1
Rate current conditions
Score thirteen dimensions from “not in place” to “measured and improving”.
Governance assessment tool
Is your organisation ready to make data stewardship work?
Evaluate the operating conditions behind effective stewardship, identify role and workload gaps, and generate a practical 30/60/90-day activation plan.
No external API is used. Results are deterministic and depend on the information you provide.
How it works
Complete a focused evidence-based assessment, review the calculated readiness profile, and use the prioritised plan to activate or strengthen stewardship.
2
Check capacity risk
Provide domain, steward, and weekly time estimates to reveal likely workload pressure.
3
Act on the result
Use the score, role gaps, minimum viable model, and 30/60/90-day plan.
Methodology, limitations, and responsible use
The checker is a structured planning aid, not an audit, certification, or substitute for direct evidence and stakeholder validation.
Equal-weight score
Each of the thirteen dimensions contributes equally. This keeps the formula transparent, but organisations may decide that some dimensions carry more business risk than others.
Evidence quality matters
Use current role records, workflow evidence, issue logs, and operating experience. Planned controls should not be scored as already established.
Use the result iteratively
Reassess after a pilot, restructuring, tooling change, or expansion to new domains. Compare movement by dimension rather than relying only on the total score.
Related tools
Continue your governance planning with complementary assessments and calculators.
Frequently asked questions
Practical guidance for interpreting and applying the assessment.
What does the readiness score measure?
It measures thirteen operating conditions that enable stewardship to function: role clarity, ownership, capacity, selection, training, decision rights, workflows, escalation, incentives, measures, tooling, community, and executive support.
How is the score calculated?
Each dimension is scored from 0 to 4. The scores are added, divided by the maximum possible total of 52, multiplied by 100, and rounded to the nearest whole number.
What do the score bands mean?
0–29 means not yet ready, 30–49 early-stage readiness, 50–69 partially ready, 70–84 ready with targeted gaps, and 85–100 operationally ready.
Should every domain have a separate steward?
Not always. One steward may cover several related domains, but the allocation should reflect complexity, issue volume, decision demand, and protected time. The workload indicators help identify when coverage is likely to be too thin.
What is a minimum viable stewardship model?
It is the smallest practical operating model that can work reliably: limited scope, named owners and stewards, clear decision rights, protected capacity, standard workflows, escalation, simple records, measures, and active sponsorship.
How should we choose data stewards?
Select people with strong domain knowledge, credibility, judgement, communication skills, influence across teams, and enough available time. Technical knowledge can help, but stewardship should not be assigned solely because someone works in IT.
How much time should a steward receive?
There is no universal figure. Use actual demand from definitions, issues, controls, access decisions, and stakeholder support. A pilot should measure workload and adjust allocations before scaling.
What evidence should support the ratings?
Use role descriptions, ownership registers, issue and escalation logs, training records, workflow artefacts, decision logs, scorecards, meeting records, and recent examples of how stewardship decisions were handled.
Does a high score guarantee successful stewardship?
No. The checker does not validate culture, political support, data complexity, legal constraints, or execution quality in full. Use it as a structured planning aid and validate findings with stakeholders and evidence.
How often should the assessment be repeated?
Repeat it after a pilot, a significant organisational change, a new governance mandate, a tooling implementation, or expansion to additional domains. Quarterly reviews are often suitable during activation.
Can the result be used in an executive or board pack?
Yes, provided the score is presented with the formula, assumptions, evidence confidence, workload indicators, and limitations. Avoid presenting it as an external benchmark or independent assurance.
Is any information sent to an external service?
No external API is used. The downloadable CSV and JSON files are generated locally in the browser. Any future server-side storage should be implemented deliberately with appropriate security, privacy, retention, and access controls.