IT Governance 32006

Assessment Guide
Autumn 2006

Note: The due date for all assignments is 6pm on the night of the lecture in the week
allocated.

Assignment 1: Workshop Presentation, Report & Online debate

Presentation: 25%
Report: 20%
Online debate: 5%
Due: Week 2-14 dependent on topic selected. Report is due 1 week
after the presentation.

This assignment will provide students with an in depth understanding of one of the IT
Governance topics thru applying the theory to a specific case selected from
contemporary literature or the media. The presentation by the student will form the
basis of a class workshop on the topic.

During the first week you will be allocated a workshop question to be presented
during one of the lectures. There are 3 components to this assignment:
1. Oral presentation due in the week allocated
2. Written report due one week after
3. Online debate conducted in the week after the presentation

The workshop will be in the form of a question based on the readings provided for
that workshop. Each student will answer one question in one workshop. Students are
expected to:

 Display an understanding of the specific case/problem or circumstance in the

source readings.
 Show how it relates to the underlying theory relevant to that reading.
 Argue the case presented in the question.

Students presenting in the same week may co-ordinate their content to avoid overlap,
however each student will be assessed individually.

The material covered in the presentation will then form the basis of a class wide
workshop on the specific topic.

Presentation Marking Guide

 Identification of the facts of the particular case 5
 Answering the question 10
 Relating theory to the case 5
 Creativity 5
Report Marking Guide
 Evidence of wide reading 5
 Answering the question 5
 Application of theory 5
 Coherency of report 5

Online debate marking guide

 5 or more contributions to online discussion 2
 Quality of contribution 3
Assignment 2: Workplace IT Governance Assessment - Report

Report: 50%
Due: Week 12 (Thursday 1st June)

This assignment gives you the opportunity to apply the concepts of IT Governance to
your organisation by identifying and documenting current practices. It will test your
ability to analyse and understand the current organisational environment. The results
will be tabulated and discussed in class without identifying individual organisations.

It is critical that you demonstrate an understanding of the theoretical aspects of

IT governance and how they relate to your organisation.

You are expected to:

 To identify your organisations current IT governance processes within the
wider IT governance domain. Address both formal and informal structures.
Use appropriate IT governance theory to structure and support your analysis.
 Estimate the IT Governance maturity of the organisation using the CoBIT
maturity model.
 Critically review the current IT Governance practices of your organisation
based on your assessment above. Are they the best approach? Why or why
not? Refer to the relevant theory to support your argument.
 Make recommendations of changes that should be made to current IT
Governance and explain why these have been chosen again citing relevant
theory.
 Write a report documenting your findings.

Your report should contain:

 A brief description of your company in order to place IT Governance within
its organisational context.
 An in depth identification of the current IT Governance processes/actions of
the organisation. These may be explicit/implicit and overt/covert.
 A discussion on why a particular theory was applied to the organisation.
 Application of the CoBIT IT governance maturity model and the reasons why
a particular level was chosen.
 A critique of current IT Governance practices with reference to relevant
theory.
 Recommendations for improving IT Governance processes with reference to
relevant theory to support your recommendations.
 Reasons why you selected each recommendation (why is it appropriate to your
organisation).
 Supporting documentation such as relevant company policies, minutes etc.
Alt. Assignment 2: Literature Review and Presentation

Report (2a): 35%

Due: Week 12 (1st June 2006)

Presentation (2b): 15%

Due: Week 13 (8th June 2006)

This assignment is provided as an alternative for students who do not have access to
an organisation to carry out Assignment 2. It will give the student the opportunity to
explore a contemporary problem in IT governance in detail.

Report (2a)

You are required to:

 Select an aspect of IT Governance that you would like to explore in depth.
 The report is to be at least 5,000 words in length (excluding references).
 You are required to adopt a specific point of view on your chosen topic.
 The terms of your point of view should be clearly sated at the outset and kept
constantly in mind so that all research is directed towards gathering relevant
information.
 The report should then develop and substantiate your ideas and arguments in a
logical and coherent manner, before presenting a concise and supported
statement of your point of view.
 Where appropriate assumptions and definitions should be clearly stated.

You are expected to show a wide range of reading, a clear understanding of the issue
and the application of relevant theory.

Presentation (2b)

You are required to prepare a 20 minute presentation (+ 10 minutes question time) of

your Report (2a):

An entertaining, informative and coherent presentation is expected.