Directing the Project with a Project Board

As a Project Manager, I feel it is important to have someone or some group you can turn to when you need help to get something done either in the client’s, the user’s or the developer’s organisation.

There are going to be plenty of times during a Project when you, the Project Manager, will have difficulties that you will not be able to overcome on your own and you will need help from senior management. So, as a Project Manager, I feel it is important to have someone or some group you can turn to when you need help to get something done either in the client’s, the user’s or the developer’s organisation.

For this reason I believe it is of utmost importance that you, the Project Manager, establishes, specifically for your Project, a Project Board or a Project Steering Committee or whatever it is that you want to call it. The important thing is that you make sure, in whatever way you can, you get the right people assigned to this group.

As a minimum, you should have a senior representative from the developer’s organisation, a senior representative from the client’s organisation and a senior representative from the organisation that is going to actually use what you and your Team are delivering. You need to also make sure that the Project Sponsor is part of this group.

These representatives must not only be at a level sufficient enough in their particular area that they can make decisions for that area of the organisation but they must also be able to make things happen when you need things to happen.

They need to be able to deliver. They must be truly committed to the Project, and to the Project’s successful delivery. These people need to know what they are doing. In a real sense they are directing the Project but at the same time they are servants to you and your Team.

You must remember this - a Project Board appointed to just “tick a box” is worse than having no Project Board at all. With a “tick the box” Project Board we have the false impression that we’ve got the help when we need it only to find out too late that they do nothing for us. At least without a Project Board, I know from the beginning that I am going to have to handle every challenge that the Project faces.

Just do it. Put a Project Board in place and reap the benefits!

< Ends >

Add your Comments

Name* Email* Organisation* Country* * select one *AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArctic OceanArgentinaArmeniaArubaAshmore and Cartier IslandsAtlantic OceanAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamas, TheBahrainBaker IslandBangladeshBarbadosBassas da IndiaBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBritish Virgin IslandsBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurmaBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandClipperton IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongo, Democratic Republic of theCongo, Republic of theCook IslandsCoral Sea IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaEuropa IslandFalkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern and Antarctic LandsGabonGambia, TheGaza StripGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGlorioso IslandsGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City)HondurasHong KongHowland IslandHungaryIcelandIndiaIndian OceanIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJan MayenJapanJarvis IslandJerseyJohnston AtollJordanJuan de Nova IslandKazakhstanKenyaKingman ReefKiribatiKorea, NorthKorea, SouthKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMacedonia, Former Yugoslav Rep. ofMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMan, Isle ofMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesia, Federated States ofMidway IslandsMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueNamibiaNauruNavassa IslandNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPacific OceanPakistanPalauPalestinePalmyra AtollPanamaPapua New GuineaParacel IslandsParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairn IslandsPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbia and MontenegroSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and Sth Sandw. IslSpainSpratly IslandsSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbardSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTromelin IslandTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamVirgin IslandsWake IslandWallis and FutunaWest BankWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe Comments*     Enter the number / letter combo you see in the image into the text box

All personal information you supply to us will remain with The Knowledge Brokers and will never be shared with any third party. ( Privacy)