Navigating the Organization to Ensure Data Governance - Data Governance: Creating Value from Information Assets - page 35

emphasizing the reasons and benefits of the changes to the data gover-
nance policies and procedures ensures an effective and smooth transition.
Data is regarded as an important asset in organizations. It is an asset that
is constantly undergoing change unlike a static asset. Data governance
should consist of data management processes with appropriate checks and
controls built in. Maintaining change control logs of data, the request-
ing and authorizing body of changes, and maintaining version history
of the policies is helpful when dealing with data governance in diversi-
fied organizations. It also is useful during audit, enabling organizations
to explain why, how, and when data was shared, transferred, deleted, or
replaced. Change management also should address record retention poli-
cies and any changes to them. A change in the retention requirements
due to change in a regulatory requirement or amendment of laws may
not only result in a change in the duration of time data is retained, it may
result as well in a change in how the data itself is fundamentally managed.
It may affect the way data is retained electronically, its offsite storage, or
data disposition requirements.
Organizations undergo reorganizations to avail of opportunities, expand
their operations, or in the case of mergers and acquisitions. The impact of
the reorganization should be evaluated carefully and appropriate changes
in data governance plans must be incorporated. The data governance pro-
cess should be tied into the organizational change management process.
In case of business process changes that affect data and information pro-
cesses, the data governance committee should try to secure a seat on the
change management committee and provide the necessary expertise and
guidance when discussion of and decisions about various business pro-
cess changes occur. Many times changes in technology or in systems can
affect the data governance process. When there is a change in one busi-
ness system or application, it can have a rippling effect on other business
applications or systems that lie downstream from it or feed into it. Having
a plan to manage these changes and involving and keeping the application
owners and stakeholders updated and informed contribute toward a good
data governance process.
Changes in personnel also affect the data governance process in many
ways. People leaving or changing roles could result in changes in the data
custodianship, data ownership, data management, and points of con-
tacts. During the period of change, identifying appropriate backup and
contingency personnel, training the new personnel, and maintaining an
appropriate level of communication and documentation leads to an easier