Data Demystified: Governance (Not)

Foundational Principle #4 of DMD is:

Eliminate the term data governance from the data team's vocabulary and engagement model.

This principle is not going to win me a lot of fans among thought leaders who promote this topic.

However, I'm only a sample size of one, and I'm aware that there are many data governance programs in place.

But what does successful data governance look like?

The current thinking emphasizes benefits of data quality and ensuring solid data foundations to enable effective AI adoption.

Inevitably, however, the value propositions feel more theoretical than practical, and the energy and passion focused on convincing data customers to shoulder burdensome responsibilities in exchange for quality products. 

In my experience, two things happen. The data community rallies around the message, while their customers' resistance becomes even more entrenched.

My recommendation?  Stop.  Talking.  Just.  Stop.

If you've bought into the proposition that data is ultimately a product, then you have to consider what it means to DEMAND that your customers OWN significant portions of YOUR product's lifecycle.  It's like expecting iPhone customers to be responsible for ensuring that the clean rooms for circuit boards meet the particulate/cubic liter ratio and blame them when defects happen.

Consumers expect value from the products they buy.  Quality, regulatory compliance, easily understood operating instructions, and responsive customer support are like the air we breathe - they simply are.  When a producer fails to meet those expectations, customers walk.

Data governance is a superfluous term that adds little to the delivery of a data product that's "minimally lovable" (with thanks to Michael Bogner).  The expectation that anyone outside the data supply chain should invest anything more than an evaluation of the finished product is delusional.

A successful data team will stop talking about data governance and start baking all the requisite activities into building products that delight consumers, gain their trust, and earn their loyalty.