Governance happens in projects all the time, and a well thought-out governance process can be a powerful project tool. In this article, we will examine why governance is necessary, where governance is most effective and how we as project and program managers can use governance to powerful effect.
Organizations that take project governance for granted are headed for a fall. There is one area where governance seems to be failing in many organizations, and it's perhaps surprising--the PMO. That is incredibly dangerous, and here’s why...
Many times, organizations focus on the “what” (i.e., specific tasks) and the “how” (do our actions reflect corporate culture and core values?), but forget about the “why”. That can be dangerous...just ask George Costanza.
Your project seemed to be going along swimmingly. Suddenly, there was a surprise from a governance stakeholder. Will you avoid the guillotine? In our conclusion, we focus on managing governance stakeholders in requirements gathering.
If governance is designed to ensure that project execution occurs appropriately, then who ensures that governance occurs appropriately? To try and avoid conflict, an organization needs to ensure that governance committees operate with a series of guidelines.
“Governance” is one of those words that consultants and managers like to throw around to make it sound like they know what they're talking about. It is also one of the most widely misused words--if not concepts--currently employed in organizations. Why this is, what it means (and doesn’t) and what it should represent are what this article explores.