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Caroline, it seems like your previous company operated like mine. We need clear roles! But since project managers often lack the ability to make changes, we need to clarify where responsibility lies too.

It's vital for donors to have a say in the project governance. Brilliant!

It's vital for donors to have a say in the project governance. Brilliant!

In my previous company. The project manager was often the director. I have however noted, based on what I learnt in Module 1 that the project coordinator's assumed most of the project manager's roles. This is a lesson learnt for future projects. To separate the roles of a director and the project manager and to define the project's governance structure. for clarity and effective implementation.

Within my organization, we have a Board of Directors setup of which the Executive Director is an ex-officio. We have a project management team, which is also headed by a hired project manger when ever we have a project at hand. The governance committee constitute five members, one from the project management team, one from the M&E team, one from the secretarial, one from finance & budget and the executive director. The project manager submits his report to board of directors for revision and ratification.

At my organization, the Project Manager reports to the Executive Director, who is the overseer of everything of the project. He reports to the Executive Director through progress reports and face to face oral meetings. every information about the project is reported to the Project Manager who makes suggestions to change where necessary and will inform the Executive Director before putting the proposed changes into action

In our organization, the project manager and the team leader can collaborate together on certain maintenance projects to pool budgets together and allocate resources.

j'aime vraiment cette partie

Our team has a flat governance structure where the project manager has full autonomy to make decisions. However, they are required to keep the team informed of any significant changes or decisions made. In addition, the team holds a weekly meeting to discuss the project's progress, and if any issues arise, they are addressed collectively.

I'm curious to know how your team manages conflicts when the project manager's decision conflicts with the team's consensus or opinion? Does the project manager have the final say in such cases, or is there a process for resolving conflicts?

The decisions that the project management can to take are about schedule, budget, or change of activities, but only if these are accord with the criteria that our Principal Investigator did.

On my Project the Project Manager, has a limit to the decisions he takes, He has to report to the director to take certain crucial decisions and for those decisions above the Purview of the Director she directs it to the Donors for approval.

I am not currently working in an organization. I am, rather, an independent project evaluator and that is why I know the importance of project governance. In general terms, it could be said that the governance of a project consists of the framework, roles, and processes that guide project management activities in order to create a product, service, or result to meet organizational, strategic, and operational goals. Therefore, it is the heart, the skeleton and the starting point of the management of a project.

I am not currently working in an organization. I am, rather, an independent project evaluator and that is why I know the importance of project governance. In general terms, it could be said that the governance of a project consists of the framework, roles, and processes that guide project management activities in order to create a product, service, or result to meet organizational, strategic, and operational goals. Therefore, it is the heart, the skeleton and the starting point of the management of a project.

The decisions that the project management can to take are about schedule, budget, or change of activities, but only if these are accord with the criteria that our Principal Investigator did.

How often does the project manager communicate with the CEO? since it's a small organization and there are no clear-cut instructions.

In my previous role and managing projects, I reported and updated status on a weekly basis with the managing director, reviewing the status on a Gantt chart. If there were any issues that arose, it was an open door policy to update as needed. His main concern was staying on budget and timeline for the deliverable and not to micro-manage. I believe one of the most important factors in managing a project is to ensure that you have a good detailed understanding of all of the details and are able to speak to them - a full scope of the project and all the working parts. If there's something that you do not immediately know, you have an understanding where to get the information quickly.

our CEO can manage all the actions that happen in the organization soo the the project manager need permission to change some tasks or report the Executive director.

I haven't experience any kind of project yet, but I have worked on some of my own project in which i have manage the project and govern by myself.

In my organisation the project governance at the bottom level there are project officers who implement various oparational activities and provide daily and weekly updates to their project team leader,then the team leader report to the project manager, and the manager is accountable to the contry director,if there is a need of reschedule of any activities the project manager will have to seek aproval from the contry director that changes have finacial impact and time deadline by donors.

in any organization project governance it is key work

The organization I am volunteering for is upcoming and the project governance has not really been established. The director/founder is still responsible for all decisions and delegates accordingly so the project manager and team are accountable for tasked delegated to them. The project manager can identify issues, make suggestions but all these has to be approved by the director.

Gracias, por aportar contenidos para la comprensión de gobernanza.

for there to be clear project governance the project must be clearly defined and understood so as to clearly map out roles and responsibilities.

Project governance are important actors of the project as they may have the authority in effecting changes in the project scope, schedule, and budget. Their roles must be explicitly delineated in the project charter so that all the concerns especially themselves, the group of people belonging to the project governance would be aware of their roles and responsibilities.

