Good Practices


With IT now so intrinsic and pervasive within enterprises, business management needs to pay special attention to it, reviewing how strongly the enterprise relies on IT and how critical it is for the execution of the business strategy, since:

  • IT is critical in supporting and enabling enterprise processes (operational)
  • IT is a key enabler of business strategy and change (growth and innovation), and the risk of not recognising or making the business changes necessary to utilise IT capability to deliver value must be recognised, understood and managed
  • Due diligence is increasingly required relative to the IT implications of mergers and acquisitions

Proven practices in realising value from IT and delivering reliable and secure IT services have been available for more than a decade, and embracing them does not have to be complex or expensive. Opportunity, cost and risk make IT operationally critical and strategic to enterprise success, so implementing good professional management practices should be a management imperative.

Successful enterprises strive to avoid serious failures through effective governance. They plan and execute a strategic undertaking with oversight at the highest levels to avoid the risk of failure. They also make sure controls are in place to avoid operational risks when new services are delivered.

Enterprises that have implemented effective IT governance have put in place business-led structures such as IT executive committees to provide enhanced direction and gain better control of IT-related activities. They are adopting and adapting best practices in areas such as portfolio management, service delivery and risk management. They are able to monitor IT’s performance using business oriented reporting.

Getting better business value from IT requires the right leadership; well-defined processes with clear roles, responsibilities and accountabilities; appropriate structures; and supporting metrics, information, and tools. In short, an effective approach to enterprise governance of IT is required.