Arlington – September 04, 2026 -- Some 72.5% of organizations are currently invested in data management solutions and plan to increase that spending, yet many governance programs remain fragmented and produce activity without measurable impact, according to Info-Tech Research Group.
Governance priority tops both AI and non-AI data agendas
Info-Tech's Future of IT 2026 Survey found that improving data governance ranked as the leading data priority for supporting AI goals, cited by 30% of respondents, and outside AI, cited by 40%. The research group says this points to a disconnect between heavy investment in management solutions and unresolved governance decisions needed to guide them.
Firms mistake tools for governance decisions
Info-Tech's Activate Data Governance blueprint identifies three recurring pitfalls: mistaking governance for management by starting with tools, catalogs and documentation before determining decision authority; oversimplifying ownership by assigning a single owner to data spanning multiple domains; and misinterpreting activation as assigning management tasks while value, risk and acceptable-use decisions stay unresolved.
"Data leaders often reach for glossaries, catalogs, and quality tools first because those mechanisms feel actionable. The problem is that tools cannot decide what 'trusted' means, who has authority, or which trade-offs are acceptable," said Nysa Zaran, research director at Info-Tech Research Group.
Blueprint sets four-phase methodology to fix decision authority
The Activate Data Governance blueprint directs organizations through four phases: defining the decisions the organization needs to make and linking data risks to objectives; building a decision-making framework that clarifies roles and escalation processes; establishing guardrails including governing principles, policies and a Data Governance Charter; and activating governance through Day 1 agendas, strategic approval, and ongoing monitoring cycles.
The blueprint is supported by templates including a Decision Log, Handbook, Day 1 Agenda, Workbook, Charter Template and Policies Package to help organizations apply the methodology.