There are two common approaches in IT Governance and IT Service Management framework implementation. The first of these approaches is to come from an academic perspective and develop processes based on the selected framework’s approach for handling IT Governance and IT service management processes. The second approach would be to use the default settings in the IT Governance or IT Service Management software / tool set and adjust the organizational work practices to work with the process provided with the tools.

There needs to be a balanced approach of using the IT Governance or IT Service Management frameworks as guidance in conjunction with the capabilities of the software / tools that can automate the process workflow supporting the organizational goals and objectives. When working on tasks it is important to understand the software / tools capabilities and how the software / tool will work in supporting the organizational purpose, objectives and defined operational processes.

The organization should first start with understanding its vision, mission, goals and objectives and how governance will guide any decisions in creating the operational processes to support the organizational vision, mission, goals and objectives. Organizational processes and practices should be developed to support the organizational objectives and the software / tools should be configured to facilitate the processes and practices in helping the organization achieve their objectives.

Tools out of the box may not align with the organizational processes.  The software / tool will need to be configured to support the organizational controls but this comes at a cost.  Organizations do not have unlimited budgets and time to create the perfect processes. Organizations should select a tool / software that facilitates the organization is reaching the organizational objectives.

A thorough process assessment should evaluate whether the processes are supporting the organizational objectives. The processes should then be  architected and drafted to support the organizational objectives and necessary controls. The software/tools should be configured as well as possible to support the processes that are facilitating the achievement of the organizational objectives.

Based on budget and limitations of the software/tools, the organization may seek to develop processes and controls that come close to their ideal target while working within the constraints of the software/tool and budget of the organization. This is the balance that most organizations will have to struggle with and each side of the equation will have to give and take a little to balance out. The proper process and controls might have to be supplemented with manual activities while the software/tool may require custom configuration to meet some of the mandatory process and control requirements.