The Importance of Your Program Descriptions

by Gwen Thomas
March 1, 2009

What do you think your organization’s business-side managers would conclude about this program? What do you think they would conclude about the type of changes the data governance group would be proposing? What does this program definition say about the scope of efforts? Would the program be confined to data in the mainframe?

Now consider this definition: “Data governance is the formal orchestration of people, process, and technology to enable an organization to leverage data as an enterprise asset and mitigate risk.” (Source: http://0036f23.netsolhost.com/ data_governance.htm.)

With this definition’s focus on risk, I would expect the program to support a more formal approach to assessing data-related risks and implementing controls to manage that risk. What do you think? Because of the use of the word “orchestration,” I would infer that the way people, process, and technology will be used will involve careful alignment rather than heavy-handed pronouncements. Because of the goal of enabling an organization to “leverage data as an enterprise asset,” I would assume the program will be inspired by approaches used to manage other types of assets, such as physical and financial assets. What would you assume about such a program? Would you expect it to have a tactical or strategic focus?

Finally, let’s consider one last definition: “Data governance is the decision-making process that prioritizes investments, allocates resources, and measures results to ensure that data is managed and deployed to support business needs.” (Source: www.b-eye-network.mobi/view/8393.)

What would you infer about the focus of this program? Is it tactical or strategic? Is it concerned only with technical issues or also with business issues? Does it imply that someone in the organization already knows everything that must be done, or will participants be involved in making decisions? If so, what type? Would they be driven by ideals or metrics? Would you want to sign on for involvement with this program?

In conclusion, let me again acknowledge that as a member of the management team of an organization large enough to employ mainframes, you’re a busy person. You’re too busy to attend to all the details that cry out for your attention. That’s what you have staff for. Yet, if you’re expecting your staff to meet with other leaders to solicit their support for a program, project, or initiative that’s important to you, you should pay attention to one detail: the description of that effort. Read it carefully, and speak it out loud. Consider every word and what it implies, who would be involved, what they would be focusing on, and the ground rules that apply to their engagement. Carefully consider the implications of the definition.

Don’t be afraid to solicit multiple versions of a program description so you can pick and choose the exact words that will help craft the perfect elevator speech. After all, a great deal rests on that first impression.