Episode 11 of The Informed Life podcast features a conversation with digital governance advocate Lisa Welchman. For the past 20 years, Lisa has helped organizations set up governance structures that allow them to manage their information flows more effectively. In our conversation, she explains the importance of creating mindful content models and governing frameworks:
A governing framework for me is about decision-making. Who gets to make decisions about standards. A content model is a standard for delivering content. Brand has a set of standards that are underneath it. IT has a set of standards. Right? So it’s decision-making about standards.
The objective is to help organizations operate with greater intention and more safely.
Lisa is also an accomplished musician, and in the interview she reveals connections between good digital governance and jazz:
the reason that I like jazz is because it has a structural frame underneath it. Right? And on top of it you can improvise. And that’s really, I think, what everybody’s trying to get to. Some people want to improvise a little bit, some people a lot. But organizations need that structured frame so that everyone just one understands what the patterns are and then if you get that right and you allow each entity inside the team to maximize what they do well within that frame, then you get the best of both worlds. You get a structured content model that is really well managed. You get people who love their jobs because they’re allowed to improvise and freestyle within that framework and do things that they love.
This episode is well worth your attention, especially if you work in an organization that must manage a lot of information. Stick around after our conversation for a special surprise from Lisa. Hope you enjoy the show!