Good governance, at all levels, is not a guarantee of success in the delivery of a business vision, but it does set in place the backdrop and structures that make successmore likely to be achieved.
Without a strategic and concerted approach togovernance, a project is exposed to a litany of management risks that could be the differencebetween a project that meets its deliverables anda project that fails to meet any of its intendedobjectives, wasting an organisation’s time and money and failing to deliver value.Governance around programs and projects is essential, and allIntergen PMs are schooled in the principles of its establishment for every project they manage.
What is governance and why is it so necessary to all IT projects?
Information Technology Governance (ITG) deals primarily with the alignment between the business focus and IT management objectives. Information Technology Governance recognises that organisations are critically reliant on their IT systems,ensuring that strategic decisions about IT are owned at the highest level of anorganisation, not solely IT management.
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- THE INTELLIGENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE. ISSUE THIRTEEN >
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Protecting the project – why governanceis a must-have
Emma Barrett
What do you do?
I head up the Wellington Project Management team at Intergen, making sure we have theright profile of PM skills to support our clients.I am also a CRM product specialist and helpour clients get the most benefit from theirMicrosoft CRM implementations.
How do you make a difference?
I have had the opportunity to work withmany different organisations, implementingbusiness solutions in New Zealand, Australiaand the UK, which has given me an extensiveunderstanding of how software solutions cansupport different business processes, solveissues and provide measurable businessbenefit. I believe in collaborating with client project teams to really understand thebusiness needs and together ensure that theproject meets its objectives as well as thestakeholders’ expectations.
What do you love about your job?
It's great to see our clients and the Intergenteam membersenjoying their workingrelationship and the shared satisfaction whenthe end result of the project is recognised.
A bit about me
I live with my husband Nathan in Lyall Bay. Almost every weekend for the last two yearshas involved DIY of some kind. Now that ourhouse renovations are finished we are lookingforward to the ski season and spending moretime out and about with friends and family.
The chief goals for Information Technology Governance are to:
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assure that IT investments generate business value and
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mitigate the risks associated with IT. As with good governance at the corporate and IT levels, program and project governance are critical to ensure that project delivery aligns with the vision and value of the programs of work and IT strategy. Good governance makes delivery teams more successful by establishing a framework for decision-making,accountability and communication. Logically, the greater the structure, definitionand acceptance of governance, the less likely it is that there will be issues in themanagement of the program/project. As a vendor, Intergen is flexible in working with governance structuresexisting within client organisations and programs of work. Weare also comfortable taking a lead or advisory role inestablishing or aligning governance to facilitate management activities and achieve the desired business outcomes.Projects must have a clearly defined set of responsibilities,accountabilities and authorities, and individuals assignedto the roles must have the requisite skills and experienceand the organisational authority to make the requireddecisions.A component of governance is the definition of the desiredbusiness vision. This is not a passive activity within the iterativedevelopment lifecycle used at Intergen. Each iteration requiresaccountable business stakeholders to work with the development leadsto re-confirm the highest value features for the next delivery cycle. This ensurescontinual and timely alignment of the project with the business vision and value.In addition to this, communication and stakeholder management is essentialto ensure all parties are informed and engaged. The more involved the seniormanagement sponsors and stakeholders, the better the governance performance.Intergen has consistently used Microsoft SharePoint to provide either a targetedor broad scope of information to stakeholders depending on client requirements.SharePoint is also used to manage and share program and project documentation.
Intergen’s WellingtonProject Managers
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