How do you align IT management with COBIT 2019 principles?

1 Assess stakeholder needs

The first principle of COBIT 2019 is to align IT with the needs and expectations of your stakeholders, such as customers, employees, regulators, and shareholders. You need to identify who your stakeholders are, what value they expect from IT, and what risks they are willing to accept. You can use tools like balanced scorecards, value maps, and risk profiles to analyze and prioritize your stakeholder needs and translate them into IT-related goals and outcomes.

2 Design governance system

The second principle of COBIT 2019 is to design a governance system that enables your IT management to deliver value and manage risk. A governance system consists of the structures, processes, and practices that enable decision making and accountability for IT. You need to define the roles and responsibilities of your governance bodies, such as boards, committees, and teams, and the mechanisms for communication, coordination, and escalation. You also need to establish the policies, standards, and guidelines that guide your IT management activities and align them with your stakeholder needs.

3 Implement governance framework

The third principle of COBIT 2019 is to implement a governance framework that provides a consistent and structured approach to your IT management processes. A governance framework consists of the components, enablers, and performance indicators that support your governance system. You need to select the relevant components from the COBIT 2019 framework, such as domains, governance and management objectives, practices, and activities, and tailor them to your specific context and needs. You also need to define the enablers that facilitate your IT management processes, such as information, culture, people, and services, and measure their performance using the COBIT 2019 goals cascade and maturity models.

4 Leverage enablement factors

The fourth principle of COBIT 2019 is to leverage the enablement factors that influence your IT management capabilities and outcomes. Enablement factors are the internal and external factors that affect how well your IT management processes perform and deliver value. You need to identify the key enablement factors for your IT management processes, such as organizational culture, leadership style, stakeholder engagement, resource availability, and regulatory compliance, and assess their impact and alignment with your IT goals. You also need to monitor and manage the enablement factors to ensure they support your IT management processes and address any gaps or issues.

5 Pursue continuous improvement

The fifth principle of COBIT 2019 is to pursue continuous improvement of your IT management processes and practices. Continuous improvement is the process of evaluating and enhancing your IT management performance and maturity over time. You need to establish a feedback loop that collects and analyzes data from your IT management processes, such as metrics, benchmarks, audits, and reviews, and identifies opportunities for improvement. You also need to implement improvement actions that address the root causes of your IT management issues and challenges, and track their results and benefits.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?