Pharmaceutical Company Leverages a Strategic Data Governance Approach to Enhance Data Trust

The US oncology commercial division of this global pharmaceutical company aimed to upgrade its data governance framework to meet industry benchmarks, raise trust in data, and improve its business decisions. However, they needed a strong partner with deep governance expertise to help them understand their current state (both locally and globally), identify industry norms, pinpoint a future state that would ensure high-quality data and compliance with critical industry regulations, and develop a roadmap to elevate the maturity of their data governance initiatives that aligned with the company’s overall governance program.  

They engaged Wavicle to develop a comprehensive data governance strategy that would adhere to strict pharmaceutical industry regulations and improve the integrity of their data to drive better decisions across the oncology unit. 

Facing issues establishing trustworthy data  

The pharmaceutical company’s oncology unit needed to go beyond surface-level governance practices and keep pace with industry standards. Aligning with enterprise-level data governance initiatives, they sought to augment their data governance processes to heighten trust in their data, enhance data quality, strengthen regulatory compliance measures, and elevate their reporting and analytics capabilities.  

Aiming to achieve specific milestones in its data governance journey, the oncology group set forth clear goals. First, they wanted to better understand the effectiveness of their existing governance program and compare current data governance maturity levels with established pharmaceutical industry benchmarks to get a clear picture of their place in the broader industry. In addition, they were determined to gauge their data governance standards against the well-established benchmarks of the financial services and retail sectors, recognizing parallels between pharmaceutical industry regulations and financial services regulatory frameworks like the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.  

To guide their journey effectively, the oncology division also recognized the need for a detailed roadmap, outlining specific steps, roles, responsibilities, organization change management (OCM) and socialization, and timelines to outline their path to achieving the data governance environment they aspired to have. However, they did not have the necessary personnel and data governance expertise to deliver the insights and future planning needed to achieve these goals. 

The pharmaceutical company’s oncology division partnered with Wavicle to address these needs and to ensure progression toward a higher level of data governance maturity.    

Cultivating confidence in data with a robust data governance strategy   

Based on the above goals, Wavicle devised a structured approach to achieve the oncology division’s goals, focusing first on a comprehensive assessment of their current state and governance needs and then on devising a thorough roadmap for their journey to reach their desired outcomes. 

Assessment 

As the first step of the data governance assessment, Wavicle conducted comprehensive interviews with business and technical data stakeholders across the oncology team to capture key requirements for the division’s data governance program. Following these interviews, Wavicle’s data governance experts consolidated and categorized insights, organizing feedback into distinct modern data governance pillars that provided a comprehensive understanding of the current state data governance landscape.  

On a scale of zero to five, the assessment identified the current governance maturity level of the local oncology division to be at 1.5, setting a baseline for their journey of improvement.  

In addition, Wavicle’s consultants evaluated the maturity of the oncology unit’s governance program against benchmarks in the pharmaceutical, retail, and financial services industries, respectively. This competitive benchmarking uncovered valuable insights into industry standards and opportunities for enhancement.

Roadmap  

Wavicle harnessed the insights from the assessment phase to pinpoint a data governance maturity goal for a three-year horizon to raise the division’s maturity level from 1.5 to 3.0, on the zero-to-five scale. Within this envisioned state, specific priorities took center stage, shaping a strategic evolution for the division’s governance practices. Using a phased approach, Wavicle built a roadmap that positioned the pharmaceutical company’s oncology unit to significantly improve data quality and trust to meet industry benchmarks and meet or exceed regulatory standards within that three-year period. 

One key element of the roadmap was the operational model, a blueprint illustrating the desired future organizational structure. This model details governance-related roles and responsibilities and includes an elaborate RACI (responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed) framework that defines governance-related expectations for each of those roles. Within this framework, Wavicle recommended essential activities to be incorporated into the target state, weaving in the roles of their strategic partners within this framework.  

In addition, the pharmaceutical company utilizes Collibra for data cataloging, metadata management, and more. Wavicle provided tailored recommendations for how to seamlessly integrate the tool into the oncology unit’s data ecosystem and detailed major activities crucial for the successful use of Collibra as part of the long-term governance strategy.  

Concurrently, the roadmap addressed a vital component – organizational change management. Any successful governance program overhaul must include a strategy for preparing the organization for impending changes, including how to identify key stakeholders, introduce new roles, and communicate new practices and responsibilities to ensure a smooth transition.  

Wavicle’s structured and systematic approach, from the interview process to the phased roadmap, was developed to improve data quality, ensure regulatory compliance, and enhance overall data governance effectiveness within the oncology division of the pharmaceutical company. 

Setting the stage for seamless data governance improvements 

Wavicle provided a modern data governance strategy that is positioned to make a substantial difference for this pharmaceutical company’s oncology division by providing a holistic solution to their data governance challenges.  

Through a meticulous assessment process, Wavicle ensured that the data governance program would specifically address the division’s business and technical stakeholders and their data and analytics needs. Moreover, Wavicle’s data governance maturity benchmarking against industry standards allowed for a clear comparison of the company’s oncology unit with peers, providing valuable insights and identifying growth opportunities.  

By defining the target state based on the assessment scores and benchmarking results, Wavicle’s team set a clear direction for improvement. This strategic approach addresses the company’s concerns about data quality and regulatory compliance and establishes a foundation for long-term success. The phased roadmap aligns with the division’s needs and opportunities to deliver measurable improvements and ensure the team has the quality data needed to effectively fuel analytics and insights.  

Wavicle is set to collaborate closely with the pharmaceutical company throughout the implementation of this data governance program. This partnership will facilitate the seamless integration of the proposed strategies and ensure that the tailored roadmap is effectively put into action, positioning the division to make informed decisions, implement effective initiatives, and contribute significantly to the evolution of patient care and pharmaceutical innovation.