Understanding the Role of a Steering Committee in Project Management: Definition, Challenges, and Best Practices
A steering committee plays a crucial governance role in the success of projects. This comprehensive article delves into all aspects of leveraging steering committees to drive project outcomes - including their purpose, composition, best practices for effectiveness, and common challenges. Read on to gain an in-depth understanding of how to optimize steering committees in project management.
What is a Steering Committee in Project Management?
A steering committee refers to a group of senior stakeholders who oversee the direction and progress of a project to ensure it achieves stated business goals and objectives. Typically comprised of influential executives and leaders, the steering committee acts as an advisory board that provides strategic guidance to support the project manager and team.
Steering Committee Purpose and Role
The core purpose of a steering committee is multi-fold:
Provide oversight on overall project direction stragedy
Monitor progress, risks, issues to keep project on-track
Review and validate project charter, plans, budget and scope
Make decisions on critical issues and conflicts
Ensure stakeholder consensus and continued buy-in
Facilitate coordination across project stakeholders
Escalate issues to higher management when required
Essentially, the project steering committee enables inputs from different perspectives to help align project activities with organizational priorities for the best outcome.
By bringing together various project stakeholders and subject matter experts under one umbrella group, the steering committee provides a mechanism for timely communication about project progress to senior leadership. This governing body oversees the project lifecycle to offer recommendations that support the project manager and team in delivering as per plan.
Steering Committee Composition
The composition of the steering committee should include senior stakeholders with the knowledge, visibility, influence and subject matter expertise to appropriately steer the project. Typical members include:
Project sponsor/Influencer - Chairs committee and champions the project at CXO/board level
Client decision maker - Represents business needs and priorities
Subject Matter Experts - Lend expertise on complex or technical projects
Finance/Audit representative - Provides inputs on budget/funding aspects
Key user group/client representative - Offers end-user perspective to guide product-market fit
Project manager - Presents regular progress reports, risks, milestones and seeks guidance.
Covering these types of steering committee roles ensures the group has well-rounded inputs on strategic, technical, financial and end-user aspects to effectively steer the project. Committee members may also tap additional experts as needed to provide specialized guidance.
Creating an High Performance Steering Committee
Assembling an engaged and productive steering committee is vital for project success. Here are some best practices to build an effective governance structure:
Define the Steering Committee Charter
The charter essentially outlines the mission and boundaries of the steering committee. This includes details like composition, responsibilities, decision rights, rules of engagement and measures to gauge committee effectiveness.
Elements to cover in a committee charter:
Purpose, objectives and scope limitations of committee
Makeup of committee - roles, skills and profiles of members
Decision-making authority, limits and conflict resolution process
Frequency of meetings, prepare meeting agenda
Framework for resolving risks and issues
Measures of success and performance tracking
Having a committee charter sets clear expectations amongst members and other stakeholders. It empowers the group to assume an appropriate advisory role.
Choose the Right Steering Committee Members
Selecting the appropriate group of 8-12 steering committee members is critical to enable robust governance. Some considerations for choosing members:
Influence: Committee members should have enough organizational influence to champion change and make quick decisions. This enables timely guidance.
Commitment: Members must have capacity and willingness to attend regular meetings. Establish a rotational term if needed to improve member commitment.
Diversity: Bring together experts across domains like operations, technology, analytics, subject matter specialists along with senior management. Diversity minimizes blindspots.
Neutrality: While passion helps drive change, overly opinionated stakeholders can shift focus. Evaluate if prospective members have agenda that causes conflicts.
Creating a steering committee with balanced skills and interests sets the stage for smooth decision-making and project oversight.
