{"id":1166,"date":"2019-07-10T12:02:12","date_gmt":"2019-07-10T19:02:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lightsondata.com\/?p=1166"},"modified":"2022-05-31T07:42:05","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T14:42:05","slug":"the-ultimate-terms-of-reference-template-for-data-governance-council","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lightsondata.com\/the-ultimate-terms-of-reference-template-for-data-governance-council\/","title":{"rendered":"The ultimate Terms of Reference template for data governance council"},"content":{"rendered":"

Any working group, steering committee, strategy setting council and so on, will be more successful if it understands its purpose, responsibilities, and overall expectations. Outlining all these expectations will ensure a higher commitment and engagement rate from its members. This is also the case with a Data Governance Council<\/a> (or however else you would like to name it). In this article, I’ll provide you with the ultimate Terms of Reference (TOR) template you can start using for your council’s meetings.<\/p>\n

In a previous article, I’ve talked about what a TOR<\/a> is and what its 4 crucial components<\/a> are. In here, let’s outline how the document should be structured and what it should outline.<\/p>\n

Spoiler: I’m offering a free template<\/span> of a data sources inventory at the end of this article.<\/em><\/h5>\n

Document history<\/h4>\n

I start every document with outlining its versioning, what changes occurred and when they came into effect. Yes, most document management tools would have this as a built-in functionality, but having this outlined in the document itself helps ensure the most current document is being used and this metadata is agnostic of the document management platform.<\/p>\n

Council’s roles and responsibilities<\/h4>\n

I\u2019ve wrote in more detail about its purpose, roles and responsibilities in the\u00a0Data governance council \u2013 what is it and why do you need one?<\/a> article so I won\u2019t cover this again here, but I’ll outline examples in the template provided below.<\/p>\n

Organizational hierarchy<\/h4>\n

Since this group includes members from across the organization, it is important to explain where it lies within the organization. An organization hierarchy diagram fits perfectly here as it will visually outline who the group reports to and who reports back to the group. This is usually dependent on the\u00a0data governance operating model<\/a>\u00a0you will adopt.<\/p>\n

Membership<\/h4>\n

Include the criteria by which the members are appointed to take part in this group. Also outline the maximum number of members to take part.Ideally the membership will be reviewed every 2 year or as membership spots become vacant, but whatever the number of years you choose to recommend, make sure it’s mentioned here.<\/p>\n

Outline the names and titles they hold within the organization. It’s also best practice to outline their roles within this group. Typically you will have:<\/p>\n