A Data Governance Charter serves as a foundational guide for committees or individuals responsible for managing data assets. It helps define their scope—both at inception and as it evolves—along with key activities and objectives. Additionally, it communicates the importance of effective data governance across the organization and highlights its benefits.
To support this effort, we’ve provided a template outlining the essential components of a charter, along with a detailed example. The example illustrates a comprehensive charter designed for data governance in a large healthcare organization. Use the relevant sections to introduce data governance within your organization, adding structure as needed.
Key Components
- Purpose: A brief statement about why the group exists, what problems it will address, and its overall objective.
- Scope: A statement about what the committee is expected to do and accomplish, along with identification of boundaries
- Responsibilities: A summary of the key responsibilities of the committee.
- Goals: A list of SMART goals that are more strategic in nature and, once achieved, will address / resolve the problems identified in the purpose statement.
- Membership: A list of who will participate on the committee and their role (committee chair, voting member, ad-hoc member, etc.). You may also include subgroups or subcommittees that will assist in achieving the goals of the committee (data services subgroup, BI department, etc.). As necessary, a visual representation or statement about the relationship of the committee with respect to other decision-making bodies within the organization.
- Implementation: Implementing the Data Governance Charter involves a series of strategic actions designed to align the organization’s Data Management practices with its overarching goals. This process starts with the establishment of a dedicated Data Governance team and the development of an operational plan that outlines specific tasks, timelines, and responsibilities.
- Metrics: Metrics are crucial for assessing the effectiveness of the Data Governance framework and ensuring accountability across the organization. They provide quantifiable data points that help measure success and identify areas for improvement