How to build a Data Governance end-user community

The Real Challenge

Here’s a question for any Data Governance program manager: What do you think is the most challenging part of your program? Is it gathering all the metadata? Or is it interpreting your organization’s regulatory requirements?

We think it’s neither. Since Datashift was founded back in 2015, we’ve had the opportunity to support several clients in rolling out their Data Governance programs. Based on our experience, we believe that getting your organization to participate and creating buy-in is the most challenging obstacle on your road to success.

Let’s take a closer look at how we empowered one of our clients to achieve this. As this client started their Data Governance implementation and Collibra journey, their goal was to gain traction quickly. To engage as many end-users as possible, we set out on a mission to build a thriving end-user community—an approach we’ve successfully applied many times since.

Start-up: Create a Community Feeling

In the initial phase, we used a top-down approach. Priorities were defined based on the main concerns of the Central Data Office (often regulatory) and converted into use cases. From the beginning, we involved potential end-users and focused on the "why" of the use case.

But make no mistake: involving end-users is to no avail if you don’t listen to them. We made tweaks to the implementation based on their concerns. Our priority was making Collibra part of their day-to-day job by building a product that combined their needs with those of the Central Data Office. If extra incentives were needed—like extended editing rights—we didn't hesitate. After all, you only have one chance to make a first impression.

Next, we brought users together regularly to create a community feeling:

• Certification Sessions: Helped end-users obtain Collibra certifications.
• 1-on-1 Interactions: Facilitated networking between peers who could learn from each other.
• Ambassador Programs: Empowered early adopters to testify to the rest of the organization about the daily benefits.

Scale-up: Empower End-Users

The time then came to shift gears from a top-down to a bottom-up approach, empowering end-users to introduce their own needs. We formalized roles, such as the Data Manager, to streamline responsibilities.

As the community grew, we expanded our toolkit:

• Multimedia Training: Supplemented one-pagers with videos covering extensive learning journeys.
• Support Landing Page: Created a dedicated hub within Collibra for all defined roles.
• Annual Events: Transitioned from 1-on-1 sessions to a yearly Collibra Event.

Our first event saw nearly 150 people attend, including the Chief Data Officer. This proved the Central Data Office was no longer the sole driver of awareness; Data Governance Ambassadors were popping up everywhere.

But... Don’t Screw Up

While this phased approach seems obvious in hindsight, there are pitfalls. Here are our indispensable tips:

• First Impressions Matter: Ensure your story is consistent, relevant, and clearly tied to the organization's overall strategy.
• Keep End-Users Happy: Use "brown-bag" sessions to present topics and gather feedback. Send regular newsletters to keep the community invited and involved.
• Always Keep Listening: Let end-users demonstrate use cases to their peers. Information shared among colleagues is far more convincing than a mandate from the top.
• Focus on Continuous Improvement: Data Governance is a collaborative effort. It only succeeds when end-users keep adding content and ambassadors facilitate those efforts.

Next Steps

Not sure how to adapt your outreach strategy? Looking for inspiring ideas to reach your "Data Citizens," or searching for the best Data Governance tool on the market?

Get in touch with us we’d be more than happy to help.