How are you ensuring the right IT projects in your organisation are being funded? Who has the power to give these projects the go-ahead or stop an ineffective project in its tracks?  

Governance is a key part of any organisational strategy. Particularly in larger organisations, this is controlled and monitored by a Technical Steering Group or Technical Governance Board. Their role is to ensure resources are focused on projects that align with the organisation’s overall strategy. 

Without a Governance Board, you end up with an organisation that makes tactical, short-term improvements but, in the long run, wastes resources duplicating effort and creating confusing systems and processes. 

Inadequate project governance is easy to recognise when you know what you’re looking for. Do you see any of these symptoms in your organisation? 

1. IT projects are implemented to solve a specific problem but end up creating new problems that somebody outside the consultation could have predicted.
   
2. There’s a lack of communication between teams or departments, resulting in duplication of effort. For example, the IT department has implemented Microsoft Teams while HR is using Zoom causing increased costs and data sprawl. 
   
3. Projects keep being closed down without feedback being given to the person who submitted it. Subsequently, people keep submitting similar proposals because the problems they are struggling with are not being addressed. 
   
4. When new systems are brought in, stakeholders are reluctant to adopt them because they do not understand the purpose or value of the improvement. 
   
   

What does great project governance look like? 

When an organisation has strong project governance, every project is aligned with their overall strategy. Every project supports every other project. Every project delivers ROI, and there is no unnecessary cross-over between projects. 

Good project governance provides a clear set of criteria against which all projects are assessed. The roadmap to change within the organisation is clear and structured to allow for better planning and effective, efficient decision making. 

We’ve worked with many clients to undertake IT transformations that include setting up project governance processes and procedures. The first step is always to carry out an in-depth analysis of your current systems and processes to create a baseline for change. 

If you need help to get started on an IT transformation, please give us a call.