An Exploratory Study into the Design of an IT Governance Minimum Baseline through Delphi Research

Abstract

In many organisations, information technology (IT) has become crucial in the support, sustainability, and growth of the business. This pervasive use of technology has created a critical dependency on IT that calls for a specific focus on IT governance. IT governance consists of the leadership and organisational structures and processes that enable the required alignment between business and IT. This practice-oriented research concentrates on the IT governance practices that organisations can leverage to implement IT governance in reality. Based on literature research, pilot case research and Delphi research, this paper provides insights regarding the effectiveness and ease of implementation of IT governance practices and provides a minimum baseline of practices that organisations at least should have. Via this research, we want to contribute to new theory building and assist practitioners by providing more guidance on how IT governance can be effectively implemented.

An Empirical Assessment of IT Governance Transparency: Evidence from Commercial Banking

“…IT governance disclosure items Description Relevant literature (C1) IT Strategic Alignment (ITSA) 1 IT expert on the board One or more board of directors who is/are independent or non-independent with sufficient knowledge regarding IT and information assets (De Haes & Van Grembergen, 2008;ITGI, 2003) 2 IT expert with experience on the board…”

On the Way to a Minimum Baseline in IT Governance: Using Expert Views for Selective Implementation of COBIT 5

“…Generally a criticism on the complexity of frameworks like COBIT 5 is issued in literature [2], [29], [4], [31], while some authors address more specific aspects of COBIT. In particular, a group of publications determines, that the implementation is considered challenging since there is no or insufficient guidance on how to plan, initiate and structure this important, costly and critical process [3], [4], [31], [33]- [37]. The degree of complexity of COBIT 5 becomes ultimately tangible when consulting the research project by Bartens et al [32], which dealt with the prototype development for designing [38] a graphical layer onto the COBIT 5 process model as a possible addition to ISACA's COBIT 5 knowledge base and product suite.…”

“…High complexity is generally assessed as a severe barrier for it governance implementations and practice [2]. A promising approach to reduce the complexity in the work with IT governance frameworks is the development of a minimum baseline, selecting crucial processes as a starting point for implementation [3].…”

How IT Enabled Investments Bring Value to the Business : A Literature Review

“…Peterson [60] defines it as "the active participation of, and collaborative relationship among, corporate executives, IT management, and business management (e.g., training)". The issue of relational mechanisms has previously been examined in IT governance research [15], [16], [17], [75], [76], which comprises close interactions with the IT value management domain [39], and may serve as a guidance in the exploration of adequate relational mechanisms for IT value management ( Table 2).…”

“…This forum institutes the CIO with an effective reporting line creating the opportunity for the CIO to engage the board of directors in understanding and communicating the meaning of business value through IT enabled investments. Like IT governance awareness campaigns [15], [16], [17], it might be worth investigating whether specific awareness campaigns on the significance of IT value management are effective. Next, the use of knowledge management or learning opportunities is perceived as an integral part of IT value management (lessons learned).…”