Enterprise Data & Insights Team Operating Principles

Data Management Principles

**Decisions about our data are guided and aliged to 10 Enterprise Data Management Principles

Maximize the Value of Data

• We treat data as a shared strategic asset with the same disciplines as other recognized (tangible and intangible) assets, including managing the risks associated with it.
• Data belongs to the organization, not to teams or individuals.
• We promote innovation through data insights, recommendations and solutions.

Data Protection & Privacy

• We ensure that GitLab data is appropriately protected.
• We manage our data products in a transparent manner.
• We have data governance practices in place to clarify data roles, responsibilities, standards and policies.

Data Management

• We manage the complete data journey from creation, through storage, transformation, and usage to archival and deletion.
• Business functions own and are accountable for the quality of our data.
• We ensure our data is discoverable, traceable, and classified.
• We proactively design for and manage the quality of our data.

Data & Insights Operating Principles

We are proud, yet humbled to be the Center of Excellence for Data & Insights at one of the world’s most innovative companies.

There are three Data Team Operating Principles:

graph TD
  A[Data Team Operating Principles]
  A --> B[Build A Better Team]
  A --> C[Deliver Results That Matter]
  A --> D[Create Trusted & Scalable Data Solutions]

Build A Better Team

• CREDIT
• We treat everyone with respect
• We assume best intent towards GitLab success
• We are honest with ourselves and with each other
• We have permission to disagree, but must drive to commitment
• We don’t hide from difficult conversations
• We’re in this together as a team
• We tackle mistakes as a team and seek to get better

Deliver Results That Matter

• Data-Driven First, Data-Informed Second, Principles & Stories Third
• We believe in built to last, not built too fast
• We operate with a growth mindset, continually raising the standard
• We don’t confuse activity with progress
• We know how our work aligns with strategic initiatives and how it will help our Business Partners deliver impactful results
• We go the extra mile to provide Context, Facts, and Insights
• We define expectations up front: Scope, Time, and Success Criteria
• We proactively engage with our Business Partners to ensure regular progress for important initiatives

Create Trusted & Scalable Data Solutions

• We all have a responsibility for Data Security and Data Quality
• We lead with well-tested and accurate Data Solutions
• We operate and maintain the production solutions we create
• We design for GitLab +2 years, while delivering for GitLab today
• We maximize the capabilities and services of our vendor-partners
• We believe the best way to align on a complex outcome is to picture it
• Automated tests are the best tests and we implement tests at every step of the data delivery process

Additional beliefs held by the Data Team include

• Everything can and should be defined in code and version controlled
• Data implementations should integrate best practices from DevOps into their workflow
• Partner with each Business function while having a high-quality, maintainable code base
• Open source our code, keeping data security and data sensitivity in mind
• There is a single source of truth for every analytic question within a company, and it is also important to represent multiple perspectives to provide the most thorough data insights
• Glue work is important for the health of the team and is recognized individually for the value it provides. We expect everyone to contribute.
• Focus our limited resources where data will have the greatest impact
• All business users should be able to learn how to interpret and calculate simple statistics

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