Define Steering Committee Responsibilities
While the project manager handles day-to-day activities, the steering committee plays an advisory role focused on governance. Typical responsibilities include:
Oversight:
Validate & approve project charter, plans, budget
Review milestones, targets, metrics/KPIs
Monitor progress, budget, use of resources
Guidance:
Provide guidance around assumptions, tools, changes
Champion and communicate project status to stakeholders
Guide conflict resolution, changes in scope
Governance:
Escilate project risks and issues when needed
Make priority decisions requiring senior input
Ensure stakeholder consensus and manage politics
Clearly defining oversight, guidance and governance responsibilities empowers the group with context for appropriate involvement.
Developing an Effective Steering Committee
Along with the right structure and composition, steering committees need operating models optimized for productivity.
Steering Committee Meeting Best Practices
Well-run steering meetings foster engaged discussion and decision-making. Best practices include:
Timebox discussion: Limit time for each agenda item to stay on track
Assign action items: Track accountable owners and deadlines for follow through
Share progress report: Include dashboard snapshot on key metrics and trends
Review risks/issues: Discuss mitigation plans for current and potential risks
Solicit guidance: Have PM frame specific asks and input needed from group
Meeting minutes: Document meeting outcomes, decisions and next steps
Instituting practices like these drive productive sessions. Meetings become even more effective when supported by collaboration tools.
Steering Committee Collaboration Tools
Specialized committee tools provide transparency and timely access to project information to enable the group stay abreast of all developments.
Key features that enable effective oversight include:
Centralized document repository provides access project documents like charter, plans.
Insightful project dashboard to track progress towards milestones and metrics seamlessly
Contextual alerts on risks and roadblocks needing attention
Virtual discussion threads for timely issue resolution
Automated meeting minutes to record governance decisions
With access to complete project context, groups can closely monitor the pulse of the project and provide timely steering.
Managing Steering Committee Challenges
However, even well-intentioned steering committees run into people and process issues impacting effectiveness.
Common Steering Committee Problems
Some frequent challenges faced include:
Lack of commitment - Low meeting attendance and engagement
Conflicting priorities - Misaligned views slowing decisions
Lack of credibility - Distrust preventing open communication
Narrow focus - Losing sight of big picture and risks
Information gaps - Poor awareness on project tradeoffs
Being cognizant of these pitfalls enable project managers to swiftly intervene as needed.
Steering Committee Issue Resolution
Here are approaches to address common governance issues that surface:
Improve commitment: Norway out expectations on time commitment during onboarding. Rotate longer-term members if meetings get deprioritized.
Align mismatched priorities: Develop decision matrix based on organization-wide goals when conflicting. Have sponsor mediate.
Build credibility: Provide examples demonstrating team capability and project progress towards goals.
Prevent narrow focus: Ensure PM communication covers complete picture - tradeoffs, risks etc. Conduct periodic project site visits.
Bridge information gaps: Supplement reports with raw feedback from project team members and end-users.
Equipping PMOs with solutions will bolster steering committee governance capabilities.
Conclusion and Key Takeaways
In summary, a properly structured and run steering committee profoundly influences project success. Leveraging the group's wisdom enables alignment between project activities and overall business objectives for the project or organization. Providing the committee clear governance guidelines empowers them to offer robust, timely oversight.
However, steering committees face inherent people and process challenges that can dilute effectiveness if unchecked. Staying vigilant and addressing issues promptly keeps the committee productive.
Here are the key takeaways on optimizing steering committees:
Steering Committee Definition: Senior stakeholder group providing advisory project oversight
Creating an Effective Steering Committee:
Committee charter
Right members by influence and commitment
Clear oversight and guidance responsibilities
Committee Management Best Practices:
Rules of engagement
Collaboration tools to enable transparency
Productive meeting cadence and information flow
Addressing Steering Committee Challenges:
Improve commitment through expectations
Prevent conflicts using impartial tools
Build credibility through demonstrations
Enhance understanding via site visits
Bridge gaps by soliciting raw feedback
In closing, a diverse and empowered steering group offers immense value throughout the project lifecycle through timely guidance. Leverage the tips outlined here to create productive steering committees that help your next project reach success milestones!
