Key takeaways
- A data strategy defines what data you need, who owns it and how it stays trustworthy
- Name data owners and stewards for each domain
- Begin with the ten most disputed definitions and the most error-prone dataset
Governance roles
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Data owner | Senior person accountable for a data domain, such as student records or admissions |
| Data steward | Day-to-day quality, definitions and access decisions for a domain |
| System owner | Operation and configuration of the systems holding the data |
| Data protection lead | Compliance with privacy law and internal policy |
Strategy components
Data inventory
What data you hold, where, and why.
Authoritative sources
Which system is the source of truth for each data type.
Shared definitions
A data dictionary used by every report.
Quality processes
Validation at entry, regular checks and a route to fix issues.
Access policy
Role-based access and approval for exceptions.
Retention & deletion
How long data is kept and how it is disposed of.
Getting started
Name owners
Assign owners and stewards for the main data domains.
Agree ten definitions
Start with the terms most often disputed in reports.
Fix the worst source
Pick the most error-prone dataset and clean it with a lasting process.
Document integrations
Record how data moves between systems.
Frequently asked questions
Who should own student data?
A senior data owner per domain, supported by a data steward for daily quality and definitions.
What is the first step in a data strategy?
Name owners for the main data domains and agree definitions for the terms most often disputed in reports.