Data Governance Interview with Danielle Kelbrick
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Danielle has worked in data for the last 6 years, primarily in Data Protection and now Data Governance. During this time, she has led various programmes including the creation of data processing registers, organisational-wide assurance programmes, and data mapping exercises.
Danielle is passionate about helping others (and organisations) achieve their goals using data, constantly aspiring to find a data utopia where she can kick back and relax. But in the meantime, taking a pragmatic approach to improving data one step at a time.
How long have you been working in Data Governance?
Officially, 7 months. However, the more I think about the other roles I have had in my career so far, the more I can see how they all includes small aspects of Data Governance that led me here. From risk assessing data for use in alternative dispute resolution, right the way up to using our data to improve processes when I worked as an Operations Improvement Consultant.
I am currently working as a Data Governance Lead at the IOPC, responsible for the creation and delivery of our first data governance framework and the establishment of the new Data Quality Team.
Some people view Data Governance as an unusual career choice, would you mind sharing how you got into this area of work?
I have worked in Data Protection for the last 5 years; having held various roles from Information Rights Officer to Deputy DPO. So, I am no stranger to data management and having to operate within the confines of a complex legislative and regulatory minefield.
I am also passionate about the work that we do at the IOPC, spending the last 5 years working on Data Protection made me realise there are so many other opportunities for me to support the business in achieving its objectives. When the opportunity to lead the first Data Governance Team in the IOPC came up, I jumped at it. This was my change to lead a program of work to fix data issues at the root, focus on data quality, and create a data governance framework that will help us to achieve our wider organisational strategy.
What characteristics do you have that make you successful at Data Governance and why?
The skills and characteristics required to be successful, depend on where your data governance journey starts:
People and Communication: even if you are the first person in post as Data Governance lead, do not assume that data governance has not been happening in pockets around the organisation, find those areas and build on them!
I like to think of myself as being people focused – my role is to understand the needs of different teams and departments to ensure I can design data, processes, and governance around them. This is how you create advocates for your Data Governance programme. It is also impossible to overcommunicate the value that can be gained from effective Data Governance and Data Quality measures. My ability to communicate with others, build relationships and then collaborate is key to both areas.
Resilience: working in any data role requires resilience, particularly so in Data Governance. You will have conversations where your opinion is the least popular in the room. You need to be resilient enough to push back when people disagree with you, but also to bounce back if the business chooses not to follow your advice and know that it is not personal. Implementing Data Governance is a marathon, with the occasional hurdles thrown in and you need to prepare yourself for those hurdles. Working in Data Protection really helped me to develop my resilience and work through challenging situations.
Are there any books or resources that you would recommend as useful support for those starting out in Data Governance?
I am most definitely a reader, I could easily list a ton of books here that have helped me on my way, but I will keep it short.
1. Data Means Business – Jason Foster & Barry Green
2. The Chief Data Officers Playbook – Caroline Carruthers & Peter Jackson
3. Managing Data Quality – Tim King & Julian Schwarzenbach
4. Data Governance – Alison Holt
I have also spent a lot of time delving into DMBOK 2 ahead of my CDMP exam, this is a useful book to add to your tool kit.
If you are not much of a reader, I would recommend the following:
1. The Data Governance Coach podcast – it is honestly like listening to a friend tell you all the things you needed to know, before you knew you needed it!
2. Webinars – if you are on a budget, there are tons of free webinars out there where you can listen to experts in the field, and network with others who have been where you are.
What is the biggest challenge you have ever faced in a Data Governance implementation?
Honestly, the biggest challenge I have faced so far is learning to trust myself.
Being new to this field it is easy to focus on reading, attend training, take advice from experts, and for you to think they know everything. There is one thing that you will know better than anyone else, how your organisation operates.
Whatever Data Governance implementation you are planning, needs to work for your people and your organisation, this is where the theory becomes reality. It has taken quite a while for me to learn to trust myself when making decisions around implementation, especially where this moves away from what the industry standard is. I am sure I have a lot more learning to do, and that mistakes will be made. But my job is to apply my learning in the context of my organisation and use those mistakes to drive improvement.
Is there a company or industry you would particularly like to help implement Data Governance for and why?
For me, it is all about making a difference. I have always had a passion for the law so being able to do my small bit in improving the Police Complaints System is an incredible opportunity. I am proud of the work that we do everyday so in a way I am already exactly where I would want to be.
However, I also think you should always keep looking forward to the future and consider any development opportunities. In the future I would love to be able to do more work in the Policing/Legal system and work with other areas of the Civil Service.
What single piece of advice would you give someone just starting out in Data Governance?
Do not dive in and try to change or fix things on day one, take a step back, speak to other teams, and stakeholders, and meet with your senior leadership. Learn as much about your organisation as possible, then you can assess its data needs and the levels of data governance required. One size does not fit all!
Doing this will help you to avoid making change for change’s sake, it will allow you to target your knowledge and resources to the areas where it is likely to add the most value. This will also help the organisation to build trust and confidence in your team and highlight to the business how adding value in small iterative steps can lead to changes in the data culture of the whole organisation.
