A.1. Terms of reference
The terms of reference sets out the objectives and responsibilities of system governance, and the interactions between system governance and other management processes.
The terms of reference is first produced during initiation, and then updated as part of the annual review.
The terms of reference is produced and updated by the system governance sponsor.
The terms of reference is reviewed and used by the IT decision makers, system governance manager and system governance committee.
The terms of reference is an important document for system governance, and some care is required in its preparation.
The terms of reference should not be a general treatise on system governance, but should concisely explain the specific fit of system governance to the organisation.
A full example terms of reference can be found in Section B.1, Example terms of reference. This shows how the terms of reference can take account of many of the complexities of IT management, such as outsourcing and organisational change.
If more appropriate for your organisation, you could call the terms of reference the System governance charter.
Introduction
Briefly introduce the document and its purpose.
Objectives
Describe the specific objectives that system governance will have within the organisation. Do not list everything you can think of, but be selective and describe the specific areas you intend to improve with system governance.
Assign a weighting to the different areas, to guide the proposals that come from system governance.
If you want system governance to give estimates of notional value, state this and document the parameters that it should use to calculate this. See Notional value for an example.
State what summary measures system governance should deliver, and under what conditions it should make proposals. See Analysis for an example.
Scope
Concisely describe the systems that are in scope for system governance, and any that might be mistakenly thought of as in scope but that are not.
Roles and responsibilities
Describe the different roles involved in system governance. See Chapter 2, System governance roles and responsibilities.
Do not just restate the information in this manual. Briefly summarise the roles as they apply in your organisation.
Processes
Describe the different processes involved in system governance. Concentrate on the ongoing processes, not the ones only used during initial start up. See Chapter 4, System governance processes.
Do not just restate the information in this manual. Briefly summarise the processes as they apply in your organisation. Consider the following.
- Into which other processes do the system governance processes fit? What are the work planning processes into which the annual review will fit?
- How often will systems be re-reviewed?
- Under what conditions are projects and system selections included in the system governance process?
Further considerations
Document any other salient points. If changes to the terms of reference are envisaged, summarise them here.