Emilie and Synthia, two project managers from the Collectif Récolte working on data governance at L’aube, set out to improve their data governance with a particular concern: how to adapt risk management practices to the reality of an organization of their size? Participating in the third cohort of Montréal en commun’s targeted support program transformed what appeared to be a complex challenge into an opportunity to experiment with social innovation.
Organization overview: L’aube, a food hub
L’aube is a food logistics hub that works closely with organic market producers to strengthen their resilience and promote access to healthy food for all. To offer the best possible service to its producer partners and other collaborators, the organization is committed to responsible data governance to ensure exemplary information management.
A game-changing workshop
In addition to the usual activities that targeted support already carries out, this experimentation began with a crucial workshop on the risk matrix, held on September 30, 2024.Cristiano, from Open North’s MeC team, accompanied by his colleagues Judith and Christian, guided Emilie and Synthia through an experience that would change their approach to risk management.
“Initially, we were going round in circles when thinking about data governance. Working in pairs allowed us to think together, but we needed a more structured approach”. - Emilie, Project Manager at Collectif Récolte.
The workshop was more than just a simple training session. It became the starting point for a collaborative process in which the experiences of other organizations, notably Tomat and Locomotion, enriched the thinking and approach. The team was able to adapt models usually designed for large corporations to their specific context as a small organization with a broad social mission.
A model of the risk management workshop is shared here (on Canva) and made available to all interested individuals and organizations.
Concrete, lasting results
The impact of this approach was swiftly felt. The team added a risk register tab to its dashboard, tailored to its specific needs with a clear methodology. More than just a mere tool, it has become a real journey companion for the team.
“The workshop gave us a more global picture and enabled us to put in place appropriate mitigation strategies regarding our risks. They weren’t as serious as we’d imagined, and the workshop enabled us to make this observation quickly, implement simple and rapid actions, and keep moving forward on the core of our project” - Emilie, Project Manager at Collectif Récolte.
Solutions implemented
The support provided has enabled L’aube to put in place several concrete elements:
- Adaptation and development of an integrated dashboard, including a risk register for the organization: A prescriptive document that serves as both a repository and a guide for risk management and data governance.
- Implementation of a structured process: A clear, defined framework for risk identification and management adapted to the organization’s size.
- Development of mitigation strategies: Concrete solutions for identified risks, including impact measurement.
- Progressive action plan: A step-by-step approach including management training on basic concepts, risk matrix workshop, and planned transfer of responsibilities.
Lessons learned
This experience enabled L’aube and Open North teams to make several important discoveries:
- The importance of adapting the level of complexity of the tools to the organization’s size: a simplified approach proved more effective than an overly detailed system.
- The value of a progressive approach starts with training on essential concepts before tackling the more technical aspects.
- The advantage of teamwork is to enhance risk identification and assessment.
- The right people must be involved at the right time, especially for specific aspects such as communication and impact measurement data.
- The benefits of having adapted tools and shared experiences between organizations to facilitate the implementation of data governance, particularly for a newly formed organization.
- The risk matrix workshop proved to be a turning point in their approach. It transformed what initially seemed complex into a structured and constructive approach, paving the way for informed data governance tailored to the organization’s specific needs.
“Risk management is important, and we recommend doing it early in the process. Open North’s support really helped us prioritize our action plan for implementing data governance.”—L’aube team, food hub.
Spin-offs
L’aube’s experience with the risk matrix workshop has generated spin-offs beyond the organization. The tools and learnings developed during this process are now shared with all Montréal en commun partners and other communities interested in data governance. This sharing enables other organizations to:
- Be inspired by a simplified and adaptable approach to risk management.
- Benefit from field-tested tools that can be adjusted according to their needs.
- Learn from the real-life experiences of a similar organization.
- Develop their own data governance approach progressively.
This sharing dynamic strengthens the ecosystem of organizations committed to improving their data governance, creating a virtuous circle of collective learning.
About the Montréal en Commun Data Governance Workstream
Open North, as leader of the Data Governance Workstream within Montréal en commun, proposes a data governance journey to the innovation community to progressively operationalize the principles of the City of Montréal’s Digital Data Charter. The program explicitly focuses on collecting, sharing and leveraging data to inform collective and individual decision-making.
Montréal en commun brings together an innovation community led by the Ville de Montréal, whose partners are experimenting with solutions in food access, mobility, municipal data, and regulations, with a particular concern for rethinking the metropolis. The projects are being implemented thanks to the $50 million prize awarded to the City of Montréal by the Government of Canada as part of the Smart Cities Challenge.This article has piqued your curiosity, and you’d like to know more about data governance? Not sure where to start? Find further resources, free training courses and more on our website:
Author: Open North
Research and editorial contributions: Cristiano Therrien (Open North) and Émilie Boivin-Deroy (Collectif Récolte)
We want to thank all our colleagues and clients at Open North, who constantly contribute to deepening and evolving our understanding of data governance and its best practices.
