Many enterprises have created disparate IT governance mechanisms. These uncoordinated mechanism “silos” result from governance by default—introducing mechanisms one at a time to address a particular need. Patching up problems as they arise is a defensive tactic that limits opportunities for strategic impact from IT. Instead, management should actively design IT governance around the enterprise’s objectives and performance goals.

Actively designing governance involves senior executives taking the lead and allocating resources, attention, and support to the process. For some enterprises, this will be the first time IT governance is explicitly designed.

Not only does overall governance require active design, but each mechanism also needs regular review. Focus on having the fewest number of effective mechanisms possible. Many enterprises with effective IT governance have between six and 10 integrated and well-functioning mechanisms. One goal of any governance redesign should be to assess, improve, and then consolidate the number of mechanisms.