How business and technical metadata, definitions, classifications, and lineage are documented, standardised, and kept discoverable and accurate.
MDT-01
Enterprise metadata and business glossary program sponsorship
Is there an executive-sponsored, enterprise-wide metadata and business glossary program, with defined coverage targets and accountable resourcing, or does metadata management happen only where individual teams choose to invest in it?
Maturity level descriptions
No enterprise metadata program exists; metadata management, where it happens, is entirely dependent on individual team initiative. Metadata documentation exists only where individual teams have chosen to invest time in it, with no organisational program or sponsorship.
Awareness exists that enterprise metadata management would be valuable, but no program has been formally established or resourced. Senior stakeholders may recognise the value of a metadata program in principle, without formal establishment or dedicated resourcing.
An enterprise metadata program is formally established, with defined coverage targets for priority business domains and dedicated resourcing. A sponsored program with defined targets and resourcing is actively building out metadata coverage for priority domains.
The metadata program's coverage and quality are tracked against enterprise-wide targets, with progress reported to the executive team on a defined cycle. Coverage and quality metrics are tracked against enterprise-wide targets, with progress formally reported to the executive team.
Metadata is treated as a governed, audit-ready enterprise asset, embedded in platform infrastructure, with its business value (reduced risk, faster onboarding, audit readiness) measured and reported. Metadata is captured largely automatically as part of standard platform infrastructure, with its business value quantified and reported alongside other enterprise data assets.
MDT-02
Metadata and lineage as an enterprise risk and audit asset
How confident can the organisation be that, in the event of an audit, regulatory inquiry, or major incident, it could produce reliable metadata and lineage evidence across the organisation, not just for the datasets a specific team happens to have documented well?
Maturity level descriptions
The organisation has no confidence it could produce reliable metadata or lineage evidence across the organisation in the event of an audit or incident. Metadata and lineage evidence, where it exists at all, is fragmented and undiscoverable at short notice, with no organisation-wide readiness.
Confidence exists for some well-documented areas, but there is no organisation-wide assurance, and gaps are largely unknown. Some business areas maintain reasonable metadata/lineage documentation, but the extent of gaps elsewhere in the organisation is not known.
A defined assessment has identified metadata and lineage coverage gaps across priority domains, with a remediation plan in place. A documented gap assessment covers priority domains, with a remediation plan addressing identified weaknesses in metadata and lineage evidence.
Metadata and lineage audit-readiness is tracked across the organisation, with material gaps closed on a defined cycle and readiness reported to the executive team or board. Audit-readiness tracking covers the organisation's material data domains, with closure of identified gaps reported to the executive team or board.
The organisation could produce comprehensive, automated metadata and lineage evidence for any material dataset on demand, with audit-readiness treated as a standing enterprise capability rather than a periodic exercise. Automated lineage and metadata capture means comprehensive, current evidence is available on demand for any material dataset, without a dedicated preparation exercise.