Governance has a bad reputation. It evokes long steering committee decks and decisions that take weeks. Yet programmes without clear governance tend to drift: priorities change every week, decisions are revisited, and teams don't know who has the final say.
Keep the layers clear
Strategic level. A steering committee of business and IT sponsors sets the direction, approves roadmap and budget, and arbitrates major trade-offs. It should meet regularly but not too often, monthly for instance.
Design level. A design authority of architects and key product owners makes sure solutions fit the target architecture and avoids short-term fixes that create long-term debt.
Delivery level. Product owners and teams manage the backlog and day-to-day decisions within the frame set above.
Define decision rights
For each type of decision (scope, budget, architecture, release), make it explicit who decides, who is consulted and who is informed. A simple table agreed at the start of a programme avoids many conflicts later.
Make information flow
Governance works when the right information reaches the right people at the right time. Short, consistent status reporting focused on outcomes, risks and decisions needed is more useful than detailed activity reports.
Adapt as you go
Governance should evolve with the programme. What fits a design phase may be too heavy during stabilisation. Review it periodically and remove what doesn't add value. Good governance is light, clear and trusted: teams should feel it helps them move faster, not slower.
