The Goal is Autonomous Governance
Moving Data Governance into the Modern Age
A practical guide for enterprise data leaders navigating scale, complexity, and AI
Why this Book Exists
Most data governance programs were designed for a different era before:​
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Analytics at scale
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Decentralized data delivery
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AI-driven consumption
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Continuous data change
As a result, many governance efforts today create friction rather than trust, slow delivery rather than enable it, and struggle to keep pace with modern data and AI initiatives.
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The Goal is Autonomous Governance was written to challenge data leaders to move beyond manual, compliance-heavy models toward governance approaches that scale with the business.
What “Autonomous Governance” Really Means
Autonomous governance does not mean:
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Governance without accountability
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Governance without people
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Governance without oversight
It means governance that is:
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Embedded into operating models
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Enabled by metadata and systems
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Supported by clear ownership and decision rights
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Scalable across analytics and AI use cases
The goal is not perfection, but clarity, consistency, and trust at enterprise scale.
Who the Book Is For
This book is written for:
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CIOs, CDOs, CDAOs, and data & analytics leaders
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Governance leaders frustrated with low adoption
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Architects and platform leaders designing modern data ecosystems
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Leaders responsible for AI readiness and risk
If your organization is struggling to balance speed, trust, and accountability, this book is for you.
What the Book Covers
The book focuses on the practical realities of governing data in modern organizations, including:
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Why traditional governance models break at scale
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The role of metadata as an operating layer, not documentation
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Ownership, accountability, and decision rights
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Moving from manual controls to system-enabled governance
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Governing analytics and AI without slowing delivery
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How governance evolves alongside modern data architectures
The emphasis throughout is on where governance operating models are headed, not frameworks for their own sake.
How the Book Is Different
This is not a tool-focused book, nor a how-to manual.
It is not a compliance manual.
It is not an academic treatise.
It is grounded in real enterprise experience across decades of data platforms, consulting practices, startups, and executive advisory work.
The book is designed to:
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Be read by executives, not just practitioners
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Provide the elements of a new governance framework so leaders can plan and lead
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Establish a shared understanding and vocabulary for communicating future-state governance objectives
How Leaders Use the Book
Leaders can use this book to:
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Reframe internal conversations about governance
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Align stakeholders around ownership and accountability
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Inform operating model and organizational design strategy
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Support AI readiness and risk discussions
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Drive planning for policy-driven constraints, decision rights, and measurements with cross-functional teams
Related Thought Leadership
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TDAN Column: Crossing the Data Divide
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Thought Leadership Hub: Articles and executive papers on data, metadata, governance, and AI