Governance models are all the rage and some of the stuff being written about them is actually useful [2,3], the problem is that most of the people who talk about governance models have zero ability to govern. For example, consultants love to talk about governance models, but this should not be confused with the ability to govern standards, deployments, processes, and decisions. What is helpful is to clearly separate the concerns of the providers and consumers of the technologies, processes, and strategies in play in the model. Understanding the scope of responsibility, will definitely help projects understand where they fit inside an organization, but it is not the same as governing. The other thing that I have noticed in most governance models is an overall lack of assurance [1].Assurance brings in another dimension to governance models, because it works across the strategic, process, and services layers; and creates a closed loop process where recalcitrant processes and services may be rooted out.
Lastly, Darwin wins. Always. Never confuse your governance model with the quality of your apps and services. These along with the accuracy and fidelity with which your apps and services reflect the business needs of service consumers and providers are likely to be the true measures of the eventual reach and impact of those services rather than your governance model.
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