Project Governance: Roles and Responsibilities in Project Management

This report covers the meaning and concept of project governance, its importance in project management, and the different roles involved in project governance such as project sponsor, steering committee, project management office, and project manager. It also discusses their responsibilities and contributions towards the successful completion of the project.

ENGM 117 Project Delivery
and International Project
Management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Meaning and concept of Project Governance..............................................................................3
Different role in the project governance......................................................................................4
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION
Governance is defined a the decision making process or the execution of the decisions
related to the subject matter. Project governance refers to the management framework within
which the project related decisions are taken. When the team is plan to work on a project there
are various factors that is needed to be considered in order to successfully implement the work
effectively. Project governance is one of the critical and major elements of any project. Project
governance keeps project the activities of the project to run smoothly , according to the budget
and should be accomplished as per the deadline specified(Cha, Newman, and Winch, 2018). It
is also considered as establishing effective relations hip and communication with the sponsors,
stakeholders. Project governance is considered as the crucial element in the project management.
The present report covers the different roles of project governance which includes the roles of
project sponsors, steering committee, project management office and project managers (Keers,
and van Fenema, 2018). Every person has their own roles to play in order to effective execution
of the plans and accomplish the project on time.
MAIN BODY
Meaning and concept of Project Governance
Project governance refers to the management framework which provides direction and
also defines various decision making procedures for successfully implementing the plans in
carrying out the project. With the helps of this framework it keeps the projects to run smoothly
and according to the budget set during the planning of the project (Stanitsas, and et.al., 2021). In
order to effectively carry out the project it requires a guidance which helps in taking effective
decisions for the completion of the project. Project governance is considered as the recipe of the
project manager which gives direction about how to manage the project.
It is considered as the oversight function that is aligned with the organisational
governance model and that includes the whole project life cycle. In order to successfully
accomplish the project effectively, it gives direction to the project manager and team an outline ,
process and various decision making models for controlling and managing in the successfully
delivery of the project(Lee, and et.al., 2018).
Project governance specifies all the key elements in order to carry out successful project.
There are three pillars involved in the project governance i.e. structure, people and information.

Structure: In order to carry out the effective project management is is necessary to have
effective and favourable organisational structure and support of the management(Chofreh, and
et.al., 2019). This means that the top management is taking interest and investing their time to
establish the goals and objectives for the project manager.
People: It is very necessary to carry out the activities for the project management it is necessary
of the senior management to understand the duties of the project manager that is the their goals
and objectives should be clear and achievable.
Information: It is important to have effective communication throughout from the initiation to
the completion of the project as it helps in clear and regular information sharing at all the levels
of the project .
The eight elements of the project governance is the various government models,
Accountability and responsibilities , involvements of the stakeholders , communication of the
stakeholders through regular meetings and reporting about the progress of the project m risk and
issue management programs, project assurance and project management control process.
Different role in the project governance
Different projects have different characteristics and features throughout the project cycle. They
enclose various roles but there are four major roles that is required in order to establish and
maintain the project governance.
The four major roles to implement and validate the project governance are that accompany
throughout the project cycle are: Project Sponsor, Steering committee, project management
office and project manager.
Project Sponsor
A project sponsor is an individual or group of person who provide resources for the
project and support in accomplishing the completion of the project. In the project management ,
there is at least one project sponsor although they are not involved in the management of the day
to day operation of the project(Sirisomboonsuk, and et.al., 2018). They are above from the
project manager in the hierarchy and is involved with the project from the beginning of the
project life cycle. As per the requirements of the project , sponsors also vary .
For example : the project that is related to the government construction then in that case state
official will be the project sponsor who will work with the project manager in order to carry out
the construction project. There are various duties and responsibilities of the project sponsor and

is liable for various aspects of the project. The roles of the sponsor is classified into : vision,
governance , value and benefits.
Vision: Project sponsor ensures that the business case is in accordance with the business
proposition. They also ensure that business strategy , goals and objectives is aligned with the
project that is to be undertaken. They also ensure for the success of the project that related with
the overall objective of the business.
Governance:The project manager ensures that the project is properly planned and initiated and
maintains organisational priorities throughout the project. The major element in order to initiate
the project is the financial resources and it is the responsibilities to arrange and manage the
resources for carrying out the project.
Value and benefits: They make sure that the risk are successfully manages and the changes are
adopted for accomplishing the project. On the other hand they are involved in the decision
making process relevant to the project.
Roles and responsibilities of project sponsor
The project sponsor is included in each phase and at all the level of the project life cycle
that is at the initiation stage that are given the authority to select the experienced project
manager in which the project manager is given all the necessary guidance and set of level of
authority. At the initiation project , the project sponsor ensures that the project taken is in the
interest of the company and approves the project charter(Afzal, Khan, and Mujtaba, 2018) .
Furthermore, they also assist in taking decisions for the project related matter. At the planning
stage , the project sponsor ensures that the project plan is realistic and feasible. Although the
issues re resolved by the project manager but the sponsor can assist or give advice in those cases
which is beyond the control of the project manager(Bergmann, and Karwowski, 2018). The
project sponsor has also the authority to monitor the progress of the project and can make
changes if necessary and also assist project manager throughout the project. Apart form this they
ensures effective flow of communication and team work at all the stages of the project cycle and
help in resolving the issues regarding the project completion.
Steering committee
A steering committee also known as project management team is a group of person who
are responsible for conducting various operations and delivery of the projects on the given
deadline(Meredith, and Zwikael, 2020). It is the senior decision making authority in the project

