Governance · tool 6 of 14

Steering Committee

Steering Committee: gives the project a small group with the authority to decide and unblock.

Best for: Cross-department projects · Time: Setup 1 hour; 1 hour a month
Domain: Governance · Focus area: Planning

How it works

A steering committee isn’t an audience for status reports. It exists to take decisions the project team can’t take: trade-offs, money, priorities and conflicts between departments.

Keep it to the people who can commit resources.
Agree escalation limits, for example time and money thresholds.
Put decisions at the top of the agenda and status at the bottom.

How to apply it

Name the chair, normally the sponsor.
Write the terms in half a page: purpose, members, limits, rhythm.
Send a one-page pack two days ahead with the decisions needed.
Log each decision the same day.

In practice

Limit: the project manager decides up to one week or €5k. Above that, it goes to the committee.

Pro tip

Open each meeting with “what do you need to decide today?” Everything else can be read.

Use it

Case study: Berlin Brandenburg Airport
Case study: HealthCare.gov

Quick check

What is the main job of a steering committee?

Sources

PMBOK® Guide, 8th edition, and The Standard for Project Management (PMI, 2025)
Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2®, 7th edition (2023) (summary of changes)

Last reviewed 2026-11-02 against the PMBOK® Guide, 8th edition · Practitioner review pending · How this guide is made