Data governance programme · collaboration model
L&D and Data Community Manager — working together
Joint ownership, SME consultation, community integration, and the scalability model — how the learning programme and the Data Community reinforce each other.
Who owns what — and where we decide together
L&D Lead owns
Learning journey architecture
Session design, activity sequencing, facilitation guides, scenario banks, assessment design, and transfer plans. The how of learning.
DCM owns
Community context and reach
Community relationships, domain SME network, insider knowledge of where tensions exist between roles, and post-programme engagement channels.
Joint decisions Scenario relevance SME selection Day-30 metric interpretation Cohort 2 design changes
L&D Lead owns
Measurement and reporting
Behaviour change metrics, day-30 data collection, aggregate insights for leadership, and programme iteration recommendations.
DCM owns
Community feedback loops
Informal signals from the community about what's working, which roles are struggling, and where the next pain point is emerging before it becomes a training need.
Joint decisions When to launch cohort 2 Which role to prioritise next How community graduates are recognised
The principle behind this model
The DCM has community reach that L&D can't replicate. L&D has design rigour that community building doesn't naturally produce. Neither is sufficient alone. The collaboration works when each side respects what the other brings — and when joint decisions are genuinely joint, not one person informing the other after the fact.
Five questions before designing a single session
01
What is the most common mistake someone makes in the first 90 days of this role — and what does it cost?
This question surfaces the failure mode the programme must prevent. It moves immediately from content to consequence — which is where the design work starts.
02
Can you show me a real situation — not a hypothetical — where this role made the difference between a data initiative succeeding or failing?
Real examples become session scenarios. The more specific and uncomfortable the example, the better the learning design. Generic examples produce generic training.
03
What does someone in this role need to be able to do that they probably can't do yet — and what's stopping them?
This is Cathy Moore's action map question. The answer separates skill gaps from environment gaps from motivation gaps. The design changes completely depending on which gap is primary.
04
Who else in this organisation already does this role well — and would they spend 20 minutes with a learner cohort?
Internal peer credibility beats external expertise in corporate learning. The DCM's network is the fastest route to these people. This question makes the collaboration with the DCM immediately practical.
05
If this programme works perfectly, what will you see people doing differently in six months that you don't see today?
This becomes the success criterion. It also reveals whether the SME is thinking about behaviour change or knowledge transfer. If they describe behaviour, we're aligned. If they describe content, the conversation isn't finished yet.
How the DCM fits here
The DCM attends the SME consultation session as a co-facilitator — they know the SME, they know the community dynamics, and they can challenge or validate the SME's perspective in real time. This makes the consultation faster, richer, and more honest than an L&D-only conversation would be.
Post-programme community integration — what happens after day 30
Day 30
Programme graduate status
Participants who complete the action plan and pass the manager check-in receive a verified programme graduate status in the Data Community. Not a certificate — a community role that comes with visibility and access.
DCM publishes to community Visible to all members
Month 2
Community office hours contribution
Graduates are invited — not required — to join one Data Community office hours session as a peer voice. They share one thing that surprised them in the first 30 days of their role. This benefits the next cohort and builds the graduate's confidence and visibility simultaneously.
Facilitated by DCM 30 minutes · optional
Month 3
Peer mentor for cohort 2
Graduates who volunteer become peer mentors for the next cohort — one conversation per week with a new participant in the same role. The DCM matches pairs based on role and domain similarity.
Matched by DCM Voluntary · high value
Month 6
Six-month community gap assessment
The DCM runs a community-wide gap assessment at six months. L&D uses the results to design the next intervention. Community intelligence feeds programme design — programme graduates feed community growth.
Joint L&D and DCM Informs cohort 3 design
Why this matters for the programme
Most learning programmes end at day 30. This one doesn't. The community integration arc means every cohort makes the next one better — and the Data Community grows in quality, not just size. The DCM's community becomes the infrastructure for sustained behaviour change. L&D provides the design rigour. Together they produce something neither could produce alone.
From pilot to scaled — what changes at each stage
Pilot — cohort 1
L&D Lead facilitates everything
L&D Lead runs all sessions
DCM co-facilitates session 4
All materials created and tested
Day-30 data collected manually
Not yet scalable — intentionally
Scale — cohort 2–3
Internal SME takes session 1
Train-the-trainer for session 1
Session 1 scenario sort runs async
Session 2 brief clinic peer-led
Facilitator guides complete
Cohort 1 graduates as mentors
Scaled — cohort 4+
Programme runs without L&D present
Internal SMEs facilitate all sessions
Sessions 1 and 2 self-paced
DCM runs session 4 independently
Day-30 data automated
L&D reviews and iterates only
Global — year 2+
Localised and self-sustaining
Scenario banks localised per region
Regional SME facilitator network
Community gap assessment drives iteration
L&D owns design standards only
DCM owns community and cohort rhythm
The design principle behind the scalability model
A programme that requires the L&D Lead in the room to function is not a programme — it is a series of workshops. The goal from day one is to design something that can be handed off. The pilot is where you earn the right to hand it off. Cohort 1 exists to build the materials, test the scenarios, and train the people who will run cohorts 2 through 10.