Executive Steering Boards for Mid-size Companies

[Chris Pearson]

If you find yourself as an executive in a mid-size company, you should be able to gather a small team of visionaries to help you shape the longterm goals and desired outcomes of your company's future. With those fellow visionaries, you will be able to shape that strategic decision making process, and execute that process to ensure that tactical work taking place in the trenches align to where you're steering the ship.

Setting this board up will look similar to what it does at a large enterprise, however you might find that certain board members wear multiple hats and may also be colleagues which hold seats on the demand and/or technical boards.

• Recruit an Executive Sponsor: This might be you! Appoint an executive sponsor to chair the steering board, providing leadership and accountability for the program’s success.
• Create a Charter: The charter should define the board’s mission, such as aligning investments with business goals, monitoring progress, and managing risks. This ensures that the board has a clear purpose and direction.
• Recruit Stakeholders: Carefully select key stakeholders, including the CIO/CTO, business unit representatives, and vendor managers. Keep the board small and focused for effective decision-making.
• Define Responsibilities: Outline the decisions the board will manage, such as aligning the ServiceNow roadmap with business objectives and overseeing partner management.
• Establish a Meeting Cadence: Schedule meetings every 3-6 months to review and update the ServiceNow strategy and ensure your ServiceNow roadmap continues to look a few years into the future as your organization continues to add ServiceNow capabilities.
• Define Decision-Making Processes: Decide how the board will make governance decisions, whether through majority voting, consensus, or another method.
• Support Decision-Making: Prepare relevant information, such as performance reports and project updates, to support informed decision-making.

Strategy governance involves aligning ServiceNow functionality with your business outcomes. An executive steering board plays a critical role in this process by defining your strategic decision-making process and ensuring that your organization's ServiceNow roadmap aligns with your business objectives. Ensuring all three governance boards (demand/technical/executive steering) are in place and are being effective will ensure your company is able to obtain the greatest return on your ServiceNow investment.