Software Technologies Inventory and Attributes - Governance attributes for the Software Technologies Inventory
Software Technologies Inventory and Attributes
Chapter 14. Governance attributes for the Software Technologies Inventory
Executive Summary: Chapter Overview
IF4ITThe Bottom Line
Core Concepts
| Concept | Definition & Strategic Role |
|---|---|
| Standards Disposition | The technology’s standing against enterprise standards — preferred, permitted, restricted, or prohibited — which is what teams actually need to know before adopting something. |
| Approval Status | Whether the technology has been through a governance decision at all, distinguishing a considered choice from an unreviewed arrival. |
| Exception | The recorded, time-bounded permission that lets a restricted or prohibited technology remain in use for a stated reason. |
Quick Q&A
Question: What is the difference between approval status and standards disposition?
Read More Below
Governance attributes record the decisions the enterprise has made about each software technology — whether it is approved, what standing it holds, and who decided.
| Attribute Name | Maturity | Description and Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Approval Status | Walk | Description — Whether the technology has been through the enterprise's governance review and what that review concluded. Benefit(s) — Distinguishes a technology that was deliberately chosen from one that simply arrived, which is the starting point for bringing an estate under control. Source — Manual. Examples — Approved, Provisionally Approved, Not Approved, Not Yet Reviewed Notes — Not Yet Reviewed is a legitimate and useful value; leaving the field blank hides the fact that no decision was ever made. |
| Standards Disposition | Walk | Description — The technology's standing against enterprise technology standards. Benefit(s) — Tells teams what they may adopt without asking, and identifies what must be justified or replaced. The most consulted governance attribute in practice. Source — Manual. Examples — Preferred, Permitted, Restricted, Prohibited Notes — A technology can be Approved yet Restricted — approved for a specific use but not for general adoption. Record both rather than collapsing them. |
| Exception Reference | Run | Description — Reference to the recorded, time-bounded exception permitting continued use of a restricted or prohibited technology. Benefit(s) — Makes tolerated deviations visible and expirable rather than permanent by default. Source — Manual. Notes — Populate whenever Standards Disposition is Restricted or Prohibited but the technology remains in use. An exception with no expiry is not an exception. |
| Governing Body | Run | Description — The body or forum accountable for governance decisions about this technology. Benefit(s) — Routes questions, exception requests, and standards challenges to whoever can actually decide them. Source — Manual. Examples — Architecture Review Board, Technology Standards Council Notes — Where different decisions are made by different bodies, record the one accountable for standards disposition. |
| Last Governance Review Date | Run | Description — When the technology was last reviewed by its governing body. Benefit(s) — Surfaces stale decisions. A preferred designation set five years ago may no longer reflect either the technology or the enterprise. Source — Manual. Notes — Pair with a review cadence so overdue reviews can be reported rather than discovered. |
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