The composition of your governance steering committee reveals a lot about your PMO and project management approach.
As the Chinese proverb reminds us: “the fish rots from the head down”. Indeed, often, organizational dysfunctions can be traced back to leadership and management.
Successfully running your project steering committee means making effective decisions and engaging those who have power over resources, timelines, quality and performance. Therefore, the steering committee faces a challenging environment with complex issues, time constraints and egos can sometimes get in the way.
So, how can you navigate group dynamics and ensure a productive governance steering committee meeting?
After consulting with our network of CIOs, PMOs and project managers, as well as from our own experience, we’ve gathered five best practices we wish we had known before running our first governance steering committee. Forget the basics, you already know that having an agenda is essential... Instead, we'll explore what's not found in books, while focusing on pragmatic approaches and the relational dynamics that drive a project.
Establish a mutual agreement: never put your project partner, from the business or IT side, on the spot in front of the steering committee. You must always work together towards the project’s success, rather than competing for credit or placing blame. Make it a golden rule.
This rather simple tip, if applied properly won’t guarantee a perfect project but it will foster healthier relationships and more peaceful interactions during moments of tension.
In a context where project teams are becoming increasingly self-organized and agile, the idea of a single project manager is starting to appear outdated and even obsolete. You are now part of a hybrid project leadership group. To be thorough, it's essential to consider that the project leadership is formed by the IT project manager, the business project manager and the sponsor. This trio should run the steering committee.
The project manager should coordinate before and after the committee to align on cross-functional messages and goals.
To illustrate this best practice, let's take the example of a family facing the challenges of an adolescent. If one parent undermines the other adults involved, the child's educational system cracks. Conflicts and misunderstandings take root, preventing any lasting resolution. This analogy highlights the importance of a clear agreement between all actors, so that everyone can play their role in a collaborative framework.
All documents, including the agenda and appendices, must be sent out at least one week in advance, preferably 15 days, before the steering committee meeting.
Caution: this basic tip isn't as easy as it seems. To understand why, try putting yourself in the shoes of the steering committee members. Imagine receiving a 100-page presentation only a few days before a meeting, it is not a pleasant experience for anyone.
The rule here is that no new information, or as little as possible, should be discovered during the steering committee.
The sponsor should also be aware of any critical points on the agenda. While you won't ask them to review the entire communication plan, you'll have prepared and agreed upon key messages, decisions and solutions. Ideally, some steering committee decisions can be made prior to the meeting between the IT/Business project manager and the sponsor. The goal is to secure pre-approvals from the various managers. It all comes down to good preparation.
This is a classic rhetorical trick. As the IT/Business project manager or PMO and you've been caught off guard during a steering committee meeting. If you're unsure of the next steps but don't want to show it, try saying something like: "We'll look into this and get back to you by next Tuesday at 3:00 pm."
For effective communication, acknowledging understanding the message is important. This ensures that you don't have to revisit the topic and prevents any lingering misunderstandings. Make a note of it on the whiteboard or digital platform. While you don't need to elaborate on your next steps, providing a deadline creates a sense of commitment. Remember to follow up before the deadline, even if it's just to apologize for any delays and offer a new timeline.
This quite simple tip builds trust and shows your reliability. This technique is similar to parking off-topic questions to stay focused on the agenda.
Did you get interrupted with an unexpected question during a meeting? Write down any off-agenda topics and set them aside for later discussion to ensure that the main agenda is prioritized and helps participants stay focused. It also acknowledges important points raised by stakeholders.
Remember to always follow up on these parked questions; don't just forget about them.
Unlike a project steering committee, which often focuses on risks, let's celebrate successes!
Regularly acknowledge and appreciate your team's achievements. This is a key part of your communication plan. Encourage project managers to share successes on internal platforms, and for sponsors to engage.
Use each project milestone as an opportunity to highlight positive outcomes. Share screenshots of other team members celebrating their peers' achievements.
The idea is pretty straightforward: what we focus on grows. This positive approach not only boosts morale but also fosters a culture of excellence.
So, celebrate the achievements of the entire project team, particularly the business units. And don’t forget to highlight the benefits for end-users, your company’s customers!
Establishing or reinforcing the governance process is essential. It acts as the steering committee’s guiding framework. Making sure that each committee member understands the methods and phases necessary to make decisions is necessary for effective management.
As Olivier Bas, Vice President of Havas, author, speaker and teacher, wrote: “the goal is to have project decisions that are shared, inclusive and made quickly!”
As a result: a very different company-wide steering committee culture.
Without going into all the details of such an implementation (the advantages and disadvantages of each will be the subject of a specific article on this blog), let's remember that the main decision-making methodologies in business management are:
Ultimately, the key to a successful governance steering committee is a clear understanding of its role and responsibilities.
Alongside the project manager, the steering committee should:
With these guidelines, your steering committee can improve decision-making and project management.
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