A data governance policy is a set of guidelines that allows an organization to manage its data consistently and properly. What is contained within this policy will vary from one organization to another but some of the topics addressed include data quality, access, usage, integration, and security.

The topics listed above are included in a data governance policy because they relate to the topic of managing data. If a data governance team ignores data quality, access, security, etc. It could have negative ramifications for the organization.

Components

The topics of a data governance policy are described above. However, we will not look at the structure of a data governance policy. Generally, the following components are used in a data governance policy.

• Statement of purpose-The goal of the document
•  Scope and goals-What are and what are not covered in the document along with a breakdown of core beliefs about what data governance should do.
•  Roles & responsibilities-Who is in charge of what
•  Principles and rules-THese are a further breakdown of goals into observable behaviors that are called rules. Goals and principles are highly similar and it might be too confusing to have both. Therefore, consider choosing one or the other.
•  Definitions of terms-It is important to define keywords that will be frequently used on the document. The level of detail depends on the audience.

These are some of the main components of a data governance policy. However, what to include in such a document depends on the local context and challenges of an organization. Some or all of these pieces may be needed or other components not mentioned may be appropriate.

Process

The steps for making a data governance policy are as follows

1. Make an inventory of the data that will be covered under the data governance policy. Most of the time, not all data in an organization is under the policy.
2.  Build a team that includes a leader along with other stakeholders of the data.
3.  Define scope and goals
4.  Assign roles and responsibilities
5.  Develop standards
6.  Define metrics. Metrics help you to determine if you are achieving your goals.
7.  Make a draft of your document and revised it as needed.

As you can see, the process is similar to the components. The order of developing the components matters as it is better to build broader policies before focusing on behavioral objectives.

Conclusion

A major step in the development of a data governance program is the development of a data governance policy. The policy allows a data governance team lay out what they are trying to do and how they will do it. Such a document is critical to helping the team to stay on the same page and to consistently seek the same. objectives.