Data Governance Communication Tracking and Planning Tool

Instructions:
A critical step for building strong stakeholder relationships and staff compliance for data governance initiatives is the regular communication of
data governance policies that set the expectation for staff to change their behavior. Timely and meaningful communication targeted to the
appropriate audience helps to reduce resistance from the organization, increase perception of the value of the changes, mitigate potential
risks, and improve the data governance steering committee's reputation.

Note: Avoid scheduling communications in competition with one another. Staggered communications delivered at the right time are more likely
to be acknowledged, thereby increasing their impact. Also avoid times when your intended audience may not be available, such as holidays,
popular vacation times, or during major enterprise events.
Communication Plan
1. Use this document to define and track the communication events for the data governance program.
2. In the table below, list the types of communication events and documents you will need to produce and distribute.
3. For each, indicate the purpose of the event or document, who the audience is, who will receive the document (i.e. stakeholders), how frequently the document must be produced, and who is responsible
for creating and communicating the document.
4. Some fields have been populated in light grey text as examples only. Delete these and input your own values. Add more rows as your communication events add up.
5. Hold the mouse pointer over column headings marked with a red triangle for further information.

Status /
Purpose Audience Format/Delivery Creator Communicator Delivery Date Completion Date
Notes

Communicate the formation All employees that

of the data governance manage and deal with Meeting presentation CIO CIO 3-Jan-22 2-Jan-23
committee organizational data

All employees that

Communicate data
manage and deal with Meeting presentation Project Manager Project Sponsor 5-Jan-22 4-Jan-23
standards and definitions
organizational data
 Change Communication Worksheet

1. Use this worksheet to organize the information you will need to develop the plan for communicating changes related
2. Refer to this information to complete any type of media communication to the enterprise (such as email, program tra
3. A new tab will need to exist for every communication event (typically used when new policies or processes are creat
4. Sample data has been provided in grey text. Replace this text with your own policy/event specific data.

Program Name: Data Governance Program

Program Sponsor: CIO
Policy Name: Data Standards and Definitions
Communications start date: 5-Jan-22

Standardizing data definitions

Describe the change that will be taking place:
throughout the enterprise

Will affect all employees in all

Define the impact scope of the change (i.e. who/what
departments that interact with
it will affect):
organizational data.

Explain the drivers of the change (e.g. customer

To ensure clean data exists across the enterprise
complaints, security holes):

List and describe the alternatives to the decision that 1. Do nothing. Rejected because the current situation does n
1
was made, and why they were rejected: will impact the organizations bottom line as a result of using

Primary Audience: Senior Managers

Identify the communications audiences (e.g.
2 Secondary Audience: Employees that directly deal with data
executive, department managers, end users):
Tertiary Audience: IT Service Desk.

Data Employees: Increased work as they become familiar w

For each audience, list their key objections to the
3 Management Teams: Increased work to manage the change
change (e.g. increased work, job insecurity):
IT Service Desk: increased workload as they deal with high

Data Employees: Increased accuracy in reporting and analy

For each audience, list the change’s key benefits for
4 Management Teams: Increased satisfaction with data, and v
them (e.g. fewer errors, less overtime):
5 List key change messages: Split these messages by the change you wish to reiterate to

List key communication milestones (e.g. draft e-mail,

6 Educational Meetings, training materials, performance metri
hold Q&A sessions with end users):

Identify key change communicators within the

7 organization (e.g. senior management, data stewards, Senior Management in their respective departments
data owners) that will champion the change initiative:

List communication media (e.g. print, e-mail, video)

8 and how they will be used to effectively communicate E-mail, webcasts, computer based training, print (training do
change:
or communicating changes related to a specific data governance policy.
rprise (such as email, program training meetings, etc..).
ew policies or processes are created through the data governance steering committee)
y/event specific data.

ts across the enterprise

ecause the current situation does not allow for proper management of data. Using bad data
ns bottom line as a result of using bad data to make business decisions.

Managers
ployees that directly deal with data sets in their respective departments
ice Desk.

ed work as they become familiar with new data definitions

eased work to manage the change and keep employee's accountable to their data sets
d workload as they deal with high level issues with new standards

ed accuracy in reporting and analytics

eased satisfaction with data, and verifiable data related decision making
he change you wish to reiterate to each department across the organization

ning materials, performance metrics explained.

eir respective departments

er based training, print (training docs, posters).