management structure that consist top level managers and leaders whose duties is to review and
monitor the strategic directions and guide the project team and stakeholders of the company.
The function of the committee is to suggest about the various delivery approaches and also
participates in the planning and implementation of the project(Larsson, and Larsson, 2020).
Throughout in the project life cycle , the members of the committee are strategically positioned
and also focus on promoting the goals of the company.
The steering committee in the project management is comprised of project manager , sponsor,
project owner , business analyst and client representatives. The committee is assigned various
responsibilities in order to carry out the project successfully.
Roles and responsibilities of steering committee
 The roles of the committee is to provide input in the development of the project that also
includes the evaluation strategy
 They also advice in planning for the budget and participate in the allocation of the
resources
 They collectively identify the priorities of the project and also identify the potential risk
that is involved in the project.
 They have the responsibility to monitor the risk and timelines and plan effective strategy
to accomplish the project on time .
The project manager is responsible to attend the meetings of the Steering committee in order to
report bout the progress of the project and accountable for the questions asked by the members of
the committee(Meredith, and Zwikael, 2019). Although, they work and participate in the
project life cycle but on the other hand it is observed that the group decisions become democratic
which can result into more consumption of time in taking relevant decisions regarding the
project. The meetings are held after each project phase i.e. after each stage of the project life
cycle.
Project Management Office
A project management office is the department in the project management that defines,
maintains and ensure that the project management standards are met with the organisational
priorities(Petersen, 2020). The project management can either be internal or external. The main
function of the project management office keep the records of all the projects and offers
directions in the execution of the project according to the project governance. With the help of

PMO organisation can get return on investment which helps in adding value to the stakeholders
through projects, programs and portfolios. This can be implemented with the help of various
portfolio management tools(Junqueira, and Passador, 2020). The project management office is
considered as the coordinated and centralised hub for all the projects and also aims to create
efficiencies among the among active projects. The PMO also offers guideline to the project
manager and also develop the metrics on the practices related to the project management.
Roles and responsibilities
 Project management office contributes in strategic planning while defining the criteria
for the project and also selecting the project that aligns with the organisational goals and
advising management with cost benefit ratio(Crawford, 2021).
 They have the responsibility to select the relevant project management methodology that
will be applied on the project i.e. waterfall or agile framework.
 The management office also ensures including best practices and process in every
department in order to manage and deliver the projects on time .
 It also ensures effective communication is to be maintained at every project cycle and
various training techniques and methodologies(Richardson, and Jackson, 2018) .
 They have the responsibility to ensure proper allocation of the resources such as budgets ,
priorities of the project etc.
Project Manager
In order to effectively accomplish the project, project manager plays a very
important and lead role in planning, execution , monitoring , controlling and implementation of
the projects. That are the professional who is responsible for organising , planning and
effectively executing the projects by planning all the activities within the given budget and time
restrictions(Verenych, and Bushuyev, 2018). They are also in charge for leading the team and
have required skill and knowledge by effectively communicating with the team members as well
as the stakeholders from the initiation to the closure of the project. The project manager is one of
the key personnel and contributes maximum in the accomplishment of the project on the given
timeline. The project manager has the responsibility to consider every aspect while planning for
the project in order to execute the project effectively within the resources and budget by
effectively communicate with every person involved in the project .

Once the project is delivered , it is duty of the project manager to begin the research
about the project and collect the required information about the client. In order to start the
planning it is necessary for the project manager to find the key stakeholders who is the part of the
assigned project along with their roles and responsibilities in the project. In order to gather the
information it is is required for the project manager to have required skill and experience which
can be useful in order to interact with the customer and stakeholders(Gellweiler, 2019). The
project manager is solely responsible for delivering the project and has the responsibility to lead
and manage the team and assign the duties to the team members according to their capabilities.
On the other hand project manager provided support to the team members by communicating
land listening to the issues and find effective measures in order to resolve the problems. The
project manager is the is the person who is accountable for whole project and ensures that all the
requirements of the project is complied and accomplished. They are also responsible for the
program manager or the manager of the organisation and is liable to deliver the project on time.
They begin their work by defining the objectives of the project and its scope and also identify
the internal and external stakeholders and discuss their opinions. After defining the objectives
make an outline about the time and budget related to the task to be accomplish.
Role of project manager Integrator: The key roles of the project manager is to ensure that there is proper
integration of the project management process and ensures that there is coordination
among every project phase. They are responsible for developing the project management
plans which includes the preparation of the documents which specifies the requirements
and and project plan(Levy, 2018) . While implementation of the plan they ensure that all
the activities are performed by the people who have been assigned the responsibilities for
particular task. They also monitor and control the plan and make required changes that is
to be done for completing the project on time . Communicator: Communication is considered as important factor for the
accomplishment of the project on time . This factor is overlooked by many people while
assigning the duties to the project manager. It is necessary they ensures that right
information id delivered to the right person . It has been observed that the project
manager has to regularly communicate with the with the people involved in the group
projects in order to to make required changes or to take decisions. It is necessary of the

