The steering committee (or Project Copil) is an indispensable body in the transformation of a company. He is the one who does the link between the Codir and the teams that set up the projects. It describes a group of people whose function is to make decisions and ensure that a goal is achieved within a company.
Here, let's explore in detail how it works and the role it plays in the overall project management process. It will also be an opportunity to highlight best practices and give all project managers useful advice so that your Copil projects become real decision-making moments.
The steering committee is a group of people - including the project manager - responsible for Ensure the proper functioning of a project in a company. To improve the follow-up of a project in terms of observation and The choice to be made is generally made up of a team that is transversal to the project. The steering committee generally consists of one member from each role category.
The project committee takes the concrete form of meetings held in the service of project management to guarantee the smooth running and final success: progress of work, achievement of objectives, compliance with deadlines, quality or budgetary constraints...
This committee can rely on the analysis of metrics from project activities in order to make concrete decisions.
The aim of the project steering committee (or Copil) is to add fuel to the workings of a project. It is an instance decision-making that allows the client and the service provider/partner (internal or external) to move forward on the same path, to be aligned with the objectives and the tasks to be carried out.
A Copil is mainly organized on complex projects, in which many stakeholders and interlocutors are involved and/or when they are linked by strong interdependence.
A project steering committee also makes it possible to reduce the risks of failure by closely monitoring the progress of the project and by sharing the decision-making burden between all actors.
The main challenge of the steering committee is to take decisions on the current project (s). The Copil project is NOT An instance of sharing information! In all companies, the objective of the committee meeting should be to decide and make choices on “hot” or important topics that impact the progress of the project (s) and their implementation.
Definition of objectives, monitoring progress or making final decisions: Copil intervenes at all stages of the project. The role of this body is really to take charge of all decisions relating to the project. On the menu of Copil meetings, choices are made both on the key dates of the project, the allocation of the budget or on contractual negotiations with suppliers and service providers.
Let's summarize the key missions of the Copil project:
The members of the project committee are directors, managers and business teams. affected by the project. The sponsor of the project is an integral part of this group.
Depending on the size of the company, the constitution of the Copil project may change. The key and essential element is for Copil to be able to decide. If, for X reasons, the decision could be called into question by a third person or another decision-making group, then that's it: Copil is useless.
For SMEs, the Copil consists of the Codir and on an ad hoc basis (per project) of the project manager + the project sponsor.
In large companies, the difficulty lies in the fact that there are so many projects that the Codir cannot participate in all Copil projects. This is where the problems come in: the Copil may not have the last word, and that therefore adds a lot of politics.
In project management, there is often a great deal of confusion between project execution and ownership of power.
So be careful: as a project manager in the management of transversal projects, you cannot arbitrate alone and take decisions on the means to be implemented as a matter of priority or at times that go beyond the scope of the mission. For decisions to be taken, reports must be submitted regularly and highlight key information to the steering committee.
Most of the time, projects fail because there is a misalignment between the teams/people involved. Our opinion (not consensual): while the project manager spends his time looking at the tasks to be done and calling late people to order, he should show leadership, and create the conditions for continuous alignment. But that will be the case for another article...
The steering committee team is like a navigation aid system Who would take In fine decisions about the direction to take. The members of the Copil project are an essential source of power in the company.
The project team is formed at the start of the project by the sponsor, in close collaboration with the project manager. It is absolutely necessary that the business experts who are likely to participate in decision-making are on the team.
Concretely, the members of Copil are drawn from the following typology of actors:
A project committee (Copro or Coproj) is a meeting organized by project managers. They are aware of all the facets of the project and the challenges. It is a step point intended to bring out arbitration points to be submitted to the Copil if necessary.
The Coproj is therefore a meeting, most often weekly, which brings together a client project manager and a project manager at the service provider if the projects require external help. The operational staff concerned can thus coordinate the project, and ensure that it is moving in the right direction. This is an opportunity to report possible problems or delays, but also and above all to find a solution to organize the rest of the events.
We sometimes confuse Coproj with the first Copil: a first steering committee, also called” Kick-off meeting ”, usually takes place before the start of the project. Then, he can intervene during the key stages of the project (end of the framing phase, before production...) to validating decision making.
Coproj: Micro = Distribution of tasks
Copil: Macro = Arbitrations and decisions
The management committee brings together people who have decision-making authority in the company. It is also called a “management team” or “executive committee.”
The members of the management committee meet on an ad hoc basis to assess ongoing projects in the various departments of the company. They offer a strategic vision for the company. They thus surround the company manager and give him their support. They give opinions and recommendations: the management committee is therefore a way of making joint decisions, which are intended to be the best for the company.
The Codir talks about the project during the Copil Projects but also meets to talk about finance, strategy, merger/acquisition, HR...
The project manager defines the points to be addressed, and tasks him with integrating the work of the stakeholders concerned or working groups set up to solve a specific problem. No information should be discovered during the steering committee. The meeting agenda should be well defined at first, then should include the essential points, before being sent to the participants 48 hours before the meeting.
