ISO 38500 Foundation

IT Governance in partnership with Infonomics Australia are pleased

to offer you the chance to attend the first ever

ISO38500 Foundation course being held in the UK

Business models are under threat and being changed by innovative use of information technology.

For example, the eBook phenomenon has the printed book industry under pressure in many parts of the world. Travel agents are being disenfranchised by online booking systems. Bricks-and-mortar retail is under sustained attack from online shopping! More than ever, business leaders need to be certain about control of the IT situation, ensuring that business plans make appropriate use of IT; that IT plans deliver what the business needs; that IT projects succeed; and that business operations are stable and secure.

Yet, regular reports of problems show that organisations remain vulnerable to problems with so-called "IT projects" and in their day to day operational use of IT. Many organizations that depend heavily on IT have taken steps to reduce the risk of failures, but often with little impact. Projects still run into trouble, going over budget, taking too long and failing to deliver the intended business results. Operational systems and controls break down, creating inconvenience at best and exposing organizations to serious financial and reputational damage consequences at worst.

ISO 38500 is a milestone in the evolution of concepts and practice for governance of IT. The International Standard positions Governance of IT as being key to the effective, efficient and acceptable use of IT by any organisation. It also establishes the role of the board and executive management in the system of governance, where the business has clear responsibility for how it uses IT and the IT organisation has responsibility for the supply of relevant IT capabilities.

This two-day class is designed to build a deep appreciation of the key concepts in ISO 38500, equipping participants with the understanding necessary to begin applying the standard in all aspects of planning and controlling the use and delivery of IT.

It explains in detail the concepts presented in the Introduction, the governance model and the six principles for good governance of IT.

Participants will see how to apply ISO 38500 in each of the key stages of the business cycle – where organizations develop strategy, prepare plans, implement new capabilities and conduct business activities that depend on IT.

Gain New Insight Into:

• Allocate responsibility for IT
• Align IT to business strategy
• Ensure success of IT investments
• Ensure that IT performs well
• Conform with formal rules
• Human Behaviour – a key success factor
• The board's role in governing IT
• Governing without technical detail
• Integrate governance and management 

Available dates

• 3 - 4 Oct 2011

This is an exclusive and intimate event limited to fewer than 12 course places,

Who is this course suitable for?

• Business and IT leaders, from top executives to line managers including CEO, CFO, CIO, COO
• Members of corporate and project steering committees and IT boards
• Senior planners, project directors and senior operations managers (business and IT)
• Consultants, Auditors and Researchers
• This class can also be useful for board directors and members of board audit, risk and IT committees
• This program is relevant to small, medium and large organizations in private, not-for-profit and government sectors.

What does this course cover?

Participants in the foundation class will be able to:

• Explain the broad implications of the six principles for good governance of IT;
• Describe how the principles are applied during development of business strategy, to drive the use of IT;
• Describe how the principles are applied during preparation of business cases for new investments that depend on IT;
• Describe how the principles are applied during business change projects that involve use of IT;
• Describe how the principles are applied as part of ongoing operational use of IT;
• Position ISO 38500 against common IT frameworks such as CobiT, ITIL and ValIT;
• Identify key policies needed to underpin an effective approach to governance of IT;
• Use ISO 38500 as a framework for assessing current arrangements for governance of IT.

During the course, you will learn:

The foundation class is made up of 24 modules, designed to focus discussion on the many important aspects of how organizations should govern their use of IT.

During selected modules, participants will complete an individual self-assessment of their organization's own governance of IT.

The self-assessment provides an initial basis for planning any work that may be necessary to form a comprehensive view of, and perhaps to improve governance of IT in their organization

1. Introductions and Objectives;
2. The Gimli Glider Case Study: A metaphor for Governance of IT;
3. Experiences of failure in Governance of IT;
4. The difference between "IT Governance" and "Governance of IT";
5. Business systems and technology enabled change;
6. Base concepts for Governance of IT;
7. Key messages in ISO 38500;
8. The Evaluate-Direct-Monitor Model;
9. Using ISO 38500 to assess and improve governance of IT;
10. Preliminary Self-assessment;
11. The concept of Principles;
12. The Responsibility Principle;
13. The Australian Customs Service Case Study;
14. The Strategy Principle;
15. The Acquisition Principle;
16. The Conformance Principle;
17. The Performance Principle;
18. The Human Behaviour Principle;
19. Using Policy to implement principles;
20. Case Study: Practical application of ISO 38500 in Tertiary Education;
21. Building on the self-assessment;
22. Sponsorship for change;
23. Easy steps to adoption;
24. Making fundamental change.

Participants will take away a comprehensive workbook containing the slides and notes, together with their self-assessment checklist.

 In addition all delegates will receive a copy of

Waltzing with the Elephant (eBook)

Additional Information

About your class leader: Mark Toomey is an independent and outspoken advocate for good governance of information technology and a leading international expert in ISO 38500, the framework developed by the International Organization for Standardization for effective governance in the area of information technology.

He is a prolific contributor to the developing body of knowledge about governance of information technology. He has published numerous papers and magazine articles on governance of IT, has spoken at many major conferences with diverse audiences including company directors, banking executives, leading consultants and IT specialists. In November 2006, he published The Director's IT Compass (Second Edition), a guide for directors who need to ask questions about their organisation's use and governance of IT, and in August 2009, he published Waltzing with the Elephant, a seminal work on the topic of the corporate direction and control of information technology as a tool of business.

Through his company website Mark publishes a monthly online newsletter which is read in more than 57 countries.

Mark is a past chair of the Standards Australia committee that developed AS 8015 – the precursor to ISO 38500 and was responsible for preparing the final text of the international standard. With more than six years' experience in practical application of ISO 38500, Mark has become in-demand for his expert guidance on application of the new standard. He has conducted the Foundation Class for international audiences in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Germany, United Arab Emirates and Oman. He has run many shorter sessions in Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain, Spain, Canada, the United States, and most recently in Argentina and El Salvador.

Are there entry requirements?

Preparatory Reading - Participants in the Foundation Class are expected to prepare for Day 1 by reading a 6 page article on the Gimli Glider. Web links are provided as part of the joining instructions.

Preparation for day 2 involves reading a paper describing the events leading up to and during the deployment of a new system for managing imports by the Australian Customs Service.