# Introduction
The progress and transformation of the digital and data agenda in recent years has served to identify those key elements for the success of public policies, as well as the financial, technological, organizational and skills challenges that are still present in the Latin American and Caribbean governments.
Recognizing the diversity of the region and that each government, national or local, is at different levels of progress regarding data initiatives, we have developed this selfassessment guide to help determine the degree of maturity in which the following conditions are found : leadership, financing, regulatory framework, organizational structure, data and data management, capacity building, user demand and community, and technology and transfer mechanisms.
In this way, this playbook will allow a government to prioritize those conditions that require greater attention, and determine actions in the short, medium and long term to define a democratic governance model and a comprehensive data strategy that keeps people at the center. That means having the political and financial support for its sustainability; regulatory instruments that reduce uncertainty and discretion; clear and simple rules of access, use and transfer of data; ethical and secure data management; inclusion and participation of users inside and outside of government; and standards for the effective use of data as triggers for development.
What is a Data Strategy?
A Data Strategy provides a Government with a destination and a course to follow - according to its political, social and economic conditions - that allow it to take advantage of the data resources it has in an efficient and strategic manner.
To achieve this, the Data Strategy must take into account the elements that come together in the data life cycle: creation, processing, storage, exchange, use and analysis, archiving and preservation; along with the different actors, technology, laws, budget and other elements involved.
Considering the dynamism of the international context that we currently live in, these strategies must be designed with an implementation perspective of 3 to 5 years from the date of publication.