Session | Initial Governance Session and Actions

• Defining the meeting's purpose and agenda.

• Inviting relevant stakeholders and ensure their availability.

• Reviewing and discussing any project risks, changes and approvals.

While the Project Manager is not the final decision maker, they generally prepare and chair (or run) the meetings. Documentation should be sent a day or two before each meeting to allow committee members to read and review any content so they are prepared to discuss and assess the questions they are asked to address. If specific issues impact a governing committee member, call that member to discuss points with them before the meeting. re you are transparent and clear with all committee members.

A few warnings about governance meetings: Sometimes, these meetings may be adversarial. If there are disagreements among the committee members, the final decision-maker must be clear. In general, this is usually the Project Owner. Project Managers should work closely with the Project Sponsors to align views before each Steering committee as a practical way to manage issues before they come up in general discussion. 

If, during these meetings, additional subject matter experts (SMEs) are asked to provide content for the Steering Group to assess, the committee should limit discussions while team members are present. Project Managers should protect the team. This includes ensuring that committee members do not play the 'blame game' or try to 'scapegoat' project team members. Committee members should not share concerns or disagreements outside the meetings. Doing so could confuse team members, create 'churn,' and is simply unprofessional.

In summary, project governance is crucial for ensuring the success of a project. Setting up a governance steering committee, project governance reporting, and project governance meetings are essential to an effective project governance structure.