The Governance and Management System process category defines a structure of relationships and processes to direct and control the IT undertaking. These processes must establish the capability to achieve the information technology (IT) goals. The governance and management system must add value by balancing risk versus return across IT and all processes.

The category defines, establishes, operates, and improves upon a management framework for conducting IT activities. The management framework outlines, as an example, the management model, guiding principles, methods, organization design, information framework, process structure, policies and practices to guide the IT organization towards its stated goals. Once the management framework is defined and implemented, a continuous evaluation process will be executed to make possible better decision making by executives on whether the business model is succeeding or should be modified to achieve the objectives better.

Governance considers and sets the fundamental direction for the management framework. Governance is a decision rights and accountability framework for directing, controlling, and executing IT endeavors in order to determine and achieve desired behaviors and results. Governance involves defining the management model and creating the governing or guiding principles. This includes:

• Who makes directing, controlling, and executing decisions, and defines the ultimate authority (final arbiter)
• How the decisions will be made, and the procedures for escalation and arbitration
• What information will be required to make the decisions
• The frequency of decision making must be executed or revisited
• The required decision making mechanisms
• How exceptions will be handled
• How decisions will be communicated to the concerned parties
• How the results of the implemented governance should be reviewed and improved
  

Processes in the Governance and Management System Category

* Part of PRM-IT, but not core to ITSM. The process is described at a summary level.