Understanding the Role of a Steering Committee in Project Management: Definition, Challenges, and Best Practices
A steering committee plays a crucial governance role in the success of projects. This comprehensive article delves into all aspects of leveraging steering committees to drive project outcomes - including their purpose, composition, best practices for effectiveness, and common challenges. Read on to gain an in-depth understanding of how to optimize steering committees in project management.
What is a Steering Committee in Project Management?
A steering committee refers to a group of senior stakeholders who oversee the direction and progress of a project to ensure it achieves stated business goals and objectives. Typically comprised of influential executives and leaders, the steering committee acts as an advisory board that provides strategic guidance to support the project manager and team.
Steering Committee Purpose and Role
The core purpose of a steering committee is multi-fold:
Provide oversight on overall project direction stragedy
Monitor progress, risks, issues to keep project on-track
Review and validate project charter, plans, budget and scope
Make decisions on critical issues and conflicts
Ensure stakeholder consensus and continued buy-in
Facilitate coordination across project stakeholders
Escalate issues to higher management when required
Essentially, the project steering committee enables inputs from different perspectives to help align project activities with organizational priorities for the best outcome.
By bringing together various project stakeholders and subject matter experts under one umbrella group, the steering committee provides a mechanism for timely communication about project progress to senior leadership. This governing body oversees the project lifecycle to offer recommendations that support the project manager and team in delivering as per plan.
Steering Committee Composition
The composition of the steering committee should include senior stakeholders with the knowledge, visibility, influence and subject matter expertise to appropriately steer the project. Typical members include:
Project sponsor/Influencer - Chairs committee and champions the project at CXO/board level
Client decision maker - Represents business needs and priorities
Subject Matter Experts - Lend expertise on complex or technical projects
Finance/Audit representative - Provides inputs on budget/funding aspects
Key user group/client representative - Offers end-user perspective to guide product-market fit
Project manager - Presents regular progress reports, risks, milestones and seeks guidance.
Covering these types of steering committee roles ensures the group has well-rounded inputs on strategic, technical, financial and end-user aspects to effectively steer the project. Committee members may also tap additional experts as needed to provide specialized guidance.
Creating an High Performance Steering Committee
Assembling an engaged and productive steering committee is vital for project success. Here are some best practices to build an effective governance structure:
Define the Steering Committee Charter
The charter essentially outlines the mission and boundaries of the steering committee. This includes details like composition, responsibilities, decision rights, rules of engagement and measures to gauge committee effectiveness.
Elements to cover in a committee charter:
Purpose, objectives and scope limitations of committee
Makeup of committee - roles, skills and profiles of members
Decision-making authority, limits and conflict resolution process
Frequency of meetings, prepare meeting agenda
Framework for resolving risks and issues
Measures of success and performance tracking
Having a committee charter sets clear expectations amongst members and other stakeholders. It empowers the group to assume an appropriate advisory role.
Choose the Right Steering Committee Members
Selecting the appropriate group of 8-12 steering committee members is critical to enable robust governance. Some considerations for choosing members:
Influence: Committee members should have enough organizational influence to champion change and make quick decisions. This enables timely guidance.
Commitment: Members must have capacity and willingness to attend regular meetings. Establish a rotational term if needed to improve member commitment.
Diversity: Bring together experts across domains like operations, technology, analytics, subject matter specialists along with senior management. Diversity minimizes blindspots.
Neutrality: While passion helps drive change, overly opinionated stakeholders can shift focus. Evaluate if prospective members have agenda that causes conflicts.
Creating a steering committee with balanced skills and interests sets the stage for smooth decision-making and project oversight.
