What Does a Steering Committee Do?

Steering committee meaning, purpose, and roles explained

Are you a project manager who’s heard of steering committees but are not entirely sure what they do?

It’s important to know what a steering committee is and all the roles that it plays so that you know how it can benefit your project and ensure success.

What is a steering committee?

Let’s start by breaking this down as concisely as possible. A steering committee, or an StC, is a committee made up of senior executives that are there to help support the project.

How do they do this?

They help support the project by removing roadblocks, helping with issues that might be out of your hands, and ensuring the project stays on time, scope and budget.

Why do projects need a steering committee?

One reason why projects need a steering committee is because most projects are linked to company strategy, and the senior executives will be experts on this. So, they can ensure that the project stays aligned with the company strategy.

Another reason is that when you come across issues that you can’t resolve as a project manager, you may need approval from senior executives. They are there to help you with that. This is why they really need to be brought along throughout the life cycle of the project, because they are ultimately the ones who will ensure that you have everything you need to deliver on your scope.

Roles of the Steering Committee

You might be thinking, “Ok, but what does this actually look like?”

I want you to understand the roles of the steering committee and what those roles look like in action. So, I’ve created a video where I’ll talk to you about this in detail so that you have the information you need to move forward with a steering committee on your project.

Just follow me over to YouTube and we’ll keep talking there!