About Technology Governance
Art + Wellness Technology, in collaboration with entity participation and collaboration, is building out a Shared Governance environment.
Why? To ensure there is awareness of change; to ensure our goals and advancements continue to align with the businesses we support; to help prioritize competing tasks and projects; to ensure the timing of scheduled events (implementations, improvements, system releases, etc.) does not impede the flow of business and/or is minimally disruptive. We all know change involves disruption in some form or fashion. Our goal is to keep that disruption to a minimum - together we can and will change the world and make that change manageable.
What is Shared Governance?
Shared Governance refers to structures and processes through which internal and external constituents participate in the development of policies and/or in decision-making that affects the Alice L. Walton non-profit organization(s).
The result is an established governance framework that embraces disruptive technologies and encourages innovation while ensuring risks are identified and managed is essential to an organization’s ability to survive and thrive in a digital world.
Our technology governance framework involves four major components:
Executive committees, which provide vision and set priorities
Budget committees, which review and approve funding requests
Technology governance councils, which provide executive strategic and budgetary oversight of enterprise technology systems and associated roadmaps
Committees and advisory groups, which make project decisions, mitigate project risks, and approve enhancements
Together, the above committees, councils, and groups work to ensure we deliver the best technology services and solutions to our community that enable excellence in our arts, business, teaching, research, and health care missions.
The Methodology of Shared Governance
Structure, process, and communication are the three pillars that drive effective shared governance.
Structure - Keeps us proactive and focused
Process - Keeps us consistent and efficient
Communication - Keeps us aware, aligned, seen, heard, and an important part of the story

Effective IT Governance
Empowers:
Performance Management - We all work better when we know what we're working on and the impact we make
Strategic Alignment - Lack of alignment with overarching strategy divides the effectiveness of any business; we are stronger together
Delivering Value - Technology needs to facilitate our business; value is only an outcome when it is delivered as desired and when manageable
Risk Management - At all times, technology creates risk; governance reduces risk by ensuring we are tracking, planning, executing as designed

Technology Governance Oversight and Advisory Framework
Oversight does not equate to ownership: While oversight in technology governance requires personal accountability for playing a critical role in effectiveness and efficiency, technology governance is an advisory effort. It is important for all team members across all businesses at all levels to participate in ensuring our technology investments work at optimum levels.
While it takes time to deliver excellence, we are in this together and will celebrate each advancement and accomplishment as each step is vitally important in creating the whole.

Together, the above committees, councils, and groups work to ensure we deliver the best technology services and solutions to our community that enable excellence in our arts, business, teaching, research, and health care missions.
The technology governance structure is not complete. We are building out a right-fit governance structure that serves all within the Art + Wellness service portfolio. We'll have hits and misses, but will learn every step of the way.
Our first two Advisory Boards will be introduced and refined within 2024:
Enterprise Systems/Workday Advisory Board (WAB)

Change Advisory Board (CAB)

Stay tuned for more Technology Governance fun!