WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Data Foundation, Grant Thornton Public Sector LLC, and Qlik released a joint report titled “Effective Data Governance: A Survey of Federal Chief Data Officers”. The report surveyed federal government Chief Data Officers (CDO) to assess progress implementing their new roles and responsibilities. There are signs of progress, as federal agencies implement the Evidence Act and supplemental guidance from the Executive Branch. Read and download the full report here.
The bipartisan Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (Evidence Act) set clear expectations for federal agencies to strengthen data governance and also formalized the role and responsibilities of the Chief Data Officer (CDO) in agencies across the government. This report seeks to find out the state of the CDO role across the federal government.
Key Report Findings:
More than half of CDOs surveyed reported accomplishments including: improving data quality (64%), assessing staff capabilities and needs (57%), migrations to cloud-based services (57%), and availability of metadata (54%).
Federal government CDOs expect to continue progress in implementing key provisions of the Evidence Act and Federal Data Strategy 2020 Action Plan over the next year, including: further advance data inventories (71%) and improve data quality (64%).
54% of CDOs say they know what is expected and how they will be successful in their position.
Top Challenges Facing CDO Community:
Organizational change management
Defining CDO Role
Prioritizing with available resources
Executing data governance deliverables
Recommendations:
CDOs need sustained resources to implement data priorities.
Agencies must make increased data literacy a priority for all employees.
Agency leadership must recognize and support the CDO role and CDO community.
CDOs can benefit from the non-government user community’s involvement.
Want to learn more? Join us on Thursday, September 24, at 10:00 a.m. ET for a webinar on this newly released report. During this one-hour webinar, the co-authors will provide an overview of the key findings and recommendations. RSVP here!
Survey and Research Methods:
This report reflects the results of the first government- wide survey of federal CDOs. The Data Foundation compiled an inventory of all known federal chief data officers, including those recognized on federal agency websites, through social media, news reports, and a directory of federal employees. Additional insights and research conducted by report authors and Data Foundation staff supplemented the survey findings.
The Data Foundation invited CDOs to participate by email, to complete a web-based survey in January and February 2020. Data Foundation re-invited CDOs by email twice to those non-responding. Following the third invitation, Data Foundation contacted CDOs by phone for final non-response follow-up.
Following the field period for the survey, Data Foundation invited a sub-sample of CDOs, who consented for recontact, to participate in semi-structured interviews. These interviews provided additional context about the effects of the then-early phase effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the role of the CDO in select agencies.
About The Data Foundation: The Data Foundation is a non-profit think tank based in Washington, D.C. that seeks to improve government and society by using data to inform public policymaking.
Our research and educational activities proactively and rapidly address relevant, emerging data-related needs in the country with the goal of devising realistic solutions, accelerating policy coordination, and advancing innovation. The Data Foundation values diversity and transparency in pursuit of an equitable, data-informed society.
About Grant Thornton Public Sector: Grant Thornton Public Sector helps executives and managers at all levels of government maximize their performance and efficiency in the face of ever tightening budgets and increased demand for services. We give clients creative, cost-effective solutions that enhance their acquisition, financial, human capital, information technology, data analytics, and performance management. Our commitment to public sector success is burnished by a widely recognized body of thought leadership analyzing and recommending solutions to government’s greatest challenges. Grant Thornton Public Sector serves federal, state, local, and international governments. For more information, visit grantthornton.com/publicsector.
About Qlik: Qlik helps enterprises around the world move faster, work smarter, and lead the way forward with an end-to-end solution for getting value out of data. Our platform is the only one on the market that allows for open-ended, curiosity-driven exploration, giving everyone – at any skill level – the ability to make real discoveries that lead to real outcomes and transformative changes. And you get the freedom to use our cloud or any cloud you choose.
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