The relationship between IT and Business in the context of data quality and data governance can be likened to a classic children’s game.

Just like in the game where a dropped letter symbolizes a missed connection, the collaboration between IT and Business is crucial for ensuring data quality and governance.

In this article, we delve into this relationship and shed light on the respective roles and responsibilities.

The Love Letter Analogy

Imagine yourself experiencing the early stages of deep and passionate love. Suddenly, circumstances force you to move hundreds of miles away from your beloved. Overflowing with emotions, you decide to express your feelings through a heartfelt letter—a letter meant to captivate and win over your love. As you hit the send button, you eagerly anticipate the safe delivery of your message, with the hope that it reaches its destination untouched and uncensored.

IT has a critical role to play in any data governance or data quality process.

They own the infrastructure, they are responsible for security, and they must “deliver the letter.”

The Business Person’s Accountability

As a business person, you hold the key to the letter—the embodiment of your passion and understanding of the business value of data. No one else can truly grasp the depth of your emotions or successfully advocate for your love like you can.

It is essential for business users who intimately understand the business context and data’s value to take ownership of setting the correct standards and ensuring they align with business needs.

IT can only make changes to data if they are in line with these business standards. And critical content should not be changed at all.

Collaboration is Key

While IT holds the technical expertise and provides system support, data governance and data quality projects necessitate the involvement of both business and IT. In a perfect world, your letters would be compelling and reach their intended recipients flawlessly. Similarly, successful data governance and data quality initiatives require the fusion of business knowledge and technical implementation.

Conclusion

In the realm of data quality and data governance, IT and Business share a symbiotic relationship.

IT delivers the infrastructure and ensures security, while the business person owns the letter, representing the passion and business value of data. Effective collaboration between these two entities is vital for successful projects and the realization of data’s true potential. Without it, you will continue to drop the letter.

Learn the importance of integrating data quality and data governance for seamless data management practices.

Explore the relationship between data’s identity, function, and meaning in our post on the Data Wedge