Data Governance to Support Business Needs A Study with GKN Aerospace Engines

Sammanfattning

Data governance is an increasingly relevant topic considering the growing global datasphere.Mishandling data can have risks in the form of leaking sensitive data and missedbenefits from high data quality. Companies are struggling to implement successful datagovernance since it is hard to convey the value of data governance to chief executives,there is insufficient cooperation between business functions and IT functions, and there isa lack of data literacy.The purpose of this study is to analyse how organisations can provide conditions for datagovernance initiatives to succeed.A qualitative approach was used because of the complex nature of data governance. Thedata collected were both from a literature study, which resulted in a frame of reference,and an interview study with different experts. A majority of the interviewees were doneat GKN Aerospace, also the idea-provider for this study. GKN Aerospace is currentlylooking for ways to improve their data governance.The frame of reference includes scientific articles about data governance and its successfactors, frameworks and taxonomies, change management, communication within organisationsand portrayal of value, cross-functional collaboration as well as theory aboutGenerative AI and external factors. Besides scientific articles, business reviews and consultingreports have been used to get the latest insights about the subject and also a morepractical perspective from people working in the field.The study has found that conveying the value of data governance to decision makers,increasing data literacy, encouraging change, and collaborating for data governance strategyformulation are all central for data governance initiatives to succeed. Conveyingvalue should be done using KPIs, highlighting concrete use cases of data governance, andfinally, employing a translator e.g. a Chief Data Officer. To increase data literacy andencourage change it is central to create a common vocabulary and understanding of datagovernance. Collaboration for data governance strategy formulation is enabled by decentraliseddata asset ownership for increased responsibility, a unified view of what data isstrategically important, and a flexible data strategy that is business oriented.