Meridian is standing up its computer-vision ramp-safety program and multiple teams — IT, safety, and ground operations — all touch the camera-footage data differently. Who should the PM ensure is explicitly assigned to own data quality, access rules, and definitions for this dataset?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
When three different teams all touch the same dataset, someone has to own it, or quality and access rules quietly rot. That's the data steward role — a named accountability, not a vague shared responsibility.
Full Explanation
Data stewardship establishes clear accountability for a dataset's quality, definitions, and access rules — critical when, as at Meridian, multiple functions (IT, safety, ground ops) interact with the same camera-footage data. A designated steward resolves ambiguity about who decides labeling standards, who approves access, and who is accountable when quality slips. Option A is the failure mode governance exists to prevent — undefined ownership reliably leads to the 'data swamp' problem from Q144. Option C describes de facto, accidental ownership rather than deliberate stewardship, which produces inconsistent standards as different 'last touchers' rotate. Option D incorrectly assigns internal governance responsibility to an external vendor; the vendor built the model, but Meridian owns and is accountable for its own operational data, including under any regulatory scrutiny. The exam distinction to hold onto: stewardship is a named, assignable role within data governance, not a synonym for 'whoever happens to be using the data.'