Dynamic Guardrails for a Data-Driven World: Inside Westat’s Governance Frameworks

The lightning-fast evolution of technology has demonstrated the critical need for strong governance of information processing. Effective governance frameworks, including policies, standards, and oversight mechanisms that guide how data and developing technologies are managed and protected, serve as guardrails that ensure quality and reduce risk without slowing innovation. For this reason, Westat established and applies its leading-edge governance frameworks in every aspect of our work.

Westat’s reputation for rigorous science and trusted results is built on comprehensive, enterprise-wide governance frameworks. From data governance and AI governance, to our Institutional Review Board (IRB) for Human Subjects Protections, our approach integrates best practices in quality, privacy and security, and responsible stewardship, and it is supported by sophisticated operational processes that translate policies into consistent practice. We align our governance with evolving technologies, regulations, and industry standards to ensure excellence and compliance. What sets Westat’s governance approach apart is our human-centered, adaptable framework, which embeds oversight and accountability throughout, enabling us to identify and communicate risks without slowing innovation or compromising quality.

“Building a governance framework begins with the Westat team mapping out clear roles, responsibilities, and decision pathways that bring structure and accountability to complex projects,” explains Westat’s Liz Mannshardt, PhD, Vice President and Director of Statistics and Data Science. “Our frameworks’ metrics and feedback mechanisms help determine what’s working and what’s not, which allows us to sustain continuous improvement over time,” she adds.

In addition to supporting innovation and quality, Westat’s governance practices are designed to identify and implement risk management processes, including intercepting potential security breaches and compliance violations that could prove extremely costly to clients. These practices promote responsible innovations that, in turn, permit breakthroughs in science without sacrificing ethical integrity, sustainability, and scalability. This is why clients trust Westat’s innovative methods and high-quality results.

Westat’s subject matter experts are integral to the success of our governance frameworks. They are a part of the process at all stages to assess the technological and ethical appropriateness of decisions, adding another important level of security and quality control, as well as human subjects protections. To ensure effective collaboration across disciplines, Westat provides comprehensive training in governance practices for our staff. This guarantees Westat experts are equipped with a shared language and kept abreast of changing standards, emerging technologies, and regulatory conditions.

Westat-wide governing bodies oversee governance structures, operations, and practical implementation. Of course, technologies are ever-evolving, which is why Westat’s governance frameworks incorporate human-in-the-loop continual improvement mechanisms to monitor emerging risks, identify leading-edge opportunities, and revise processes as needed to effectively respond to these changes.

“Delivering quality research that produces reliable findings for the social good has always been our mission. It’s what our clients want, and with our dynamic human-centered governance frameworks, it’s what we deliver,” says Mannshardt.

Multipart Series

This article kicks off a multipart series on governance at Westat. In the months ahead, we will feature insights from members of Westat’s Data Governance Committee, exploring how data governance works in practice and how the organization approaches AI governance in a continually evolving technology landscape.