Data Management: Deciding where you want to go

In the previous chapter, you assessed how well selected areas of your Node data management strategy are currently developed and identified possible areas for improvement.

In this chapter, you will use those results to decide where your Node wants to go, what role the Node should play and which areas to take forward.

From assessment to direction

Your assessment shows where you are now. It does not tell you where you need to go.

A higher maturity level is not automatically the goal. What makes sense depends on your Node context, mandate, needs and available resources.

Sometimes you may want to develop something new. In other cases, it may be enough to connect existing activities, make support easier to find or leave an area as it is.

Exercise: define a desired direction

Return to the assessment you completed in Chapter 4.

For each selected area, describe what you would like to be different and why. Keep the direction practical and realistic.

Strategy area	Current situation	Desired direction	Why does this matter?
Add an area from your assessment	Summarise where you are now	Describe what you would like to be different	Explain why this would help

Decide where the Node should act

An ELIXIR Node does not need to provide everything itself. Expertise, services and responsibilities may already sit with partner institutions, national infrastructures, ELIXIR Platforms or other organisations.

Ask where Node involvement would add value. The Node might lead, coordinate, connect or support existing work. Responsibility may also remain with institutions or another organisation, or the area may be outside the current scope of the Node.

For example, partner institutions may already provide RDM training. The Node could help make that training easier to find instead of creating a new programme.

## Clarify the Node role and decision making

Connect each direction to the governance and responsibilities you mapped in Chapter 2.

Make clear what the Node should contribute, who can agree the direction and who needs to be involved.

Strategy area	Desired direction	Level	Node role	Decision owner
Add your selected area	Add the desired direction	Node, institutional, shared, external or out of scope	Describe the Node contribution	Note who can agree the direction

If the decision route is unclear, record that too. You may need to resolve this before moving forward.

Being clear about the Node role also helps manage expectations. A useful strategy should make visible not only what the Node will contribute, but also what will remain with institutions, partners or other organisations.

Exercise: choose your priorities

You may now have several useful directions. Choose a small number to take forward.

Focus on areas where there is a clear need, where the Node can add value and where there is enough mandate and capacity to make progress.

Priority	Desired direction	Node role	Why now?
Add a priority	Describe what you want to achieve	Describe the Node contribution	Explain why this matters now

What your result could look like

Imagine that your assessment showed that data stewardship expertise exists across the Node, but roles and capacity are difficult to find.

Strategy area	Desired direction	Level	Node role
Human capacity	Make existing data stewardship expertise easier to find across the Node	Shared	Create a shared overview and connect existing expertise

This does not require a new data stewardship service. The Node can add value by making better use of expertise that already exists.

What’s next

You have defined a desired direction, clarified the Node role and chosen the priorities you want to take forward.

In the next chapter, you will turn these priorities into a practical plan.

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