This case study presents a real-world journey of an organization implementing adaptive data governance to support its evolving data strategy, from initial cataloging efforts to mature practices in data access and quality management.

Faced with fragmented data assets and siloed ownership, the organization adopted a flexible and decentralized governance model to build its data catalog. By empowering domain stewards and operational leaders, governance decisions were made closer to the data, accelerating metadata capture and improving contextual accuracy.

As the catalog matured, the organization shifted focus to data access and quality, using collaborative governance frameworks to align clinical, operational, and technical teams. This enabled the co-creation of access policies and quality standards that were both scalable and responsive to frontline needs.

Key success factors included:

• Continuous Learning and Experimentation: Governance practices were iteratively refined through pilot programs, feedback loops, and usage analytics.
• Evidence-Based Decision Making: Data usage patterns, quality metrics, and stakeholder input informed governance updates, ensuring relevance and impact.
• Responsive and Decentralized Authority: Local data owners were equipped with tools and guidance to manage access and quality autonomously, reducing bottlenecks and increasing agility.

This adaptive approach not only accelerated the organization’s data catalog implementation but also laid a strong foundation for trusted, accessible, and high-quality data across the enterprise.

Speaker: Anjita Shetty, Data Quality Portfolio Lead, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Anjita is a Data Management professional focused on establishing a Data Quality program at CHOP. Her work is focused on creating a governance framework for data policies, standards, and measures, as well as monitoring data quality and ensuring organizational adherence to standards. She works closely with clinical and functional area leadership to improve the quality of core data assets. Prior to joining CHOP, she led similar Data Quality and data management efforts in Health Life Sciences and Retail. Anjita holds a master’s degree in Digital Computing from Monash University in Australia and a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science. She holds various certifications for data and project management and is a self-proclaimed data geek.

Speaker: Samantha Reilly, DTS EDG Portfolio Lead, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Samantha is a data governance professional with a focus in data catalog management at CHOP. Her work includes auditing catalog content, developing standards for metadata documentation, and collaborating across both clinical and operational domains to support governance best practices. Samantha holds a Master's degree in Data Science from Eastern University and a Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration from Drexel University.

Samantha is a data governance professional with a focus in data catalog management at CHOP. Her work includes auditing catalog content, developing standards for metadata documentation, and collaborating across both clinical and operational domains to support governance best practices. Samantha holds a Master's degree in Data Science from Eastern University and a Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration from Drexel University.