Before we explore the importance of data stewardship, let’s take a step back and consider the term 'Steward'. A steward is someone who looks after something on behalf of another. A steward cares for that which is entrusted to them.

So, a Data Steward is someone responsible for the care of the Data in the organisation—they are the caretakers of the Data Assets.

Everyone in the organisation should strive to produce quality data. However, the Data Stewards bear the responsibility for ensuring that this occurs and for addressing the situation when it does not.

Why is the role so important?

Data Stewards play a crucial role in the hands-on management and governance of data within the organisation. They act as custodians to ensure that the data is accurate, consistent, accessible, and secure throughout its lifecycle.

Data Stewards serve as the eyes and ears, the feet on the ground, and the heartbeat of a data-driven organisation.

Where to find Data Stewards

The organisation is filled with potential Data Stewards. All you need to do is identify them, nurture them, inspire them, and, most importantly, educate them.

Data Stewards are found in all areas of the organisation, including Business and IT. They are usually chosen because they are Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and have expert knowledge of their Data Domain. Then, they need to be enabled to perform the role to the best of their ability.

What do Data Stewards do?

Data Stewards must implement mechanisms to ensure adherence to standards and processes. They play a role in defining Governance Controls to ensure compliance with ethical and regulatory requirements. 

They define the quality expectations of the data – the rules, targets, and thresholds – and they monitor and report on improvements to data quality. Data stewards must manage what occurs in the event of data issues, posing questions such as: How should we handle this? How should we escalate this? How should we resolve this? How can we prevent this from recurring?

Here is a breakdown of what Data Stewards typically do:

• Data Quality Management
  • Monitor and improve data accuracy, completeness, consistency, and timeliness.
  • Identify and resolve data quality issues (e.g., duplicates, missing values).
• Data Governance Implementation
  • Enforce data standards, policies, and business rules defined by the data governance team.
  • Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements (e.g., GDPR, POPIA, HIPAA).
• Metadata Management
  • Maintain data dictionaries and business glossaries.
  • Document data lineage (where data comes from, how it’s transformed, and where it goes).
• Data Lifecycle Oversight
  • Track data from creation to archival or deletion.
  • Ensure proper data retention and disposal practices.
• Projects and Data Initiatives
  • Participate on projects and working groups to provide insights into the Data and ensure all aspects considered, e.g. Data Lineage, Data Issues, Data Governance requirements etc.
• Data Privacy and Security
  • Understand Data Privacy requirements
  • Ensure Privacy and security are applied in all environments e.g. Operational, Archive, Disaster recovery, Data Warehouse
  • Oversee implementation and testing of Data Breach response
• Collaboration with Stakeholders
  • Act as a bridge between business units, data owners, IT teams, and data governance bodies.
  • Translate business needs into data requirements and vice versa.
• Issue Escalation and Resolution
  • Identify data-related risks and escalate unresolved issues to governance committees.

In the past, things were simpler. All you had were the operational Data Environments. Times have changed; now there are Data Warehouses, Big Data, Data Lakes, Data Lakehouses, and Data Meshes. You also have Reference and Master Data Management hubs, Data Integration and Data Migration, along with new architecture requirements.

The Data Steward must contend with numerous demands related to data and respond to questions they may not have even considered. They are managing more data than we ever imagined. Furthermore, they now face the challenge of how to care for the data that AI and digital transformation require. 

The role of the Data Steward is evolving to encompass collaboration, enabling, and facilitation as some traditional tasks are managed by AI.

Of course, Data Stewards can also use AI to assist them with some of their tasks!

What Data Stewards need to know?

Here are just some of the skills required by Data Stewards:

• Strong understanding of business processes and how data supports them;
• Knowledge of Data Privacy laws and compliance standards (e.g. PoPIA, GDPR);
• Attention to detail and problem-solving ability;
• Excellent communication and documentation skills;
• Understanding of Data Quality requirements;
• Familiarity with data management tools (e.g., Collibra, Informatica, Alation).

With data underpinning everything the organisation needs to do, the role of the Data Stewards is more crucial than ever before. What efforts are being made to identify and support the Data Stewards in your organisation, and to equip them to address any challenges that future innovations may present?