What is Governance?
Governance, as a process, develops the IT component of business initiatives into projects. This is a building process that starts with the Project Charter, followed by the Business and Technical Requirements plus RFP/IFB specifications, if applicable.
Project Charter
The Project Charter is the business case. Why does the Agency need to undertake this project? What are the benefits? What are the anticipated costs? This is some of the information that the Project Charter is designed to capture.
Project Charter [DOC, 78KB]
Business Requirements
The Business Requirements are the functions that the system needs to deliver to the users. These could also be thought of as the specifications that would be included in an RFP.
Business Requirements [DOC, 68KB]
Technical Requirements
The Technical Requirements typically portray the behavior of the application solution. The greater the number of users or the faster something has to perform translates into the quantities and type of hardware that will be needed to meet the solution.
Technical Requirements [DOC, 86KB]
When is Governance Needed?
As a general rule, Governance is needed anytime entities are making major IT changes or adding something new. Governance is required for all organizations under the Governor unless exempted by Legislation.
IT Governance Guidelines for Governance Applicability [PDF, 27KB]
IT Guiding Principles are fundamental policy statements about the role of IT and the use of technology in support of the business. Guiding Principles are used by IT Governance and Enterprise Architecture to guide IT decisions and support strategic direction. Overall, IT Guiding Principles establish directions and core themes for IT that aid the decision-making process and lead to better business and IT alignment.
State of Illinois Guiding Principles [PDF, 41KB]
What is the Governance Process?
The Governance process comprises three Gates. Each Gate builds upon the previous gate to ensure that all aspects of the decision making process are completed. This approach is used to ensure that every aspect of the project is examined and appropriate entities are made aware of the upcoming needs.
- The Project Charter is Gate 1.
- Business and Technical Requirements (and RFP/IFB Specs, if applicable) are Gate 2.
- The solution is determined in Gate 3.
Governance Forms & Gate Processes
Announcements
Need More Information?
Click here to see a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and their answers.
If you have questions, you can email IT Governance at cms.itg@illinois.gov and you will receive a call to talk about your situation.