Your IT Governance Coach

YITGC Lessons from US Passport Decision

In this Podcast we analyze the poorly planned and executed decision by the US State Department regarding passport rules to see what we learn from it and apply it to our own governance environment.

Do you want to learn more about this topic? Please listen to this PodCast now by clicking this link.  If you are reading this in the blog, you may also subscribe to it and automatically get future releases for free by clicking the iTunes or RSS orange buttons on the left column.

YITGC CIO Time Wasters

What are common CIOs time wasters?  In the May 7, 2007 issue of ComputerWorld Sandra Rossi writes about a study Gartner conduted on "CIO Time Wasters" by interviewing 150 CIOs. In this podcast I cover the 6 time wasters mentioned by Gartner VP John Mahoney and discuss IT governance implications to them.

Do you want to learn more about this topic? Please listen to this PodCast now by clicking this link.  If you are reading this in the blog, you may also subscribe to it and automatically get future releases for free by clicking the iTunes or RSS orange buttons on the left column.

YITGC Implementing CobiT: Where to start?

The most common question I get is "We want to implement CobiT, but where do we start?"  First, implementing CobiT is the wrong strategic objective.  Improving IT governance, while taking advantage of the CobiT framework is a better approach.  CobiT, as wonderful of a framework as it is, is only a means to an end. So where do we start?  By identifying the most important IT governance decisions based specifically on the company's strategy and on the IT areas in trouble. Looking at the IT governance decisions that many other companies find critical may be a start.

In general, the following IT governance decisions have been found by many organizations completing benchmarks through ISACA's database to be the most important:

• Do we have a clear and compelling It strategy? (CobiT PO1)
• Are we appropriately assessing and managing IT risks? (CobiT PO9)
• How are we going to manage projects? (CobiT PO10)
• How do we effectively and efficiently manage changes? (CobiT AI6)
• Are we ensuring system security? (CobiT DS5)
• Are we adequately protecting valuable business data? (CobiT DS11)
• How do we monitor and evaluate IT’s performance? (CobiT ME1)
• Are we compliant to regulatory requirements? (CobiT ME3)
• Is there an effective IT governance in place? (CobiT ME4)

Do you want to learn more about this topic? Please listen to this PodCast now by clicking this link.  If you are reading this in the blog, you may also subscribe to it and automatically get future releases for free by clicking the iTunes or RSS orange buttons on the left column.

YITGC PMO, IT Governance, and CobiT

In this podcast I cover what a Program Management Office (PMO) is, how it relates to IT governance and CobiT, how to measure the success of a PMO, the staffing of a PMO, its responsibilities, and offer tips to on how succeeed forming one.

Please listen to this PodCast now by clicking this link.  If you are reading this in the blog, you may also subscribe to it and automatically get future releases for free by clicking the iTunes or RSS orange buttons on the left column.

YITGC New Year Resolutions and Corporate Goals

In this PodCast we explore successful techniques for creating effective new year resolutions and how the learning apply to the creation of annual goals and objectives at work.  Having finished the new budget and completed performance reviews, many now turn their attention to creating goals and objectives for their department and themselves.  This is often a dreaded, bothersome, and perhaps ineffective  process.  This however, is not that different from what people do in creating new year resolutions.

In this PodCast I'll share personal examples of how this is a successful process for me and my family, and I'll offer things to think about that may improve the goal setting process at work.  Please listen to this PodCast now by clicking this link.  If you are reading this in the blog, you may also subscribe to it and automatically get future releases for free by clicking the iTunes or RSS orange buttons on the left column.

YITGC Four Actions to Improve Outsourcing Success

The volume of IT services been outsourced continues to increase, but so is the rate of failure in outsourcing engagements. In this podcast we cover four simple actions a team can take at the start of the engagement to increase the probability of success in the outsourcing relationship. Most companies do not make the time to do take these four simple actions. Most companies reviewing why their outsourcing deals failed which they had.

Please listen to this podcast now or subscribe to it and automatically get future releases for free by clicking the iTunes or RSS orange buttons on the left column. Download YITGC0608.mp3

YITGC Working With Multicultural Teams

Because of the flat world and off-shore outsourcing we find ourselves increasingly working in multicultural teams. This adds a lot of business value, but only if we manage our differences.

In this podcast we discuss the benefits of working in multicultural teams, we reference the November 2006 Harvard Business Review article “Managing Multicultural Teams” in which its authors explain typical issues associated with multicultural teams, and then we explain what can be done to not only minimize the potential issues, but to thoroughly enjoy the advantages of diversity. We reference resources that can help, such as the use of companies like Global-Dynamics to help us manage cultural differences.

We can’t maximize our teamwork potential if we allow our differences to impact our relationships and trust. We either manage our cultural diversity, or allow it to manage us…

Please listen to this podcast now or subscribe to it and automatically get future releases for free by clicking the iTunes or RSS orange buttons on the left column. YITGC0607.MP3

YITGC Sponsorship and Governance

In this pocast we'll explore change management, sponsorship, and the relationship between sponsorship and governance. Would implementing one take care of the need for the other?

In addressing a listener's question, we will cover what change management is, the role that sponsorship plays in change management, and the interdependent relationship that sponsorship and governance have. As part of the podcast we will cover the role of a sponsor and the three most common mistakes change management sponsors make.

Please listen to this podcast now or sign up to automatically get episodes delivered to you for free as they are released, by clicking on the iTunes or the orange RSS buttons on the left column. Download YITGC0606.mp3

YITGC Innovation as Step 1 of Strategy

Innovation must be introduced in step 1 of the strategy development process. Many organizations wait way too long to introduce innovation. In this podcast we’ll explore 7 ideas to innovatively kick-off the strategy development or refresh process. We will also briefly mention the eight steps I use to facilitate strategy with my clients, from scanning of the environment to evaluating the strategic assumptions after actions have been implemented and the effects measured.

Listen to the podcast or subscribe to it via iTunes on the left: Download YITGC0605.mp3

YITGC Successful Outsourcing Partnerships

In this podcast we discuss the 10 characteristics of successful outsourcing partnerships. With the right sourcing strategy and governance in place, we can achieve this level of success. Author Steven Covey said that everything is created twice. We first imagine the future, and then we create that reality. The purpose of this podcast is to help us imagine what is possible in an outsourcing relationship so that we can put in place the necessary actions to create a successful outsourcing partnership.

Please Listen or subscribe to iTunes via the link on the left column: Download YITGC0604.mp3