and complexity of your organization, a deep dive session could be carried out to define your maturity level and identify the gaps and immediate priorities.

Start with the right use case

Start small, think big, and move fast – It’s a proven approach!

Your organization’s first data governance use case will help your teams develop their data culture and ramp up their data knowledge.

Data Culture Awareness
Data Landscape Awareness
Intelligence
collective
Daily
collaboration
Intermittent
motion
Reduced
collaboration
Siloed approach
no collaboration
No central data knowledge available
Data is localized and identified
Data is defined and classified
Rules are established and monitored
The data lifecycle is known
Gouv 2.0
Management
Mapping
Inventory
Anarchy

Assess your data maturity now

1. Click on the icons to discover the definitions of the maturity levels.

2. Position yourself on the matrix

3. Receive your personalized action plan

Data Culture

Ut a quam eget magna aliquam varius quis ut justo. Sed a ex eu eros tincidunt convallis eu id sapien. In pellentesque ipsum et neque eleifend varius. Integer ornare leo finibus eros luctus, eu facilisis est fringilla. Cras neque leo, pretium commodo nisl sit amet, accumsan dignissim magna. Cras tincidunt est vitae nibh blandit laoreet. Curabitur sapien nulla, aliquet sed urna nec, aliquet vehicula nibh. Proin gravida mauris a urna tempus pretium. Nam et semper lorem, eget ultrices neque. In eget enim quis turpis ullamcorper maximus. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed finibus commodo metus sit amet fringilla. Aliquam erat volutpat. Curabitur volutpat risus id elit vulputate, a mattis diam tristique. Nulla rhoncus lectus eu magna mattis viverra.

Daily collaboration

At this level of maturity, your teams have learned to work together on a daily basis. The people in charge of the objects are clearly identified by their colleagues who ask for their help via email interactions.

Nevertheless, these teams are often led by a manager who sets the pace and organizes tasks and responsibilities. The users of the information come to read information in the knowledge repository but do not participate much in its evolution (weak feedback loop). 

Intermittent motion

At this level, the data experts will update the knowledge repository discontinuously, to meet audit needs, to increase the scope of a project or to meet a specific documentation need.

This mode of operation is not optimal, because on the one hand, the fact of collaborating in an irregular manner causes automatisms to be lost and therefore limits productivity, and on the other hand, because the risk of not having updated knowledge is important.

Reduced collaboration

Employees partially identify the people who work on the same data perimeter as them. In some cases, a referent is clearly identified, but you then suffer from the “know-it-all” syndrome: this person is so solicited that he or she does not have the time to capitalize or share information in a global way; when he or she is absent, it is panic on board!

The interest for data is emerging but the associated stakes are not mastered.

Siloed approach no collaboration

There is no interaction between collaborators, each one is trying to understand the meaning of a piece of data and does not measure the impact of a wrong input or a wrong interpretation of the data.
You are typically in an information silo.

Maturité Patrimoniale

Ut a quam eget magna aliquam varius quis ut justo. Sed a ex eu eros tincidunt convallis eu id sapien. In pellentesque ipsum et neque eleifend varius. Integer ornare leo finibus eros luctus, eu facilisis est fringilla. Cras neque leo, pretium commodo nisl sit amet, accumsan dignissim magna. Cras tincidunt est vitae nibh blandit laoreet. Curabitur sapien nulla, aliquet sed urna nec, aliquet vehicula nibh. Proin gravida mauris a urna tempus pretium. Nam et semper lorem, eget ultrices neque. In eget enim quis turpis ullamcorper maximus. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed finibus commodo metus sit amet fringilla. Aliquam erat volutpat. Curabitur volutpat risus id elit vulputate, a mattis diam tristique. Nulla rhoncus lectus eu magna mattis viverra.

No central knowledge available

In this level, there are no sources of information except those included in the technical tools.

The ability to access business knowledge depends solely on the availability of a providential collaborator, the ability to access technical knowledge depends on your level of knowledge of the tool, if you have access to it.

Data is defined and localized

The list is neither detailed nor exhaustive and is often in spreadsheet form.

You know how to reconstruct physical models for your different data sources. On the business side, you have listed the terms and business objects. You also have a repository of processes and associated uses. Or at least, some of these elements are known but there is still a lot of work to be done to explain or detail the content of the flows. 

Data is defined and classified

The objects in the data catalog are enriched with attributes specific to your needs: confidentiality, business domains, personal data type, owner, etc.>

These attributes allow you to organize the information by sorting or filtering on certain values to manage your priorities (data criticality).

You have also been able to classify this data using, for example, domains or concepts that allow you to group business elements reflecting your organization or operational processes.

You have also started to weave the various elements of your DataCatalog together by linking technical sources to business terms and uses.

Rules are established and monitored

You have defined quality, regulatory or governance rules.

You have also created a mesh between all your data (principle of interdependence) and these rules. There is hardly any isolated data anymore.

Data lifecycle is known

At this stage, you are now able to make your knowledge repository live. The associated roles are clearly identified according to the status of the data in the lifecycle (proposed, under validation, validated, obsolete).

You can also correlate the deployment of your repository to the life cycle of your IT projects (notion of repository versions linked to IT versions)

You have an exhaustive view of your data assets from both a technical and business perspective.

Discover my action plan


Agility ninja

Constatation

With such expertise in collaboration and acculturation, how could you miss the data documentation aspect? Come on, admit it, you’re not really at that point in the matrix!

Discover my action plan


You have to refocus on a business vision

Constatation

Collaboration works quite well in your organization. However, from a data documentation perspective, not everything is clear. Don’t worry, your position is quite encouraging and will allow you to move forward quickly.

Discover my action plan


Choose the right tool to go further

Constatation

With your ability to collaborate and share knowledge, it’s surprising that you’re not further along in your data asset maturity. Have you taken into account the specifics of managing and sharing data knowledge? Maybe you don’t have the right tool or its deployment is incomplete?

Discover my action plan


The grail is near

Constatation

With the support of your entire company, you are clearly well on your way to achieving governance 2.0. What remains to be done is to implement the data life cycles to enable a virtuous – and more fluid – circle of continuous updating.

Discover my action plan


GOVERNANCE 2.0

Constatation

You are in great shape! You are likely well informed about domain driven architecture and with fully data driven business teams, you have all the assets to accomplish your data strategy. But be careful not to fall asleep: as you know, data maturity is more a state of mind than an end point.

Discover my action plan


You are living in the realm of extensions

Constatation

Perhaps you have real communication skills but your heritage knowledge is still completely siloed. You probably spend a lot of time exchanging dictionaries in Excel files, definition sheets in Word, or sharing links on some wiki scattered around.

Discover your action plan


You have to refocus on a business vision

Constatation

Collaboration works quite well in your organization. However, from a data documentation perspective, not everything is clear. Don’t worry, your position is quite encouraging and will allow you to move forward quickly.

Discover my action plan


Choose the right tool to go further

Constatation

With your ability to collaborate and share knowledge, it’s surprising that you’re not further along in your data asset maturity. Have you taken into account the specifics of managing and sharing data knowledge? Maybe you don’t have the right tool or its deployment is incomplete?

Discover my action plan


MANAGEMENT

Constatation

Congratulations, you’re well on your way to data governance, but now you’ll need to consider the lifecycle of your metadata: how to make it evolve in response to business or regulatory changes as well as technical evolutions. And of course, continue to train and acculturate all employees to the proper use of data.

Discover my action plan


Almost

Constatation

You are clearly positioned among the champions of Data Governance. However, you still need to put some oil in the wheels to make things really fluid. One more effort, collaborative governance is within reach!

Discover my action plan


You are living in the realm of extensions

Constatation

Perhaps you have real communication skills but your heritage knowledge is still completely siloed. You probably spend a lot of time exchanging dictionaries in Excel files, definition sheets in Word, or sharing links on some wiki scattered around.

Discover my action plan


You have to refocus on a business vision

Constatation

Collaboration works quite well in your organization. However, from a data documentation perspective, not everything is clear. Don’t worry, your position is quite encouraging and will allow you to move forward quickly.

