Data Stewardship Council

Definition

A Data Stewardship Council is a formal group within an organization, typically composed of representatives from various departments (e.g., IT, marketing, sales, product management), tasked with guiding and enforcing data governance initiatives. Their primary role is to establish policies, procedures, and standards for data definition, quality, usage, and security. For product data, the council ensures consistency, accuracy, and compliance across all systems and channels, making decisions on data ownership, access, and lifecycle management.

Why It's Important for E-commerce

For e-commerce, a Data Stewardship Council is crucial for maintaining the integrity and effectiveness of product information, which directly impacts online sales and customer experience. Without clear oversight, product data can become inconsistent, inaccurate, or incomplete across different channels, leading to poor customer perception, increased returns, and compliance risks. A council ensures that product data entering a PIM system adheres to established quality standards, workflows are followed, and changes are managed responsibly. This centralized governance ensures that the single source of truth (SSOT) provided by the PIM remains reliable and trustworthy for all e-commerce operations.

Examples

• A large retail chain establishes a Data Stewardship Council to standardize product attribute definitions across all brands and regions before migrating data into a new PIM.
• The council reviews and approves new data entry guidelines for marketing teams, ensuring all product descriptions follow brand voice and SEO best practices.
• A member of the council from the compliance department ensures that all product safety certifications and regulatory data are accurately captured and updated in the PIM.
• The council mediates disputes over data ownership between the merchandising and marketing teams, ensuring clear responsibilities for product content.
• Defining a workflow for managing product data changes, where the council approves major updates before they are syndicated to e-commerce channels.

How WISEPIM Helps

• **Supports robust data governance:** WISEPIM provides the technical infrastructure to implement policies set by the council, ensuring data quality and consistency.
• **Enforces data quality standards:** Facilitates the application of rules and validation checks defined by the council to maintain high-quality product information.
• **Streamlines workflow approvals:** Integrates with defined workflows for data entry and updates, ensuring council-approved processes are followed.
• **Provides audit trails and versioning:** Offers transparency on data changes, allowing the council to monitor compliance with governance policies.

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