I recently started a doctorate. And because I obviously have too much free time after running my business, teaching, and writing columns for august publications like this, I’m looking at data governance. But not at the level of the organization. My doctoral research will be a deep dive into some oft-neglected human factors that need to be addressed for sustainable data governance. But, in tandem with kicking off this research, I was also asked earlier this year to contribute to a working group developing a National Data Governance Framework and Roadmap for Ireland.
Scaling Up and Drilling Down
Defining data governance frameworks for organizations can be complex work. But the brief for this working group was to set out the foundations and roadmap for a framework for data governance as a national policy capability for Ireland at a national level in a model that will support the alignment of government policy and organization initiatives across the public and private sector (and the NGO sector as well). One of the goals was to begin to develop a common definition of “good” for data governance in Ireland and to provide mechanisms to ensure coordination of actions in respect of current and emerging regulatory drivers and growing data transformation of both private and public sector organizations.
So, just a simple project then. Definitely not something that doesn’t seem to have been done in a holistic way anywhere else in the world. Gosh no.
But the challenge of trying to develop a conceptual framework for data governance as a national competence, mapping it back to organization competences and capabilities, and to the competences and capabilities of individuals working with data in organizations, was one that was too good to pass up.
Developing the Vision
This work is, I believe, very important as we are increasingly operating in a data- and information-enabled society. We will increasingly need to make choices about how we use or don’t use data and data-related technologies. We increasingly need to make stark choices about what type of society we want to live in and how data and its use, misuse, or abuse can support or hamper that. At a societal and anthropological level, as implemented through government policies and regulation, we find ourselves needing to make decisions about how people and processes are expected to behave in relation to data, and how data and processes are expected to “behave” in relation to people.
The vision is simple but ambitious:
“Leading responsible governance of data and artificial intelligence, supporting AI and data mastery as the basis of a sustainable information-enabled and data-informed society through the development of data capabilities, the alignment of data initiatives, and the development and promotion of data literacy across society.”
(The working group is indebted to John Ladley for his contribution to the development of the vision for the Data Governance Framework.)
Setting the Scaffolding
A key innovation in the National Data Governance Framework for Ireland is the formal recognition that the national level (government policy, etc.) impacts the organization level and, in turn, has implications for individuals. But this is not one-way traffic as there needs to be effective feedback loops to ensure alignment of disparate data initiatives at the national and organizational level, whether in the public sector, private sector, or voluntary/NGO sector.
In addition to reflecting the three tiers at which data governance and other related capabilities, such as data acumen, need to be considered, the framework defines four macro-capabilities or themes against which a roadmap of initiatives and interventions can be mapped. These thematic areas are Leadership, Policy, Skills, and Technology.
It was a deliberate design choice in the development of the framework to put Technology last. Governing data for the good of society requires clear leadership, appropriate policies, and the development of relevant skills. Focusing on those areas helps us make more informed decisions about the use and application of technology to put data to work in society. These thematic areas are formally defined in the framework.
Being Clear on the Point of Principles and Maturity
The Data Governance Framework in the National Data Governance Roadmap for Ireland also sets out a set of core principles to underpin actions and activities at the national and organization level in respect of data and its use. These principles include:
- An explicit recognition of data as an asset of social and societal value
- The role of data governance as a coordinating and enabling discipline
- All data that is processed affects people in some way, either directly or indirectly
- An explicit recognition of the importance of a “human-centric” approach to data.
I suggest that readers take a look at the framework to see the full set of 11 principles that have been established.
These principles, and the “scaffolding” of the three-tier framework, will also be supported by a maturity framework that will be developed. The current draft of the framework sets out a “first cut” maturity scale addressing practices, outcomes, and measures across the four macro-capability themes. A key innovation is that the mid-level of this maturity scale is described as “Foundational” — this is the target for organizations to aim for to start doing things better with data.
Next Steps
At this point in the process, the framework has been defined, a set of high-level recommendations have been made, and a high-level roadmap has been set out for the development of data governance as a competence at the national, organizational, and individual levels. This roadmap will be iteratively developed to support alignment with other initiatives and policy interventions relating to data and its use.
The recommendations will also evolve, particularly as the roadmap is rolled out and as the landscape in which data must be governed evolves. That’s why they are set out on the DGRI website.
My team and I are really looking forward to assisting with the further development of this innovative framework that creates a national strategic focus on data governance as a critical capability for a sustainable society. I’m not aware of any other country that has taken the step of formally recognizing data governance as a desired national competence and putting a framework together to bring the disparate strands of our information-enabled society together.
Hopefully, others will follow the lead of Ireland to create a clear clarion call for data leaders in organizations seeking to put data governance on the strategic agenda. While we data professionals tend to focus on the organization level when we think about data governance, and there is increasing recognition of the importance of addressing the needs and roles of individuals, a holistic vision that integrates this at a national level may consolidate our collective messages in our organizations.
More Information
You can find more information about the National Data Governance Framework and Roadmap for Ireland here.
