How can you align data governance with GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO?

1 Understand the requirements

The first step is to understand the specific requirements and expectations of each framework that applies to your organization. GDPR is the European Union's regulation that governs the processing of personal data of individuals in the EU and the EEA. It grants data subjects various rights, such as access, rectification, erasure, and portability of their data, and imposes obligations on data controllers and processors, such as obtaining consent, implementing security measures, and reporting breaches. HIPAA is the US federal law that regulates the handling of protected health information (PHI) by covered entities and business associates in the health care sector. It establishes standards for privacy, security, and notification of PHI, and requires compliance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule and the HIPAA Security Rule. ISO is a family of international standards that provide guidelines and best practices for various aspects of data management, such as quality, security, risk, audit, and governance. ISO standards are voluntary, but they can help organizations demonstrate their commitment to data excellence and compliance.

2 Define your goals and scope

The next step is to define your goals and scope for data governance in relation to each framework. What are the benefits and challenges of complying with each framework? How does each framework align with your business objectives and values? How does each framework affect your data stakeholders and processes? How much data do you need to collect, store, analyze, and share to meet each framework's requirements? How do you measure and monitor your data performance and compliance? You should answer these questions and establish clear and realistic goals and scope for your data governance program.

4 Implement your data governance framework

The fourth step is to implement your data governance framework in your organization. This involves communicating your data governance vision and values to your data stakeholders, assigning and training your data roles, applying and enforcing your data policies and procedures, deploying and integrating your data tools and systems, collecting and validating your data sources, securing and protecting your data assets, analyzing and reporting your data insights, and reviewing and improving your data practices. You should implement your data governance framework in a phased and iterative manner, starting with the most critical and sensitive data areas and processes, and expanding to the rest of your data landscape.

5 Monitor and evaluate your data governance framework

The final step is to monitor and evaluate your data governance framework and its alignment with each framework. This involves measuring and tracking your data metrics and indicators, such as data quality, data security, data privacy, data ethics, data value, and data compliance. You should also conduct regular data audits and assessments to verify and validate your data activities and outcomes, and to identify and address any gaps, risks, or issues. You should also solicit and incorporate feedback from your data stakeholders, such as data subjects, data users, data providers, data regulators, and data partners, to ensure that your data governance framework meets their needs and expectations. You should also review and update your data governance framework as needed to reflect any changes or developments in your data environment, such as new data sources, data technologies, data regulations, or data standards.