Despite being around for over 25 years, Project Governance is still little understood. Most people are still asking, “What does Project Governance mean?

This “Understanding Project Governance” Guide explains the 26 most common dimensions of project governance — what they are, how they contribute to a project’s success and, importantly, how value can be destroyed by their non- or poor performance.

By reading this Guide, you can understand the dimensions of Governance, its impacts and importance.

You may also learn that this is a skill-set and knowledge base you have not fully mastered.

This Guide is an essential primer for

1. anyone accountable for establishing or sustaining project governance structures
2. all members and potential members of governance committees and roles — this Guide covers all of the governance roles
3. those accountable for uplifting the organization’s project delivery capability — of which project governance is a vital part.
   
   

Benefits

This Guide will

• bring everyone up to the same level of understanding of project governance
• dispel misconceptions as to what project governance is (and isn’t)
• make people aware of the dimensions of project governance (which are often not understood)
• build a view that this is a topic that needs addressing/attention
• primes the organization for the implementation of a governance program.

“This was the most useful summary of project governance I’ve ever come across” PMO Director.

Who should read

It is designed to be read and used by:

1. Project Investment Committee members
2. Project Sponsors (and Project Owners if present)
3. Project Steering Committee members
4. Boards and Executive teams
5. PMOs
6. CIOs who need to support the organization’s governance structures and performance
7. Project practitioners who also need to understand governance.
   
   

Contents

This Guide takes you through 26 key dimensions, roles and accountabilities of project governance, including:

1. Set and protect the project’s scope
2. Define and deliver the project’s value proposition
3. Direct and agree the business requirements
4. Evaluate and approve the project
5. Select and manage the project manager
6. Obtain and retain the required project resources
7. Identify and manage the project’s critical success factors
8. Negotiate and agree the completed project criteria
9. Assess and resolve project issues
10. And so on.

Each topic refers to further sources of information where you can access more in-depth knowledge or take action using the relevant “How to …” tools and Guides.

Bonus

The Keys to Effective Project Governance
A White Paper written by Jed Simms and published by TEC that describes some of our research into Project Governance and its failings, and how this needs to be addressed to ensure effective Project Governance