# Field governance

> Canonical page: https://wayhatch.com/glossary/field-governance/
> Evidence label: Research evaluated. Definitions: https://wayhatch.com/about/evidence-labels/
> Updated: 26 October 2026 (2026-10-26). Publisher: wayhatch, wayhatchai@gmail.com

Field governance is the set of rules for which CRM fields exist, what each means, who can edit it, which system writes to it and when it is retired.

CRMs accumulate fields: duplicates with similar names, fields nobody fills in and values written by several integrations at once. Each one makes reports harder to trust and changes riskier to make.

Keep a data dictionary with each field’s definition, owner, source system and whether it is required. Route new field requests through RevOps, review fill rates each quarter, and archive fields that are empty or unused.

Related terms: [CRM data hygiene](https://wayhatch.com/glossary/crm-data-hygiene/), [System of record](https://wayhatch.com/glossary/system-of-record/), [Stage definitions](https://wayhatch.com/glossary/stage-definitions/)

Workflow: [CRM data hygiene and field governance](https://wayhatch.com/workflows/crm-data-hygiene/)