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Chapter 6 - Steering Committee and Core Team

Part 3

Summary

To summarise the keywords of that chapter, here is a quick overview:

Technical term Definition
Steering committee Committee with authorised members to which project representatives report
Its members can be the customer, investor(s), representatives of official bodies and public agencies
The number of steering committee members should be kept to a minimum
It serves as a reporting, decision-making and escalation body for the project manager
Core team = Project management team
Team consisting of the management staff of a project
E.g. project manager, sub-project manager
Risk of confusion: the project management team is not the project team
Project team A team of natural persons who are assigned to a project to perform specific tasks
→ Everybody who works in the specific project
Risk of confusion: the project team is not the project management team
Project staff All people working on a project, both those who work on core project tasks and those who work on ancillary project tasks
Project start-up In essence, the business decision to implement an idea in project form
Project progress The project's degree of completion or the number of milestones reached
Project board Responsible for strategical decisions of all projects
Responsible for all projects in the company or specific subsets, such as all R&D projects or development projects associated with a specific product line
Members of the project board are drawn from the company's senior management and often hold positions at a higher management level than those involved the project
Initiates a project, sets its approximate objectives and appoints its manager

Test yourself!

Now it is time to check your knowledge.

Answer the following questions for yourself. Please take your time and think carefully about what you would answer before revealing the solution.

What is a project board?

The project board is a permanent fixture, responsible for strategical project decisions, established for an unlimited time.

What functions does the project board perform?

The project board:

  • decides which projects are viable,
  • initiates projects, outlines objectives and appoints project managers,
  • performs a strategic project management function,
  • prioritises projects,
  • vetoes projects that have no prospect of success,
  • monitors project progress,
  • resolves conflicts between projects.
What functions does the project manager perform?
  • Clarification of project objectives.
  • Enlistment and management of the project team.
  • Establishment of appropriate structures for managing project development and processes.
  • Represents the project internally and externally.
  • Project definition.
  • Creation of the work breakdown structure and initiation of relevant work packages, release of budget funds.
  • Coordination of project processes.
  • Planning and monitoring of the project schedule.
  • Planning and monitoring of project cost development.
  • Monitoring of project progress (based on milestones and project review dates).
  • Timely identification of deviations and initiation of countermeasures.
  • Verification and coordination of changes and their incorporation in project planning and implementation activities (product and project-specific).
  • Reports to the project steering committee (at milestones and fixed reporting dates).
  • Use of the project management tools that the organisation has at its disposal.
  • Maintaining the project information flow.
What functions does the project steering committee perform?
  • It doesn't have an operational function. It has a project strategy function, i.e. it makes project strategy-related decisions.
  • At the project manager's suggestion, it makes decisions regarding the outsourcing of project tasks.
What skills should a project manager have? (Requirements profile in the selection process)
  • Professional competence
  • Methodical competence
  • Organisational competence
  • Social competence
  • Management skills
  • Strategic approach
What requirements must a project manager meet?
  • Professional experience/wisdom
  • Determination
  • Motivation
  • Autonomous approach to work and business acumen, i.e. forward-looking approach
  • The courage to take calculated risks
  • Ability to learn, also from mistakes
  • Analysis skills
  • Ability to take criticism on board
  • Ability to set priorities
  • Teamwork skills
  • Management skills
  • Authority
  • Integral thinking
  • Customer orientation
  • Some degree of technical expertise