Report: Interoperability Requires Improvements in Governance

Creating interoperability in the governmental context requires government leaders to take responsibility for improving the capabilities of government agencies to effectively partner with other agencies and governments as well as the private sector, non-profit groups, and research institutions according to  IT Governance Capability: Laying the foundation for government interoperability released by The Center for Technology in Government (CTG) at the University at Albany-SUNY. CTG's research has found that engaging in coordinated action across the boundaries of organizations to create interoperability requires new models of decision making, knowledge sharing, and resource allocation; in essence, new governance capability. CTG's work shows that those governments with the most effective IT governance frameworks were created first by a focus on a consistent set of five components of governance; scope, authority, organizational structure, membership, and process, and second, through close attention to context. "Context matters," said co-author  and CTG Director Theresa Pardo in a statement. "IT governance can be viewed as a sorting process used to respond to an ongoing stream of demands and opportunities for IT development and use. Governance structures should be designed to respond to these demands and opportunities within a framework that reflects each government's own unique political, financial, and institutional environments."