Tiankai Feng, Data Strategy & Data Governance Lead at ThoughtWorks, discusses making data governance fun, challenges of data governance, measuring ROI, non-invasive approaches, generative AI implications, and organizational culture in a creative and engaging manner.
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Quick takeaways
Introducing creativity and fun into data governance can overcome resistance and foster better engagement.
Robust data governance practices are essential in the face of evolving business models, data regulations, and emerging technologies.
Deep dives
Rebranding Data Governance for Engagement
To shift perspectives on data governance, it is crucial to change its branding. Utilizing creative approaches like songwriting and humor can introduce elements of fun and accessibility to a typically serious topic. By starting communications with engaging quotes or references like Star Wars, resistance to data governance can be overcome, fostering better engagement and understanding.
Importance of Data Governance in Digital Transformation
In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, data governance plays a critical role for organizations. Factors such as changing business models, increased data literacy, evolving regulations like the UAI Act and GDPR, and the influence of emerging technologies like AI emphasize the necessity of robust data governance practices. Effective data governance ensures data security, trustworthiness, and compliance amidst digital advancements.
Creating Value and Overcoming Resistance in Data Governance
Demonstrating the value of data governance is essential to overcoming resistance and fostering engagement. By focusing on risk avoidance, cost reduction, and revenue generation, data governance initiatives can articulate their impact more effectively. Collaborative efforts across teams and ongoing communication are key in showcasing the tangible benefits of data governance, leading to greater buy-in and successful implementation.
Building a Successful Data Governance Framework
A successful data governance program hinges on people, processes, and tools. Prioritizing buy-in from leaders and team members, starting small to show quick wins, and embedding data governance seamlessly into existing business processes are foundational to success. By emphasizing cross-functional collaboration, iterative approaches, and stakeholder involvement, organizations can establish effective data governance frameworks that drive value and support data-driven initiatives.
Countless companies invest in their data quality, but often, the effort from their investment is not fully realized in the output. It seems like, despite the critical importance of data quality, data governance might be suffering from a branding issue. Data governance is sometimes looked at as the data police, but this is far from the truth. So, how can we change perspectives and introduce fun into data governance?
Tiankai Feng is a Principal Data Consultant and Data Strategy & Data Governance Lead at Thoughtworks, He also works part-time as the Head of Marketing at DAMA Germany. Tiankai has had many data hats in his career—marketing data analyst, data product owner, analytics capability lead, and data governance leader for the last few years. He has found a passion for the human side of data—how to collaborate, coordinate, and communicate around data. TIankai often uses his music and humor to make data more approachable and fun.
In the episode, Adel and Tiankai explore the importance of data governance in data-driven organizations, the challenges of data governance, how to define success criteria and measure the ROI of governance initiatives, non-invasive and creative approaches to data governance, the implications of generative AI on data governance, regulatory considerations, organizational culture and much more.