The Responsibility Of Executives And The Board Of Directors

‘The responsibility of executives and the board of directors; consists of the leadership, organizational structures and processes that ensure that the enterprise’s IT sustains and extends the enterprise’s strategies and objectives’; what ISACA defines as IT governance. IT governance is something that should be executed in every business and even within decision-making within groups of individuals. As being apart of the United States Air Force, IT governance has definitely been adopted into my organization. With the military budgets tightening, the Air Force is cutting positions. Efficiencies gained from ever more powerful technology are a primary tool for more effectively accomplishing our mission despite having fewer airmen. Increased reliance on technology while budgets are tightening makes our investments in information technology all the more critical. With the reduction of personnel, we begin to rely more on the advances of technology to still success with our mission.

There are three levels of leadership starting that play a role in governing and deciding on the advances in the Air Force. Starting with the Headquarters of the Air Force (Air Staff) then to the Major Command (MAJCOM) and to the air force base level. Knowledgeable personnel were identified at each level to assist in completing the decision making matrix from their organization’s perspective. For the headquarters level, many different offices play a role in governing the various domains.

There was an agreement that the high-level role of IT within the AF was set by the Secretary of the AF and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force (CSAF). The CSAF Strategic Plan set out three primary goals for the Air Force: Win the Global War on Terror, Develop and Care for Airme...

... middle of paper ...

...ctive IT governance, but many more steps are required to get there.

I have focused on the Air Staff, MAJCOM, and base levels, but lots of IT decisions are made and big budgets are executed through System Program Offices. Tracing IT governance through the SPO structure might shed more light on how systems could more effectively be acquired so they integrate better into operations from the beginning.

The goals and architectures developed at the Air Staff tend to include the wide spectrum of IT capabilities from war fighting to home base business operations. The processes in place at MAJCOM and below are typically concerned with business operations with little emphasis on warfighting operations. Funding decisions ultimately drive which projects get pursued. With a clean sheet of paper, how could funding processes be designed to facilitate stronger governing practices?