I once participated in a meeting about governance, where we sidetracked on the definition of governance. Having a curiously deep desire to understand these things, I researched the topic beforehand. The best Internet-facing organizational website for IT governance I found was Texas A&M's University-wide IT Governance. It also offered the best definition of IT governance I have found (genericized):
IT Governance is the assurance that Information Technology aligns with the outcomes required by <ORGANIZATION> for successful fulfillment of its mission. It ensures that appropriate decision-making activities (prioritization and funding) are done in concert with the <ORGANIZATION>'s strategic priorities, while taking into account input from a broad base of <STAKEHOLDERS> from across the <ORGANIZATION>.
Their governance layout is clear and concise. The pages are meaningful without being cluttered with jargon. The basic framework is fewer than four pages and covers:
- About the Board: a one-paragraph summary, with bullets about the purpose of the board.
- Members: A named list of decision-makers, permanent attending members, and others.
- Charge: a simply detailed description of the board's authorities; it's charter. This is captured in fewer than 500 words and includes the board's deliverables (decisions, recommendations, etc.)
- Policy alignment: how the board aligns to the Organization's policy structure.
- Representation: where Members describes named individuals, Representation indicates organizational representation and whether they are voting or ex-officio (non-voting)
- Terms & Procedures. A one-page summary of the board's rules, including chair representation, member participation, frequency, reporting method, documentation requirement, voting powers, and inputs from other boards, etc.
Board pages include links to upcoming Agenda and recent past minutes, with a separate page tracking all minutes.
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Ben
In tenebris solus sto
Ben
In tenebris solus sto