Imaging running a data warehouse (or live data feeds) for a trading floor such as the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ and the immense amount of data flowing through the organization. I’ve recently become familiar with the Online Trading Academy, a highly rated & reviewed learning center where they teach you how to day trade. Trading stocks is very data dependent, and peoples’ livelyhood depends on it, and this data is used on a daily basis in realtime. Can you imagine if bad (or no) data governance is in place and how this could seriously impact a lot of people?  This would literally jeopardize people’s lives as they know it, and one bad move by a trading floor could mean more government regulations and overhead – something that they absolutely do not want.

Consider companies like MorningStar, whose job it is to compile massive amounts of data and make stock ratings and recommendations based on that data.  Can you image the intense amount of data governance and data quality that occurs in that organization? (incidentally, I can related as I saw their Data Quality Director speak at a conference in Vegas on the topic).  If MorningStar has a corrupt set of data that impacts just one small portion of their business, it could literally mean thousands of people get bad advice on their retirement investments.  If that mistake is discovered too late, we are talking about a catastrophic loss of money and potentially the credibility of their company going completely out the door.

I wanted to share this with you, because often times we just think of the worst case scenario being an ‘out of compliance’ finding, but it really can be so much worse than that.  Job loss, income loss, bankruptcy and more all all serious possibilities if data isn’t treated like gold with an organization.

The difficulty with training an entire organization around data governance is that there are often so many groups focusing on different projects and completing different tasks. The cost of getting everyone into training courses and workshops can quickly add up. Thankfully, there is a solution that an organization can implement that is both cost effective and successful at training an entire staff on proper data governance techniques.

Data Governance Training Through eLearning

One of the most cost effective ways of explaining the importance of Data Governance with your employees is through an eLearning solution. This training approach can be very similar to the security training sessions organization conduct each year to make sure staff is keeping proper protocols for protecting an organizations intelectual property.

An elearning solution can be custom developed to demonstrate the specific approach you’d like to implement for proper data governance in your organization. These approaches are excellent as they can be repeated, easily required of all new incoming employees, and can be used be different parts of the organization as needed.

An even better idea would be to make the implementation of required eLearning course completion be part of every new project your organization undertakes. As they review the material continually they’ll develop a strong understanding of how the organization works with data.

eLearning courses can be developed for Computer Based Training or Web Best Training approaches. They can be taken by your employees at their desk. They are often less expensive than requiring week long training sessions and the ability to test an employees knowledge at the end of the course allows for an assurance that staff understands the material presented to them.

If your organization is not using elearning approaches to data governance it is something you should seriously investigate.

An area that grammar is most important when applying it to data governance is when you’re considering data elements that accept open ended information from individuals entering data into your system. This scenario may allow for data entry employees to use short hand, improper grammar, or text that only they can read. This makes it difficult to gain any value from the data you’ve collected and entered into your enterprise systems.

Data Governance Tools – Grammar Checkers

One of the first things you can do when developing a data governance plan is to identify systems that allow for the open ended data input. These systems should be sure to build in a grammar check function before the data is saved into the system. This allows software to do a lot of the major checking for you and allows you to focus on other areas of your data governance plan.

If system modifications are not an option, it maybe a good idea to offer data entry training to ensure employees understand the importance of providing clear input into your data collection systems.

Grammar Strategy Development at Conferences

Another option to improve your proper grammar implementation is by developing strategies with other data stewards at the next conference you attend. Often different organizations have implemented different approaches to ensure high quality data. Be prepared to ask specifics about how other organizations implemented their strategy, what they felt were the most important lessons learned and what they’d do differently next time.

Proper Grammar = Data Quality

When your organization takes the time insure that the data entered into its systems are grammatically correct they are also making sure that they are prepared for future use and analysis of that data. This is always most easily identified when historic data is accessed for analysis and quality data will be much more useful for future business decisions.

Contrary to popular belief, data governance has been around for the past few decades. It is only but recently that more people have begun to appreciate what it can bring to their business. Because of the threat of recession and budget losses, company owners have really taken the effort to find ways on how to improve on business results. Data governance used to be an option, but it was not necessarily always the first choice to consider. This was because it was very expensive to avail of data governance services in the past. Today, this type of application is now very easy to use and will be applicable in any part of the region.

If you are still confused about the tools that you can use to aid in data governance, one of the most basic examples would be the automation of specific processes. One classic example would be invoice processing. Being able to generate bills for your customers and clients in a more effective way does not only eliminate the need for more staff to do manual work. It also decreases the chances of error because of the use of a computerized application system. Data gathering is also one advantage that is brought about by these data governance tools. All you need is a specific point of contact that can look after the maintenance of these resources and you are good to go.

Do not be deceived by those advisors who will tell you that data governance will not be a good investment. Read more about these tools and you can surely enjoy the benefits of faster, better and more efficient processes!

The first thing I noticed was the large number of scams there are on these job boards.  I see a large number of work-from-home scams, ‘get your bachelors degree in 3 months’ type scams, and all around fake looking job posts.  It seemed that no matter where I looked, I found stuff like this – CareerBuilder, Monster, HotJobs, Indeed, etc.  The one place I had good luck with finding real jobs while cutting through the garbage is Jobfox. The Jobfox Scam policy ensures that spam and other bad stuff stays out of their listings.  You can read a bit more about the the lengths they go to to ensure that their listings stay clean and reliable at their mini-site dedicated to the issue, JobfoxScam.com.

