Steering Committee

The Steering Committee is a decision-making body within the governance structure that consists of top managers and decision makers who provide, review and monitor strategic direction and policy guidance to a team and other stakeholders. The committee also provides recommendations on different approaches and participates in discussing general strategies and opportunities for planning and implementation.

Role of the Steering Committee

A steering committee is an advisory group that makes directional decisions on various organizational projects. Its members directly support project managers working toward strategic company directions.

In practice steering committees also do the following:

Act as an advocate for initiatives and projects across the wider organization Set the strategic direction of projects Provide advice or direct input on budgeting, including assets (such as people), money, facilities, time, hiring, and marketing Establish project goals and scope as well as determine how success will be measured Assess and approve or reject project plans and changes to project plans Select project managers and experts to support projects Prioritize and reprioritize project deliverables Monitor project processes and plans Resolve conflicts between parties Come up with ideas for strategy and problem solving Provide expert input on concerns and issues related to projects or the overall business Develop policies and governance procedures Identify, monitor, and eliminate project and business risks Monitor project quality and adjust accordingly

Role of Individual Steering Committee Members

Individual Steering Committee members are not directly responsible for managing project activities, but provide support and guidance for those who do. So, individually, Steering Committee members should:

• Understand the aim, strategy and intended outcomes of the project;
• Appreciate the significance of the project for their own organization and clients;
• Be genuinely interested in the project and the outcomes that are intended;
• Be an advocate for the project by doing what they can to promote its outputs;
• Have a broad understanding of project management issues.

In practice, this means they:

• Ensure the strategy that is planned matches the aim of the project;
• Consider how they will know if the aim of the project has been achieved;
• Review the progress of the project against the milestones set;
• Consider ideas and issues raised;
• Provide guidance to the project team;
• Help balance conflicting priorities and resources;
• Foster positive communication outside of the Committee regarding the project’s progress and outcomes;
• Actively promote the outputs of the project;
• Contribute to the evaluation of the project, both the process of developing and implementing the project, and its actual impact on its intended audience.

One member of the Steering Committee – not a representative of the organization who “owns” the project – should be elected Chair, to ensure that meetings run smoothly and achieve their objectives.

As members are selected based on their individual knowledge and skills that they bring to the Committee, there can be some confusion and conflict in the accountability of members. The first responsibility of members is the achievement of the project’s success, and secondly to their organization. This should be made very clear at the outset. Similarly, members who have expertise in a particular area should avoid taking a narrow view of their responsibility on the Committee – they are on the Committee to contribute to the entire project.

Sometimes it’s useful to prepare a simple role description for members of the Steering Committee which sets out the expectations of them and the commitment that will be required both in time and in practical assistance that their organisation can offer to the project, such as distributing the resource produced, or promoting the outcome of the project to clients.