The steering committee: the key to the success of all your projects?
The steering committee (COPIL), which brings together decision-makers and managers from different departments, contributes to the success of projects. This meeting provides an opportunity to take stock of the progress of operations, remove blocking points and discuss the decisions to be taken.
But for the COPIL to be a success, you need to know its objectives and scope.
Who makes up the COPIL? What is its purpose? How does it work? We'll let you in on all its little secrets.
Definition of the steering committee
The steering committee, also known by the acronym COPIL, is a body responsible for ensuring that a project runs smoothly.
By bringing together members of the company and "spokespersons" for the customer who initiated the request, decisions are taken together and responsibilities for the successful completion of the project are shared. As a result, the COPIL is integrated into project governance operations.
💡 Note: this meeting is generally held in the context of projects with major stakes, involving a large number of stakeholders and interdependencies between them.
What is the role of the COPIL?
The primary purpose of the steering committee is, quite simply, to ensure that the project is properly managed. It therefore facilitates collaboration between the customer and the company, so that everyone moves forward together in the right direction and ultimately achieves the objectives within the timeframe set.
The COPIL plays various roles at different stages in the life of the project:
- defining the project objectives and the resources to be deployed to achieve them,
- appointing teams
- planning with stages, milestones and deadlines,
- Validation of the project manager's decisions and strategic choices (project scope, budget and resource allocation, etc.),
- analysing progress and results, using metrics,
- maintaining alignment between the current project and the initial objectives, etc.
💡 Please note: sometimes, when organisations have a large number of projects or complex projects, the steering committee focuses more on operational matters. The strategic vision then becomes a matter for the management committee, or CODIR.
Who sits on the steering committee? Composition and roles
Given the importance and importance of this body, who makes up the COPIL?
👉 The steering committee is made up of members who are able to make decisions and who have responsibilities in the project.
The project owner, or project sponsor
The sponsor sits between the customer and the service provider. Their main task? To support and supervise the project manager.
First of all, the project manager explains the customer's needs and then drives the whole project forward. It is then up to the project manager to make the main trade-offs and final decisions.
☝️ The project steering committee operates under his authority.
The prime contractor, or project manager
The project manager leads the project. He assists the teams in carrying out the project and gives them the various guidelines.
At the same time, they report on the project's progress to the COPIL.
☝️ The project manager is responsible for chairing the committee and implementing the decisions taken.
The other members of the committee
The steering committee is then made up of a cross-functional team, made up of representatives from the various business areas involved in the project, selected according to need:
- technical manager
- marketing manager
- sales manager
- production manager
- financial manager, etc.
Thanks to their varied expertise in both technical and functional aspects, these members contribute to a more global and accurate vision of the project. Their feedback is also taken into account to make informed decisions.
How does the project steering committee work?
It all starts with the programming of the COPIL. There are no predefined rules for this, it depends on the size and complexity of the project. But traditionally, the steering committee meets every month, or less regularly if the need doesn't arise.
💡 Before the meeting, it is a good idea for the project manager and the sponsor to get together. Insofar as the sponsor makes the final arbitrations, it is better that he does not discover important facts, such as blocking points, during the COPIL. As for the project manager, he must prepare the ground ahead of the project steering committee meeting to ensure that it runs smoothly.
Then comes the meeting itself, which ideally lasts 1 hour 30 minutes or 2 hours. The project manager chairs the COPIL. He then reports on the progress of the project, using dashboards. He then focuses on the various points on the agenda to open up the discussion and get things moving in the right direction.
☝️ He needs to be sufficiently pedagogical to negotiate and obtain the approval of the participants for the decisions made by the sponsor.
Finally, after the steering committee meeting, the project manager draws up a report, which should ideally be sent to the other participants within 24 hours. This document records all the decisions taken during the COPIL.
Project steering committee documents
The project steering committee uses a number of documents to frame discussions and provide clear information:
- The agenda: participants read this before the COPIL. It sets out the main objective and the various topics to be discussed at the meeting. This document helps to avoid digressions, which can lead to confusion and time overruns.
- Dashboards and reports: the project manager uses project dashboards and reports to present the main metrics relating to the project. They must be as concise and visual as possible, to make them easier for the various stakeholders to understand.
💡 In this sense, software can be of great use to you. For example:
- AirSaaS, the governance solution for maintaining control over your entire project portfolio. The platform gives you real-time visibility of your projects' key data (points of attention, weather, delays, etc.). It also speeds up decision-making with its Kanban view. We particularly like its flash reports, which bring together all the information you need to make the right decisions at COPIL meetings. All in all, AirSaaS is a useful tool for fostering collaboration and streamlining project management.
- Project Monitor, a project portfolio management tool that provides you with a range of data on the progress of your various projects, updated in real time, in just a few clicks. What's more, Project Monitor lets you create project sheets. Customisable in terms of content, form (in line with your graphic charter) and format (Word or PowerPoint), they are the perfect medium for presenting the key information needed to ensure that the COPIL runs smoothly. You can even draw inspiration from the templates in the library.
Project success factors
Despite the skills and goodwill of all the members of a project team, the success of a project depends heavily on good coordination and solid communication.
As a result, steering committees are an excellent way of building cohesion. The discussions that take place there shed light on many aspects, defuse conflicts and blocking points, and allow ideas to emerge.
However, the COPIL is only effective if it has real power, and if the decisions it takes are translated into operational action. In short, it must create a real dynamic among all the players involved to ensure the ultimate success of the project.
Article translated from French