Program Phases

Phase 1 of the Data Governance implementation focused on establishing foundational structures that underpin Data Governance practices across the university.

• Defined the business case for Data Governance, documenting key use cases that illustrate its benefits
• Established the Program's Mission Statement, Guiding Principles, and Key Objectives, setting the strategic direction for the initiative
• Secured Executive Sponsorship and established the stakeholder structure, including the Sponsorship Group and Working Group
• Defined and organized Data Governance priorities into a three-phase roadmap
• Created the Data Governance website
• Worked with colleagues from across the university to inventory over 125 source systems
• Identified 62 Data Stewards and 75 Data Custodians supporting the source systems
• Formalized the Data Sharing Principles and Guidelines, articulating an institutional framework for appropriate use of Dartmouth's institutional data assets
• Drafted standards for receiving and responding to requests for institutional data
• Secured funding for part-time project management support with a plan to phase into a full-time position supporting the Program

Phase 2 of the Data Governance Program focused on institutionalizing governance frameworks and defining standards for the management and protection of institutional data.

• Onboarded a full-time staff member to support the Program
• Identified Dartmouth policies related to Data Governance in the Policy Portal
• Established the Guidelines for Handling Higher Risk Data, providing criteria for recognizing and securely managing higher-risk data
• Formalized the Requests for Student Data for Projects Involving Dartmouth Researchers policy, articulating institutional requirements for individual-level student data
• Developed and delivered two new training courses: Introduction to Data Governance and Data Stewardship at Dartmouth, reaching over 80 Data Stewards and Data Custodians through live sessions
• Transitioned from the Sponsorship Group to a formal Steering Committee with decision-making authority
• Expanded Data Governance roles to include additional stakeholders
• Developed and piloted a centralized Data Request form and workflow
• Collaborated with stakeholders to draft request-specific Data Use Agreements
• Partnered with Research Computing to make Granite available as a secure platform for delivering and storing sensitive data requested through Data Governance
• Enhanced the Data Request review process by including an Information Security review of data use and storage environments prior to releasing data to requestors

Phase 3 focuses on strengthening stakeholder partnerships and the integration of Data Governance principles, standards, and priorities across Dartmouth.

• Formally launch a centralized Data Request form and workflow
• Assess data needs in the context of AI and an evolving data landscape, and recommend infrastructure improvements to address them
• Develop and deploy a shared business glossary and data dictionary for consistency and efficiency
• Implement a routine training schedule and material
• Facilitate the shift to Data Governance-led decision making and standardization
  • Refine Program structures and standards to maximize efficacy and minimize burden
  • Identify ongoing and additional Data Governance-related institutional priorities
  • Develop a data systems roadmap for an optimal ERP implementation that supports both core transactional requirements and data aggregation for reporting and business intelligence