Given that we've just ended the quarter, I'm sure a lot of you can relate to those last minute contract signings. So I started thinking about how technology makes its way into a company. 

Of course, there are the more instant and obvious hits like Google or IBM Lotus Notes. But when it comes to enterprise software, especially governance, there's much more to it. 

You can certainly talk about the value of the software, its differentiators, how it stacks up against the competition, and how early and often it will deliver ROI. Moving along the sales cycle, you show a demo, perhaps analyze some artifacts and uncover a few gaps in the enterprise architecture. And if all goes well, the deal closes.

What happens next - actually realizing ROI on the technology - can be a tricky thing. And I'm not talking about the actual performance of the software. More often than not, the corporate culture will dictate the success of the IT initiative.

It's one thing for an employee to ask for new technology and it's quite another when a manager insists on change. In fact, I.T. governance is probably one of the more challenging shifts that a company will make. While I can go on about cost savings, transparency, risk mitigation, etc., I'm also aware of the misconceptions about governance from a developer's perspective. 

Along with the basic fact that change can be difficult, there's the belief that big brother is watching every keystroke or that the boss is looking for evidence of policy violations. In my experience, the way that governance is most successful in a company is when the architects, developers and managers socialize the concept before any change takes place

The easiest place to start is in the Center of Excellence. However, it's not the only place to start, especially if a COE doesn't already exist in your company. While each company has its own way of communicating that's reflective of its personality, here's five ways to introduce a new technology initiative into the company culture:

1. Assign representatives from every level and each team that will be involved in the entire process from strategy to vendor evaluations and right through to deployment and ROI assessment.

2. Host regular and informal discussions yet make sure that there isn't a skewed balance of power in the room.

3. Facilitate peer-to-peer discussions that are led by one of the representatives involved in the initiative so that open discussions can take place and specific concerns remain anonymous.

4. Make sure that senior management openly supports the new initiative and publicly recognizes the teams that are involved in making it happen.

5. Don't forget to keep the teams assembled especially after the initial deployment. This is where honest feedback and consistent meetings about the progress and the value of the initiative are critical to the project’s on-going success.


Adopting a new technology can add an unexpected culture shock to certain teams or individuals in the company. However, remember that the faster it's up and running equates to shorter learning curves and a quicker return on the investment.

- Jeff