Administrative Data Management Planning
FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY: Not intended for use with funding agencies or research projects
Why have a Data Management Plan for your application or information system?
- Ensure the data you get is correct and usable
- Ensure the data you need exists and is logistically available
- Promote business continuity within your area
- Ensure that federal, state, and Clemson regulations are followed
- Ensure you system functions properly and is well-integrated into other processes at the University
- Promote effective data risk management
- Ensure that the data in your application appropriately accessible for reporting and analytics needs
- Maintain control over the data within your application
- Address privacy and ethical considerations
How do Data Management Plans relate to my project?
Data Management Plans (DMPs) are a tool for understanding data requirements, managing risks, maximizing the value of your data, and understanding how your data relates to other systems at Clemson University. Fundamentally, it is a way of understanding and affecting data supply chain logistics in order to make sure data are in the right place at the right time (and that they are correct, protected, and usable).
They will be used to phase out the existing system of Memoranda of Understanding for Data Flow. A DMP should be instantiated for any system, application, or analytics tool that uses regulated (either internally or externally) data or data that needs to be high-quality and robust over time.
In alignment with the structure for Data Governance at Clemson University, your application or information system must have a Trustee (policy owner) and Steward (process owner). The system Trustee is accountable for ensuring that internal and external regulations associated with the data in their system are satisfied. They are also responsible for access management and the integrity of data as it resides within their system. The system Trustee and Steward(s) will need collaborate, coordinate, and cooperate with University-established Data Trustees and Data Stewards as well as other supporting stakeholders such as General Counsel, IT Security, Enterprise Risk Management, IT Enterprise Systems & Applications, and Records Management in execution of these tasks.
A DMP may be required as part of the review as part of the IT Vendor Management Policy. For large scale projects, a DMP should be created as part of the business case assessment and passed to the project manager should the project be approved and scheduled. A project manager will curate this document and submit it when the system is registered with the University after project completion. For smaller projects, a individual stakeholder may curate and submit this for inventory to the Chief Data Officer.
A DMP is a living document that should evolve over the life-cycle of a project or system. It may need reviewed periodically as details emerge, functionality expands, or circumstances change. Any questions about how and when to instantiate a DMP can be directed to the Chief Data Officer (bwiles@clemson.edu).