Define Steering Committee Responsibilities
While the project manager handles day-to-day activities, the steering committee plays an advisory role focused on governance. Typical responsibilities include:
Oversight:
Validate & approve project charter, plans, budget
Review milestones, targets, metrics/KPIs
Monitor progress, budget, use of resources
Guidance:
Provide guidance around assumptions, tools, changes
Champion and communicate project status to stakeholders
Guide conflict resolution, changes in scope
Governance:
Escilate project risks and issues when needed
Make priority decisions requiring senior input
Ensure stakeholder consensus and manage politics
Clearly defining oversight, guidance and governance responsibilities empowers the group with context for appropriate involvement.
Developing an Effective Steering Committee
Along with the right structure and composition, steering committees need operating models optimized for productivity.
Steering Committee Meeting Best Practices
Well-run steering meetings foster engaged discussion and decision-making. Best practices include:
Timebox discussion: Limit time for each agenda item to stay on track
Assign action items: Track accountable owners and deadlines for follow through
Share progress report: Include dashboard snapshot on key metrics and trends
Review risks/issues: Discuss mitigation plans for current and potential risks
Solicit guidance: Have PM frame specific asks and input needed from group
Meeting minutes: Document meeting outcomes, decisions and next steps
Instituting practices like these drive productive sessions. Meetings become even more effective when supported by collaboration tools.
Steering Committee Collaboration Tools
Specialized committee tools provide transparency and timely access to project information to enable the group stay abreast of all developments.
Key features that enable effective oversight include:
Centralized document repository provides access project documents like charter, plans.
Insightful project dashboard to track progress towards milestones and metrics seamlessly
Contextual alerts on risks and roadblocks needing attention
Virtual discussion threads for timely issue resolution
Automated meeting minutes to record governance decisions
With access to complete project context, groups can closely monitor the pulse of the project and provide timely steering.
Managing Steering Committee Challenges
However, even well-intentioned steering committees run into people and process issues impacting effectiveness.
Common Steering Committee Problems
Some frequent challenges faced include:
Lack of commitment - Low meeting attendance and engagement
Conflicting priorities - Misaligned views slowing decisions
Lack of credibility - Distrust preventing open communication
Narrow focus - Losing sight of big picture and risks
Information gaps - Poor awareness on project tradeoffs
Being cognizant of these pitfalls enable project managers to swiftly intervene as needed.
Steering Committee Issue Resolution
Here are approaches to address common governance issues that surface:
Improve commitment: Norway out expectations on time commitment during onboarding. Rotate longer-term members if meetings get deprioritized.
Align mismatched priorities: Develop decision matrix based on organization-wide goals when conflicting. Have sponsor mediate.
Build credibility: Provide examples demonstrating team capability and project progress towards goals.
Prevent narrow focus: Ensure PM communication covers complete picture - tradeoffs, risks etc. Conduct periodic project site visits.
Bridge information gaps: Supplement reports with raw feedback from project team members and end-users.
Equipping PMOs with solutions will bolster steering committee governance capabilities.
Conclusion and Key Takeaways
In summary, a properly structured and run steering committee profoundly influences project success. Leveraging the group's wisdom enables alignment between project activities and overall business objectives for the project or organization. Providing the committee clear governance guidelines empowers them to offer robust, timely oversight.
However, steering committees face inherent people and process challenges that can dilute effectiveness if unchecked. Staying vigilant and addressing issues promptly keeps the committee productive.
Here are the key takeaways on optimizing steering committees:
Steering Committee Definition: Senior stakeholder group providing advisory project oversight
Creating an Effective Steering Committee:
Committee charter
Right members by influence and commitment
Clear oversight and guidance responsibilities
Committee Management Best Practices:
Rules of engagement
Collaboration tools to enable transparency
Productive meeting cadence and information flow
Addressing Steering Committee Challenges:
Improve commitment through expectations
Prevent conflicts using impartial tools
Build credibility through demonstrations
Enhance understanding via site visits
Bridge gaps by soliciting raw feedback
In closing, a diverse and empowered steering group offers immense value throughout the project lifecycle through timely guidance. Leverage the tips outlined here to create productive steering committees that help your next project reach success milestones!
