Data Governance Responsibility and Accountablity: The RACI Waterfall
In the course of a great conversation on Data Governance with Max Gano of Stakeholder Care, we began discussing the application of controls. Max had some great thinking on how they fit into the realm of Data Governance. The conversation reminded me of a RACI Waterfall that I had created a few years back. The RACI was created to show the chain of Responsibility and Accountability with regard to Data Governance. It also served to explain the importance of documenting the intention of controls and linking them to higher authority.
Governance involves the delegation of Responsibility and Accountability as shown in this RACI Waterfall. Governance is only effective when the decision rights have been granted by higher authority and are enforced by those who are responsible and accountable. Governance succeeds only when the chain of responsibility and accountability is unbroken, and the expectations are documented and published as shown below.
RACI Waterfall (click for larger view)
It is a simple concept really, but often overlooked when creating a Data Governance program. That is why many governance programs fail. Either they have not obtained the authority to govern from the senior leadership team, or the senior leadership fails to provide the appropriate backing. When the chain of responsibility and accountability has been interrupted then effectiveness of controls and standards has been undermined.
This can be avoided by ensuring the leadership team stays engaged and supportive, that expectations are documented, and that compliance is monitored. These need to be non-negotiable elements of your program.
