How can you improve your IT governance skills?

1 Assess your current situation

The first step to improve your IT governance skills is to assess your current situation. You need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your IT governance framework, practices, and performance. You can use various tools and methods to conduct a self-assessment, such as maturity models, benchmarking, surveys, audits, or interviews. The purpose of this step is to identify the gaps and opportunities for improvement in your IT governance.

2 Define your goals and objectives

The second step to improve your IT governance skills is to define your goals and objectives. You need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve with IT governance and how it supports your organization's strategy and mission. You also need to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives that will guide your actions and monitor your progress. The purpose of this step is to establish a direction and a scope for your IT governance improvement.

3 Learn from best practices and standards

The third step to improve your IT governance skills is to learn from best practices and standards. You need to familiarize yourself with the principles, frameworks, and models that can help you design and implement effective IT governance. Some of the most widely used and recognized IT governance standards are COBIT, ITIL, ISO/IEC 38500, and PMBOK. You can also learn from the experiences and lessons of other organizations that have successfully adopted IT governance. The purpose of this step is to acquire knowledge and insights that can inform your IT governance improvement.

4 Develop and implement an action plan

The fourth step to improve your IT governance skills is to develop and implement an action plan. You need to translate your goals and objectives into concrete and realistic actions that will address the gaps and opportunities identified in your assessment. You also need to assign roles and responsibilities, allocate resources, and define timelines and milestones for your action plan. You should involve and communicate with all the relevant stakeholders, such as senior management, IT staff, business units, and external partners, to ensure their support and alignment. The purpose of this step is to execute your IT governance improvement.

5 Monitor and evaluate the results

The fifth step to improve your IT governance skills is to monitor and evaluate the results. You need to measure and track the outcomes and impacts of your action plan using key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics. You should also collect feedback and data from various sources, such as surveys, reports, audits, or reviews, to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of your IT governance. You should compare the results with your objectives and expectations, and identify the successes and challenges. The purpose of this step is to assess your IT governance improvement.

6 Continuously improve and adapt

The sixth and final step to improve your IT governance skills is to continuously improve and adapt. You need to recognize that IT governance is not a one-time project, but an ongoing process that requires constant monitoring, evaluation, and adjustment. You should use the results and feedback from your previous steps to identify the areas and aspects that need further improvement or change. You should also keep abreast of the latest trends, technologies, and best practices that can affect or enhance your IT governance. The purpose of this step is to sustain and optimize your IT governance improvement.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?