SME

Almost every published data governance framework assumes a team that a small business does not have. This guide is written for the reality of ten to two hundred and fifty people: the six components that carry the value, who owns each one in a firm with no chief data officer, how to build a system inventory in a fortnight rather than a year, three classification tiers with handling rules people will actually follow, the four data quality measures worth tracking, a one-page retention schedule with UK periods and triggers, access reviews and processor contracts, what AI changes, which tooling is already inside licences you own, a ninety-day implementation plan, realistic first-year costs, six metrics to report quarterly, and the five failure modes that end most attempts.