Data governance for growth: 3 lessons from Wajax

For most organisations, data is the lifeblood of decision-making. Yet with data scattered across applications, business units, and geographies, leaders often find themselves struggling with “multiple versions of the truth.” That makes it difficult to drive consistent operations, meet compliance obligations, or pursue digital transformation with confidence.

At its core, data governance is the discipline of defining ownership, standards, and processes to ensure data is accurate, consistent, secure, and usable across the enterprise. It’s not just a technology project—it’s an organisational commitment to treating data as a managed business asset.

This topic was front and centre in a recent conversation between Lance Pierce, Vice President of Professional Services at Infor™, and Stuart Auld, Head of Operational Efficiency at Wajax, an Infor customer and one of Canada’s most diversified industrial products and services providers. Their exchange at the MDM Data Analytics Summit underscored that while data is now one of the most valuable corporate assets, realising its full potential requires discipline, stewardship, and a long-term governance mindset.

Lessons from Wajax: Three essentials for effective data governance

Wajax’s experience points to three essentials every organisation should keep in mind:

1) Governance isn’t optional—it’s foundational

As Auld emphasised, Wajax’s operations spanned dozens of systems, with customer and product records often conflicting across locations. Without governance, even basic reporting became contentious. Establishing a framework for data ownership, clear rules, and approval processes was the first step toward aligning teams around a single, trusted view.

The lesson is clear: Data governance isn’t an add-on—it’s a prerequisite that sets the standards and guardrails that give analytics and digital initiatives a fighting chance to succeed.

2) Treat data governance as a journey: Build momentum in stages

Both speakers noted that governance can feel overwhelming if it’s treated as a single “big bang” project. Wajax found success with an iterative approach: Start with the highest-value datasets, clean and standardize them, then expand governance over time.

This staged path ensured progress without paralysing the business. As Auld put it, perfection wasn’t the goal—momentum was. Other organisations can follow a similar model, focusing on achievable wins that build confidence and demonstrate value early.

3) Assign stewards to make it stick

Technology provides the tools, but people make governance real. Wajax designated data stewards responsible for ensuring accuracy and consistency at the source. These stewards became critical enablers, bridging IT and business teams, reinforcing rules, and resolving discrepancies before they multiplied.

Organisations that invest in stewardship see faster adoption, stronger accountability, and greater trust in the system.

Infor’s perspective on data governance

Infor Data Governance empowers organisations to maintain clean, secure, and de-duplicated data post-migration through a decentralised architecture. Unlike traditional, centralised master data management (MDM) systems, this approach manages data at the source while enforcing enterprise-wide consistency through continuous rules, workflows, and data steward approvals across multiple applications.

Take the next step

If your organisation is wrestling with data complexity, Wajax’s experience offers a roadmap: Start with governance, build momentum in stages, and appoint stewards to carry it forward.

• Watch the full Wajax discussion at the MDM Data Analytics Summit
  
• Explore Infor Global Advanced Services to learn how Infor can support your data governance initiatives.