Everything's under control. On paper.

Most organisations have policies and processes governing how their data and technology should be managed. They set out who can access what, how information should be handled, what controls need to be followed and what should happen when something goes wrong.

Having them is important. Getting people to follow them is even better. But neither necessarily means you're in control.

A policy can be perfectly well followed and still fail the business. It may not reflect how people actually need to work. The controls may not adequately manage the risk they're intended to address. Responsibilities may be unclear when something falls between the gaps. An escalation route may exist but fail to get an issue to the right person, with the right information, at the right time. And policies that were right when they were written can become less effective as the business, its technology and the risks around it change.

In this talk, Alan explores what it takes to move from having data and technology governance on paper to knowing that it works in practice. He looks at how policies and controls connect to operational reality, why usability matters, how ownership and escalation affect their effectiveness, and what organisations can learn from exceptions, near misses and the times when following the process still doesn't produce the outcome expected.

Done well, governance doesn't just protect the business. It enables it. Good policies and controls make it easier to demonstrate capability, respond confidently to customer and procurement requirements, pass audits, pursue opportunities and grow with confidence. Rather than simply creating more bureaucracy, good governance can remove uncertainty and give people greater freedom to act.

Because good governance isn't measured by how many policies you have, or even simply by whether people follow them. It's whether they create the protection, confidence and freedom to operate that the business needs – and whether you know when they don’t.

Who is this talk for?

Business and functional leaders responsible for data, technology, security, risk or compliance who are asking: “We have the policies, processes and controls in place – but how do we know they're actually working?” It's particularly relevant for organisations facing increasing scrutiny from customers, regulators or partners, where being able to demonstrate good governance can affect their ability to win business, pass audits, pursue opportunities and grow.

What will they take away?

A way to look beyond whether policies exist and are being followed, and judge whether they are practical, effective and helping the business achieve what it needs to achieve. They'll leave with a clearer understanding of how to make governance work in practice – and how to use it not simply to manage risk, but to give the business greater confidence and freedom to act.

About Alan

Alan Paterson is the founder of AIK Advisory and has spent more than 30 years helping organisations make sense of data, technology and information. His experience spans businesses of very different sizes, sectors and levels of maturity, including highly regulated environments. Find out more →