Governance Theater Presents: The Data Villains
Welcome back to Governance Theater.
The continued saga of The Data Villains, a tragicomedy in five acts.
Act III: Captain Audit – Overcorrection Reflex
You’ve seen it before.
A new regulation drops.
An audit finding surfaces.
Someone flags a risk in a dashboard.
And suddenly, governance shifts from enablement to lockdown.
Meet Captain Audit
This character isn’t reckless.
They’re cautious, committed, and deeply invested in protecting the business.
But their reflex is control.
- Lock down access
- Halt changes
- Route every request through a multi-step approval chain
They’re trying to help.
But the result?
Governance becomes a bottleneck instead of a bridge.
Governance Challenge: Paralysis by Control
When every risk triggers a full-scale lockdown, the organization starts to stall.
- Business teams delay decisions waiting for approvals
- Innovation slows under the weight of compliance workflows
- Shadow systems emerge as teams try to “just get things done”
- And ironically, audit exposure increases—because the real risks get buried under procedural noise
Captain Audit isn’t the problem.
The problem is a governance model that treats every risk the same.
Rewrite the Scene
Governance should be risk-informed, not risk-averse.
Here’s how to shift the script:
- Tier your controls. Not every data element needs the same level of restriction. Focus effort where the impact is highest.
- Streamline approvals. Use automation and clear decision rights to reduce friction.
- Empower stewards. Give them the tools and authority to act within defined boundaries.
- Build feedback loops. Governance should evolve with the business—not freeze it in place.
Sometimes protecting the business means helping it move.
And sometimes the best compliance strategy is clarity, not complexity.