Project governance: what role for the steering committee?

Project governance essentially encompasses issues related to project steering and comitology activities, i.e. the modalities for creating or modifying the various committees, the mandates and participants, the functioning of the bodies and the articulations between their respective activities and roles. The steering committee is an essential body in a transformation project. What is its role in concrete terms?

What is the Steering Committee (COPIL)?

The steering committee (or COPIL) aims to ensure the smooth running of projects between clients and service providers. COPIL is most often set up for complex projects (involving a large number of stakeholders, with strong interdependencies, dense specifications, etc.) in the private or public sector.

The COPIL decision-making body will allow the client and the service provider to move forward together in the project. The committee set-up also places equal responsibility on both project players, reducing the risk of failure.

The committee will need to ensure that the decision-making process in place is adequate to meet the project’s challenges within the time frame defined in the schedule. A part of this committee could be dedicated to internal or confidential subjects without the presence of the provider.

The missions of the COPIL in the project governance

From the definition of the objectives to the monitoring of the progress, including the final decisions, the members of the COPIL are involved at each stage of the project. The body decides on all decisions.

The steering committee defines and validates the project’s strategic choices:

• project objectives and scope,
• key project dates,
• budget allocation,
• contractual negotiation.

The role of the project manager

The project manager informs the members on the progress of the project by making regular reports. It may propose adjustments during the project and evaluate the measures taken. Thanks to his or her perspective, the project manager facilitates the understanding of the project by the technical, commercial and organizational teams. It is the project manager who is responsible for forming a COPIL, sometimes in support with the sponsor.

The role of the sponsor

The sponsor (or project owner) plays the role of referee. On the one hand, it acts as a relay between the client and the service provider. He will supervise and support the project manager. On the other hand, it manages and defuses conflicts between the members of the body.

He’s the manager who makes sure the resources are committed to the project’s success. He plays the role of “evangelizer” since he is the first to talk about the project, to give directions, contextual elements, the needs behind the project and the gains that this project is supposed to bring.

Who participates in the steering committee?

The members of the steering committee are chosen according to their expertise. This selection is important because it influences decision making. The COPIL will include all the decision-makers.

The committee is common to all the actors of the project, whether it is the provider or the client. Steering Committee members generally include :

In the customer team :

• sponsor
• project manager
• project managers (technical and functional)

In the service team (technical team) :

• sponsor
• project manager (and PMO if applicable)
• project managers (technical and functional)

Please note that other people may participate in the meetings on an exceptional basis and only by invitation of the organizers.

How the meetings work

Meetings are held primarily to obtain a progress report on the project and to make the necessary adjustments for the success of the project. The main purpose of the meetings is to maintain ongoing exchanges between the various technical and functional teams.

The project manager leads the COPILs. The latter presents the project’s progress to committee members using dashboards. During the meetings, he reviews the sensitive points requiring a change in strategy. Members’ decisions are endorsed by the sponsor.

Meetings are most often held monthly, but can also be held quarterly or on an ad hoc basis. They last from 1h30 to 2 hours.

COPIL documents

The coordinator uses documents to frame and report on the project’s progress. These are the agenda and the minutes. They must be communicated to the participants of the steering committee, to the project teams and to any person who needs to be informed of the project:

• The agenda: analysis of the schedule, risks, actions in progress, decisions made and decisions to be made, etc. All this information is recorded in the agenda communicated to the participants in advance. This document is drawn up by the service provider and the customer’s project manager.
• The report: the provider is responsible for writing the report. The latter can specify the customer’s needs in the form of a RIDA or Statement of Information, Decisions and Actions. The client project team may be required to respond to the provider’s report before it is shared with the entire committee.

What determines the success of a project?

Good project management depends largely on agreement and coordination among committee members. It is therefore primarily the choice of members that is decisive. They can gain flexibility in decision making and in adjustments, objectives, deadlines and budget. It goes without saying that the credibility of the members is also a determining factor in the proper conduct of the project. With their respective expertise, each committee member can support decisions.

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