Much like a baby in your arms compared to the child’s first day of college, IT governance is almost unrecognizable now compared to in the past. IT governance’s core values are still at its heart–alignment with strategy, controlled risk, and efficiency with IT resources–but what has changed is how these values are approached. In an article for FCW, Kris van Riper and John Taylor explore how IT governance can progress into the future.
Where We’re Going
In a TechAmerica survey of federal CIOs and CISOs, 50 percent of the respondents find that the CIO controls less than half of IT’s budget. Business partners have a lot of input when it comes to deciding where IT should spend their money, but the bottom line is that when it comes to adding value to the business and ensuring that data and security standards are met, this falls on IT. It must take more ownership of their projects.
Traditionally, IT governance was dependent upon inflexible systems that approached every problem with the same “one-size-fits-all” approach. Presently, this is changing, and these rigid rules will have an adverse impact on new opportunities. Additionally, the public will likely scrutinize IT more. Through CEB research, four essential tactics have been identified to help in the establishment of IT governance that maximizes IT spending:
- Allow different entry points.
- Illustrate recommendations as trade-offs.
- Consolidate in order to minimize the burden of risk.
- Highlight support requirements.
Most business partners do not believe that the current system allows for the alignment of their investment needs. Having a single point of entry will eliminate this grievance and lower risks. When recommendations are framed as trade-offs, there is less negative push-back from the audience because then they seem like a choice. All organizations seek to minimize risks. Finally, remember that governance does not end after the investment is approved; it is a continuous process.
You can read the original article here: https://fcw.com/articles/2015/11/16/next-gen-it-governance.aspx
