In every presentation I deliver, I talk about value. Many of my recent posts have addressed the elusiveness of understanding and determining value in enterprises today. We don't know the value of our processes, our methodologies, and most regrettably, we don't know the value of our investments.

A recent IT Governance Institute (ITG) IT Governance Survey of 255 Non-IT Executives showed that Value Delivery was the leading motivator for implementing IT Governance in an Enterprise. (Value Delivery is one of the five principles of IT Governance, in addition to IT/Business Alignment, Managing Risk, Managing Resources and Managing Performance.) Before this survey, Risk Management had always been the #1 driver.

I am encouraged by this recent trend and thrilled that organizations recognize the importance of understanding the value technology delivers to an enterprise. But my delight is tempered by the difficult proposition of proving value. And this goes beyond proving the value of IT investments. I am asked how to prove the value of project management processes, of processes such as ITIL, and even of IT Governance processes themselves.

When folks ask me how to prove the value of any process I evangelize I tell them their very first step must be to determine how value is defined by whoever is paying for the process. It is only then that they will have any chance of knowing:

• if the process value can be determined using the given definition of value
• if the process has the potential to deliver this value
• if the process, once implemented, is delivering the value

This same approach must be applied when proving the value of investments. Simply replace the word "process" with the word "investment."

As long as an enterprise is able to define what value means to them, it is possible for them to establish the governance to determine the value of any process and more importantly, of any investment. I say "possible" because the severe lack of sound governance in many enterprises makes this valuation process quite difficult and elusive. Even so, we have to begin somewhere, and defining value is the right place to start.

Let me know how value is defined in your organization, and how you determine and prove the value of your processes and investments.

Steve Romero, IT Governance Evangelist