Don’t fear your SteerCo anymore!

The Steering Committee (or SteerCo) designates both the project management body and the well known meeting, sometime feared, which each project manager must face sooner or later. For many, it is a time of stress and anxiety. The date is circled in red on your calendar…

It is, however, a fundamental tool for the project manager. Why is it so intimidating? Find out how to regain control of this meeting. How to get the most out of it for your projects.

On the menu of this article :

• What is a SteerCo and why is it useful?
• Why is it scary?
• Why shouldn’t it be!
• Preparation.
• Conducting the meeting.

1. WHAT IS A SteerCo AND WHY IS IT USEFUL?

Two quotes are important in the Wikipedia definition of SteerCo :

“The steering committee, sometimes called “SteerCo”, is a group of decision-makers capable of making the necessary arbitrations for running the project (allocation of resources or budget, revision of the project’s scope, revision of deadlines, etc.)”.
“The steering committee is essential to the project manager’s safety: it validates important decisions and arbitrates when necessary. This prevents the project manager from making decisions outside his or her area of responsibility. »

Therefore, it is a question of aligning all of the project’s stakeholders and encouraging discussion. Above all, to get decisions made. I would like to draw attention to this point, because in my opinion this is the main purpose of this meeting. Too often, it is not used for this purpose.

Another very relevant definition, by Henri Codolfing: “To lead is not to manage. To manage is to try to get the job done, but to lead is to determine what the job is. »

In the end, SteerCo can be seen as the main DECISION-MAKING body of a project.

2. WHY IS IT SCARY?

Some participants can be intimidating. Members of the SteerCo often include people high up in the hierarchy. Sometimes you are new to the organisation and do not know the history or “old files” of the forces involved. This first point can be intimidating for younger people and for personalities sensitive to hierarchical pressure.

The impression of being judged. This meeting is often portrayed as a moment of accountability. One can easily have the impression of going to court, of risking one’s place. Potentially, every little mistake will be scrutinized with a magnifying glass…

I will give several ideas on how to reduce this pressure in my next article on stakeholder management.

3. WHY IT SHOULDN’T!

SteerCo is not a test that turns against you. On the contrary, use it as a tool to help you. Don’t think of project stakeholders as judges or censors. Rather as “sparring partners” who will challenge your ideas positively. They are people who will have the ability to make things happen, use them wisely!

It is important to stay focused on the usefulness of the meeting and what comes out of it (decisions, action plan). Ask yourself the questions. What is your objective? What do you need after this meeting? Do you have things to negotiate?

Topics to be discussed often include :

• Unblocking a situation that requires a decision to be taken by the hierarchy (impact beyond the project perimeter);
• Validating that the project objectives are always the same and/or are understood by all;
• reviewing the main risks together (see our article on risks);
• Inform all the people concerned of the project’s progress (if simply sending a status report is not enough).

You have to make sure that the result is beneficial in some way. It is then necessary to (re)frame it to encourage useful and constructive discussions.

4. PREPARATION

“Sorry, now I’m really underwater, I’ve got my SteerCo this week”. Does this little phrase mean anything to you? In order to facilitate the preparation of the SteerCo, you can act on several levels.

Block yourself some time in advance.

A time slot in the week (always the same one) to update your presentation and notes, as if you had to hold the meeting on the same day. For example, every Thursday (avoid Fridays), from 1:30 to 2:00 p.m., block in your calendar a time slot where you are not available. During this half hour: update your presentation, check if the risks are still the same, if certain decisions need to be made… Even if this will still change at the time of the “real” meeting, you will have saved a considerable amount of time by always having a version dated a week at the most, rather than a month as is often the case. This is particularly recommended for dynamic projects where a lot happens in a week…

Use your daily tools with SteerCo in mind.

Be clever: remember to include a hint in your tools from the start to highlight the information you will need during your preparation. This can be a simple “COPY? Yes/No” column in a risk register. It can also take the form of a customized text field in MS Project, a logbook, specific notes for decisions…

Think “report” when building your tools.

For all the “home-made” solutions that the project manager creates for himself, try to keep in mind the ability to easily extract this information. No need for extremely complex or extensive things. Just an assembly with the idea at the earliest possible stage of being able to extract a report easily.

Ask before the SteerCo if there are topics that need to be highlighted.

A few days beforehand, you can make a short phone call to your sponsor or his representative. Just to take the temperature, check if there are any particular points that he or she would like to raise, if he or she can join in and be punctual. This will reassure the audience (and you too!). It will improve their engagement during the meeting and give you the image of being a good proactive communicator.

Pro tip 😉

Sometimes there will be no decision to be made or from your point of view, the meeting will not bring anything. In this case, don’t hesitate to cancel it and simply send an email with a brief progress report. However, this approach should be exceptional and not become the norm. Remember to validate with the sponsor or the most influential stakeholders that this is acceptable to them. Perhaps some are waiting for this forum to pass on messages. If in doubt, keep the meeting going, even if it means shortening it. Explain this way of working from the start of the project, so that everyone is aligned.

Ideally write a project communication plan describing your general approach to meetings and reporting.

5. CONDUCTING THE MEETING

In a forthcoming article on meeting conduct, we will share some points of attention with you. The same strategy applies here, in particular :

• Take (or have someone take) notes. Update the material directly during the session and send it directly afterwards if possible. At the very, very maximum within 24 hours. An interactive tool such as a Wiki is very appropriate here.
• Put the most important points to be discussed first. In the case of a SteerCo, in general, the decisions and actions to follow from the previous SteerCo.

And also…

• Focus for you and others. What is presented will be discussed. So, only bring out what you want to discuss. Very often, the project manager is derailed because of minor information added to “dress” the presentation. In the end, this detail becomes the source of a debate and phagocytes the duration, even if it does not bring anything to the project. One day, I had a very lonely moment when directors started debating the use of a Smiley rather than a Sun to indicate that the project is going well (yes… it’s true).
• Apply drastic time management. To sum up: be firm about keeping the agenda, while leaving some “free expression” moments if necessary (to reduce tension, political aspects…). Then, steer the discussions in the expected direction and keep the purpose of the meeting in mind.

If you apply these tips, nothing can happen to you. Your steering committees will be calm and productive. Thus, you will have a powerful and efficient tool to help you deliver your project in the best conditions. Gradually, your stakeholders will share their satisfaction, treat your project and team with more benevolence than distrust.

Do you have any other tips to share based on your own experience? If so, feel free to react at the bottom of this article.