Mastering Data Management

Make sure you hit the ground running on your data governance projects

It’s been a busy couple months on the data governance front! I’ve been fortunate to be involved with a series of webinars on some of the most pressing topics related to data governance. Together, they can help make sure you're geared up to hit the ground running on your data governance initiatives.

Part 1: Intro to Data Governance & Best Practices

Whether you’re brand-new to data governance or have sat through plenty of those meetings, we developed this session to cover some of the best practices essential for managing data as an asset. We discussed definitions, the “big picture,” what data should be governed, and what works – and doesn’t.

The replay is available for download.

Part 2: Agile Data Governance is the “New Black”

I teamed up with my colleague, Larry Dubov, to present this webinar in November. We developed the topic because we constantly see companies using data of poor quality to draw conclusions and make decisions. We’re trying to stop the madness.

Companies that want to make better business decisions absolutely must implement an effective data governance process. Ultimately, a successful data governance approach will result in a more focused, flexible and effective solution to an organization's pervasive data quality issues. A company can then build on its successes by iterating through the agile data governance process.

Topics of discussion included:

• Business drivers and the pressures on today's corporations
• Agile vs. traditional approaches to data governance
• Reasons a traditional approach will likely fail in modern business
• Why an agile approach is right for today's enterprise
• Complementary methods, approaches and frameworks (CMM for DG, MIKE 2.0)

The replay is available on our website.

Part 3: Successful Data Stewardship Through Data Governance

Last week, I was joined by Jill Dyché of Baseline Consulting when we discussed Successful Data Stewardship through Data Governance (replay now available). Our goal was to give you practical advice and introduce new technical capabilities for your growing data stewardship toolbox.

Jill has worked with numerous clients across industries, which gives her a really solid grasp on the best practices and common questions. She also discussed the new challenges and evolving business needs that will drive the data governance conversation into 2010.

Then, I covered core data stewardship responsibilities, putting them in the context of data quality, workflows and innovative new stewardship tools.

Did you miss it? Jim Harris of OCDQ Blog did a fantastic job (or “slammin’” as Jill put it, but she’s hipper than me) live-tweeting the event, which he chronicled on his blog.  You can also check out the replay on our site.

Part 4: Real-World Data Governance

But wait, there’s more!

Next week we’re wrapping up the series with two case studies featuring organizations that have successfully implemented data governance in extremely complex technical and political environments.

A large private, non-university based health system and a sustainable regional health information exchange have each applied aspects of the agile data governance approach to fully integrate data governance with data stewardship to achieve results.

My colleague, Lynn Csernotta, RHIA, will join me to help explain how real-world data governance can be applied to your organization. Lynn has over 25 years of experience in managing many data stewardship and governance implementations. Some of her examples to be discussed include:

• Geographic distribution of operating units
• Organizational boundaries that needed to be bridged

• Operational hurdles in changing the way data stewards and business people work
• Workflows that enable data governance through data stewardship

Join us next Wednesday, and feel free to ask your own questions ahead of time or immediately after the presentation.

Hope to see you there!