Chapter 15 — Working with a steward
Lesson map
Lesson 15 published. Map, example, EX057.
flowchart TD
N0["Learning outcomes"]
N1["15.1 The steward's role"]
N2["15.2 Regular support"]
N3["15.3 Escalating decisions"]
N4["15.4 Keeping records"]
N0 --> N1 --> N2 --> N3 --> N4
N4 --> EX["Worked example"]
EX --> Q["Exercise EX057"]
Logical drawing
flowchart LR
N0["Learning outcomes"]
N1["15.1 The steward's role"]
N2["15.2 Regular support"]
N3["15.3 Escalating decisions"]
N4["15.4 Keeping records"]
N0 --> N1 --> N2 --> N3 --> N4 --> Q["EX057"]
[Learning outcomes]
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v
[15.1 The steward's role]
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v
[15.2 Regular support]
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v
[15.3 Escalating decisions]
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v
[15.4 Keeping records]
|
v
[Worked example] --> [Exercise EX057]
Learning outcomes
You will (1) understand the steward role; (2) support a steward with regular tasks; (3) escalate decisions correctly.
15.1 The steward's role
Linkway appoints a data steward for passenger data, a planner named Ms. Price, while Mr. Hughes remains the data officer overseeing all data. Mr. Osei explains that stewards look after the meaning, quality and rules of a data area day to day, and decide many practical questions. Technicians like Marta support stewards by running checks, preparing information and making approved changes. Marta notes that knowing who the steward is tells her where to take questions about passenger data. Ms. Price welcomes her support.
15.2 Regular support
Marta prepares a weekly summary for Ms. Price: missing counts by route, invalid values, upload delays and open issues. Ms. Price reviews it and decides what to follow up. When she asks for a new check on counts much higher than usual, Marta writes it and adds it to the summary. Marta learns that regular, short summaries help stewards stay on top of quality without spending long hours on data themselves. The summary takes Marta about an hour to prepare each week, and Ms. Price reads it in a few minutes before her Monday meeting.
15.3 Escalating decisions
A planner asks Marta to change last month's counts on Route 4 because a school trip used a regular bus and inflated numbers. Marta knows this would change figures reported to the authority. She tells the planner that Ms. Price must decide, and passes on the request with details. Ms. Price decides to keep the counts but add a note explaining the school trip, which the authority accepts. Marta records the request and the decision in the issue log, and the planner thanks her for passing it to the right person rather than making the change.
15.4 Keeping records
Marta records each decision Ms. Price makes in the issue log or a decision list, with the date and reason. When the authority later asks about the Route 4 note, Mr. Hughes finds the decision quickly. Mr. Osei notes that recorded decisions protect everyone: the steward can show her reasoning, the technician can show she followed instructions and the company can explain its figures. Marta keeps the decision list next to the issue log, and Ms. Price reviews it each month to make sure the reasons are clear enough for someone reading them a year later.
Worked example
Marta supports steward Ms. Price with weekly summaries and a new high-count check, passes a request to change Route 4 counts to her, records the decision to add a note and sees the record answer a later authority question.
Synthetic case. Roles are synthetic.
Errors and limits
Technicians changing reported figures without the steward bypass accountability.
Exercises
- EX057 — Steward name. Who is the passenger data steward? Rubric: 3 = Ms. Price;; 2 = partly correct;; 1 = other;; 0 = none.
- EX058 — New check. What new check did Ms. Price request? Rubric: 3 = counts much higher than usual;; 2 = partly correct;; 1 = vague;; 0 = none.
- EX059 — Route 4 decision. What did Ms. Price decide about Route 4? Rubric: 3 = keep counts and add an explanatory note;; 2 = partly correct;; 1 = change;; 0 = none.
- EX060 — Decision record use. How did the decision record help later? Rubric: 3 = Mr. Hughes found it quickly when the authority asked;; 2 = partly correct;; 1 = vague;; 0 = none.
Continue studying — lesson 15 (chapter 15 of 18)
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