Discover my action plan


MAPPING

Constatation

Your data repository is accessible to IT and business users, congratulations! Reaching this stage often requires a lot of work. Nevertheless, you are now likely to start having quality issues in your data and questions about how to move to the next step.

Discover my action plan


Know-it-all syndrome

Constatation

Individually, some members of your data team are undeniably experts at explaining your data assets. But as soon as they have to leave, problem resolution times skyrocket, and even when they are present, you better hope they are available to respond quickly. It is urgent to change things so that these experts are no longer a bottleneck.

Discover my action plan


Governance 1.0

Constatation

You have succeeded in mapping most of your company’s data and have a real knowledge repository, complete and regularly updated. But what value do you get from it from a business point of view? Probably very little and the team in charge of this repository is probably perceived as being in its ivory tower.

Discover my action plan


You are living in the realm of extensions

Constatation

Perhaps you have real communication skills but your heritage knowledge is still completely siloed. You probably spend a lot of time exchanging dictionaries in Excel files, definition sheets in Word, or sharing links on some wiki scattered around.

Discover my action plan


INVENTORY

Constatation

You have a list of your data but still need to enrich it while trying to get value from what you are creating. This is most likely the time to look at how to open up your data more widely to the business.

Discover my action plan


Know-it-all syndrome

Constatation

Individually, some members of your data team are undeniably experts at explaining your data assets. But as soon as they have to leave, problem resolution times skyrocket, and even when they are present, you better hope they are available to respond quickly. It is urgent to change things so that these experts are no longer a bottleneck.

Discover my action plan


Know-it-all syndrome

Constatation

Individually, some members of your data team are undeniably experts at explaining your data assets. But as soon as they have to leave, problem resolution times skyrocket, and even when they are present, you better hope they are available to respond quickly. It is urgent to change things so that these experts are no longer a bottleneck.

Discover my action plan


Governance 1.0

Constatation

You have succeeded in mapping most of your company’s data and have a real knowledge repository, complete and regularly updated. But what value do you get from it from a business point of view? Probably very little and the team in charge of this repository is probably perceived as being in its ivory tower.

Discover my action plan


ANARCHY

Constatation

It understandably disappointing to be at the very beginning of the data maturity path. The good news is that you are aware of your starting point! With no documentation for your data, and no real organization in this project, you have the advantage of starting with a blank canvas.

Discover my action plan


Communication is key

Constatation

There is no doubt about your ability to document your data or your level of knowledge about it. However, what is the value of this documentation if it is not accessible and understandable to others? You must put collaboration and sharing back at the center of your concerns.

Discover my action plan


Communication is key

Constatation

There is no doubt about your ability to document your data or your level of knowledge about it. However, what is the value of this documentation if it is not accessible and understandable to others? You must put collaboration and sharing back at the center of your concerns.

Discover my action plan


Communication is key

Constatation

There is no doubt about your ability to document your data or your level of knowledge about it. However, what is the value of this documentation if it is not accessible and understandable to others? You must put collaboration and sharing back at the center of your concerns.

Discover my action plan


Alone in your organization

Constatation

Especially if you are in a large company, this position is surprising to say the least! How can you control your data assets so well without a minimum of sharing and collaboration? In short, you’re playing a joke on us! No luck, we already know it.

Our vision

Data governance cannot be decreed, deployed, or bought off the shelf. There is no one-size-fits-all-solution. Every organization must adopt and develop a personalized data governance strategy to succeed in its digital transformation.

The definition of data governance can differ among organizations depending on the data maturity of employees and the amount of data in circulation in the company. Additionally, the steps to achieve organizational data governance can range in every step of the journey, including defining your goal, implementing a strategy to achieve it, and defining the means to measure progress. However, there are some universal steps and best practices to follow concerning what data governance means in your organization.

Not only does data governance improve overall data quality, it also has a significant impact on your company’s overall competitiveness and decision-making cabilities. Data governance allows users to better manage current challenges and gives access to new business opportunities that would not possible with data of low quality.

Successful data governance programs are attainable through a well-executed, acionable plan: Organizations can overcome the challenges that change inevitably presents by starting small and gradually expanding the program.

Start your data governance journey today with DataGalaxy!

Discuss your project
with our team!

Loading...