1.4.1. Research, Vision & Strategy The first step in any business is “know thy customer”. For ESDC, this entails collecting information through partners, research and surveys to understand our clients: people and businesses. This information, describing client needs and the operating environment of the business, needs to be integrated with departmental data holdings. This will enable us to serve our clients, but also to meet the needs of our own executive and our partners. This critical first step, understanding both business challenges and challenges in domains such as data, policy, technology, etc., forms the first part of foundations: Research, Vision and Strategy comprising five activities: • Demographic Data Intake Partnerships Establish the capability to obtain on a continuous basis partner available data that describes the ever-changing operational environment of the business, particularly the client base and their needs. • Surveys and Research Identify gaps in available data that describes the operational environment of the business, and act proactively to fill those gaps. • Data Strategy Define the path and provisions needed to progress the business management of data as an asset. • Data Policy Support the strategy with overarching policy that provides guidance to ensure that organization acts in a manner that is consistent with successful implementation of the strategy. • Data Governance Define the roles and procedures that assure the effective management of data, i.e. to ensure that as a critical resource, data is available as needed to support the business and safeguarded to ensure its availability, confidentiality and integrity.