Raylene PreussGovernance Advisor| Suncorp Group LtdAustralia
I was hoping you might be able to help me with some research I am undertaking.
I am looking for feedback on different steering committee models (e.g. Project, Portfolio, Divisional, and Enterprise). Have you had experience with different models? What successes/challenges were there?
Any insights or information would be appreciated.
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In the projects I am running as a Project Director, I am adopting a SC which is composed by the Account Manager, myself, Pre Sales Manager and Support Director, the purpose of this SC is to make sure that the business case will have its financial and business benefits realized, once we are a consulting firm where the BC has been built in Pre Sales and will have all benefits realized during on going support this is why the SC was made in that way Saving Changes...
Fernando TeixeiraManaging Director| PM Solutions ConsultoriaSalvador, Pm Solutions Consultoria, Brazil
Greetings!
In my view the SC must be composed by people that can take decisons ontheir specific arena.
In my experience with Industrial Engineered Projects the Project SC is composed by the Project Manager, Project Engineer and Lead Process Engineer/Manufacturing Rep at earlier stages and as project identification progresses in scpe and plans we add Project Comtrols, Process Automation, Procurement and Construction Managers.
A higher level SC shall include the Sponsor and Financial function. Saving Changes...
arlene trimbleAssistant IT Director| Local GovernmentAlamo, Ca, United States
The Steering Committee members need to be decision makers. There are different flavors depending on the type of business and organizational practices.
I have seen an organization wherein all the C-suite members and the PMO director were the members of the steering committee who provided project governance.
I have been in an organization as well wherein all the Directors in the organization and the PMO Manager were the members of the steering committee who provided project governance.
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Sheraz JavaidDirector IT Projects| Unity IT Solutions and EquipmentsLahore, Punjab, Pakistan
The model that best fits in my opinion should include:
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
I have made good experience with a steering committee led and owned by the project sponsor and including all (executive) stakeholders that have a vested interest in the project and are powerful enough to influence it, even if they are opposed (these are not the people that make decisions in the SC).
In some instances, the SC was a hidden Program SC, so it was called project SC but parallel projects also reported to it and the overall success was only possible if all came together (example: SAP rollout and related process change project).
As a project manager, I want support from the SC, but sometimes the support is not given by SC decisions, but outside the SC. Nevertheless the SC then serves as a sounding board to share the problem.
A SC on portfolio/enterprise level is another animal, as it needs to look at standardized reporting and formalized escalations. They are more interested in the portfolio success than the success of a single project. In this case, as a project manager you need to learn how to play it. Saving Changes...
Joanna NewmanHead of Innovation and Transformation , Telecoms| VodafoneCholderton, United Kingdom
Steercos need to be made up to two parts: the people asking for a decision and with the relevant information, and those that are empowered to make the decision.
Often the latter group is not a single person, but a collective responsible for all elements of the decision.
So if the steerco is for technical direction members would be the technical team, theaccount team etc Saving Changes...
Elizabeth HarrinDirector| RebelsGuideToPM.comLondon, England, United Kingdom
I agree with Joanna (and others here). The Terms of Reference for the Steering Committee set out what it is supposed to do. Then you need the right people in the room to do those things which is generally asking questions, providing information and taking decisions. Saving Changes...
