Dataplace

From project thinking to capability thinking

Many organisations approach a data inventory as a one-off project:

gather the information,
publish a spreadsheet,
mark it complete.

This approach consistently fails. Inventories built this way are typically out of date within 18 months.

Building a data inventory is the first stage of developing an enduring data management capability. The six steps that follow are not a project plan — they are the phases of a continuous improvement cycle that your organisation will repeat and refine over time.

Thinking	Project mindset	Capability mindset
Goal	Complete the inventory	Maintain an accurate, useful inventory continuously
Ownership	Project team for duration	Named data stewards as ongoing business roles
Success	Inventory published	Inventory used, trusted and kept current
End State	Project closed	Inventory embedded in how the organisation works
Improvement	Lessons noted and closed	Regular review cycles with documented improvements

Getting governance right: data stewardship

The single most important factor in whether a data inventory succeeds long-term is whether clear human accountability exists for the data it describes. This is data stewardship.

Without stewardship, a data inventory is a document. With stewardship, it becomes a living capability.

Core stewardship roles
Your organisation should define and fill the following roles before the inventory goes live. The titles may vary — what matters is that the responsibilities exist and someone owns them.

Role	Responsibilities	Typically sits with
Data Owner	Accountable for a data asset or domain. Approves access, signs off on quality standards, and makes decisions about use and sharing.	Senior executive or business unit head
Data Steward	Responsible for day-to-day accuracy and maintenance of data assets. The operational counterpart to the Data Owner.	Business area, often EL1 or EL2 equivalent
Data Custodian	Manages the technical infrastructure where data is stored. Ensures security, backup and system availability.	ICT or Technology team
Inventory Manager	Coordinates the data inventory itself — consolidating updates, managing the template, running review cycles and reporting on currency.	Data governance or records management teams

Stewardship works best when it is embedded in position descriptions and performance agreements, not treated as a voluntary extra. Even a small agency needs at least one named person whose role includes keeping the inventory current.

Stewardship across organisational boundaries

For organisations that share data with other agencies, regulators, researchers or across jurisdictions, stewardship responsibilities need to extend beyond internal roles. Consider:

Who is responsible when a data asset is jointly held with another agency or organisation?
How are stewardship responsibilities documented in data sharing agreements?
How do you notify partners / stakeholders when a data asset changes, moves or is retired?

Dataplace can assist your organisation to establish clear roles, including specific approvers and related controls to data sharing activities. These will assist your organisation ensure stewardship roles are correctly reflected in the data sharing agreements and request processes.

Framework alignment

This guide draws on several frameworks and standards.

Step	DMAT Domain	Complementary standard	DCAM domain
1 - Assess	Strategy and Governance	Capability assessment	Data Governance
2 - Governance	Strategy and Governance	DAMA-DMBOK Governance framework	Data Governance
3 - Standards	Risk	DCAT, NAA AGRkMS, ISO 11179	Metadata Management
4 - Discover	Architecture	Microsoft Purview (Azure/M365)	Data Architecture
5 - Quality	Quality, Reference, and Metadata	ABS Data quality framework	Data Quality Management
6 - Sustain	All domains	Dataplace	All domains