Customising Data Stewardship Wizard for an Institute

This FAIRytale describes the practical implementation of a customised Data Stewardship Wizard (DSW) instance at Rothamsted Research, aiming to improve the quality and usability of Data Management Plans (DMPs) across the institute. Often treated as static administrative tasks, DMPs can instead be embedded as dynamic, evolving tools that support research integrity and FAIR data principles. Through a BBSRC-funded collaboration with Cardiff University, we explored how DSW’s modular architecture – including Knowledge Models, Phases, Question Tags, and Document Templates – can be tailored to support multi-phase planning, institutional policies, and funder-specific requirements. This local adaptation addresses the “DMP Multiverse” challenge researchers face when juggling inconsistent funder guidelines. Our work demonstrates how DSW can be configured to reflect the entire project lifecycle, from pre-award requirements to project-end reviews, making DMPs more actionable for PIs and more valuable to institutions. We reflect on the benefits, lessons learned, and the potential of DSW beyond data management, for planning around software, samples or statistical integrity.