Monday, December 7, 2015

CIO’s Digital Agenda XI: How to Improve IT Governance Maturity


Governance is like a steer-wheel, to ensure enterprise running in the right direction.

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Governance is like a steer-wheel (governance is "steer" in Greece), to ensure enterprise running in the right direction, and well-head to the destination. Corporate governance is not only about governing operations and tactical efforts. It is or should be equally about governing the evolution of the company. Otherwise, the company, no matter how good the governance is, will fail because of a lack of vision and strategic direction. IT governance is a subcomponent of corporate governance and a fundamental business necessity, how to manage it in an effective and holistic way?


How to Improve IT Governance Maturity

  • GRC Methodology vs. Technology?- Digital technologies bring significant opportunities and risks in today’s businesses. Hence, GRC (governance, risk management, and compliance) plays a more important role in running an effective organization. GRC methodology vs. technology, how to balance them right in improving organizational agility and maturity?


  • Why is IT governance so difficult to implement? Governance is like a steering wheel, keeps their business toward the right direction, IT governance plays a significant role in setting guidance and principles to manage business’s information system which is the lifeblood of today’s always-on and hyper-connected digital business. IT governance is converging with business governance, because nowadays IT is business, and business’s IT, but why is IT governance so difficult to implement?


  • Why Successful IT Absolutely Needs Project Governance? Project Governance, or more broadly IT governance’s magic lies in guiding an organization from beginning to maturity. Lay out the formula, implement it, and corporate leaders say: “that does make sense.” Good governance takes into consideration of the organization's ability to absorb more change or invest more in technology, as well as IT ability to execute the changes requested. IT cannot or should not take on additional projects for reasons outside of how overwhelmed IT is. One big stumbling block is being able to measure time spent on current projects and then estimate resources for future projects.


  • Innovation Governance: Innovation is about managing novel ideas to achieve its business values. Governance is to steer, oversight,  and monitor business management. Innovation and governance seem to be the opposite practice. Do individuals believe governance is essential to effective business innovation and that the two are interdependent? Or do individuals believe governance is incompatible wth or even stifle innovation and leads ultimately to company failure? Innovation governance, how to get it right?


  • How to Improve IT Governance Maturity: IT plays a significant role in running modern enterprise; more often than not, technology is the business differentiator and innovation engine for business’s growth; also the failure of IT projects can directly impact business’s bottom line. What is the best approach to begin implementing formal IT Governance specifically aimed at optimizing the quality of demand? How can the "competition" for finite dollars be structured so that the end game, best benefit for the enterprise, is achieved?

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