Helen's heating and cooling business builds a shared data governance model
Data came from plants, the network, customer connections and billing, but no one clearly owned it. Four workshops produced 17 business data groups, each linked to existing processes, with a named owner candidate and a phased plan for putting the model to work.
The challenge
Helen's heating and cooling business plays a central role in renewing Helen's energy system. New production investments, a growing district cooling network and rising customer expectations all depend on reliable data.
Data created in one place, used in many
The business runs on data from many sources: production plants, the distribution network, customer connections and billing. The same information is created in one place and used in several others.
Without clear owners, decisions stalled
Ownership roles existed on paper, but what they meant in practice was unclear. Decisions on data quality, access and sharing were slow and spread across teams.
A model that fits the business and lasts
The business wanted a model that fits its existing processes and outlives a single project. It also had to connect to Helen's wider data management.
What we built
We worked with Helen through four workshops and stakeholder interviews. Managers and experts from production, the network and customer solutions took part.
- 01Starting point
Interviews and workshops with the business
We interviewed stakeholders and ran four workshops with managers and experts from production, the network and customer solutions.
- 02Shared language
A shared vocabulary for data
We agreed on common terms and grouped the business data into 17 data groups across three operating areas.
- 03Process link
Data flows mapped to processes and systems
We described how data moves between processes and systems, so each data group has a clear process context.
- 04Ownership
Ownership tied to business responsibilities
We linked ownership to existing business roles and named an owner candidate for every data group.
- 05Fit
A proven model, adapted to an asset-heavy business
We started from the model we had piloted in another Helen business unit. We adapted it to the more operational, asset-intensive work of heating and cooling.
Results
The heating and cooling business now has a structure to build its data work on. Every data conversation starts from a defined data group, an owner candidate and a process context.
Data that used to be one unstructured whole is now split into data groups the business can discuss in its own terms.
Production, network and customer operations shaped the model together.
The model is tested in practice through pilots during 2026 before a wider rollout.
The model links directly to Helen's central data management and supports consistent ways of working across business units.
Beyond the numbers
- Next step: naming and onboarding data owners and data stewards
- Goal for 2026: move from a defined model to everyday practice and hand its ownership to the line organisation
“If we had tried to push this forward on our own, progress would probably have been slower and more difficult. Working with Data Design gave us a good start. Now we have a solid foundation to build on.”
