Data Contracts: Treating Data as a Product Between Business and IT

Data is not just a backlog item — it's an internal product teams exchange. In this episode Mirko Peters explains how data contracts — compact, enforceable agreements about schema, semantics, SLAs and ownership — convert fragile integrations into reliable business infrastructure. He contrasts the business expectation that data is 'available and obvious' with the IT reality of schema drift, lineage gaps and quality trade-offs, then outlines a practical path to close that gap. Listeners get a generalized consulting story where missing data guarantees derail a launch, followed by concrete, low-friction actions: assign owners, codify schemas, add lightweight validation and versioning, and choose whether the contract lives in policy, code, or both. This episode focuses on pragmatic governance you can pilot in weeks, not heavyweight committees — ideal for leaders, product and data owners, architects and engineers who need dependable data without slowing the organisation.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/business-it-it-business--6867401/support.To continue the conversation, follow Mirko Peters on LinkedIn, where more insights and real-world examples are shared from both business and IT perspectives.