Risk Register
Overview
The Risk Register identifies, assesses, and tracks potential risks to enterprise data governance at Nissan North America (NNA).
A proactive approach ensures that data quality, compliance, and governance objectives are protected, and mitigation strategies are in place.
Purpose
- Identify risks related to data governance processes, tools, and adoption.
- Assess impact and likelihood to prioritize risk mitigation.
- Define mitigation actions, owners, and timelines.
- Provide a centralized view for governance council and stakeholders to monitor and manage risks.
Risk Categories
| Category |
Description |
| Data Quality & Integrity |
Inaccurate, incomplete, or inconsistent data impacting decision-making |
| MDM & System Performance |
MDM tool issues (e.g., duplicates, slow processing, integration failures) |
| Compliance & Regulatory |
Breaches of GDPR, CCPA, SOX, or internal policies |
| Adoption & Change Management |
Resistance from users, lack of awareness, or insufficient training |
| Security & Privacy |
Unauthorized access, data leaks, or mishandling of sensitive information |
| Operational & Process |
Failures in SOPs, playbooks, or governance workflows |
| Technology & Integration |
System downtime, integration failures, or tooling limitations |
Risk Assessment Framework
- Likelihood: Probability of risk occurrence (Low / Medium / High)
- Impact: Consequence to business or governance objectives (Low / Medium / High)
- Priority: Determined by combining likelihood and impact (High / Medium / Low)
- Owner: Individual accountable for managing the risk
- Mitigation Plan: Actions to reduce probability or impact
- Monitoring: Frequency and method to track risk status
Example Risk Register
| Risk ID |
Risk Description |
Category |
Likelihood |
Impact |
Priority |
Owner |
Mitigation Plan |
Monitoring |
| R001 |
Duplicate records in MDM affecting reporting |
MDM & System Performance |
High |
Medium |
High |
Data Steward |
Enhance matching rules, validate merges, implement duplicate alerts |
Weekly dashboards, monthly review |
| R002 |
Low adoption of data catalog |
Adoption & Change Management |
Medium |
High |
High |
Change Management Lead |
Conduct targeted training, provide incentives, track usage |
Monthly adoption metrics, feedback surveys |
| R003 |
Data breach of customer PII |
Security & Privacy |
Low |
High |
High |
IT Security Lead |
Implement encryption, access controls, audit logs |
Quarterly audits, real-time alerts |
| R004 |
Inconsistent data definitions across domains |
Data Quality & Integrity |
Medium |
Medium |
Medium |
Data Owner |
Harmonize glossary, enforce naming conventions, validate lineage |
Quarterly data quality reports |
| R005 |
Regulatory non-compliance |
Compliance & Regulatory |
Low |
High |
High |
Compliance Lead |
Periodic audits, SOP adherence, compliance training |
Annual compliance reviews |
Roles & Responsibilities
| Role |
Responsibility |
| Governance Council |
Approve risk management approach, review high-priority risks, provide guidance |
| Data Owners / Stewards |
Identify risks, implement mitigation, track status |
| IT / Security Teams |
Address technical risks, implement security measures, monitor systems |
| Change Management Lead |
Identify adoption-related risks, implement mitigation, report progress |
| Audit / Compliance Teams |
Verify mitigation effectiveness and adherence to policies |
- Risk Management Platforms: ServiceNow GRC, Archer, Jira Risk Plugin
- Dashboards & Reporting: BI tools to track risk KPIs, escalation metrics, and trends
- Alerts & Notifications: Automated triggers for high-priority risks or SLA breaches
- Documentation Repositories: Central location for risk logs, mitigation plans, and updates
Visual Representation
flowchart TD
A[Identify Risks] --> B[Assess Likelihood & Impact]
B --> C[Prioritize Risks]
C --> D[Assign Owners & Mitigation Plans]
D --> E[Monitor & Review]
E --> F[Update Risk Register & Governance Council]