Leveraging COBIT 4.0 as IT Governance Framework

For each of the 34 processes the COBIT framework defines control objectives, management guidelines, and a maturity model. Within the COBIT 4.0 publication each process is typically described over four pages: two pages detailing the (high-level and detailed) control objectives, one page describing the management guidelines and one page for the maturity model. The following sections will further explore these different COBIT components.

IT Governance Implementation Guide

There is no real “silver bullet” (the ideal way) for implementing and maintaining good IT governance within an organization. Organizations differ in culture and size, they operate in different sectors, and they may own a different market position resulting in different business strategies. These different contingencies have a direct impact on the organizational structure and processes, and as such have a direct impact on the IT governance mechanisms.

Strategies and Models for IT Governance

This introductory chapter records and interprets some important existing theories, models, and practices in the IT governance and strategic alignment domain. IT governance will be defined and its relationship with corporate governance and IT management clarified. A separate section is devoted to the concept of strategic alignment, one of the key elements of IT governance. Finally, a detailed set of IT governance structures, processes, and relational mechanisms is discussed that can be leveraged to implement IT governance in practise. Two important IT governance processes, COBIT and the balanced scorecard, are discussed in more detail in separate chapters.

IT Governance in Practice

In order to obtain an understanding on how large organizations implement IT governance in a pragmatic way, six pilot cases were selected from different sectors. Case research is particularly appropriate for research within the IT area because researchers in this field often lag behind practitioners in discovering and explaining new methods and techniques (Benbasat, Goldstein, & Mead, 1987). This is certainly true for the concept of IT governance. The purpose of this case study research is to look for different IT governance elements in use and how they contribute to better IT governance within the organisation.

Leveraging the IT Balanced Scorecard as Alignment Instrument

In Chapter I, the IT balanced scorecard was introduced as a possible measurement and management tool to support the achievement of strategic alignment. In this chapter, the application of the balanced scorecard is illustrated in more detail through a case study of a major Canadian financial group, where the balanced scorecard was adopted in its full scope. This chapter is based on the publication “Linking the IT balanced scorecard to the business objectives at a major Canadian Financial Group” (Van Grembergen, Saull, & De Haes, 2003).