Chapter 1 — Studying data governance at Ridgeway

Chapter 1 — Studying data governance at Ridgeway

Lesson map

Lesson 01 published. Map, example, EX001.

flowchart TD
  N0["Learning outcomes"]
  N1["1.1 The student and the course"]
  N2["1.2 Why Harbourline needs governance"]
  N3["1.3 How the course works"]
  N4["1.4 Learning goals"]
  N0 --> N1 --> N2 --> N3 --> N4
  N4 --> EX["Worked example"]
  EX --> Q["Exercise EX001"]

Logical drawing

flowchart LR
  N0["Learning outcomes"]
  N1["1.1 The student and the course"]
  N2["1.2 Why Harbourline needs governance"]
  N3["1.3 How the course works"]
  N4["1.4 Learning goals"]
  N0 --> N1 --> N2 --> N3 --> N4 --> Q["EX001"]

[Learning outcomes]
    |
    v
[1.1 The student and the course]
    |
    v
[1.2 Why Harbourline needs governance]
    |
    v
[1.3 How the course works]
    |
    v
[1.4 Learning goals]
    |
    v
[Worked example] --> [Exercise EX001]

Learning outcomes

You will (1) describe the course and its case; (2) explain why organisations govern data; (3) set personal learning goals.

1.1 The student and the course

Amara Okafor begins a four-year bachelor's degree in information management at the fictional Ridgeway University. Her tutor, Dr. Paul Lindqvist, explains that the course follows one organisation throughout: Harbourline Co-operative, a fictional grocery co-operative with forty stores and about a quarter of a million loyalty members. Each year adds depth, from basic data skills in year one to governance design, a placement and a dissertation in later years. All data used in exercises and labs are synthetic, created for teaching. Amara is excited.

1.2 Why Harbourline needs governance

Harbourline holds sales, stock, supplier, staff and loyalty data. Managers complain that reports disagree, that nobody knows which customer list is current and that a recent marketing email went to members who had asked not to be contacted. Dr. Lindqvist explains that these are governance problems: nobody has clear authority over data definitions, quality or permitted uses. Technology alone cannot fix them, because the underlying questions concern decisions, responsibilities and rules that people in the organisation must agree. Amara writes these complaints down.

1.3 How the course works

Each chapter introduces a topic, applies it to Harbourline and ends with exercises. Some chapters include short labs written in Python using only the standard library, run on synthetic data, with results quoted exactly in the text. Amara is told to keep a learning journal, noting questions and connections between topics. Dr. Lindqvist says that the journal will later help her choose a dissertation topic, because recurring questions often reveal what interests a student most deeply. She starts the journal that evening with three questions.

1.4 Learning goals

Amara writes three goals: understand why data go wrong in organisations, learn practical skills for checking data and be able to explain governance choices to managers who are not specialists. Dr. Lindqvist adds a fourth: learn to judge evidence, because governance decisions should rest on facts about data rather than impressions. They agree to review the goals each year. Writing goals early gives her a way to measure progress and adjust her choice of optional modules later. The goals are saved in her journal.

Worked example

Amara starts the bachelor's course, learns about Harbourline's disagreeing reports and misdirected emails, understands the chapter and lab format and sets four learning goals with her tutor.

Synthetic case. Ridgeway, Harbourline and all people are synthetic.

Errors and limits

Treating governance as a software purchase ignores decisions and responsibilities.

Exercises

• EX001 — Course case. Which organisation does the course follow? Rubric: 3 = Harbourline Co-operative;; 2 = partly correct;; 1 = other;; 0 = none.
• EX002 — Email problem. What went wrong with a marketing email? Rubric: 3 = it went to members who asked not to be contacted;; 2 = partly correct;; 1 = vague;; 0 = none.
• EX003 — Fourth goal. What goal did the tutor add? Rubric: 3 = learn to judge evidence;; 2 = partly correct;; 1 = vague;; 0 = none.

Continue studying — lesson 01 (chapter 01 of 40)

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