National foreword

This British Standard is the UK implementation of ISO/IEC TR 38505‑2:2018.

The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical Committee IST/60/1, Governance of Information Technology.

A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its secretary.

This publication does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

This British Standard was published under the authority of the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 31 May 2018.

Foreword

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity. ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work. In the field of information technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee, ISO/IEC JTC 1.

The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the different types of ISO document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).

Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not constitute an endorsement.

For an explanation on the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.

This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, Subcommittee SC 40, IT Service Management and IT Governance.

A list of all parts in the ISO 38505 series can be found on the ISO website.

Introduction

This document describes what the governing body of an organization expects and requires from the data management team in order to be assured that the governing principles of IT can be implemented and are being upheld for data and its use by the organization.

As the core business processes of nearly all organizations become much more reliant on data, the strategic use of that data makes its governance a priority for the governing bodies of organizations. This governance of data, as part of the overall governance of IT, aims to help the organization extract business value from the data, while operating at an acceptable level of risk and with an appropriate level of accountability of the data and its use.

The governing body is responsible for the strategy of the organization and as ISO/IEC TR 38502 states: “Managers are responsible for achieving organizational strategic objectives within the strategies and policies for use of IT set by the governing body”.

However, management not only accepts the strategy as set by the governing body, it should also provide proposals and plans to assist with the creation of that strategy.

The impact of data to the organization can be highlighted through its many potential uses - including improving operations, altering the nature of products and services, informing and enabling employees, customers and suppliers.

Management can inform the governing body of the existing and required data management capabilities to support such data uses as well as inform them of technologies that enable new data scenarios that can impact strategic plans.

The governing body evaluates such data use options and forms a strategy regarding the use of data and the associated value, risk and constraints so it aligns to and supports the overall organizational purpose.

Utilizing the framework outlined in ISO/IEC 38505‑1, this document examines the data management implications of such strategy, showing how the strategy can inform data policy, processes and controls. Those same controls and processes should also be designed to monitor the implementation of the strategy such that the governing body can be assured of the performance and conformance to the strategy.

1 Scope

This document provides guidance to the members of governing bodies of organizations and their executive managers on the implications of ISO/IEC 38505‑1 for data management. It assumes understanding of the principles of ISO/IEC 38500 and familiarization with the data accountability map and associated matrix of considerations, as presented in ISO/IEC 38505‑1.

This document enables an informed dialogue between the governing body and the senior/executive management team of an organization to ensure that the data use throughout the organization aligns with the strategic direction set by the governing body.

This document covers the following:

identifying the information that a governing body requires in order to evaluate and direct the strategies and policies relating to a data-driven business;
identifying the capabilities and potential of measurement systems that can be used to monitor the performance of data and its uses.

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

4 Governance and management roles

4.1 General

4.2 The governance role

4.3 The management role

5 Connecting business strategy to data management

6 Establishing policies through the checklist of considerations

Bibliography

PD ISO/IEC TR 38505-2:2018

Information technology. Governance of IT. Governance of data - Implications of ISO/IEC 38505-1 for data management

Current

Published:

31 Oct 2022