Dos and Don’ts of IT Governance

Janis is an award-winning journalist and editor who has covered many industries beyond project management, including health care, financial services, higher education and retail sales.

  Governance   PMO   Portfolio Management   ProjectsAtWork  

IT governance is evolving, but some fundamental practices hold true. Whether your organization is implementing processes for the first time or reassessing and remaking existing ones, here are some proven paths to follow and pitfalls to avoid.

While companies continue to evolve and mature their IT governance processes toward better integration with the business side of the house, addressing practical considerations can improve their governance operations in the meantime.

“The where, what, when and how are areas of concern for most of our clients today, and these issues have been for years,” says Michael Gerrard, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner Inc. “The state of IT governance is still not fixed, which a lot of people aren’t prepared to admit or don’t realize.”

In that light, Gerrard and Craig Symons, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, share some proven paths to follow and pitfalls to avoid.

Do formalize governance. Clarity about a company’s governance process is critical, Symons says. “There has to be a formal document that lays out the governance framework and initiatives.” It should address governance structures (who has input via which committees), processes (how to manage the investment mix via portfolio management) and communications (what stakeholders can …

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