Crafting information technology governance

Information Technology (IT) governance has emerged as a fundamental business imperative, and rightfully so, because it is key to realizing IT business value. IT governance describes the distribution of IT decision-making rights and responsibilities among different stakeholders in the enterprise, and defines the procedures and mechanisms for making and monitoring strategic IT decisions. This article presents a holistic view of IT governance, in which structural, process, and relational capabilities are an integral part of an effective IT governance architecture. The article concludes with an IT Governance Assessment Process (ITGAP) model, with which business and IT executives can assess the effectiveness of their company's current IT governance architecture.