Of all the various questions I get asked, one of the most frequent is "Do you have a template for a data governance strategy that I could have?"

When I respond that I don't, I sometimes get the impression that the individual doesn't believe me and thinks that I am being deliberately unhelpful. But the truth is that I don't advocate using a template for creating a data governance strategy or copying other examples, so I don't keep any.

The reason for this is that for a data governance strategy to be successful it has to be aligned to the overall strategy of the organisation that it is for. By this I mean that it has to support achieving that strategy. It needs to be specifically written for each company with reference to its strategy and goals.

No two companies are identical (not even within the same industry) so you would not want to even rework or copy other examples. Getting your data governance strategy well defined and aligned with your corporate strategy is a key foundation for successful data governance and if you "cheat" this step, it is likely to have negative impact on the resulting data governance initiative and the benefits achieved.

Understanding how data governance will help your organisation achieve its strategy (or in the very least not hamper or distract from achieving it) is a key step to implementing data governance successfully, but it is only one part. If you are interested in learning more about how to develop your own data governance strategy and how to successfully design and implement a data governance framework, I am running my Getting Started in Data Governance course in London on the 25th March. In this one day workshop we will work through my proven methodology for implementing data governance. As an added bonus all attendees on the course will get a free Data Governance Coaching call, enabling them to start working out how to apply my methodology and framework in their organisation. For more details and to register for the course click here or feel free to contact me if you have queries about the workshop.

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