Establish an Effective IT Steering Committee

Have the right people making the right decisions to drive IT success.

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Your Challenge

Unfortunately, when CIOs implement IT steering committees, they often lack the appropriate structure and processes to be effective.
Due to the high profile of the IT steering committee membership, CIOs need to get this right – or their reputation is at risk.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

88% of IT steering committees fail. The organizations that succeed have clearly defined responsibilities that are based on business needs.
Without a documented process your committee can’t execute on its responsibilities. Clearly define the flow of information to make your committee actionable.
Limit your headaches by holding your IT steering committee accountable for defining project prioritization criteria.

Impact and Result

Leverage Info-Tech’s process and deliverables to see dramatic improvements in your business satisfaction through an effective IT steering committee. This blueprint will provide three core customizable deliverables that you can use to launch or optimize your IT steering committee:

IT Steering Committee Charter: Use this template in combination with this blueprint to form a highly tailored committee.
IT Steering Committee Stakeholder Presentation: Build understanding around the goals and purpose of the IT steering committee, and generate support from your leadership team.
IT Steering Committee Project Prioritization Tool: Engage your IT steering committee participants in defining project prioritization criteria. Track project prioritization and assess your portfolio.

Contributors

Andy Lomasky, Manager, Technology & Management Consulting, McGladrey LLP
Angie Embree, CIO, Best Friends Animal Society
Corinne Bell, CTO and Director of IT Services, Landmark College
John Hanskenecht, Director of Technology, University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy
Lori Baker, CIO, Village of Northbrook
Lynne Allard, IT Supervisor, Nipissing Parry Sound Catholic School Board
Norman Allen, Senior IT Manager, Baker Tilly
Paul Martinello, VP, IT Services, Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro Inc.
Renee Martinez, IT Director/CIO, City of Santa Fe
Sam Wong, Director, IT, Seneca College
Suzanne Barnes, Director, Information Systems, Pathfinder International
Walt Joyce, CTO, Peoples Bank

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Get to Action

Start here – read the Executive Brief

Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why you should establish an IT steering committee, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand the ways we can support you in completing this project.

Build the steering committee charter

Build your IT steering committee charter using results from the stakeholder survey.
Define IT steering commitee processes

Define your high level steering committee processes using SIPOC, and select your steering committee metrics.
- Establish an Effective IT Steering Committee – Phase 2: Define ITSC Processes
Build the stakeholder presentation

Customize Info-Tech’s stakeholder presentation template to gain buy-in from your key IT steering committee stakeholders.
- Establish an Effective IT Steering Committee – Phase 3: Build the Stakeholder Presentation
- IT Steering Committee Stakeholder Presentation
Define the prioritization criteria

Build the new project intake and prioritization process for your new IT steering committee.

Guided Implementation

This guided implementation is a twelve call advisory process.

Guided Implementation #1 - Build the steering committee charter

Call #1: Launch your stakeholder survey
Call #2: Analyze the results of the survey
Call #3: Build your new ITSC charter
Call #4: Review your completed charter

Guided Implementation #2 - Define IT steering committee processes

Call #1: Build and review your SIPOC
Call #2: Review your high-level steering committee processes

Guided Implementation #3 - Build the stakeholder presentation

Call #1: Customize the presentation
Call #2: Build a script for the presentation
Call #3: Practice the presentation

Guided Implementation #4 - Define the prioritization criteria

Call #1: Review and select prioritization criteria
Call #2: Review the project prioritization tool
Call #3: Review the results of the tool pilot test

Schedule Your First Call

Onsite Workshop

The Purpose

Lay the foundation for your IT steering committee (ITSC) by surveying your stakeholders and identifying the opportunities and threats to implementing your ITSC.

Key Benefits Achieved

An understanding of the business environment affecting your future ITSC and identification of strategies for engaging with stakeholders

Activities:		Outputs:
1.1	Launch stakeholder survey for business leaders.	Report on business leader governance priorities and awareness
1.2	Analyze results with an Info-Tech advisor.
1.3	Identify opportunities and threats to successful IT steering committee implementation.
1.4	Develop the fit-for-purpose approach.	Refined workshop agenda

The Purpose

Define the goals and roles of your IT steering committee.
Plan the responsibilities of your future committee members.

Key Benefits Achieved

Groundwork for completing the steering committee charter

Activities:		Outputs:
2.1	Review the role of the IT steering committee.	IT steering committee key responsibilities and participants identified
2.2	Identify IT steering committee goals and objectives.	IT steering committee priorities identified
2.3	Conduct a SWOT analysis on the five governance areas
2.4	Define the key responsibilities of the ITSC.
2.5	Define ITSC participation.

The Purpose

Document the information required to create an effective ITSC Charter.
Create the procedures required for your IT steering committee.

Key Benefits Achieved

Clearly defined roles and responsibilities for your steering committee
Completed IT Steering Committee Charter document

Activities:		Outputs:
3.1	Build IT steering committee participant RACI.	IT steering committee charter: procedures, agenda, and RACI
3.2	Define your responsibility cadence and agendas.
3.3	Develop IT steering committee procedures.
3.4	Define your IT steering committee purpose statement and goals.	Defined purpose statement and goals

The Purpose

Define and test your IT steering committee processes.
Get buy-in from your key stakeholders through your stakeholder presentation.

Key Benefits Achieved

Stakeholder understanding of the purpose and procedures of IT steering committee membership

Activities:		Outputs:
4.1	Define your high-level IT steering committee processes.	IT steering committee SIPOC maps
4.2	Conduct scenario testing on key processes, establish ITSC metrics.
4.3	Build your ITSC stakeholder presentation.	Refined stakeholder presentation
4.4	Manage potential objections.

The Purpose

Key Benefits Achieved

Activities:		Outputs:
5.1	Create prioritization criteria	IT Steering Committee Project Prioritization Tool
5.2	Customize the project prioritization tool
5.3	Pilot test the tool
5.4	Define action plan and next steps	Action plan