What it means
It defines principles, standards, roadmaps, review authority, exception handling, and lifecycle decisions that keep change aligned across the enterprise.
Why it matters
Without governance, local projects create duplicated capabilities, unmanaged dependencies, inconsistent data, and long-term constraints that are difficult to reverse.
Practical focus
- Tie target architecture to strategy and operating needs
- Maintain transition roadmaps and technical-debt visibility
- Use review and exception processes proportionate to risk
- Measure adoption and retire obsolete standards
Common mistakes
- Treating the target state as a static diagram
- Using governance only to enforce technology preferences
- Ignoring information and business architecture
- Approving exceptions without a convergence plan
Certification relevance
This subject appears in or supports the following certification bodies of knowledge: