Understanding Domains
Learn how governance domains organize policies, statements, and library content in Dictiva, and how to select the right domains during onboarding and beyond.
What Are Domains?
Governance domains are thematic categories that organize your governance program. Each domain covers a distinct area of organizational governance, from Information Security to ESG Governance.
Domains serve three purposes in Dictiva:
- Organization: Statements, library content, and glossary terms are grouped by domain
- Content gating: Your plan tier and domain selections determine which library content is accessible
- Maturity tracking: You can assess and track governance maturity per domain
The 33 Domains
Dictiva ships with 33 domains. They cluster into six families:
| Family | Domains | Example Statement |
|---|---|---|
| Data | Data Governance, Data Management, Data Quality, Data Architecture, Data Engineering, Data Products, Metadata Management, Master & Reference Data, Business Intelligence | "Each data asset must have a designated data owner" |
| Privacy & Security | Data Privacy, Data Security, Information Security | "All systems must enforce MFA for administrative access" |
| Technology | AI Governance, IT Service Management, Cloud Governance, SDLC Governance, Technology Governance, Enterprise Architecture, Change Management, Content Management | "All production changes must follow the change management process" |
| Risk & Resilience | Operational Risk, Third-Party Risk, Business Continuity | "Critical vendors must complete annual security assessments" |
| Compliance & Assurance | Regulatory Compliance, Internal Audit, Ethics & Conduct | "Regulatory filings must be submitted by statutory deadlines" |
| Governance & Oversight | Board Governance, Governance Foundations, Policy Management, Project Governance, ESG Governance, Financial Governance, Healthcare Governance | "Carbon emissions must be reported annually" |
The families are a reading aid; in the product every domain stands on its own, with its own statements, glossary terms, tags and regulatory mappings.
Selecting Domains
During onboarding, you select the domains relevant to your organization. This selection:
- Filters library content: You only see statements in your selected domains
- Organizes your workspace: Domain filter pills let you quickly navigate content
- Scales with your program: Add more domains as your governance program matures
Recommended Starting Points
| Organization Type | Recommended Domains |
|---|---|
| SaaS startup | Information Security, Data Privacy, Operational Risk, SDLC Governance |
| Fintech | Information Security, Financial Governance, Operational Risk, Regulatory Compliance |
| Healthcare | Healthcare Governance, Data Privacy, Information Security, Regulatory Compliance |
| Manufacturing | Operational Risk, ESG Governance, Business Continuity, Third-Party Risk |
| Any organization | Governance Foundations, Policy Management, Ethics & Conduct |
Changing Domain Selections
Open the Policies menu and choose Domains to add or remove domains at any time. Adding a domain immediately unlocks library content in that area. Removing a domain hides library content but doesn't delete any statements you've already adopted.
Domain Onboarding
When you select a new domain, Dictiva provides an onboarding flow that helps you understand:
- What the domain covers
- Key governance concepts in that area
- Recommended library collections to adopt
- Relevant regulations and frameworks