Steering Committee Nuts and Bolts Fact Sheet

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Inter Agency Policy and Projects Unit

Department of Premier and Cabinet

Project Management

Fact Sheet:Steering Committee nuts and boltsVersion: 1.2, November 2008

DISCLAIMER

This material has been prepared for use by Tasmanian Government agencies and Instrumentalities.It follows that this material should not be relied upon by any other person. Furthermore, to the extentthat this material is relied upon, the Crown in Right of the State of Tasmania gives no warranty as tothe accuracy or correctness of the material or for any advice given or for omissions from the material.Users rely on the material at their own risk.


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Page 2 Tasmanian Government Project Management FrameworkProject Management Fact Sheet: Steering Committee nuts and bolts, Version: 1.2, November 2008

This Fact Sheet is aimed at inexperiencedSteering Committee members. It describesthe nuts and bolts of Steering Committeemeetings, roles and responsibilities ofmembers and the Committee collectively,and provides a number of personaldevelopment opportunities in this area.Definitions for all project managementterms used within this document can befound on this website in the ProjectManagement Glossary.

The Tasmanian Government hasdeveloped the Project ManagementGuidelines, which is the recommendedproject management methodology for

managing projects within the TasmanianState Service. A key element in thisapproach is to establish an appropriatemanagement structure (governance) forthe project. In medium to large projects,this includes establishing a SteeringCommittee. The effectiveness of a SteeringCommittee is dependent upon the level ofcommitment demonstrated by membersand the experience members have had inthis role.

Steering Committees should solveproblemsnot create them(Rob Thomsett, 19931)

What is a Steering Committee?

A project Steering Committee is the keybody within the governance structure whichis responsible for the business issuesassociated with the project that areessential to the ensuring the delivery of the

project outputs and the attainment ofproject outcomes. This includes approvingthe budgetary strategy, defining andrealising outcomes, monitoring risks,quality and timelines, making policy andresourcing decisions, and assessingrequests for changes to the scope of theproject.

The membership is determined by theProject Sponsor and may consist of:

the Project Sponsor, who normallychairs the meetings

the Business Owners

representatives with projectmanagement governance expertise

representatives from selected key

stakeholdersexperts from within the agency

external, independent representatives,who may be probity auditors, qualityconsultants, specialist consultants orrepresentatives from another agency

The Project Manager is not a member ofthe Steering Committee. He/she iscontracted by the Steering Committee toensure the work of the project is

undertaken as agreed, whereas theSteering Committee provides support,guidance and the executive oversighting ofprogress

The Project Manager will normally attendmeetings of the Steering Committee tospeak to their reports and answer anyquestions raised by members. Anadditional resource (such as a project teammember or administrative staff) may attendto assist the Project Manager by recordingthe minutes and decisions of the meeting

What does the Steering Committeedo?

Collectively, a Steering Committee's role isto:

take on responsibility for the project'sfeasibility, business plan andachievement of outcomes

ensure the project's scope aligns withthe agreed requirements of theBusiness Owners and key stakeholdergroups

provide those directly involved in theproject with guidance on projectbusiness issues

ensure effort and expenditure areappropriate to stakeholderexpectations


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ensure that strategies to addresspotential threats to the projectssuccess have been identified, costedand approved, and that the threats areregularly re-assessed

address any issue which has majorimplications for the project

keep the project scope under controlas emergent issues force changes tobe considered

reconcile differences in opinion andapproach and resolve disputes arisingfrom them

report on project progress to thoseresponsible at a high level, such as

agency executive managementgroups, Heads of Agency, or Cabinet

depending on the nature of the project,take on responsibility for progressingany whole-of- government issuesassociated with the project

The components of the project that are tobe monitored by the Steering Committeeare documented in a Project BusinessPlan. Once developed, the plan defines the

project scope and the Steering Committeeas a whole must own the document.

What role do individual membersperform?

Individual Steering Committee membersare not directly responsible for managingproject activities, but provide support andguidance for those who do. Thus,individually, Steering Committee membersshould:

understand the strategic implicationsand outcomes of initiatives beingpursued through project outputs

appreciate the significance of theproject for some or all majorstakeholders and represent theirinterests

be genuinely interested in the initiativeand the outcomes being pursued in

the project

be an advocate for the project'soutcomes by being committed to andactively involved in pursuing theproject's outcomes

have a broad understanding of project

management issues and the approachbeing adopted

In practice, this means they:

ensure the project's outputs meet therequirements of the Business Ownersand key stakeholders

help balance conflicting priorities andresources

provide guidance to the project teamand users of the project's outputs

consider ideas and issues raised

foster positive communication outsideof the Committee regarding theprojects progress and outcomes

review the progress of the project

check adherence of project activities tostandards of better practice both withinthe organisation and in a wider context

The Committee may choose to adoptSteering not Rowing: A Charter for ProjectSteering Committees and their Members,Tasmanian Government ProjectManagement GuidelinesAlternately,Terms of Reference may be developedand adopted by the Committee. A SteeringCommittee Terms of Referencetemplate isavailable from this web site

The Project Sponsor should provide eachmember of the Committee with a briefing ofthe project to enable all members tocontribute fully to the process.


