Data Management: Understanding your Node context

This section helps you understand your Node context by mapping key elements such as governance, services and stakeholders. It also guides you in identifying the initial team needed to develop your data management strategy.

Status

ready

Time to complete

30 minutes

Primary audience

Node Coordinators, Data Stewards

Describe the key elements that shape your Node context for data management
Identify the roles needed to develop a Node data management strategy
Create a simple overview of your Node context

In the previous section, you reflected on why a Node data management strategy matters and what already exists in your Node. The next step is to take a closer look at your context and organise this information.

Why context matters

A data management strategy must reflect the real situation of the Node. Each Node brings together different institutions, services and research communities. Without a basic understanding of this landscape, it becomes difficult to set priorities or design a realistic plan.

A strategy also depends on people. No single person can see the whole picture. A small group with different perspectives helps ensure that the strategy is grounded in practice and reflects how data is actually managed.

Note: You do not need a complete overview. A simple, shared understanding is enough to get started.

What to understand

Start by building a simple overview of your Node context. You do not need great detail at this stage. Focus on the elements that shape how data is managed in practice.

Use these questions to guide your first overview.

Area	Questions to guide you	Example
Governance	Who makes decisions on data management? Where are these discussed or approved?	Decisions made by Node coordinator and steering group
Data landscape	What research domains and data types are present? What workflows are common?	Life sciences and clinical data
Services	What RDM services and tools exist? Who uses them and who maintains them?	Repository, training programme, helpdesk
Policies and standards	Which guidelines or standards apply?	FAIR principles, national guidelines
Training and support	What support is available for researchers? Where are the gaps?	Workshops and limited one-on-one support
Sustainability	How are services funded and staffed? What is stable or uncertain?	Project-based funding, limited staff continuity

First reflection

Using the areas above, make a rough overview of your current Node context.

As a starting point, reflect on:

What already seems well organised?
Where do activities overlap?
What feels fragmented or unclear?
Where are important gaps?

Keep your notes short and practical. The goal is not completeness, but developing a shared understanding of your current situation.

Tip: Compare your observations with someone else in your Node. Different perspectives often reveal hidden assumptions, overlaps or missing connections.

Organising your team

Once you have a basic understanding of your Node context, the next step is to bring together a small group to develop your strategy. Based on your context overview, identify who should be involved in developing your Node data management strategy.

Start with two or three people. This is enough to begin. You can expand the group later as needed. A useful group often includes:

Node coordination
Data stewards or data managers
Service or infrastructure leads
Training or support staff
Community representatives

Tip: Focus on diversity of perspectives rather than formal roles. You need people who understand how things work in practice.

Quick step: outline your team

List the people who should be involved in developing your Node data management strategy.

Mark:

Essential now
Useful later

Agree early on:

How often you meet
How decisions are made
Where you document your work

As a first step, draft a simple agenda for your initial meeting. Include 2–3 key questions you want to answer together.

What’s next

You will build on the overview and team you have just defined. In the next section, you will define what to include in your Node data management strategy and how to structure its content.

Tip: Your context overview does not need to be complete. You can refine it as you continue.

Examples from Nodes

Note: These examples are placeholders and reflect small, early steps taken by Nodes. They are intended to provide inspiration for now and will be replaced by separate real-world example pages for this module, developed with contributions from ELIXIR Nodes.

These are examples of small steps Nodes can take:

Making existing work visible

A Node created a simple overview of its services and data activities. This helped identify overlaps and gaps.

Involving the right people early

A Node included its training coordinator from the start. This helped connect data stewardship with researcher support.

Starting small

A Node began with two people and a rough overview. They invited others later for specific input.

Create your own example

✍ For contributors: Choose one of the examples above. Add your Node, name and role, and write a short story (max. 3 paragraphs): what was the situation, what did you do, and what did it help achieve. You can describe a small step or first attempt.

Node: [Your Node name]
Contributor: [Name]
Role: [e.g. Data steward, Node coordinator]

✍ Your example:
Describe how you explored your Node context or organised your team. What was unclear, what did you do, and what did it help improve?