Welcome to the final post in our 4-part blog series on program and project governance. In the first and second parts of our series, we discussed the differences between programs and projects, along with some of the key considerations when setting up program and project governance in your organization. In the third part, we reviewed the committees, bodies, and structures that are part of successful governance. Today, we will go over decision-making rights and tools to ensure the success of your IS programs and projects:

• Decision-making Rights & Tools
• Stakeholder Decision-making Matrix
• RACI
• RAID Log
• Reporting & Status Management

Decision-making Rights and Tools

According to the Deloitte article “Getting Decision Rights Right“, ambiguity surrounding who is responsible for making a decision or decisions is a primary cause of delay in the decision-making process. Confusion about who makes which decisions and how they are made can increase the risk that some decisions will simply fall through the cracks entirely. Research shows that top-performing companies define roles, responsibilities, and process:

• Simplify and clarify decision rights across the organization
• Are transparent about expectations of accountability for decision makers
• Align individuals in decision-making groups that work toward a common mission

Decision-making influences overall company performance, so it is critical for organizations to set clear roles and responsibilities. This clarity leaves little room for confusion, wasted resources, or lack of accountability. As process is established, consider these key objectives: (1) Give all those involved a sense of ownership over their decisions, and (2) Identify where individuals are best suited within the process–who should provide input, who should follow through, and who should ultimately be responsible for making key decisions in defined areas of the organization.

Key considerations for your organization before you start a program or project: 

• Who are the individuals or groups empowered to make decisions?
• What decisions must be made and what is the timeline?
• Who is responsible for deciding? Who will execute the work?
• Who is accountable for the decision’s outcomes? 
• Who should be consulted for input, information, and insight?
• Who should be informed about the decision and its outcome?
• Each decision should have only one decider with single point of accountability.

Stakeholder Decision-making Matrix

A stakeholder decision-making matrix is a tool used to define and communicate who has ownership and who is responsible for the business processes, systems, and data that are part of a program and/or project scope. It can be used to reduce conflict and/or confusion on who should review and approve strategic and tactical decisions.

RACI Chart

• A RACI chart is a simple diagram used in project management to map task-level roles and responsibilities.
• A RACI chart defines whether the people involved in a project activity will be responsible, accountable, consulted, or informed for the corresponding task, milestone, or decision.

RAID Log

• RAID is an acronym that stands for Risks, Actions, Issues and Decisions, and the log tracks all of those items within a project.
• Using a RAID log enables project managers and teams to follow a consistent approach to project delivery.
• The RAID log records information such as cause, probability, impact, mitigation, owner, etc. for things that could go wrong but have not yet occurred.

And that brings us to reporting & status management. This topic deserves it owns blog series, so watch for our coverage of it in the future.

In conclusion, by investing in your organization’s approach to decision-making rights and tools, you increase the chance of successfully achieving the objectives of your IS programs and projects. We hope you found the information in this blog series to be valuable. Reach out to us with other questions or to talk staffing support for your organization in 2024 and beyond.

Here are links to all other blog posts in this governance series: Part I: Understanding Programs vs. Projects  |  Part II: Defining Rules, Procedures, and Policies  |  Part III: Defining Committees, Bodies, and Structures

Welcome to the third in our 4-part blog series on program and project governance. In the first and second part of our series we discussed the differences between programs and projects; introduced the set of rules, procedures, and policies that determine how programs and projects are controlled, managed, and overseen; and discussed some of the key considerations when setting up program and project governance in your organization. In this post, we will discuss the committees, bodies, and structures that are part of successful governance.

 Four Types of Committees, Bodies, and Structures:

• Executive/Project Steering Committee
• Program Governance Office
• Project Management Office
• Project Organizational Structure

Executive/Project Steering Committee

• A form of corporate governance made up of high-level executives, authorities, and/or stakeholders who provide strategic oversight and guidance to one or more programs or projects within an organization.

Program Governance Office

• Ensures that the program’s goals and objectives are aligned with those of the overall enterprise.
• Standardizes project-related governance processes and facilitates effective communication and the sharing of resources, methodologies, tools, and techniques. It establishes the overall framework for execution of a corporate program, and it develops and implements policies, rules, and procedures to manage the program. 
• Collects data to monitor, analyze, and report on how well the program conforms with these policies, rules, and procedures; remediates any problems or vulnerabilities within the program.
• Ensures standardization for projects across an entire program.

Project Management Office 

• Established for the duration of a single project or program. 
• Includes project delivery oversight, administrative support, controlling, reporting, and monitoring functions. 
• Performs a similar function to the Program Governance Office–only for a single project as opposed to an overall program.

Project Organizational Structure

• Defines the reporting hierarchy and authority of people involved in a specific project. The structure defines each team member’s function for the duration of a project and the reporting lines can be viewed in chart form.
• There are three types of organizational structures in project management:

1. 1. 1. 1. Functional
         2. Project-based
         3. Matrix

See Essential Guide to Project Organizational Structure for more information and graphics inspiration.

Successful program and project governance are dependent on establishing and supporting the committees, bodies, and structures that approve and oversee budgets, timelines, project definition and scope, resources, and business outcomes. In the next part of this series, we will discuss the tools used to manage your IS programs and projects:

• Decision-making rights & tools
• Stakeholder decision-making matrix
• RACI
• RAID log
• Reporting & status management

Reach out via email if you have questions on project governance that we can address on the blog or one-on-one. We conclude this series with our next post, and we’ll continue to answer incoming questions on LinkedIn as well.

——————

Here are links to all 4 blog posts in this governance series: Part I: Understanding Programs vs. Projects  |  Part II: Defining Rules, Procedures, and Policies  |  Part III: Defining Committees, Bodies, and Structures  |  Part IV: Decision-making Rights and Tools