Governance That Holds Through Change
The Risk Is Change
Most issues don’t happen at day one—they happen at change:
- a connector is added
- permissions drift
- a “quick fix” bypasses controls
- an AI feature expands quietly
- ownership changes and nobody updates the operating rhythm
A retainer gives you a lightweight cadence to:
- review what changed (and what it means)
- keep evidence expectations consistent
- handle exceptions and incidents
- continuously improve how governed delivery works
What Gets Reviewed
We sample and prioritise reviews across:
- New/changed automations & AI use cases (flows, bots, copilots, integrations)
- Controls & ownership (who owns end-to-end; what is delegated; approval gates)
- Evidence & auditability (logging, traceability, decision records, screenshots/exports, run histories)
- Exception handling (manual overrides, break-glass access, incident patterns, lessons learned)
- Platform governance drift (environments, access, DLP/permissions patterns, release/lifecycle hygiene)
Governance isn’t built at launch. It’s maintained through change.
3A – Lite (Quarterly)
Best for independent governance coverage and a steady review rhythm.
Cadence:
- Quarterly governance review cycle (sampling + follow-ups)
Included:
- Sample reviews of new/changed automations and AI usage
- Updates to risk/control heatmaps, evidence expectations, and remediation priorities
- A clear, prioritised remediation list for your owners/partners
- Steering input on policy/control updates and operating cadence improvements
Ouput Each Quarter:
- Review memo (what changed, what’s acceptable, what needs remediation)
- Updated heatmap + top risks + recommended control/evidence updates
- “Next-quarter focus” list (what we will sample next and why)
3B — Plus (Review + Coach)
Best for review + uplift—helping teams deliver faster without creating governance debt.
Everything in Lite, Plus:
- Monthly design clinics for teams and partners (architecture, controls, evidence, lifecycle/ALM patterns)
- Coaching for GRC/Audit on sampling approach, incident handling, and evidence expectations
- Partner oversight support for broader rollouts (so governance doesn’t depend on individual heroes)
Outputs You Can Expect:
- Clinic notes + decisions (what pattern to use, what evidence is required)
- Reusable templates/checklists adopted by builders + reviewers
- Clear “how we do it here” patterns that survive team changes
A Repeatable Operating Rhythm (Not More Paper)
A retainer turns governance into a practical operating rhythm: clear ownership, consistent evidence, and usable escalation—so automation scales without surprises.
A Short Onboarding Sprint
Most retainers follow Diagnostics and/or Delivery—but they can start standalone if you already have active automation.
Onboarding sprint (short, focused)
- Confirm scope (platforms, teams, priority workflows, partner landscape)
- Inventory what’s in production and what’s changing
- Define evidence repositories and review artefact formats
- Agree cadence, sample size, escalation paths, and decision owners
Add Coverage When the Risk Profile Changes
- Audit prep sprint: evidence consolidation + sampling dry-run
- Change fast-track lane: pre-review of high-risk releases
- Training refreshers: EX / BU / GR modules anchored to your roadmap
When the risk profile changes, add coverage—so governance stays steady.