project manager to have required skill and knowledge which helps to effectively interact
with the team members for completion of the project on time.
 Leader: From the planning to the implementation stage, team members requires
necessary guidance and direction and project manager is responsible for leading the
team and support in order to achieve the goals of the project. It is necessary for the
project manager to ensure that the team members are working towards achieving the
vision.
It has been observed form the above analysis that project governance roles are classified
as the tools for the governance mechanism in order to ensure that there is compliance of the
regulations with the implementation of the plans(Jepson, Kirytopoulos, and London, 2020). On
the other hand there should be effective communication among the groups in order to accomplish
the task effectively. It is necessary to understand the importance of project governance as it
requires investment that is needed to be done before planning a new project. The benefit of
effective project governance is that it outlines the various roles and responsibilities and
relationship among the stakeholders, effectively resolving the issues and maintain proper flow of
communication.
As it helps in clarifies the roles and responsibilities of the person involved in the project
work also help in decision making(Alvarenga, and et.al., 2019). At the initial stage of the project
planning when the project manager has variation in the scope budget or time then project
governance highlights the issue and its impact on the project and also reflects on the ways in
order to resolve those issues. Thus with the help of project governance it ensures the roles and
responsibilities of the people involved and also results into consistent and transparent reporting
about the progress of the project.

CONCLUSION
From the above report it will be concluded that the project governances is the essential
element which provide direction to the organization in executing the plans of action and
managing the function of the organization in effective as well as efficient manner. With the
assistance of project governance the organization is able to perform the task in effective as well
as efficient manner and improve the brand values in the marketplace. The report indicates that
due to project governances the organization is able to survive and acquire profit from the market.
The presented report mentioned different roles of the project governance in the report
which includes Project sponsors, steering committee, project management office, project
manager. Furthermore, the report indicate that the project governance acknowledge the
individual person with different roles and responsibility of the individual person. The study
shade a light that the project governances which is the standardize the process of project. It
ensures the success of the project in adequate manner.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
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emotional intelligence and transformational leadership on project success in the
information technology sector. Маркетинг і менеджмент інновацій. (2). pp.142-154.
Alvarenga, and et.al., 2019. The project manager core competencies to project
success. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business.
Bergmann, T. and Karwowski, W., 2018, July. Agile project management and project success: A
literature review. In International Conference on Applied Human Factors and
Ergonomics (pp. 405-414). Springer, Cham.
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framework: Rebalancing the framework to include transformation
projects. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business.
Chofreh, and et.al., 2019. The imperative and research directions of sustainable project
management. Journal of Cleaner Production. 238. p.117810.
Crawford, J.K., 2021. Project management maturity model. Auerbach Publications.
Gellweiler, C., 2019. Collaboration of Solution Architects and Project Managers. International
Journal of Human Capital and Information Technology Professionals (IJHCITP). 10(4).
pp.1-15.
Jepson, J., Kirytopoulos, K. and London, K., 2020. Insights into the application of risk tools and
techniques by construction project managers. International Journal of Construction
Management. 20(8). pp.848-866.
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scientific research. Revista de Administração Pública. 53. pp.1179-1188.
Keers, B.B. and van Fenema, P.C., 2018. Managing risks in public-private partnership formation
projects. International Journal of Project Management,.36(6). pp.861-875.
Larsson, J. and Larsson, L., 2020. Integration, application and importance of collaboration in
sustainable project management. Sustainability, 12(2), p.585.
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Lee, and et.al., 2018. Critical review of social network analysis applications in complex project
management. Journal of Management in Engineering. 34(2). p.04017061.
Levy, S.M., 2018. Project management in construction. McGraw-Hill Education.
Meredith, J. and Zwikael, O., 2019. When is a project successful?. IEEE Engineering
Management Review. 47(3). pp.127-134.
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Appoint a project owner. Business Horizons. 63(1) pp.61-71.
Petersen, K.W., 2020. Project Management Office Performance Variables that Influence Project
Success: A Correlational Study (Doctoral dissertation, Capella University).
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Publications.
Sirisomboonsuk, and et.al., 2018. Relationships between project governance and information
technology governance and their impact on project performance. International journal of
project management. 36(2). pp.287-300.
Stanitsas, and et.al., 2021. Integrating sustainability indicators into project management: The
case of construction industry. Journal of Cleaner Production.279. p.123774.
Verenych, O. and Bushuyev, S., 2018. Interaction researching mental spaces of movable context,
stakeholders, and project manager. Organization, technology & management in
construction: an international journal. 10(1). pp.1684-1695.
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