Project governance is very important to the whole project. Always good to know who is in charge of what

In my company we have a lot of overlap, so even though it should be clearly defined whos got the authority, it is not always clear. This confusion, always lends itself to creating problems, especially when project issues arise. Trying to mitigate that with my Project Charter and planning documents.

hello,
i also work in a small organisation. i have been hire as medical director but i realised that i am also a project manager because i work everyday to deliver a higth product scope. i am involve in the delivery of good care quality. i directly respond to the CEO who also act as project manager in the management of the entire clinic

In our organiZation, the project managers are the ones who create the project design but must be approved by the upper management. Once it is approved, the project managers are given flexibility on the implementation of the project, but should make sure that all identified targets are achieved or completed at the end of the project.

In our case the donor make final decisions.

The most important element in project governance is the establishment of clear and effective communication channels between all stakeholders. This includes project sponsors, project managers, team members, customers, and any other relevant parties.

I don't understand what do you mean by saying "key stakeholders".

He doesn't have to be in the governance board .
His work is technical.
He should be on the ground working with the differents stakeholders ,coordinate the project, and report to the governance board.

In my organization, the project director needs to report to the Director who is in-charge , decision making authority of all the project. Consolidate report is submitted monthly, half yearly and yearly to the Director in at state level, half yearly and annual to Regional level. During the implementation of the project, if there is a need to change the plan of operation (schedule), timeline, budgetery heads we should get director's approval. We have space to identify the needs and propose the alternate plans based on field need / context. Project director can guide his team and change the plans before the approval of Director.

In my organization, the project heads reports directly to our managing partners/board of trustees. They authorize any change to the project scope, especially in budget allocation and fund disbursement. There is mutual and cordial relationship between the proect heads and the board of trustees.

In my organization ,the project manager is accountable for all reports needed by the administrative council any time need be.

As part of our projects, the project manager reports to the donor and organization's director. The project manager has the authority to modify schedules and tasks, but they must obtain approval from the MOH (Ministry of Health) and the donor to modify budgets or deadline requirements.

• Dans notre organisation le chef de projet rapporte au directeur.

• le chef de projet est autorisé à prendre des décisions concernant la planification, l'exécution et la gestion des projets ainsi que des décisions concernant l'attribution des taches , la gestion des risques et la gestion des parties prenantes.

At my organization, the project manager reports to the director of the programmes who reports to the Country director and senior management team. The project manager can change schedules and tasks, but they need to get the permission of the director to change any budgets, deadlines, or requirements. the next position below the program manager is the program coordinator, then the program advisor, then the program officer and finally the program assistant or intern. Not all projects have all the positions listed though.

dans notre organisation le chef de projet rapporte au directeur

In our small organization, which operates as a multidisciplinary engineering and training firm, project execution and coordination are distributed among individuals specializing in various domains. Nevertheless, the ultimate responsibility for project governance lies with the esteemed Project Oversight Committee, consisting of the CEO, Technical Director, and the Accountant. The Accountant and Technical Director act as intermediaries, engaging in fruitful discussions with the assigned Project Manager to address any project-related challenges and conveying pertinent information to the CEO. Unfortunately, the significance of this Project Oversight Committee is often overlooked, despite its indispensable role in ensuring seamless project management and fostering well-informed decision-making across the organization.

For our organization, the governance structure is carried out by board members of organization.the executive manager of our organization report to directors at least twice regardless of duration of the tasks requested .the decision that the manager make is the case regarding budget and schedule in the presence of team members but when the case is getting complicated or unsolved the manager should inform the board members then a urgent meeting should be called.

Great lecture

Project Governance would work well for Bigger institution for different roles and Job Specifications.

Project Governance is the group of authorized Manager who take important and strategic decisions relating to the project.

Project governance is the team of management who take the important decisions about the project.

At my previous organization, I worked as a project manager and reported to the Chief of Global Programs and the CEO. Project Governance is a critical aspect of every project however I had little to no oversight on financial management.

Being a small non-profit and asserting that the CEO is the Apex of the project governance structure, are the donors/financiers of the projects completely excluded from this structure? I'm assuming for Result-Based Financed projects, the financiers often make up the apex of the project governance structure and would need to approve any changes in the three project constraints, especially the budget.

In programs i have been part of, the project manager responds to the program funders

At my organization, projects are generally the responsibility of a certain area with all staff speaking into and offering input on its success. Ultimately, the project manager is the department Director who communicates the project details to the remainder of the staff.

Learning shows that schedule, budget and scope are closely interconnected. Each one has positive or negative effect on the rest of them. Therefore, proper attention must be paid to each of them for the effectiveness of the project.

In my workplace, though, there is no project manager but I will like to think of the medical director as the project manager and the CEO of the company as the stakeholder and director.

