The DVMS CPD Model – The Engine Behind Holistic and Adaptive Digital Business Governance, Operational Resilience and Performance Assurance
Rick Lemieux – Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of the DVMS Institute
The CPD (Create, Protect, and Deliver) model is emerging as a vital model for delivering holistic and adaptive digital business governance, resilience, and assurance in today’s fast-paced, risk-laden digital landscape. In an era where organizations are increasingly dependent on technology, digital ecosystems, and interconnected data systems, traditional governance and risk management approaches are no longer sufficient. Businesses require a model that supports ongoing change and embeds resilience and assurance into the fabric of their operations. The DVMS CPD Model addresses these needs by establishing a continuous, integrated, iterative approach to managing digital risks and enabling strategic decision-making.
At its core, the DVMS CPD Model is designed to align strategic intent with operational execution. It ensures that digital governance is not a static compliance exercise but a dynamic capability embedded in everyday business activity. This model recognizes that digital transformation and innovation are perpetual processes; therefore, the mechanisms used to govern them must also be fluid and responsive. By integrating governance into the planning and delivery cycles, the DVMS CPD Model facilitates real-time risk visibility, continuous alignment with business goals, and adaptive controls that evolve with the threat landscape.
Holistic governance under the DVMS CPD Model stems from its ability to unify traditionally siloed functions such as risk management, compliance, IT operations, cybersecurity, and strategic planning. Rather than treating these areas as independent domains, the model brings them together under a cohesive governance framework. This integration allows for better decision-making, enabling stakeholders to understand the interconnected impacts of risks, opportunities, and resource allocations. For instance, a risk identified in a product development initiative is not just flagged for the security team—it is assessed in the broader context of enterprise strategy, customer impact, and operational continuity.
Resilience is a central outcome of the DVMS CPD Model. The model emphasizes preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities as ongoing priorities rather than one-time projects. Digital resilience in the CPD context is more than just withstanding cyberattacks or data breaches; it encompasses the organization’s capacity to adapt to market disruptions, supply chain volatility, regulatory changes, and technology failures. Organizations can anticipate potential disruptions through continuous monitoring, feedback loops, and scenario planning and recalibrate their strategies before risks materialize. This real-time adaptability is made possible by the DVMS CPD Model’s iterative cycles of planning and delivery, which allow for regular course corrections without disrupting overall business momentum.
The assurance provided by the DVMS CPD Model fundamentally differs from traditional models. Assurance in this context is not limited to audits or periodic assessments. Instead, it is embedded into every cycle of planning, development, and operational execution. Assurance becomes a continuous flow of insights, validations, and checks that provide stakeholders with confidence that digital operations are compliant, effective, and aligned with the organization’s mission. This continuous assurance also supports external reporting, stakeholder communications, and regulatory obligations, reducing the time and resources needed for formal assurance activities while enhancing their accuracy and relevance.
The DVMS CPD Model is inherently adaptive, a quality that is essential in today’s environment of accelerating digital change. Businesses must be able to pivot quickly in response to emerging technologies, new customer expectations, and evolving threat vectors. The DVMS CPD Model enables this agility by embedding feedback mechanisms into every planning and delivery cycle stage. These mechanisms capture lessons learned, operational insights, and performance metrics, feeding them into future planning activities. This ensures that the governance framework evolves continuously and is informed by actual business performance and risk intelligence rather than assumptions or static models.
A critical component of the DVMS CPD Model’s success is its emphasis on cross-functional collaboration. Governance, resilience, and assurance cannot be delivered in isolation—they require the active participation of stakeholders from across the enterprise. The DVMS CPD Model fosters this collaboration by creating shared governance structures, integrated risk management practices, and standard data and performance tracking platforms. This shared ownership of digital risk and value enables faster decision-making, better prioritization of initiatives, and more robust defense against complex, cross-cutting risks.
Another way the DVMS CPD Model enhances governance and resilience is through its focus on value protection and value delivery. Traditional governance models often emphasize control at the expense of agility, leading to delays and bottlenecks that hinder innovation. The DVMS CPD Model, by contrast, views governance as a value enabler. By providing clear decision-making frameworks, real-time risk insights, and agile controls, the model helps organizations confidently pursue innovation and transformation. It ensures that value-generating initiatives are adequately protected without stifling creativity or responsiveness.
In operational terms, the DVMS CPD Model supports a range of enabling capabilities, including digital risk classification, digital asset protection, critical service mapping, and dynamic control testing. These capabilities are woven into the planning and delivery cycles, allowing organizations to continuously assess risks, test controls, and optimize resilience. For example, by mapping digital assets and critical services to business outcomes, the DVMS CPD Model allows organizations to focus their risk mitigation efforts where they matter most. This targeted approach improves efficiency and enhances the organizational ability to recover quickly from disruptions.
The model also leverages automation and data analytics to drive governance and assurance activities. The DVMS CPD Model provides a dynamic and accurate view of the organization’s risk posture by using real-time data to monitor compliance, control effectiveness, and operational performance. This data-driven approach enables predictive risk management, where organizations can identify patterns, anticipate emerging risks, and proactively address them. Automation also reduces the manual effort associated with governance and assurance activities, freeing resources for more strategic tasks.
Perhaps most importantly, the DVMS CPD Model supports a cultural shift in how organizations think about risk and governance. It encourages continuous improvement, shared responsibility, and strategic alignment. Employees at all levels are empowered to contribute to governance goals through compliance, innovation, vigilance, and adaptability. This cultural shift is essential for building the resilient and trustworthy digital enterprise clients, partners, and regulators increasingly expect.
The DVMS CPD Model delivers a comprehensive, adaptive, and forward-thinking approach to digital business governance, resilience, and assurance. Embedding continuous planning and delivery into the core of business operations enables organizations to navigate complexity, embrace innovation, and protect digital value in an ever-evolving environment. The model’s strength lies in its ability to unify diverse functions, foster collaboration, leverage real-time data, and drive agility without compromising control. As digital transformation accelerates and risk landscapes become more dynamic, the DVMS CPD Model offers a robust model for building sustainable, resilient, high-performing digital enterprises.
About the Author
Rick Lemieux
Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of the DVMS Institute
DVMS Institute is a renowned provider of accredited certified training programs that teach organizations of any size how to build a holistic overlay approach to cyber resilience through an adaptive culture trained to identify, classify, and mitigate cyber risks.
Rick has 40+ years of passion and experience creating solutions to give organizations a competitive edge in their service markets. In 2015, Rick was identified as one of the top five IT Entrepreneurs in the State of Rhode Island by the TECH 10 awards for developing innovative training and mentoring solutions for boards, senior executives, and operational stakeholders.
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