Program Mission
Aligning with the priorities established for UW–Madison, the mission of the Data Governance program is to allow for and facilitate campus-wide data-informed decision-making. The program seeks to identify what data exist or need to exist in the future, define what responsibilities exist related to the management of data, and assign accountability for those responsibilities to specific groups or individuals within the university. Read the full Data Governance Program Charter.
Program Pillars
- Data Stewardship: The program determines who has the authority to make decisions regarding access, priorities, and data usage, and under what conditions those decisions can be made.
- Data Quality: Those responsible for data stewardship are accountable for upholding minimum requirements for data quality and data management.
- The program brings campus experts together to evaluate how we institutionally balance.
- Data Standards: The program aligns data practice across the institution by documenting common data definitions and developing campus-wide data policies and procedures.
Data literacy and training: The program promotes data literacy through up-to-date and accessible institutional data documentation and training resources.
Goals and Objectives
- Establish a data quality culture that drives data-driven decision-making.
- Create structured accountability with defined roles and responsibilities.
- Draft and approve data-related policies.
- Facilitate collaboration and education related to data-related policies and use of data.
- Facilitate standard, consistent data definitions where appropriate.
- Ensure that data policies align with record retention policies.
Guiding Principles
- Transparency: It should be clear how and when decisions are made and processes are created.
- Metrics-Driven: We should measure and report on how we are doing against our goals.
- Consistency: All decisions should be applied consistently.
- Stewardship: While formal stewardship roles exist, it is everyone’s responsibility to protect the privacy, security, and confidentiality of our data as required.
- Accountability: Decisions and processes should be audited.
- Agility: All processes should be able to adapt when appropriate.
- Change Management: New processes will require a concerted effort in managing change among campus staff.
Data Governance Program Roles
Executive Sponsors
The Executive Sponsors will be responsible for program oversight, high-level project approval and prioritization, policy approval, and project funding.
Data Governance Council
The Data Governance Council consists of designated officials who have planning, policy-level, security, legal, and management responsibility for data across the university.
Data Trustees
Data Trustees are the university officials with authority over institutional data or the university’s use thereof.
Data Stewards
Data Stewards are assigned by and accountable to Data Trustees to help define, implement, and enforce data management policies and procedures within their specific domains.
