Most data problems are really people problems in a trench coat.

Sure, data governance tools can make it easy to implement data quality & governance (DQ&G) policies, but implementation is the easy part. The hard part? Defining–and getting your people to actually agree on–the details in those policies.

No technology can decide for you who should be the data steward for which data points, nor can any DQ&G software resolve internal disputes over who should be able to access what sensitive data.

Organizations often rush to implement new data systems before they resolve existing data issues. While it’s certainly more fun to explore the latest tech, the greatest risk to any data project is not choosing the wrong tool, but failing to resolve ongoing challenges related to security, data quality, and consistent data categorization and usage.

Because conversations around DQ&G can become so contentious, we believe that collaborative communication strategies are an essential part of the DQ&G toolkit, one that could potentially save your organization from spending thousands in project overruns and months of delays down the road.

Join self-identified Data Plumber Lenore Flower and collaboration expert Brian Stauber to learn practical strategies for tackling the most stubborn roadblocks in your data governance plan. This deep dive will provide both practical communications skills and methodologies and core items to incorporate as you build (or grow) your organization’s DQ&G practice.

This session was originally presented at PASS Summit in Nov 2025 as a two-hour deep dive.