A new fuzzy approach for managing data governance implementation relevant activities

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose an approach for managing relevant factors and activities for implementing data governance in an organization. The process of assessing the establishment of data governance in an organization is intrinsically imprecise, due to the characteristics of new problem settings, particularly in relation to newly generated alternatives or vaguely defined qualitative assessment criteria.

Design/methodology/approach

To reject the inherent subjectiveness and imprecision involved in the evaluation process, the authors use the concept of fuzzy logic in this approach for developing the assessment model and analyzing the model for allocating the management efforts in the most efficient way to improve the data governance deployment level.

Findings

This paper identifies relevant factors and activities for implementing data governance in an organization and evaluates the state of data governance based on causal relationships between influential factors. In this study, factors are prioritized for effective allocation of limited management efforts in any improvement plan.

Research limitations/implications

The interrelationships among factors are contextual and based on the perceptions of experts who may be biased as per their background and area of expertise. Meanwhile, lack of a data governance plan may cause failure during its implementation in an organization, as the worth of an organization's data will not be determined precisely. The paper has tremendous practical implications for organizations that intend to implement the data governance program and evaluate its state to design an improvement plan.

Originality/value

The paper proposes an approach for implementing data governance in an organization faced with limited resources for improvement.

Citation

Ahmadi, S., Tavana, M.M., Shokouhyar, S. and Dortaj, M. (2022), "A new fuzzy approach for managing data governance implementation relevant activities", The TQM Journal, Vol. 34 No. 5, pp. 979-1012. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-01-2021-0015