IT Governance – Little "g" or Big "G"?

In corporate settings when you combine the word "governance" with the acronym "IT" you likely have a recipe for ample water cooler jocularity. The term governance is off-putting to many people and IT is an easy target for employee frustration. The reality is that many businesses today don't know how to prioritize IT projects or investments and everyone is an expert when it comes to IT.

The challenge when implementing process is to understand your firm's acceptance of process and their IT business acumen. Firms that understand that IT is an enabler in business are more likely to embrace robust IT Governance processes. Those that don't and those that are more informal in their operations and their consideration of strategic planning are not likely to take well to formal vetting processes.

These examples are on either end of the spectrum and it is important to know where your firm lands on the continuum. In many respects, the success of your process initiative depends heavily on understanding the users. Much can be learned from our friends in the user experience / user-centered design world. Knowing your audience and understanding their appetite and aptitude for process is vitally important to your success in these ventures.

If you are working for a firm that has historically little structure and limited focus on strategic planning, the small "g" approach to governance is likely your best bet. So that means you should focus on very simple processes. Perhaps a one stage-gate process where ideas are vetted based upon a simple financial statement and a short written business summary.

For more sophisticated firms, gauge their appetite for more formal processes as well. Don't implement a five gate process just because you can. The simpler the process the better, even in firms that understand the value of IT. Stage gates for the "initiation phase" and "planning stages" are probably all you need. Use the initiation stage to build a charter, estimate startup and ongoing costs, and build your cost benefit package. Use the planning stage to give management one more bite at the apple before proceeding.

Regardless of your firms process tolerance levels, don't get carried away with structure and formality. Make the processes work for you. Keep them simple, lightweight, and flexible. Don't give non-IT resources more to whine about when it comes to IT. The reality is there are always more projects than there are people and resources to handle them. This is why some level of process is needed in most any company. Make sure your processes don't slow the business down and make sure the processes are transparent (no special favors or secret back doors – these undermine the credibility of the process and everyone will find the secret door eventually).

The point to all this is that you have to know your users just as user experience professionals must when designing software solutions and web sites. So take it from these experts: "hide the process complexity and surface the company business".