📝 IT Governance: Regaining Control Without Slowing Down Innovation

on January 11, 2026

Introduction — The problem is (almost never) technical

If you're a developer, you've probably already experienced this:

  • Technical decisions made too late * Tool choices questioned after delivery * Priorities changing without explanation * Safety rules imposed “from above”

And often, this is called:

“an organizational problem” > “a business problem” > “a management problem”

In reality, it's almost always an IT governance problem.

#1. IT Governance, Explained Simply

Let's forget about complex definitions.

IT governance is about clearly answering a simple question: Who decides what, when, and on what basis, regarding IT?

This includes, for example:

  • Technology selection * Project prioritization * Performance/security/cost trade-offs * Acceptance (or rejection) of technical debt

👉 Important: IT governance doesn't do the work. It organizes decisions around the work.

#2. IT Governance ≠ IT Management ≠ Development

This is a very common misconception, especially on the technical side.

| Level | Role | | ----------------------- | ---------------------------------- | | IT Governance | Decide what to do and why | | IT Management | Organize how to do it | | Development / Ops | Do |

Concrete example:

  • ❌ “The developer chooses the CI tool alone for the entire company” * ❌ “Management imposes a tool without understanding the constraints” * ✅ “Governance defines the criteria, the team chooses”

👉 Good governance protects technical teams instead of constraining them.

#3. Why IT governance is essential (even for developers)

3.1 Strategic Alignment (No Bullshit)

Without clear governance:

  • We optimize locally * We degrade globally

With clear governance:

  • The technical choices make sense. * The trade-offs are deliberate.

3.2 Creating value (not just delivering code)

Delivering quickly ≠ delivering usefully.

Governance helps to address:

  • Is this project truly worth the effort? * Should we build, buy, or abandon it? * Is it a prototype or a long-term foundation?

3.3 Risk Management (without paranoia)

Security, compliance, technical debt…

Without governance:

  • vague rules * decisions made under pressure

With governance:

  • Known risks * Explicit decisions * Clear responsibilities

3.4 Steering and Visibility

Not to spy on people, but to:

  • Understand where the energy goes * Know what's blocking it * Improve the system, don't blame people

#4. The pillars of effective IT governance

1️⃣ Explicit Decisions

Who decides?

  • The team? * The product? * Management? * A committee?

👉 The important thing is not who, but that it is clear.

2️⃣ Responsibilities assumed

Every decision must have:

  • a person in charge * a defined scope * a known impact

3️⃣ Simple Processes

No need for a heavy framework.

A good process is:

  • understandable * reproducible * improvable

4️⃣ Useful Indicators

A good KPI is used to:

  • decide * adjust * learn

Not to look pretty in a slide.

5️⃣ Feedback Loop

A rigid governance structure quickly becomes toxic.

It's necessary :

  • observe * adjust * correct

5. Concrete example (very detailed)

Situation without governance

  • Each team chooses its own tools * Proliferation of stacks * Unmanageable maintenance * Tensions between teams

Situation with light governance

  • Technical criteria defined together * Freedom within a framework * Traceable decisions * Fewer conflicts

👉 Result: fewer pointless debates, more useful code.

#6. Common mistakes to avoid

  • Copying a "turnkey" framework (COBIT, ITIL, etc.) * Creating too many committees * Making decisions without the teams * Measuring without ever adjusting

Frameworks like those supported by ISACA or AXELOS are tools, not magic solutions.

#7. Modern IT Governance (2026)

A governance model adapted to technical teams is:

  • lightweight * scalable * agile/product compatible * decision-oriented, not procedure-driven

👉 It serves to smooth, not to slow down.

Conclusion — Good governance ≠ less freedom

IT governance is not a necessary evil. It is a tool for clarity.

For developers, good governance is key:

  • Avoids absurd decisions * Protects good work * Makes innovation sustainable

Less chaos, more meaning.