IT is often put in the tough position of deciding which initiatives it should pursue in support of the business, and is frequently forced to act as a mediator between competing interests. The truth is that most IT projects are not about IT – they’re about the business. Other department leaders and key executive decision makers have to be in the loop if IT is going to strategically fit and functionally integrate itself successfully across the enterprise.
In a series of interviews with IT leaders, IT steering committees emerged as the most valuable governance tool in a new IT leader’s arsenal. Common experience showed that, often, there is no committee in place at all and one must be built. In other enterprises, a committee is in place, but is dysfunctional or has not convened in far too long.