Increasing numbers of organisations are becoming data driven and digital transformation is high on the agenda for many of my clients. These really are exciting times from a data point of view. The landscape in which we work is changing rapidly with machine learning and AI increasingly influencing our daily lives. If you are reading this blog, then hopefully I do not need to convince you of the importance of data governance to support digital transformation, AI and machine learning. Right now is not only a good time but a necessary time to be embracing Data Governance.

So perhaps you are among the many people I speak to who say that 2019 is the year you are going to get Data Governance in place in your organisation? Regardless of the endeavour, it is common for people to renew their efforts at the beginning of the year. Most people have had a break and are feeling refreshed and energised, ready to face the challenges that implementing data governance inevitably brings.

But I want to urge caution, whilst energy and enthusiasm are vital ingredients, on their own, they will not ensure your data governance initiative is successful. I used to think that was the case but be assured you also need a structured approach and a clear plan.

When I was planning in 2019, I decided to make it my mission to help as many people as possible to be successful in data governance. So I decided that this year there was something more I could do to help you be more successful.

Over the 16 years, I have been doing data governance, I have created and refined a methodology that ensures all the necessary building blocks are addressed and in the right order. This ensures that a data governance framework can be designed and implemented successfully, regardless of the industry and culture of an organisation. It is this methodology that is the basis of my training course.

Being a "Data Governance geek" I like templates and lists, so as part of this methodology I have a checklist. This checklist details everything I need to do or consider, plus the order in which I need to do it and it is this checklist that I use when helping my clients design and implement data governance frameworks. To be honest, I have followed it so many times over the years that I don't need to look at it very often these days! This got me thinking, it was a shame that something I have found so valuable is just sitting neglected.

So I have decided to share this checklist with a wider audience. A high-level version is now freely available on my website and the full version of my checklist will be given to everyone who does either my online or face-to-face training (and indeed I will be sending a copy to everyone who has ever completed my training to date).

I do hope that you find this resource as helpful as I have over the years.

Download Checklist