Governance as a factor in the success of your projects

Project governance is not a notion that spontaneously springs to mind when we talk about project management, or project portfolio management (PPM). And yet, it is an essential component in guaranteeing the structuring, organization and quality of a project.

Choosing a project management method, organizing the various committees (comitology), anticipating risks and assisting decision-making: these are just some of the benefits of project governance.

In this article, we'll take a closer look at the challenges of PPM, before offering you a selection of software to help you govern your projects effectively.

[Bonus] When an organization deals with a large number of projects, the notion of governance applies to project portfolio management and to the deployment of its overall strategy. To find out more, download our White Paper.

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What is project governance?

Definition

The notion of project governance covers a mode of management and organization within a company. It identifies the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder.

Governance refers to the management of projects within a given structure.

It has a number of objectives :

• ensure the smooth running, continuity and sustainability of activities,
• facilitate the flow of information between the various players,
• facilitate decision-making,
• organize project comitology (creation and follow-up of committees, communication between bodies, definition of mandates and stakeholders, etc.),
• provide faster feedback on project risks and alert project managers.

Governance diagram

The following diagram summarizes project governance, highlighting two types of steering: operational and strategic. It also shows the various governance bodies.

Tips for effective governance

Defining governance as early as possible in the project is one of the keys to success. It allows you to structure the project and define a clear organization. It also helps you to meet the cost, deadline and quality conditions defined at the start of the project.

Secondly, it's important to make governance part of a continuous improvement process. It can be reviewed during the course of the project, so that it corresponds more precisely to the needs and framework of the project at any given moment.

Last but not least, governance must be aligned with your company's overall strategy, and placed at its service. Effective project governance leads to successful projects, satisfied customers, a financially healthy company, and teams motivated to lead other projects to success.

The benefits of project governance

Why should project governance be taken lightly? What can it do for your company?

It allows you to :

• identify the risks and benefits associated with a project,
• better prevent and anticipate risks,
• facilitate decision-making, as decision-makers have a better overview of all projects and can react more quickly,
• avoid many disputes and organizational conflicts by planning project governance and management processes as early as possible,
• better circulation of information: communication channels are known and tested, roles are defined and it is clear to whom information should be addressed.

4 success factors for project governance

How can you make a success of your projects with quality governance?

No. 1: The right method

You need to find the project management method best suited to your company and your project teams. If you haven't yet chosen one, sound out the various stakeholders to find the right one for you, based on the methods used by project managers or the type of management in place in the organization, for example.

No. 2: Governance bodies

Governance bodies act as control structures: they review the project's steering and lead to one or more decisions.

No. 3: Comprehensive reporting

Reporting, via dashboards, makes it possible to summarize project-related information and extract the main trends. It serves as a basis for decision-making, providing decision-makers with an overall view of the project portfolio.

No. 4: Competent teams

In addition to the project management skills required, especially for a project manager, the team's interpersonal skills are essential for a project to run smoothly. To ensure that projects evolve as smoothly as possible, the following skills are key strengths for project managers:

• listening skills,
• listening skills,
• clear, fluid communication,
• organizational skills,
• autonomy, etc.

PPM software: what's in it for me?

PPM (Project Portfolio Management) software is the ideal tool for facilitating task-by-task project management by taking into account :

• available resources,
• schedules
• budgets
• deadlines,
• quality requirements.

This solution standardizes project management processes, while improving their monitoring. Project arbitration, steering and governance are thus more efficient and of higher quality.

In a context of ever-increasing numbers of projects, PPM software offers greater visibility and promotes fairer, more relevant governance.

It is particularly well suited to IT project governance, as CIOs were the first users of PPM tools to optimize development project management, by creating a link with IT project departments.

In short, project portfolio management software makes it possible to :

• streamline requests,

• prioritize projects,

• track projects via dashboards,

• manage resources intelligently,

• circulate information more easily,

• anticipate risks,

• make appropriate decisions based on the context of each project.

Guarantee the success of your projects with the best tools

How to choose?

Choose a tool adapted to the size of your company and your budget.

Survey your teams: keep the software that project team members vote for, since it's a tool they use on a daily basis. They need to be able to use it independently and quickly.

Which PPM tools should I use?

We have just seen that PPM software, or project portfolio management software, makes it easier for project teams to centralize and make information available. This decision-support tool provides an overview so that no time is wasted tracking down information, which is essential to the smooth running of any project.

The following PPM software packages have proven their worth. Here is our selection, in alphabetical order:

CESAR.TEAM

• Who's it for? Large companies.
  
• The benefits of CESAR.TEAM:
  • management of all company projects and resources,
  • decision-support dashboards,
  • complete budget control,
  • KPIs updated in real time,
  • expense tracking.

Clarizen

• Who's it for? Companies with 500+ employees, key accounts and multinationals.
  
• Clarizen advantages :
  • Full integration between collaborative work (exchange, internal communication) and management of multiple, complex projects;
  • A flexible tool (custom entities) that's easy to use for reporting tasks;
  • High reliability, resulting in avery high level of customer satisfaction.

Planisware Orchestra

• Who's it for? ETIs and large groups.
  
• The advantages of Planisware Orchestra :
  • Planisware Orchestra supports all types of project (R&D, strategic, infrastructure, etc.);
  • Its ergonomic design makes it easy to use (news feeds, Kanban boards, etc.);
  • Advanced resource management;
  • The software helps to manage the entire life cycle of project portfolios.

Project Monitor

• Who are we for? SMEs, ETIs and large groups, particularly in the IT, logistics and construction sectors, as well as for commercial and strategic projects.
  
• The benefits of Project Monitor :
  • Project Monitor is a tailor-made tool;
  • It can be used to manage complex projects, and can be adapted to several project management methods (Agile Scrum, waterfall, Prince 2, etc.);
  • Thanks to its high degree of customization, each user has access to the key indicators that are relevant to him or her.

Sciforma

• Who can benefit? For all types of companies with 50 or more employees. The solution is aimed primarily at the PMO (Project Management Office).
  
  
• The benefits of Sciforma :
  • Sciforma is an operational tool, while offering an overall vision for strategic decisions;
  • It supports all phases and needs of project management (time and resource management, planning, etc.);
  • Flexible and scalable, the software can be easily extended and customized;
  • Sciforma is easy to implement and learn.

SuitePro-G

• Who should attend? Project managers, PMOs, CIOs, managers of all sizes.

• The advantages of SuitePro-G :
  • Designed by experts on the basis of a benchmark for optimal project governance certified by Bureau Veritas;
  • In addition to managing all project life cycles, the tool helps to develop a genuine project culture within the company, and to federate teams;
  • Its ergonomics have been completely redesigned to make it intuitive and pleasant to use;
  • It is one of the most affordable solutions on the market.

Triskell

• Who's it for? Large ETIs and key accounts, in all business sectors, but also at all management levels.
• Triskell's advantages:
  • The tool goes further than PPM, addressing the entire value chain of company management, from strategy to operational execution;
  • A consolidated view of all projects and their components (resources, budgets, etc.) to support governance bodies;
  • Easier communication and collaboration between all stakeholders;
  • Dashboards to monitor performance and facilitate decision-making.

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Make projects rhyme with success

If there's only one thing you need to remember, it's this: don't leave project governance to chance . The more you plan ahead, the better your projects will be organized. You'll avoid a lot of setbacks!