Understanding the Role of a Steering Committee in Project Management: Definition, Challenges, and Best Practices
A steering committee plays a crucial governance role in the success of projects. This comprehensive article delves into all aspects of leveraging steering committees to drive project outcomes - including their purpose, composition, best practices for effectiveness, and common challenges. Read on to gain an in-depth understanding of how to optimize steering committees in project management.
What is a Steering Committee in Project Management?
A steering committee refers to a group of senior stakeholders who oversee the direction and progress of a project to ensure it achieves stated business goals and objectives. Typically comprised of influential executives and leaders, the steering committee acts as an advisory board that provides strategic guidance to support the project manager and team.
Steering Committee Purpose and Role
The core purpose of a steering committee is multi-fold:
Provide oversight on overall project direction stragedy
Monitor progress, risks, issues to keep project on-track
Review and validate project charter, plans, budget and scope
Make decisions on critical issues and conflicts
Ensure stakeholder consensus and continued buy-in
Facilitate coordination across project stakeholders
Escalate issues to higher management when required
Essentially, the project steering committee enables inputs from different perspectives to help align project activities with organizational priorities for the best outcome.
By bringing together various project stakeholders and subject matter experts under one umbrella group, the steering committee provides a mechanism for timely communication about project progress to senior leadership. This governing body oversees the project lifecycle to offer recommendations that support the project manager and team in delivering as per plan.
Steering Committee Composition
The composition of the steering committee should include senior stakeholders with the knowledge, visibility, influence and subject matter expertise to appropriately steer the project. Typical members include:
Project sponsor/Influencer - Chairs committee and champions the project at CXO/board level
Client decision maker - Represents business needs and priorities
Subject Matter Experts - Lend expertise on complex or technical projects
Finance/Audit representative - Provides inputs on budget/funding aspects
Key user group/client representative - Offers end-user perspective to guide product-market fit
Project manager - Presents regular progress reports, risks, milestones and seeks guidance.
Covering these types of steering committee roles ensures the group has well-rounded inputs on strategic, technical, financial and end-user aspects to effectively steer the project. Committee members may also tap additional experts as needed to provide specialized guidance.
Creating an High Performance Steering Committee
Assembling an engaged and productive steering committee is vital for project success. Here are some best practices to build an effective governance structure:
Define the Steering Committee Charter
The charter essentially outlines the mission and boundaries of the steering committee. This includes details like composition, responsibilities, decision rights, rules of engagement and measures to gauge committee effectiveness.
Elements to cover in a committee charter:
Purpose, objectives and scope limitations of committee
Makeup of committee - roles, skills and profiles of members
Decision-making authority, limits and conflict resolution process
Frequency of meetings, prepare meeting agenda
Framework for resolving risks and issues
Measures of success and performance tracking
Having a committee charter sets clear expectations amongst members and other stakeholders. It empowers the group to assume an appropriate advisory role.
Choose the Right Steering Committee Members
Selecting the appropriate group of 8-12 steering committee members is critical to enable robust governance. Some considerations for choosing members:
Influence: Committee members should have enough organizational influence to champion change and make quick decisions. This enables timely guidance.
Commitment: Members must have capacity and willingness to attend regular meetings. Establish a rotational term if needed to improve member commitment.
Diversity: Bring together experts across domains like operations, technology, analytics, subject matter specialists along with senior management. Diversity minimizes blindspots.
Neutrality: While passion helps drive change, overly opinionated stakeholders can shift focus. Evaluate if prospective members have agenda that causes conflicts.
Creating a steering committee with balanced skills and interests sets the stage for smooth decision-making and project oversight.
