How to Turn Data Governance Into a Decision System
DATAVERSITY, Thursday, October 8th, 2026
Data governance should govern the conditions for trusted decisions, not just the data assets themselves.
The author argues that data governance often stops one step short, documenting ownership, quality, lineage and glossaries while staying disconnected from the decisions organizations must make and defend.
Data's value is relational, created by the decisions it enables, yet governance designed around assets rather than purpose leaves decisions to informal processes.
The article proposes extending governance to define and oversee the conditions under which data-driven decisions can be trusted, linking governance investments to business outcomes and risk.