Project governance is such an important part of project management. It should be determined at the beginning of any project for the best project outcome. Before the project charter, project plan and all other aspects of the project, your project governance should be in place. If you’re new to project management, you may be wondering what project governance is. 

What is project governance?

Project governance is a set of rules, procedures and metrics that determine how projects are managed. Setting the project governance is usually done by the PMO director in collaboration with the business lead. 

Project governance example 

As a PMO lead, you may want to start by defining the project management process. Ex: Initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, executing and closing. Some project life cycles may be different depending on the type of project but it’s important to have a process in place and documents as a guide.

It’s also very important to define project roles. Determine the different roles every project should have. For example, in my experience, there’s usually a steering committee that comprises a Business Analyst, Business Lead, PMO Analyst and a Technical Lead.

The steering committee usually helps to make important project decisions; sometimes the project manager is part of the steering committee but usually they are only responsible for presenting project details that require attention from the steering committee.

Basically, every project that flows through the PMO should follow a set of standards that helps to strategically navigate the complexities of the project life cycle.

Why it matters

Where project deadlines are tight, resources are finite, and challenges are inevitable, effective project governance could make the difference between a successful and failed project.

It matters because it brings structure, accountability, and transparency to projects that could act as a safeguard against major project setbacks. Project governance helps to maintain business alignment by establishing a solid foundation.

In doing so, it becomes the conduit through which projects can transform the overall success of the business. 

By, Airess Rembert, PMP, Member of Women Of Project Management & Blogger at The Nerd Bae

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