In terms of high-quality job listings in data management, I found the largest number at CareerBuilder.  Bear in mind that largest number does not mean the best; many that were listed there were old, mis-categorized, or unattractive to real data governance practitioners.  Again, I found great success with the jobs that Jobfox ‘matched’ me with. Their process made it easy to just see jobs relevant to me, without having to sort through junk.  Monster had a fair number of data management jobs, but at the time I searched, none of them were specifically for data governance.  For the fortunate few who have security clearances, there are some very high-quality data management jobs listed at ClearanceJobs.com; only a small minority of people qualify for these jobs, but if you do have a clearance you stand a very good chance of getting the job because of the diminished competition from other candidates.

All-in-all, I think that the old advice of “its not what you know, its who you know” holds true for finding a job.  My first advice for a job seeker would be to really examine their personal network, and their connections networks.  LinkedIn is great for this, and if you aren’t already active on it, get started now!  There are certainly some good jobs listed online, but be prepared to sort through lots of scams, spam, and junk to find descent positions, and expect a lot of competition for those jobs.

While data and information is now easily available to us, data governance is something that still needs to be managed by someone who really understands the business. Implementing the best talent acquisition strategies goes beyond just the simple knowledge of certain computer programs or a Black Belt in Six Sigma. The person you will hire will not necessarily own the data, but he should be equipped enough to interpret the information and translate it into simple terms for the benefit of every employee in the organization. At the end of the day, no matter how dependent we are on computer based and automated tools and systems, someone still needs to be accountable to look after the efficiency and management of data assets, something that can only be executed by a professional analyst with a good understanding of the company’s policies and procedures.

How do you choose the right person for the data governance job? Evidently, he or she needs to have previous experience in doing the same type of work. Moreover, you want this person to be able to not only provide meaning to the data, but also be able to make effective and realistic recommendations to improve processes, and reap business results in the long run!

While data governance has shifted from hard copy to software, you should realize that the automated processes will not be sustained on its own. This kind of data management still needs a point of contact to be held accountable to the accuracy and security of the records you keep.  Aside from that, you also want to be sure that all pertinent information can easily be shared with all employees when needed. This may not be a huge problem to small and medium sized businesses, but as your company starts to grow and you start to employ more staff, the records may grow to an extent that managing paper trails may not be the most efficient way to do business.

Since we have been working towards data governance for maximum efficiency, another advantage of being able to implement data management strategies would be the prevention of fraud. This is especially true for any type of company. Managing financial records and information is not limited to sales or banking organizations. Nothing can be worse than losing important financial or accounting information, and if not managed properly, you can end up losing hundreds to thousands of dollars in an instant. Being able to secure your company’s records will play a critical role to your company. The sooner you are able to implement data governance processes, the more time you can devote to other things that will make your business successful.

In some cases, the Data Stewardship group within an organization is composed of the Data Stakeholders themselves.  These Data Stewards ensure that data-related decisions are carried out in a way that doesn’t conflict with another person or entity within the organization.   Aside from technical skills, a Data Steward should also have a clear, crisp way of communicating issues and ideas and will be responsible for ensuring that any ambiguities in the data are removed.

Responsibilities of a Data Steward include:

1. Data Stewards must see to it that the data being carried out doesn’t overlap any existing, contradicting data within the organization
2. Data Stewards are always on the look out for possible errors in the structure.
3. Data Stewards must help ensure that the data is error-free.
4. Data warehousing is one of the key roles of a Data Steward.
5. Data Stewards ensure consistency of data. They maybe one level below the Data Governance board, but these stewards also play a big role in data decision-making.

In a large enterprise, it is not sufficient that a single Data Steward is employed.   It usually takes a team of experts in their respective fields to come up with a successful Data Stewardship council.

For more information on this job and other job topics, be sure to checkout the Jobfox Scam site.

One issue that must be reviewed is deciding on just exactly who has the power to decide. Likewise, questions regarding when and how decisions can be made and conceptualized should also be settled.  Therefore, to avoid any inconsistencies, the Data Governance program must clearly define and document all decision rights. This documentation should also include those detailed and further information on all decisions made in regards to data. These decision rights must be defined very well to avoid any conflict, specifically when it comes to settling issues.

On the other hand, decision-rights for programs related to compliance are quite easy to identify. The executive level of an organization has the power to choose if they will follow a certain standard, law or regulation; of course, these choices should be in relation to the organization’s mission and visions. Although the executive level can identify which rule to follow, it is the duty of different Data Stakeholders to discuss and come up with a general decision on how their group will comply and follow these certain rules.

Other than deciding on which rule to follow, other decisions related to data-processes need constant concession and analysis from one organization to the next. In line with this, different sectors within an organization have a specific right to decide but should be a result of thorough discussion between different data stakeholders. For example, Data Architecture has the right to decide on how long the data field will be in the new system as a result of different ideas and opinions from its stakeholders.

Data governance operates like this kind of government with its three separate branches: the executive branch, legislative branch and the judicial branch- all having their own duties, functions, and checks & balances. For background, the legislative passes, makes and even changes laws, the judicial branch interprets these laws specifically in terms of settling and resolving issues and the executive branch makes sure that these laws are followed and reinforced while providing all services to its constituents.

On the other hand, Data Stakeholders are like citizens particularly in terms on their rights, privileges and obligations. Just like a citizen whose actions is governed by laws, Data Stakeholders should be aware that there are rules governing their actions when it comes to traveling to different data domains. And they are also liable and can be sanctioned according to the rules set by the Data Governance office.

Those in the lower level can have their own mission specifically for their type of program and data. However, these specific missions must still be in accordance or in response to the general three missions of Data Governance.

Along with mission is vision, which should also be concise and comprehensible. When crafting your program’s visions, use inspiring words that can entice and persuade Data Stakeholders to set their own data-related goals.