Background

Management of an IT function is a complex undertaking. This is largely because IT encompasses a number of closely linked subdisciplines that need to be maintained in seamless alignment if the combined service offering is to deliver value to the target audience.

Success of the IT function therefore hinges on a number of interrelated activities, which are all coordinated through IT governance.

Within Government of Rwanda, IT governance should be taken both in the sense of provision of standards and policies for the entire ICT functional unit as well as governance around

Enterprise Architecture practice. This will be referred to as Enterprise Architecture Governance (EAG).

The primary purpose of Enterprise Architecture Governance is to ensure that an organization’s IT investments are closely aligned to business goals and processes, so that limited IT resources are allocated to areas of highest impact on organizational performance. While the overriding concern of EAG is the effectiveness of the IT investments, the EA program itself needs to be governed as well, since an incorrectly developed EA could adversely impact the IT investment decisions that are based on it. The EAG described in this document has three primary objectives:

• Ensure that the EA program is properly managed and that it produces artifacts and plans that are truly representative of organizational goals and needs.
• Ensure that the IT investment decisions are being continually aligned with the EA Office from the point they are initiated until implemented
• Ensure that the IT decisions are made with consideration for integration goals of government Rwanda
  

To address these objectives, a well-defined Enterprise Architecture Governance Framework needs to be developed, agreed, communicated and implemented.

The following sections describe the proposed EA Governance Framework for each major component of the EA Program as well as the required governance bodies to ensure the implementation of the defined EAG framework.