Trusted data for decisions
One set of numbers the whole organisation trusts
Data Governance Implementation turns governance from documents into daily practice: shared definitions, named owners and quality controls that run as part of the work. The aim is to spend less time reconciling figures and more time making decisions.
A senior lead replies within one business day. No obligation.
When every department brings a different number
Finance, risk and the business each calculate the same figure from their own extract. Nobody owns the definition, so nobody can settle the difference. Governance exists on paper, but not in how the work is done.
What it costs: Meetings spent reconciling, slower decisions, manual fixes before every regulatory submission, and growing doubt about every report.
What it sounds like:
“Finance, risk and the business each have their own numbers.”
“Regulatory reports take too long and still need manual fixes.”
“We have a governance policy. Nobody follows it.”
“Only one or two people really know where the data comes from.”
From policy to working control
We start with the critical data, reports and business processes that matter most, not the whole organisation at once. We work with your teams to establish definitions, clarify ownership and introduce governance controls for agreed priority areas. Governance then expands one priority area at a time.
Six components, from policy to practice
- Operating model:governance roles, forums and decision rights, including business data owners and data stewards.
- Policies and standards:short, usable rules that people actually follow.
- Glossary and metadata:shared business definitions, and a record of where data lives.
- Data quality:rules and checks for priority data, with clear ownership of every issue.
- Lineage:where key figures come from and how they are calculated, from source to report.
- Governance technology:tools that support the above, chosen to fit your environment.
Typical first result
The first priority figures defined, with named owners and an initial governance operating model.
A senior lead replies within one business day. No obligation.
How it works
- Choose the priority figures.With leadership, agree which figures and reports to fix first.
- Set up ownership.Name owners and stewards, and agree the forums where decisions are made.
- Define and trace.Document definitions and establish lineage for agreed priority data, at the depth defined in the project scope.
- Put controls into practice.Quality rules, an issue process and regular monitoring.
- Hand over and expand.Your team runs the controls; the next priority area follows.
Technical controls, such as automated quality checks and lineage tooling, are implemented where the agreed scope includes them. Your teams or delivery partners build them, under DataOfis design and oversight.
The six governance components shown moving from policy on the left to working control on the right.
- 1Operating modelGovernance roles, forums and decision rights, including business data owners and data stewards.
- 2Policies and standardsShort, usable rules that people actually follow.
- 3Glossary and metadataShared business definitions, and a record of where data lives.
- 4Data qualityRules and checks for priority data, with clear ownership of every issue.
- 5LineageWhere key figures come from and how they are calculated, from source to report.
- 6Governance technologyTools that support the above, chosen to fit your environment.
Who does the work
A senior DataOfis governance lead runs the engagement and works directly with your owners and stewards. Specialists from our network join for metadata, data quality and lineage. Where tooling needs to be built, delivery partners do it under our design and oversight.
Our leads' experience includes putting business data owners and data stewards in place in large organisations.
Working together
- Indicative initial phase: 1–3 months for a defined priority area. Broader implementation is planned according to the agreed scope.
- What DataOfis is responsible for: the agreed project deliverables within the agreed scope. Where a partner builds tooling, DataOfis is responsible for its design and oversight.
- Bought on its own: you can start here, or begin with a Readiness Assessment to find the gaps first.
- What we need from you: an executive sponsor, business leaders willing to take the owner role, and access to the people who produce the key figures.
Questions we often hear
Yes. We work within your environment and your security rules, and can recommend on-premise and open-source options where they fit.
No. The objective is governance that operates in practice: clear accountability, adopted processes, functioning controls and regular monitoring. Documentation supports these activities rather than replacing them.
No. Tools come after roles, definitions and processes are clear. If you need one, we help you choose it, with no vendor to favour.
It makes the data behind regulatory reports defined, owned and traceable. We don't promise regulatory outcomes; those depend on your regulator.
Yes. A Readiness Assessment shows where the gaps are before you commit to a governance programme.
Often combined with
Talk to us about your numbers
Tell us which figures cause the most trouble. We'll discuss where to start and what a first phase could cover.
A senior lead replies within one business day. No obligation.
Prefer to find the gaps first? See the Readiness Assessment