Project Governance: What Is It? How Do You Manage It?

Project Governance: What Is It? How Do You Manage It?

In general, governance refers to the principles and practices of steering and controlling an organization to maintain its assets in the best possible condition. This means tracking business goals and implementing strategies to reach them on a company level. Therefore, to be successful, an organization must determine how decisions are made, what roles must be assigned at various decision points, and what information is required to support the decision. This article at Indeed discusses what project governance involves, what it means, and how it can help you succeed on your projects if you work in project management.

About Project Governance

Governance describes what activities the organization performs and who is responsible for them. Additionally, project governance includes policies, regulations, functions, processes, procedures, and responsibilities.

What Does It Describe?

  • Information sharing methods are outlined in governance since it is crucial to project success.
  • As part of governance, managers must achieve clearly defined, achievable, and sustainable objectives. Therefore, senior managers should be involved in project managers' activities to help define those goals.
  • You are more likely to succeed with your project when the environment supports it, such as when the senior management provides a vision for project managers.

Difference between Project and Organizational Governance

An organization's governance is distinct from project governance. Organizational governance provides a framework for running the day-to-day business but does not provide governance for projects.

Five Aspects to Governance:

  • Regulations
  • Procedures
  • Processes
  • Responsibilities
  • Functions

Three Key Governance Roles:

  • Project owner – Keeps project manager accountable for project success
  • Key stakeholders – All suppliers, investors, customers, etc.
  • Advisory group – Serves as a forum for the stakeholders and keeps them invested in the project.

The project manager typically fulfills that function in smaller companies, but a project management office does so in large companies.

Importance of Project Governance

The following reasons explain why governance can be beneficial to your projects:

  • Right Processes – Identifies the appropriate process
  • Accountability – Provides a framework for accountability
  • Time and Budget – Helps you accomplish tasks on time and within budget
  • Right Project – Helps you identify the right project for your organization
  • Communication – Entails protocols to ensure information sharing without lag
  • Resource Allocation – Enables optimum usage of resources
  • Scope – Monitors and controls unauthorized alterations to project
  • Stakeholder Management – Defines responsibilities and assigns a group to oversee
  • Project Culture – Boosts project engagement and success
  • Estimates – Collaborates with all departments to consider all aspects
  • Governance as a success factor – Provides resources, planning, and goals for project success

The author further explains the governance model and how to use it.

To read the original article, click on https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/project-governance-model

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