Project Governance 101: A guide to the governance of projects

Projects need to run in a responsible way. And it is the job of Project Governance to ensure that they do.
The Project Management Institute - in its 2016 Practice Guide, The Governance of Portfolios, Programs, and Projects - defines Project Governance as:
‘The framework, functions, and processes that guide project management activities in order to create a unique product, service, or result to meet organizational strategic and operational goals.’
Across the pond, in the UK, the Association for Project Management, in the 7th edition of the APM Body of Knowledge, defines governance as:
‘The framework of authority and accountability that defines and controls the outputs, outcome and benefits from projects, programmes and portfolios. The mechanism whereby the investing organisation exerts financial and technical control over the deployment of the work and the realisation of value.’
My own preferred definition is simple:
‘Project Governance is the practice of making sure that the project does the right things and that it does them in the right way.’
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⏱ Chapter Markers...
00:00 - Project Governance and responsibility
00:13 - Defining Project Governance
01:40 - Why does Project Governance matter?
02:25 - The three Project Governance responsibilities
02:41 - Strategic Direction-setting
03:05 - Decision-making
03:26 - Oversight
03:47 - Project Governance roles and processes
09:11 - Implementing good Project Governance
#ProjectGovernance #ProjectManagement #Governance

[@Onlinepmcourses]

In my experience, good governance is a secret sauce that can have a huge positive impact on all aspects of a project, from culture to outcomes. Many Project Managers find it either dull or intimidating. It need be neither. Here is my guide to one of my personal PM hobby-horses.

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Oh yes, and thank you for watching. Please support the channel and all the free content I provide. - Like, comment, and subscribe to the channel. - Why not join my community, free! Sign-up at onlinepmcourses.com/assets440251/the-onlinepmcourses-newsletter/ - And to show maximum appreciation, use the $ Thanks button, under the video, to make a small donation with a highlighted comment.

[@archiedsouza2001]

Very well explained

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Thank you!

[@LizHornibrook-pc9mx]

Very clearly explained

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Thank you.

[@Amazing4u]

Another great one Dr. Mike, thank you and keep it up :)

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Thank you very much!

[@flashtheoriginal]

HI Mike. Governance is often carried out with a large slice of assumption and is usually based on the historical. Good to see this important topic at the fore. Key oversight benefits from not just continous adherance, but also continuous challenge..." is our governance fit for purpose?: Thank you again. Brilliant information source

[@Onlinepmcourses]

I think you are exactly right: we need to constantly challenge and refine our governance process. Thank you.

[@Dwavard]

Anyone got an example of "technical control" please in relation to Project Governance?

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Technical controls are not my area of expertise, so I hope someone else may see this and chime in. But, as I understand it, we are talking about creating security around an IT system. Part of this must be about making choices about what to secure, how to secure it, how to allow access, who to allow access, how to track any access, and accountability for all this. Each decision has a cost and an impact. The choices are therefore a matter of organizational governance. I know that this is fairly general, but I don't have the expertise to be more specific, I'm afraid.

[@Dwavard]

Perfect, thank you :-)

[@Danny-Leogue]

Interesting video - though I think you need a better microphone or audio software, I find the start/stop of the silence quite distracting. Keep up the good work!

[@Onlinepmcourses]

Thank you. Can you point me to an example of this start/stop of silence. The likely problem is neither the mic nor the software, but my skillset. The equipment and software I use are certainly good enough but, unfortunately, I'm a professional project manager and an amateur video maker. So, if you can show me an example, I can, perhaps, learn and improve my technique.

[@Danny-Leogue]

@@Onlinepmcourses it’s at any point you’re speaking I notice it, if you listen to the video on KZbin (not your original source file) you should be able to hear the background noise start/stop between words or when you take pauses. It’s very minor and doesn’t detract from the great contact of your videos, but thought you’d want to know

[@Onlinepmcourses]

@@Danny-Leogue Okay - I understand. Thank you. I had pneumonia 10 years ago. Now, when I take a breath, my mic and audio recorder are sensitive and they pick up a highly audible in-breath. One or two people made comments (and a couple of people asked me if I was alright or suggested I should stop smoking - I never have). So now I duck breath sounds to avoid that distraction. If I wanted to fix this, I could add a 'room tone' track over the whole audio, to return a natural sound. But frankly, this is KZbin, not Hollywood or the BBC, and after 8 million views of my videos, you are the first to notice. So I probably won't start doing that!