I.T. Executive Committee
Membership: Senior executives and/or board members
Role: To identify key business processes and strategies to be supported by IT; perform risk/investment analysis of proposed large IT projects; measure IT value; review IT sourcing, security and architecture policies
Pros: CIOs don’t have to guess what the CEO wants from IT
Cons: Other C-level execs can be bored to death by technology details
I.T. Council
Membership: IT and/or business unit executives
Role: To monitor and evaluate ongoing IT projects for risk/value/cost; identify shared service opportunities across business units and IT; evaluate and approve IT architecture
Pros: Enables the enterprise to share best practices and avoid duplication of effort
Cons: May suffer from a lack of strategic direction
Architecture Committee
Membership: CIO and direct reports
Role: To create and enforce standards for IT across the enterprise and to assess exceptions to the rule
Pros: Saves money
Cons: Too much standardization may quash innovation
Business Process Teams
Membership: Businesspeople and IT
Role: To improve process speed and quality and reduce cost
Pros: Focuses IT directly on business unit needs
Cons: May lack enterprise focus; difficult to coordinate efforts enterprisewide
Sources: Center for Information Systems Research, mit Sloan School of Management; I.T. Governance Institute; CIO reporting