The medical director can make decisions about tasks, schedules, day-to-day activities, and who to hire, but he must report to the CEO when it comes to budget, number of people to hire, and procurement of items above a certain cost limit, he will have to discuss and get approval.

You have explained well on the slow of governance in your organisation. But at what point does the project manager makes decisions that affect the beneficiaries? To whom does he report to or consult when such decisions are to be made?

Very Nice

Hello everyone! From my perspective, the effectiveness of project governance hinges on its proportionality. It should be carefully tailored to match the programme's budget, project complexity, and stakeholder interests, among other criteria. This approach ensures that the governance structure remains just right – neither too heavy nor too light – optimising decision-making and resource allocation. What's your take on this? How do you strike the balance when customising project governance to different scenarios? Looking forward to your thoughts.

In my organization, the project manager reports to the head of missions. There is a limit to the number and manner of decisions he makes without the approval of the governance board.

At my organization, the project manager reports directly to the CEO, who independently makes up the entirety of the project governance body, since it’s a small organization. While this hierarchical structure has been put in place, no clear cut job descriptions and limits are there such as which of the three constraints the project manager is allowed to modify, if any, or how often updates are needed.

how much is the project tolerance ?

On our project, the manager (dean) reports to the board of directors to get permission on serious issues such as determining the budget and number of trainees to be selected from various underprivileged areas of our country. he can decide on all others issues with in the institution such as managing the staff regular operations and tracking the progress.

Apparently, Project Governance is an integral part of any Project Management as decisions by right personnels are highly required. However, they don't work alone as other partners are project managers, Staff likewise Donors as well.
It's paramount to state that each have designated responsibilities during Project Implementation processes which is detailed in a Project Charter.

This a clear description of how importance project governance is to the project. Thanks for sharing this.

Project governance refers to the framework, processes, and structures that an organization puts in place to ensure that projects are planned, executed, monitored, and controlled effectively and in alignment with its strategic objectives.

It involves defining roles and responsibilities, establishing decision-making processes, and setting up mechanisms for accountability and transparency throughout the project's lifecycle. Effective project governance helps in achieving project success, managing risks, and ensuring that resources are utilized efficiently.

It typically includes elements such as project charters, steering committees, project managers, and regular reporting and review processes.

For my project, I will be responsible for the project's governance. I have to decide the timeline, budget, changes, and activities.

In our Csr projects, the project manager reports directly to the country manager of the organization. The project manager is allowed to modify schedule and task. although the budget is most times always fixed with little room for modification, however the project manager can modify if need be, and report to the country manager.

Project governance is how important decisions are made and authority is distributed on a project.

Dans mon organisation, le chef de projet rend compte à l'équipe de projet de l'avancement des activités, des difficultés rencontrés et formule des pistes de solutions en fonction de son expérience et de son savoir-faire.

In small nonprofits, a flexible approach can be beneficial. Regular communication between the CEO and project manager is key to aligning expectations and ensuring projects stay on track. Define roles, constraints, and communication frequency collaboratively to optimize project management and achieve mission-driven goals effectively.

Yes... This hierarchical structure ensures efficient decision-making and accountability. The COO oversees key operational functions, while the Finance Officer's direct link to the MD maintains financial oversight. This setup promotes a balanced and well-structured organization.

The organisation director has the responsibility to approve changes in budget and deadlines and if the project manager can unilaterally change project schedule and tasks, which are not reported to the Program Director, how will the changes not affect deadlines that the organisation has agreed upon?

In my oragnisation, there is a weekly Monday Morning Meeting for all members of staff. All outstanding issues from work from the previous week are highlighted by all departments. It includes progress reports, detailing successes, challenges and impediments. The meeting is also used as a planning meeting for assignments in the new week. All blockers are analysed and solutions provided to support staff in getting to deliver on tasks assigned. The report of the meeting is shared to all departments and must reach the Programme Director before the close of work on Monday, if he is not available to attend the meeting. His response will be made available by early Tuesday morning.

Our project manager reports to the program operations manage.The changes of budgets,scope and timeliness are decided by a group of heads from different departments but with project manager being present.

it is of paramount importance that the project manager reports to the director ,it gives the director a chance to know what is happening currently in the organisation , also to make decisions where needed in relation to changes of the project implemented

Same structure with my organization!

On my team ,the project manager reports to the board of directors/ stakeholders.
The project manager asks for permission before the project scope ,schedule or budget is changed.

is that necessary for the project manager?

In my organization, the project manager reports to the Executive Director of our organization. With permission from the Executive Director the Project Manager make changes budgets and schedules.

