Role Playbook · 2026

Head of Data

One map of the stack and ROI you can show the board. End metric debates, accelerate onboarding, and prove data team velocity.

20 min read Runbooks Metadata only Apache 2.0

Executive summary

Deploy Metroflow as your metadata control plane. Certify exec KPIs in 60 days. Show coverage, connector health, and time saved in every board prep.

You answer to the CEO about velocity and spend, but tribal knowledge and disputed metrics undermine trust. Metroflow turns the stack into a living catalog with certified numbers finance and product agree on.

3 daysNew hire productive vs 3 weeks before
1Board-ready revenue number everyone trusts
100%Connector coverage visible in one view
01

What broken lineage costs you

Typical patterns for Head of Data / VP teams. Ranges, not guarantees.

Board prep

Days reconciling revenue across teams

With Metroflow: One certified metric with click-through lineage.

New hire onboarding

3 weeks to first trusted query

With Metroflow: Guided workspace + living graph from day one.

ROI story weak

Cannot quantify data team impact

With Metroflow: Coverage metrics + playbook time-saved outcomes.

Metric fights in exec meetings

You mediate instead of strategize

With Metroflow: Certify once. Company Brain settles disputes.

◇

Metadata only. Metroflow crawls schemas, job names, manifests, and dashboard definitions. Your production data rows never leave your network.

02

Your stack, one graph

Metroflow sits above the data path, not inside it. One searchable map for your entire role.

Metroflow sits above your stack, not inside the data path. One graph: ingest → orchestration → warehouse → BI → board deck.

03

Where are you today?

Most teams land at L1 or L2. Target L4 in 90 days.

L1Siloed docsWikis and spreadsheets disconnected from production.
L2Partial lineageSome tool lineage exists. Cross-layer gaps remain.
L3Unified graphOrchestration, warehouse, and BI in one map.
L4Certified metricsKPIs owned, enforced, and traced end-to-end.
L5Proactive opsPre-merge gates. Stale assets caught early.

Quick self-check

  • Answer "what breaks if X fails?" in under 15 minutes?
  • Cross-functional teams share one definition of core KPIs?
  • Incidents include downstream dashboard impact without Slack archaeology?
  • Changes include cross-layer impact checks before merge?
  • Named owners for certified metrics and critical pipelines?

0–2: Start Week 1 connect · 3–4: Certify metrics · 5: Add change gates

04

Choose your path

Every org is different. Pick the track closest to your context.

Centralized data team

Single platform team serves all domains

Priority: Certify first: revenue, headcount, product activation

Embedded analysts per domain

Federated models with central governance

Priority: Certify first: cross-domain metric registry

Post-merger integration

Two stacks, two definitions of everything

Priority: Certify first: unified revenue and customer KPIs

05

Who owns what

Assign decision rights up front. Metric fights are governance problems.

RoleOwnsOn Metroflow
Head of dataStrategy, certification, ROIOwn metric registry. Weekly trust score. Board narrative.
Analytics engineeringdbt layer qualityPR guardrails. Certified model ownership.
FinanceAudit-ready KPIsSelf-serve with lineage proof.
Product / CEOVelocity and trustCompany Brain for exec Q&A with citations.
06

30 · 60 · 90 day rollout

A program with gates, not just a connector checklist.

Days 1–30

Visibility win

  • Connect warehouse, dbt, orchestration, BI
  • Living catalog with coverage dashboard
  • First board lineage walkthrough
Gate: Exec can see stack coverage in one screen
Days 31–60

Certify exec KPIs

  • Publish revenue + activation specs
  • Migrate top 5 board dashboards
  • Onboarding playbook for new hires
Gate: Board deck uses certified revenue only
Days 61–90

Operationalize trust

  • Weekly metric trust score
  • ROI report: time saved by role
  • Gate breaking changes at staff level
Gate: Zero cross-functional metric escalations / month
07

Incident runbook

When board_revenue_pipeline is in trouble. Follow this timeline.

T+0 · Detect
Finance flags delta

Board number does not match finance sheet. Open Metroflow.

T+10 min · Trace
Lineage walkthrough
"Show me everything that feeds our board revenue number."
T+20 min · Diagnose
Pipeline vs definition

Separate delay from definition drift.

T+45 min · Communicate
Exec briefing

Cited lineage for CEO/CFO. Clear owner and ETA.

T+24h · Verify
Certification hold

Re-certify after fix. Update trust score.

Slack template

[EXEC] Board revenue delta under investigation Status: Tracing via Metroflow: pipeline delay on fct_revenue (not definition change) Affected: Board deck slide 2 · Finance close workbook Owner: @head-of-data · CFO brief at 4pm Lineage walkthrough: [paste link]
08

Metric certification pack

Copy into your governance doc. One definition. One owner. Full lineage.

Board revenue (quarterly)

Certify first
Formula
Recognized revenue per finance policy, USD, fiscal quarter.
Owner
Head of Data + CFO
Lineage
ERP → warehouse → fct_revenue → board deck

Data platform coverage

Operational
Formula
% of production assets with owner + lineage in Metroflow.
Target
90% by day 90.
Owner
Head of Data
09

Daily workflows

Four situations you will hit every week.

📈

Board prep (quarterly)

  1. Certified KPIs

    Revenue, NRR, activation on registry.

  2. Lineage walkthrough

    CFO-ready proof.

  3. Brain Q&A

    Anticipate board questions.

👋

New hire week one

  1. Guided tour

    Stack map + key metrics.

  2. First query

    Supervised Company Brain session.

  3. Role playbook

    Assign by function.

⚖️

Metric dispute mediation

  1. Open specs

    Side-by-side definitions.

  2. Trace both

    Dashboard → source for each.

  3. Certify winner

    Deprecate rogue.

📊

Monthly ROI review

  1. Coverage score

    Connector health.

  2. Time saved

    Playbook outcomes by team.

  3. Invest / cut

    Data for headcount and tooling.

10

Copy-paste queries

Company Brain or lineage search. Context included.

Board prep
"Show me everything that feeds our board revenue number."
Coverage
"What percentage of production tables have an owner in Metroflow?"
Trust
"Which exec dashboards are not on certified metrics?"
Onboarding
"Walk a new hire through how orders flow to the revenue dashboard."
Dispute
"Why does product revenue differ from finance by 2%?"
ROI
"How many assets were impacted by lineage queries this month?"
11

Glossary

Plain English. "Why it matters" tells you when to care.

Certified metric
Approved KPI with owner, formula, and lineage.
Why: Ends exec debates you are asked to settle.
Coverage
% of stack registered with owners and lineage.
Why: Your ROI and risk visibility metric.
Trust score
Weekly health of dashboards on certified metrics.
Why: Early warning before board surprises.
Semantic graph
Linked map of your entire data stack.
Why: Replaces quarterly audit projects.
Company Brain
Exec Q&A with citations from your metadata.
Why: CEO asks, you answer in minutes.
Metadata only
No row movement; schemas and job names only.
Why: Security teams approve faster.
12

Outcomes checklist

Measure if the program is working.

Success metric90-day target
New hire time to first trusted query3 days vs 3 weeks
Board dashboards on certified metrics100% of top 5
Cross-functional metric escalations / monthNear zero
Stack coverage with owners≥ 90%

Ready to put this playbook to work?

Week 1: connect your stack and run your first blast-radius query. Week 4: certify your first KPI. Week 8: operationalize the runbook.

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