Launch · Add-on
Get through governance: security reviews, procurement and change boards
Large organisations protect themselves with reviews and approvals. Learn the routes early, plan their lead times, and treat reviewers as partners.
About 3-10 daysEvergreenLast reviewed 5 November 2026
Who this applies to
- Skills it builds
- Delivery and executionCommunication and influence
- PM types
- All
- Product types
- All
- Starting points
- All
- Ways of working
- All
- Experience
- All
- Size of organisation
- Large enterprise
Steps, by experience
Beginner (under 1 year)
- Find out which approvals your release needs, such as a security review or a change board.
- Ask how long each one usually takes and what it needs from you.
- Put the lead times into your plan.
- Prepare the paperwork early, with help from people who have done it before.
- Meet reviewers before the formal review to hear their concerns.
Intermediate (1 to 4 years)
- Map every approval route for your product, including buying new tools or suppliers.
- Agree standard, lower-risk change types that need lighter approval.
- Track approvals as dependencies in the plan.
Experienced (5+ years)
- Work with governance owners to speed up low-risk approvals.
- Use data on delays to argue for lighter routes.
- Coach PMs on how to plan for governance.
Who can do this
Owner: Product manager
Can be delegated to
- Delivery Manager: Track approvals and deadlines
- Policy / Legal / Compliance: Advise on security, legal and procurement requirements
- DevOps / SRE or Tech Lead: Prepare change requests
Reviewed by: Policy / Legal / Compliance
Tool examples
- Jira
- Track each approval as a dependency with a due date.
- Confluence
- Keep a checklist of approvals for your product.
Definition of done
- Approvals listed with lead times
- Plan includes them
- Reviewers met early
Common pitfalls
- Finding out about a review a week before launch
- Treating reviewers as blockers
- Repeating the same paperwork from scratch
If you lead the team
What good looks like: Governance routes are known early, with lead times built into the plan.
Ask your PM
- Which reviews and approvals do we need, and how long do they take?
- Who can help us through them?
Warning signs
- Reviews block launch at the last minute.
- Teams avoid governance and get caught later.