Just Enough Governance – It’s Not Just a Notes Thing
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This afternoon I was looking at examples of other companies’ data sheets when I stumbled upon the SOA Infrastructure blog. I was surprised to see that they are also discussing governance, and how much is enough. A blog post by Dan Foody says “less governance is good governance”. I like that. It’s kind of catchy. And it doesn’t sound like a huge burden.
However, as much as I like the simplicity of this phrase, I can’t say it’s really right. In the end, I have to come back to the Teamstudio tag line, “just enough governance”. And in fairness, Dan does finish his post with the statement “as much governance as is absolutely necessary, but no more”. So clearly he gets it.
So why do I hear a lot of confusion around “just enough governance”? (This also came up a few weeks ago--see the blog post) Well I can say with 100% confidence that I’m not sure. It might be because “governance” carries with it the connotation of big, complex and expensive.
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I’ve also heard several people say it sounds like their kids who too often try to do “just enough homework”. What’s wrong with doing “just enough homework”? I think this is where many parents (present company excluded of course) make the mistake of assuming the kids mean just enough homework to pass the class. But in all fairness, maybe they mean just enough homework to get into Harvard or Yale!
And then there is the possibility that some people think that governance means compliance to government regulations. But even here, “just enough” should be … well … enough!
Implementing governance thoroughly and completely sounds like a great idea. To do everything possible to align with the business, gain greater efficiencies, minimize risks and comply with internal, industry and government regulations seems to be motherhood and apple pie. Regardless of the development environment, C++, Java, Notes, or anything else, there simply isn’t enough time or money to do everything across the board. Not only is the “just enough” approach the practical way to achieve your governance objectives, it’s also the only way to do it.
And then there is the possibility that some people think that governance means compliance to government regulations. But even here, “just enough” should be … well … enough!
Implementing governance thoroughly and completely sounds like a great idea. To do everything possible to align with the business, gain greater efficiencies, minimize risks and comply with internal, industry and government regulations seems to be motherhood and apple pie. Regardless of the development environment, C++, Java, Notes, or anything else, there simply isn’t enough time or money to do everything across the board. Not only is the “just enough” approach the practical way to achieve your governance objectives, it’s also the only way to do it.