Data Contracts

Chapter 8. Real-World Case Studies of Data Contracts in Production

As this chapter stands between the second and third sections of this book, we’ve designed it to help us transition from the practical and technical aspects of data contract implementation to the human and organization-centric aspects needed to initiate, fuel, and maintain lasting adoption. To do this, we’ll share three stories about data contract adoption, each involving a different instance where data professionals confronted the reality that the data management status quo in their organization was no longer viable.

Presented as parts of a greater whole, these stories make it easier to see the parallel trends running through each—trends reshaping the data world in real time. You may have sensed these trends within your own organization, perhaps inspiring you to pick up this book in the first place. As we’ll confirm, you aren’t imagining them. These stories act as evidence that data leaders like yourself are rethinking how they approach data quality itself, how they structure their teams, and what’s required within an organization to shift from reactive autonomy to proactive accountability.

The examples evidence a shift taking place, where a growing number of leaders, practitioners, and teams find themselves making tough calls, challenging long-standing assumptions, and taking a smart, strategic, informed chance on something new. This is change, and change can be intimidating if not outright scary.

Change can ...