As organizations evolve in their data maturity, a pivotal transition must occur: from unmanaged, ad-hoc data efforts to structured, professionally managed data products. This is the core theme of Episode Two: Making Data Products Managed. The episode tackles a prevalent obstacle in data management—unclear responsibility and the widespread misconception that data stewardship can simply be added as a side task to someone’s existing job.

The Fallacy of Passive Stewardship

One of the biggest blockers in managing data effectively is the assumption that "somebody will do the work". Typically, organizations identify someone in the business with existing responsibilities and appoint them—often involuntarily—as a part-time data steward. These individuals might receive training and are expected to dedicate about 30% of their time to data-related tasks like cataloging and quality control. However, this setup rarely yields sustainable outcomes.

Instead of empowering data leadership, this results in a situation where data leaders are left trying to influence and recruit volunteers—people already overwhelmed with their primary roles. The outcome is predictable: low commitment, minimal progress, and unmanaged data products.

Passion Is Not a Strategy

Creating great data products requires dedicated time and focus, much like writing a bestseller. You might manage a mediocre output on a part-time basis, but if your goal is excellence—your "next Harari" or "Harry Potter"—then you need full-time, passionate professionals. Expecting average employees to spontaneously bring that level of passion to an unrequested data stewardship role is unrealistic.

This is especially problematic when individuals are volunteered for the job rather than volunteering themselves. Without genuine ownership and interest, data stewardship becomes ineffective.

The Case for Professional Teams

The solution lies in building a team of data professionals. Much like any successful volunteer organization, a core team of experts is necessary to manage, guide, and support volunteers. These professionals form the backbone of sustainable data product management.

At the heart of this structure is a central data team, responsible for creating the environment in which data products can thrive. This includes:

• Establishing guidelines and best practices
• Providing appropriate tooling
• Managing the foundational aspects of the data platform

Even if the initial tools are as simple as Excel, the important part is to start with a manageable structure and evolve it over time.

Scaling Through Federation and Operational Teams

As organizations grow, they must complement the central data team with operational teams embedded in business domains. The size and structure of these teams will vary depending on domain maturity and company size. In smaller setups, a single team can support multiple domains. In large enterprises, these teams can scale up to 200 professionals, covering everything from platform management to data certification and modeling.

The critical components of a central team include:

• A platform manager
• A product manager for the data platform