Which IT Governance Mechanism Is Right for You?

I.T. Executive Committee

Membership: Senior executives and/or board members

Role: To identify key business processes and strategies to be supported by IT; perform risk/investment analysis of proposed large IT projects; measure IT value; review IT sourcing, security and architecture policies

Pros: CIOs don’t have to guess what the CEO wants from IT

Cons: Other C-level execs can be bored to death by technology details

I.T. Council

Membership: IT and/or business unit executives

Role: To monitor and evaluate ongoing IT projects for risk/value/cost; identify shared service opportunities across business units and IT; evaluate and approve IT architecture

Pros: Enables the enterprise to share best practices and avoid duplication of effort

Cons: May suffer from a lack of strategic direction

Architecture Committee

Membership: CIO and direct reports

Role: To create and enforce standards for IT across the enterprise and to assess exceptions to the rule

Pros: Saves money

Cons: Too much standardization may quash innovation

Business Process Teams

Membership: Businesspeople and IT

Role: To improve process speed and quality and reduce cost

Pros: Focuses IT directly on business unit needs

Cons: May lack enterprise focus; difficult to coordinate efforts enterprisewide

Sources: Center for Information Systems Research, mit Sloan School of Management; I.T. Governance Institute; CIO reporting