Towards a data quality culture – launching a framework for government

Today we are launching a new framework for data quality management in government: Towards a data quality culture. We have developed it in collaboration with the Government Digital Service, using best practice drawn from organisations across government.

Getting data quality right means a lot more than data cleansing. It means knowing the quality of data, sharing that information with others and taking the right action to address problems. The framework contains principles and approaches that can help people to better manage data quality in their organisations. They are designed to help people to establish better data quality management through evidence-based, proactive assessments and effective, targeted improvements.

Why it matters

Data has never been more important. It underpins everything government does – our services, our decisions and our policies. It is vitally important that we have data we can trust, and trust starts with good quality data.

We are working with other government initiatives, such as the Data Standards Authority, to improve the way government stores, manages and processes its data. Our remit crosses all of government in the UK.

What will change

We are asking organisations to put their data on a path towards better quality. We want them to:

• Commit to data quality
• Know their users and their users needs
• Assess quality throughout the data lifecycle
• Communicate data quality clearly and effectively
• Anticipate changes affecting data quality

We know that change takes time but, by making incremental changes to the way they manage their data quality, organisations can strengthen their data and their decisions.

Next steps

This is the start of our journey. The framework will grow and iterate over the next two years. We are currently working on training and guidance to support data practitioners in embedding the framework in their organisation.

A thank you

This framework would not exist without the support and contributions of organisations including the Home Office, the Office for National Statistics, NHS Digital, the Environment Agency, the Data Standards Authority, the Cabinet Office and Government Digital Service. We are extremely grateful for their work in bringing existing best practice together.

Help us support you

We have an ambitious plan to support the public sector to understand, assess, and improve data quality, but we need your help to achieve this. If you want to talk to us about the framework or want to know more about our work, email us at DQHub@ons.gov.uk or tweet us at @DQHubUKGov.