Everything must be sent in advance, at least One week beforehand, to the people who attend the meetings. Documents useful for a good understanding of the project can also be sent by the project manager.
The sponsor should be aware of everything, especially the critical topics that will be included in the presentation. Ideally, some decisions will be made prior to the meeting between the project manager and the sponsor. The objective would be to have the validations of the various managers on these subjects.
The project manager must work beforehand, with participants from committees that may oppose certain decisions to try to defuse. the situation and to understand what exactly is going on. The project manager is therefore a negotiator. or, in any case, it must become one. The progress of the project depends on his political tact. He must ease tensions and get the project back on track more often than not. The aim of the game is to avoid open conflicts between stakeholders as much as possible. Business teams then risk disengaging from the steering committees, and none of the other project bodies will be able to unblock the situation.
The objective of the meetings is to obtain a progress report on the project. The main benefit of meetings is to maintain continuous exchanges between the various technical and functional teams. The project manager or project director leads the Copil. It shows the status of the project using dashboards and a Reporting accurate and synthetic. Sensitive issues should definitely be addressed. The sponsor agrees to the decisions that are taken.
Meetings are most often held once a month. Sometimes, we set up a quarterly frequency. The duration of a Copil is from 1.5 to 2 hours maximum.
The two documents that are mainly used are theThe agenda And the debriefing.
- The agenda : analysis of planning, risks, actions in progress, decisions taken and decisions to be taken... All this information is recorded in the agenda communicated to the participants in advance.
- The report : A report is required, which is to be sent within 24 hours by the project manager to all participants. The various decisions will be traced and documented there. It will then be added to the project documents.
In some organizations, the Codir includes Copil. Whatever. If you are a project manager, make sure that decisions are taken for your projects.
The Copil is not a meeting. It's a series of meetings. The Copil is sustainable with a frequency to be respected. The ideal is that it takes place every month at least, otherwise you lose track and you don't force yourself to make the right decisions. The project is bogged down and it is a failure. When you plan your first Copil, send invitations to everyone involved for the next six months.
All decision makers must absolutely be present at each Copil. Our advice: manage the participation of Copil members prior to meetings. An announced or observed absence often means that the person disagrees with the project or that they do not feel considered enough within the project. In all cases, an absence can affect the productivity of the project, or even the atmosphere of the meeting.
Once a format has been adopted by all stakeholders and shown to be effective, don't change it. Regularity allows you to focus on the content and forget the form. It is better to spend time on formatting your presentation before the first Copil, to choose The right indicators and color codes to then freeze this canvas that will serve as the basis for all Copils. In this way, you will be more efficient in dealing with important and/or urgent matters.
For some, time is money - for others it's just a matter of respecting the time of others and being effective. A Copil meeting that lasts 3 hours would not be productive, and it is a safe bet that at the next meeting, the participation rate will drop significantly. To remedy this scheduling problem, appoint a time keeper - a time master - who must absolutely be a person who is not the organizer of Copil in order to avoid any clumsiness.
If you say 10 minutes per important “point”, then it's 10 minutes. The time-keeper has the right, and must end a discussion in order for the meeting to “move forward”. It's the guarantor of a certain discipline that in the long run will surely be appreciated by most members.
A Copil is not a settling of accounts in public. If something is wrong, let the person concerned know upstream. Or if she is clearly responsible for a major blockage on the project, let her know that you intend to share this information during the meeting. The surprise effect is not the desired effect during a Copil
The best way not to catch Copil actors off guard is to communicate continuously on the progress of the project. Send up-to-date information and reports (many tools are available) has the effect of making the people concerned react as and when they feel concerned. Thus, by creating small earthquakes through weekly reporting, you will be able to anticipate a revolt or revolt that is beginning to rumble!
This is precisely the worst thing you can do: invite a “surprise guest” to Copil from time to time. He may not be aware of how the meeting works, and will probably ask questions that were taken into account and answered several days or even weeks ago. A punctual guest is like a hair in the towel: it is a disruptive element whose added value is quite relative. If he is an expert, then why not ask him to write a recommendation note on a specific subject and send it to the people concerned in advance of the meeting?
As a reminder, the steering committee is not an arena in which everyone brings their information and arguments. It is a time when decisions are made. And the outside guest does not have the right to vote!
If the presence of a business expert is necessary or desirable, then do not hesitate for a second and invite them to the meeting! It would be a mistake to ask a third person to speak on behalf of the profession: you would risk losing credibility very quickly. Business experts should be valued when possible, and involved in the decisions that are made. In this way, you contribute to the creation of a healthy climate and, as a project manager, you deserve the respect you are due.
If within the time limit the decision is not made or worse if a 1/2 decision is made, then point out:
“The objective of Copil on this project was to take a decision on this project. We did not succeed in reaching a decision. The project is therefore put on stand-by and will be delayed from today. “
What is not written does not exist: put this sentence in the report. This will allow everyone to face their responsibilities at the time of the assessment.
