Project Steering Committee Composition

August 27, 2008 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Project Management Definitions, Project Stakeholder Management

Project Steering Committee Composition
By Michele Berrie, Queensland University of Technology

A project should be guided by a steering committee working at a strategic level. Note that a small project may have the sponsor as its entire governing authority without a steering committee.

A steering committee should be small in number for best practice. A minimum composition is:

  • Sponsor - is accountable for the project, chairs the steering committee meetings and has ongoing accountability for the outcomes of the project in the form of its end product/services.
  • Client Leader - provides business leadership, ownership and guidance to the project. This role is critical to the project. Client Leaders are normally chosen on the basis of their having a keen interest in the outcome of the project (as a user). They do not have line responsibility for the project’s end product/services.
  • Expert/Specialist - often the key person who will be designing and building the outcomes.
  • Internal Auditor - invited as an observer to attend steering committees of major projects.

The project manager is usually not a member, but reports to the steering committee. In some instances, the project manager and the expert/specialist may be the same person.

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a highly successful Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in the city of Brisbane with a global outlook, it has 40,000 students, including 6000 from overseas, (QUT Statistics) and an annual budget of more than AU$500 million. Courses are in high demand and its graduate employment rate is well above the national average for Australian universities.

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