I had an “aha” moment when I heard a wonderful definition – IT Management is within the IT function, whereas IT Governance is outside it.

In other words, IT Governance is better termed as Business governing of IT to ensure IT is an enabling partner for meeting organizational goals.

Do you have a different take on it?

Related posts:

1. 3 Fatal mistakes in implementing IT Governance
2. Forrester research on what CIOs want in 2010

1. IT driving IT Governance

Business has to own and drive IT Governance. IT Governance is the business of governance of IT and hence business has to ensure that IT is aligned to the short and long term needs of the business. A simplified example of doing it wrong is when IT is asked to cut costs and and it cuts in places where long term strategic advantages are affected.

2. Thinking IT Governance is solved by a Process Framework or model

No single framework can work in establishing true IT Governance – as most models are focused on solving problems in one area of IT. COBIT is the most suitable framework for an overall Governance structure, but it only talks about the “what” – for the “how”, you will have to look at specific models for detailed guidance. ITIL for service management and CMMI for application development and maintenance are excellent choices (and industry standards!).

There are other areas, such as managing the portfolio of IT projects and their value to the business. There are no formal standards for such things and you might have to bring in reputed consultants to help you draft one for your organization.

3. Thinking that deploying a tool will give you IT Governance

There are a large number of organizations where improper deployments have become white elephants. Often, management confuses reporting with a working system – leading to deploying tools that can churn out good-looking reports and dashboards, but not really actionable information.

Tools can automate your processes and bring in consistency and effectiveness, but only after you have thought through the controls, defined processes and trained people.  

In short, full IT Governance is only for those who can stay the distance, investing time, effort and money. There are no quick-fix solutions here.

Related posts:

1. IT Governance simplified
2. Forrester research on what CIOs want in 2010
3. Business and IT: There is still a Wall!