Define Steering Committee Responsibilities
While the project manager handles day-to-day activities, the steering committee plays an advisory role focused on governance. Typical responsibilities include:
Oversight:
Validate & approve project charter, plans, budget
Review milestones, targets, metrics/KPIs
Monitor progress, budget, use of resources
Guidance:
Provide guidance around assumptions, tools, changes
Champion and communicate project status to stakeholders
Guide conflict resolution, changes in scope
Governance:
Escilate project risks and issues when needed
Make priority decisions requiring senior input
Ensure stakeholder consensus and manage politics
Clearly defining oversight, guidance and governance responsibilities empowers the group with context for appropriate involvement.
Developing an Effective Steering Committee
Along with the right structure and composition, steering committees need operating models optimized for productivity.
Steering Committee Meeting Best Practices
Well-run steering meetings foster engaged discussion and decision-making. Best practices include:
Timebox discussion: Limit time for each agenda item to stay on track
Assign action items: Track accountable owners and deadlines for follow through
Share progress report: Include dashboard snapshot on key metrics and trends
Review risks/issues: Discuss mitigation plans for current and potential risks
Solicit guidance: Have PM frame specific asks and input needed from group
Meeting minutes: Document meeting outcomes, decisions and next steps
Instituting practices like these drive productive sessions. Meetings become even more effective when supported by collaboration tools.
Steering Committee Collaboration Tools
Specialized committee tools provide transparency and timely access to project information to enable the group stay abreast of all developments.
Key features that enable effective oversight include:
Centralized document repository provides access project documents like charter, plans.
Insightful project dashboard to track progress towards milestones and metrics seamlessly
Contextual alerts on risks and roadblocks needing attention
Virtual discussion threads for timely issue resolution
Automated meeting minutes to record governance decisions
With access to complete project context, groups can closely monitor the pulse of the project and provide timely steering.
Managing Steering Committee Challenges
However, even well-intentioned steering committees run into people and process issues impacting effectiveness.
Common Steering Committee Problems
Some frequent challenges faced include:
Lack of commitment - Low meeting attendance and engagement
Conflicting priorities - Misaligned views slowing decisions
Lack of credibility - Distrust preventing open communication
Narrow focus - Losing sight of big picture and risks
Information gaps - Poor awareness on project tradeoffs
Being cognizant of these pitfalls enable project managers to swiftly intervene as needed.
Steering Committee Issue Resolution
Here are approaches to address common governance issues that surface:
Improve commitment: Norway out expectations on time commitment during onboarding. Rotate longer-term members if meetings get deprioritized.
Align mismatched priorities: Develop decision matrix based on organization-wide goals when conflicting. Have sponsor mediate.
Build credibility: Provide examples demonstrating team capability and project progress towards goals.
Prevent narrow focus: Ensure PM communication covers complete picture - tradeoffs, risks etc. Conduct periodic project site visits.
Bridge information gaps: Supplement reports with raw feedback from project team members and end-users.
Equipping PMOs with solutions will bolster steering committee governance capabilities.
Conclusion and Key Takeaways
In summary, a properly structured and run steering committee profoundly influences project success. Leveraging the group's wisdom enables alignment between project activities and overall business objectives for the project or organization. Providing the committee clear governance guidelines empowers them to offer robust, timely oversight.
However, steering committees face inherent people and process challenges that can dilute effectiveness if unchecked. Staying vigilant and addressing issues promptly keeps the committee productive.
Here are the key takeaways on optimizing steering committees:
Steering Committee Definition: Senior stakeholder group providing advisory project oversight
Creating an Effective Steering Committee:
Committee charter
Right members by influence and commitment
Clear oversight and guidance responsibilities
Committee Management Best Practices:
Rules of engagement
Collaboration tools to enable transparency
Productive meeting cadence and information flow
Addressing Steering Committee Challenges:
Improve commitment through expectations
Prevent conflicts using impartial tools
Build credibility through demonstrations
Enhance understanding via site visits
Bridge gaps by soliciting raw feedback
In closing, a diverse and empowered steering group offers immense value throughout the project lifecycle through timely guidance. Leverage the tips outlined here to create productive steering committees that help your next project reach success milestones!