The Data Quality Issue Log (DQIL) is a central tenet of any sustainable data governance framework. It is the central repository for the entire organisations data issues, themed by urgency, priority and business alignment. It drives activity for the Data Stewards and acts as a point of accountability for the Data Owners.

So why does nobody to care about it then?

Mostly because it’s hard to link 500+ issues to something that feels tangible and important. The problem with a DQIL is it is a repository not a source of management information. It is a passive receiver of issues.

We want to bring this source of rich data to life. So let’s follow our principle around driving up the value of data consumption. By creating a compelling visualisation that will engage a wide audience.

That heat map is driven directly off a DQIL. Quadrant ‘A’ is clearly the sweet spot where our remediation efforts should be focussed, quadrant ‘B’ is where the hard but really important stuff goes, quadrants C and D need to be considered low priority regardless of individual enthusiasm for resolution!

I’ve found these heat maps incredibly helpful for coalescing a diverse stakeholder group around shared priorities. And gain their support to commit time to resolve the issues highlighted by those priorities.

There are many versions of this map, using different colours and sizes to represent what’s important for your organisation. It’s just as effective for joining Data Governance to your portfolio office and summarising the efforts of the DG team to senior leadership.

The skill here is to turn a repository of data issues into an engaging and coherent visualisation which drives sustainable action plans.

If you want to know how to create a visualisation like that, just drop me a note in the contact link below.