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As members are selected based on theirindividual knowledge and skills that theybring to the Committee, there can be someconfusion and conflict in the accountabilityof members. The first responsibility ofmembers is the achievement of theprojects success and secondly to theiragency, organisation or business area.Similarly, members who have expertise ina particular area should avoid taking anarrow view of their responsibility.

How often do Steering Committeesmeet?

The frequency and duration of themeetings will depend on the size and

complexity of the project. The meetingsshould be often enough that progress canbe reported against a number ofmilestones since the last meeting. Aproject milestone is different to a projecttask/activity. A milestone does not involveany work, it can be seen as a progressmarker. For example, Training Plandeveloped is a milestone, whereasDevelop Training Plan is a task/activity.

Ideally, the timing for the meetings shouldbe linked to key milestone dates (includingthe end of a phase), and not to a pattern;for example, the last Friday in the month.Prior notification of meeting dates/timesshould be provided to members via anagreed meeting schedule.

What happens before each meeting?

At least five (5) working days before eachscheduled meeting, you should receive the

business papers for the next meeting. Theyshould include:

an agenda

minutes of the last meeting, includingan action list

a progress report on the status of theproject since the last meeting preparedby the Project Manager

other documents to be considered at

the meeting (if any)

What happens during each meeting?

The Project Sponsor usually chairs themeetings. The Chair will conduct themeeting according to the agenda, ensuring

that all members are encouraged toprovide input throughout the meeting andthat any decisions or recommendations areadequately resolved and confirmed by themembers. A basic agenda would include:

confirmation of minutes from previousmeeting

reviewing the status of action itemsfrom previous meetings

report on the status of the project by

the Project Manager

discussion on other documents to beconsidered (if any)

report from Quality Consultants (if any)

any other business

confirmation of date, time and venuefor next meeting

Steering Committee members, have the

opportunity to raise any issues notpreviously discussed at the meeting underthe item Other Business. The Chair willarrange for the meeting to be minuted.

Examples of other documents that couldbe discussed at the meetings are ProjectBusiness Plans, Outcome RealisationPlansand Project/Phase Reviews. Largeprojects are generally broken into phases,which are discrete, logical chunks of worknormally carried out in sequence.

There should be a review done at the endof each phase. This enables the SteeringCommittee to confirm that the phase hasbeen successfully completed anddetermine if the project should proceed tothe next phase. This involves confirmingthe scope, time, cost and resources for thenext phase.


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What happens after each meeting?

Within a week of the meeting, a copy of theminutes of the meeting should becirculated to all members. This is far more

effective in ensuring that the minutesaccurately reflect the decisions anddiscussions of the meeting. Members aremore readily able to recall what wasdiscussed at the time and ensure that anyimportant issues or comments raisedduring the meeting have not beeninadvertently overlooked.

What should the Project Manager bedoing?

The Project Manager should be busymanaging the project according to theagreed Project Execution Planand/orProject Business Plan. This will involve themanagement of:

project scope

time

cost

quality

change

issues

human resources

stakeholders

communications

risk

procurement

The Project Sponsor should meet with theProject Manager on a more frequent basis.The Steering Committee can expect theProject Manager to objectively report tothem on the status of the project, includingany problems or issues that require theirdirection.

Where to get additional help

Refer to the Tasmanian GovernmentProject Management Guidelines

The Inter Agency Policy and Projects

Unit offers further advice andassistance, including a formal Advisoryand Review Service

Contact Project Services [email protected]

Further information and resources areavailable fromwww.egovernment.tas.gov.au

Refer to the Getting Started as aSteering Committee Member on thiswebsite

Definitions for all project managementterms used within this document canbe found in the Project ManagementGlossary

The Tasmanian Governments policiesand guidelines on procurement,contracting and probity are available athttp://www.treasury.tas.gov.au

Templates for standard documentssuch as a Project Business Case,

Project Business Plan, OutcomeRealisation Planand Project StatusReportare available on this website

Formal reviews of phases or completeprojects can provide an insight intoareas where problems can arise withina project. A selection of Project andPhase Review reports are available onthis website

The latest schedule of courses

available by The Training Consortiumis available athttp://www.ttc.tas.gov.au

Acknowledgements

This Fact Sheet contains elements of the Tasmanian Government Project Management

Guidelinesprepared by the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.egovernment.tas.gov.au/http://www.egovernment.tas.gov.au/http://www.treasury.tas.gov.au/http://www.treasury.tas.gov.au/http://www.ttc.tas.gov.au/http://www.ttc.tas.gov.au/http://www.ttc.tas.gov.au/http://www.ttc.tas.gov.au/http://www.treasury.tas.gov.au/http://www.egovernment.tas.gov.au/mailto:[email protected]

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Steering Committee Nuts and Bolts Fact Sheet