While the time keeper has the right to end certain discussions, there are some that nevertheless deserve to be continued OFF in the interests of the project. A good tip: organize your Copil meetings from 10 am to noon. On the one hand you are sure to finish on time because everyone is hungry! On the other hand, informal and untimed exchanges can take place in a relaxed manner during lunch. It's a way to relax the atmosphere. Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health.
To put it simply, the question is the scalability of agility... 😂 Even if all jobs have their codes, in tech, that's dry jargon!
If you really want to include the stakeholders in your projects in a clear environment, and facilitate the development of a common culture of transformation, without having to train your teams for days, try AirSaaS!
Because yes: in companies everyone talks about projects - but nobody talks about the same thing!
Take the example of milestones/The common mistake is to give too much, to make effective follow-up illegible.
A fundamental reminder: in management and reporting, I share the status of the milestones, not the tasks!
Because you don't transform an organization by starting by inviting teams to manage projects “on task”. The aim is to structure, communicate, and then pilot a transformation plan.
We've concocted a successful “cheat sheet” for you on 5 common project management words, which are often misunderstood. Sponsor, milestones, project manager, key user, reporting, steering committee.
By revisiting what is at play behind the key words or phrases regularly used in the project steering committee, we come back to the meaning, to the process. What if, in the end, the key was not there: to better understand each other?
Because let's remember, a REX is not only a dog! :-). Steering committee: definition (s) and misunderstanding (s)
A Copil should not be your umpteenth weekly or monthly meeting. Neither a working group seen as a collaborative workshop to co-build..., it should not make it possible to answer operational or business questions.
All of this has already been dealt with in advance in a smaller group. And the project manager, as well as the sponsor, should have a very clear idea of what they expect from each project steering committee session.
Thanks to all the preparatory work, the project manager can in particular know all the members' objections and prepare the right action plan with the sponsor.
In the article How to properly prepare a steering committee? the emphasis is on people and human relationships. They are so often the cause of project failures that they represent major points of attention in project management. Definition of objectives, interactions with the sponsor, place of personal interests, management of prior disagreements, tip of the anonymous form, stakeholder vigilance points... everything you need to prepare your Copil calmly.
The committee was prepared with the greatest possible amount of foresight. It's the “D” day, the “H” hour, and you have already identified some unexpected events. An absence of one of the members, a poorly structured support... You feel that you are not in full possession of your means.
Yes - and under stress our behaviors change!
What are the setbacks to avoid? How to manage time and tensions well? What is the optimal presentation medium? How to deal with slippage and political issues? What is the right level of detail to communicate? All of these questions are legitimate. By reviewing our checklist you will avoid unnecessary overtensions. If the meeting and the project manager are well prepared, a successful steering committee is an achievable goal! Read this article to find out How to lead a steering committee?
As we saw above, this committee is a team whose role is to decide!
In a company, decisions are the central element that blocks or unblocks a situation.
BUT
Nobody, no company, is driven by decision.
The more the decision-making process is clear, transparent, and easily “usable”, the stronger the company's capacity to act. Otherwise it's lagging!
The decision should be as easy as an API.
Without effective decision-making, projects are launched, stopped, or extended irrationally. We all have in mind a person who monopolizes the word for ten minutes. Someone who asks for a specific detail that prevents us from talking about the substance. Discover tips to better manage these situations, and finally know How to decide in Copil?
As we saw above: the aim of the steering committee is to add fuel to the workings of a project. But how can you put oil into the functioning of this organ itself?
What are the key points of vigilance when it comes to member involvement? How to defuse tensions and avoid too many political games? Maintaining effectiveness over time? What are the most useful tools? If you are wondering How to set up a steering committee?, read our reference article on this page.
How to identify and manage difficult personalities in your companies and steering committee meetings? It is one of the most critical issues in any assembly, the one that determines working conditions. There are two types of aggressive behavior. A bit like first aid, our collective responsibility is above all to be able to identify the types of “aggression”: which one should be punished and which ones to remedy!
In the second category, we find the more classic profile of the aggressive, rude, disrespectful person who exercises the limit of a red card.. Example: he raises his voice, shouts, gets up, throws a “cookie cutter” sentence to personally attack some members, or even all of them! It's about people, not what they do.
Be careful to take it into account. Ignore = get worse.
Same, Here is a crop and a Remediation of the rules is to be expected. In case of disrespect or verbal aggression, recall in a targeted manner the discussion rules agreed for the Copil. Ask participants to stick to it and avoid aggressive behavior.
How to manage aggressiveness in steering committees? How to react in case of aggressiveness? Discover the 7 tips selected to make your office life easier.
Congratulations! The update went well! You have read a complete dossier on this page. You now know the basics of the Steering Committee, its tools, its operations, all the importance in the course of the project of a good execution of this process within your company.
Beyond the basics, in another article, we have prepared 5 Premium tips for you to go further. Pragmatic and actionable practices: discover for example the IT/profession/sponsor relational contract. You will also be seduced by a “nugget” tip of pure rhetoric with the method of vague & precise answers to use if you are caught at fault. Here is our selection, necessarily subjective, of 5 practices, which we would have liked to discover, before our first committee :-) Copil project: 5 tips for everything to go well.
