IT Governance: A practical guide to implementation 

When Is the Right Time to Start Governing Your Technology?

For any organisation undergoing or expecting to undergo significant technology or business changes, implementing strong IT governance is not just important—it's critical. Here’s why:

1. Managing IT Complexity: As your organisation evolves, the complexity of your IT landscape can spiral out of control. Without robust governance, you risk facing budget overruns, capacity shortfalls, and ultimately, the erosion of the business case for your digital transformation initiatives.

2. Adapting to Change: It’s nearly impossible for requirements, expectations, and timelines to remain static throughout a transformation. Establishing a solid governance framework from the outset provides a strong baseline, enabling more informed and effective decision-making under pressure.

3. Meeting Post-Transformation Expectations: Once a digital transformation is deemed successful, expectations for IT delivery often skyrocket. New requests will pour in, adding pressure on your IT team. Effective IT governance helps manage this demand and ensures that your IT service can scale to meet these new challenges.

Where to start with IT Governance?

Implementing IT governance doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start by building internal discipline across your teams with these actionable steps:

1. Assign a Technical Lead: Designate someone in your team to act as a technical lead. This person will help you, as the IT leader, understand the current ("AS-IS") state of your technology, identify risks and issues, and consolidate this information into a centralised tool. If you don't have an architect role already, the technical lead can serve in this capacity.

2. Establish Effective Communication Channels: Ensure seamless communication between IT operations, the project management office (PMO), your technical lead, and the business. This could involve:

• IT Strategy and Technology Standards: Ensure compliance with security, licensing, and technology standards to prevent legacy and security issues.
• Project Demand Management: Coordinate with IT service leads, management, and architecture at the project entry point to ensure capacity is aligned with business expectations on budget and timelines.
• Strategic Alignment: Focus on using technology that delivers tangible value to the business, ensuring that IT efforts are consistently aligned with overall business strategy.
  
  3. Centralise Information and Insights: Develop a structure to collate and analyse information in one place, driving data-driven decisions. This might involve creating an information taxonomy, using tools like questionnaires for end-user feedback, tracking IT service capacity and capability, and generating insightful reports to feed into your governance processes.

What Tools and Processes Should Be Used?

Successful IT governance relies on the right tools and processes to ensure that your organisation’s IT services are aligned with business objectives. Here’s what to consider:

• Centralised Information Management: Utilise a centralised system to capture all relevant information, enabling the easy generation of reports on capacity, capability, cost, and complexity. This holistic view helps avoid the pitfalls of siloed reporting, where critical insights might be missed.
• Integration with Existing Systems: Ensure that your governance process connects with existing IT systems, extracting relevant data and insights that are aligned with business goals. This includes gathering feedback from the business on the IT services they receive and populating information into a central IT repository that is known by business users.
• Unified Processes Across IT Operations and Strategy: Establish a process that integrates IT operations, project management, and business strategy. This should encompass:
• Technology Design Authority (TDA) Workshops: Conduct monthly workshops led by your technical lead to assess technical risks, operational pressures, and upcoming technology changes.
• Regular Catch-Ups: As the IT leader, schedule regular meetings with associate directors and business heads to gather feedback, identify needs, and align these with the IT governance framework.
• Technology Steering Board (TSG): Set up a monthly TSG meeting that includes the PMO lead, Head of IT Operations, your technical lead, and yourself to discuss technology strategy, compliance, and alignment with business goals. 

Implementing IT governance is essential for CTOs and tech leaders who want to navigate the complexities of digital transformation successfully. By establishing a robust governance framework, you can manage IT complexity, adapt to change, and meet the high expectations that follow a successful transformation. Start small, build discipline, and leverage the right tools and processes to ensure that your IT service delivers maximum value to your organisation.

For more background on IT Governance click here