Information Technology Governance in Practice: A Project Management Office's Use of Early Risk Assessment as a Relational Mechanism

摘要

This paper compares implementation frameworks for Information Technology (IT) governance and functions of a Project Management Office (PMO). While there are commonalities, the relational mechanisms called for in IT governance frameworks are omitted from the PMO functions. The authors provide a case study of a PMO at a large municipal government organization where relational mechanisms are incorporated into the risk assessment process through the use of a risk profile spider chart. Drawing conclusions from collaborative practice research, the authors discuss the use and relational aspects of the risk profile spider chart and show how this tool enables boundary spanning between the PMO and other departments by functioning as a boundary object-in-use, increasing the likelihood of buy-in for IT governance decisions. The authors conclude that the tool has potential both as a risk assessment mechanism and a boundary object for building collaboration and thus may be useful for PMOs at other organizations.