Touchstone
A data governance framework for people who build with AI.
Free. Open source. Practical.
THE QUESTION THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING
Before you deploy -- any tool, any workflow, any agent -- one question.Is this data fit for this purpose, for this use, released by this person, at this moment?Every word is doing work. This data, not data in general. This purpose, not all possible uses. This person, because accountability lands somewhere specific. This moment, because valid yesterday does not mean valid today.That question routes you to one of two tracks.
THE TWO TRACKS
Analytics Track
A human is making the final decision. They review the output, interpret the analysis, choose what to act on. Errors are visible. The stakes are real but contained.Agentic Track
The system is making the decision. It acts on the data directly, without a human reviewing each step. Errors are invisible until they have already caused something. The scrutiny needs to match.
THE SIX QUESTIONS
These apply to both tracks. What good looks like when you answer them differs significantly.1. Where does this data come from?
2. Does it contain personal data?
3. Is it accurate, correct, and current?
4. What does good look like for this specific use?
5. How else could this data be used?
6. Is there an aggregation concern?Six questions. Not a long process. If your data is genuinely fit for purpose, most of these answers come quickly.
WHAT TOUCHSTONE IS
Not a framework you adopt. Not a methodology you implement.A set of questions you already know how to ask, arranged in a sequence that makes them reliable. The difference between good instinct and good practice is that practice shows up every time -- not just when you remember to slow down, not just when something feels off. Every time. Before deployment. Without exception.Touchstone is the instinct you already have, made into a habit.
THE SERIES
Touchstone was developed and published as a twelve-post LinkedIn series. If you want to understand the thinking behind the framework -- why these questions, in this order, for this moment -- the series is where to start.Read the series on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisacaola
NEED HELP IMPLEMENTING THIS?
Touchstone is designed to be used without guidance. But if you are working at organisational scale -- building data governance processes, upskilling teams, or embedding these questions into existing workflows -- that is a different conversation.Get in touch
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisacaola