«Sometimes it feels like you have CIOs going on Julia Robe’s in Pretty Woman spending sprees.»

Have you ever wondered why data governance often becomes so complicated that no one really understands what it’s about?
In this episode, we take a refreshing deep dive with data expert Rasmus Bang, who shows how to make data governance simple and relevant.

We explore the delicate art of engaging middle management, which is often the key to successful implementation of data governance. Through data governance committees and a focus on concrete business challenges, you can create both transparency and accountability that drive real change. Rasmus also explains how to bridge the gap between process excellence and data governance—how these disciplines can reinforce each other rather than compete.

Here are our hosts' key takeaways:

• The level of regulation in your industry determines your approach to. Data governance.
• Spent time in exploring what is necessary and relevant from a business point of view.
• Identify pinpoints you have today, to tackle them beyond compliance. This is where you show your value to the business.
• Storytelling is essential in data governance.
• Be able to see and communicate how your work impacts the business.
• Data governance is a peoples game.

How to start your initiative?

• Do analysis to translate your data pain points to business pain points.
• Assess the size and complexity of the challenge ahead.
• Adjust your lingo to make it understandable for the business.
• Dont be dogmatic - use existing structures.
• You need to adapt to your environment instead of hoping that your environment adapts to you.
• Make sure you find a strategy to talk to the conflicting priorities of middle management.
• Watch out for the experienced professionals- they can become bottlenecks.
• Make the value proposition understandable for everyone, also talking to these priorities on middle management.
• How can my department become better, more efficient, etc.?
• Include middle management representatives activity around the data itself.

Process Excellence

• Processes are seen as a precondition, while they are actually a result of the organizations culture, organization and people.
• Process owners often have a broad network in the organization and are therefore important to make data governance work.
• «If you do data governance right you get de facto business process ownership.» - you get the right people in place.
• Processes can give you a repeatable structure that is foundational for your success in e.g. AI.

• Have an approach and build a model that your business stakeholders can recognize and see themselves in.
• Dont focus too much on theory. Focus on what matters for your business and for your stakeholders. It needs to resonate.
• Dont try to fix a complex problem with simple solutions.
• «There is a difference between quick fixes and fixing small things.»