Project governance is a body that allows major decisions to be made on the project. it makes it possible to give directions and provide solutions where the Project Manager is limited.

In our company, the general manager is responsible for shareholders. Indeed, all team leaders are responsible to GM.

at my organization we have one person who is charge and very type A and then we have a few people below them who make some decisions that have the approved by the main person and then below that we have a few people who just carry out tasks.

The lessons were so informative

There is currently no such system in my NGO as it is just starting

that is great discussion

thanks for sharing

At my organization, the project manager reports directly to the CEO, who independently makes up the entirety of the project governance body, since it’s a small organization. While this hierarchical structure has been put in place, no clear cut job descriptions and limits are there such as which of the three constraints the project manager is allowed to modify, if any, or how often updates are needed. Any one here who works in a small non-profit such as mine, please share how you have found it best to work around these situations.

In our organization, the PMO and PMG have recently merged, raising questions about the impact on project governance. It's crucial to ensure that this merger doesn't compromise objectivity and transparency. How do you think we can maintain effective project governance in this new structure? Share your insights and experiences.

In my project ,we have project Officers, project coordinator and senior project manager.the project Officers report to the project coordinators about their work schedules and other work plans.the project coordinator reports to the senior project manager about how the project is being implemented and budget approvals updates.the senior project manager reports to stakeholders and donors and can't make any budget approvals minus consulting donors and stakeholders,the senior project manager also writes Reports based on our scope of work and the targets being met

When do you plan on establishing such a system and how best are you going to ensure it will be an excellent one to help with the implementation of your project.

At my organization, the Project Manager reports to the Head of Programmes who then reports to the Director. The Project Manager has the authority to change Implementation Plans only but does not have power to change project budgets. If in need of altering the budget, they have to first request for approval from the Head of Programmes upon consultation with the Director and donor.

@EleletaSurafel said in Module 1 Discussion: Project Governance:

At my organization, the project manager reports directly to the CEO, who independently makes up the entirety of the project governance body, since it’s a small organization. While this hierarchical structure has been put in place, no clear cut job descriptions and limits are there such as which of the three constraints the project manager is allowed to modify, if any, or how often updates are needed.
Any one here who works in a small non-profit such as mine, please share how you have found it best to work around these situations.

how do you operate without clear cut jib descriptions?

In our organization the project manager reports to the programs coordinator, who then reports to the director of research and he makes the final decision, with the information presented to him by the programs coordinator after monitoring and evaluating the situations.
for a scope or a budget to be changed the director has to approve it first.

In my organization, the structure is a bit complex because it's one organization with the major service being the clinic then a number of projects. Therefore, the structure starts with the board of directors who over see the organization, the volunteers who indirectly monitor the work of the organization, executive director who governs the organization, followed by department heads i.e. director of finance, director of programmes, and human resources manager. the next level is the project managers then the officers. At our organization, the project manager reports to the director of programmes who reports to the executive director. The project manager is usually the project lead who in most cases directly communicates to the donor on issues of activities and limited resources. Therefore, he is allowed to make decisions on behalf of the organization on budgets, activities and schedules.

@sakalaviolet37 said in Module 1 Discussion: Project Governance:

manager reports directly to the CEO, who independently makes up the entirety of the project governance body, since it’s a small organization. While this hierarchical structure has been put in place, no clear cut job descriptions and limits are there such as which of the three constraints the project manager is allowed to modify, if any, or how often updates are needed.
Any one here who works in a small non-profit such as mine, please share how you have found it best to work around these situations.

However small the organization, i believe the CEO or business owner needs people who will criticize his work for better performance. the organization may fail if only opinions relied on are for one person.

who are the administrators? what influence do they have on the project?

in my organization the project manager is the chief in making a way to achieve the succesfull project, and about the project governance only participating for give the information to create an imagination for the project manager, but in decisions making created by the project governance such as CEO, Investor, Director and etc. So i think the function of project manager in my organization is responsible for making the way.

nice work

The important aspect troughtout the project, project governance should always contribution in making decision, it helps the project manager.

The important aspect troughtout the project, project governance should always contribution in making decision, it helps the project manager.

The project governance structure is the system by which a project is controlled and monitored. It outlines the obligations of the stakeholders, the project team, and the project manager. in our organization, it also establishes methods and procedures for making decisions (CEO) , project deliverable (project manager) , communicating, and monitoring progress (M&E).

The project governance structure is the system by which a project is controlled and monitored. It outlines the obligations of the stakeholders, the project team, and the project manager. in our organization, it also establishes methods and procedures for making decisions (CEO) , project deliverable (project manager) , communicating, and monitoring progress (M&E).

On our projects, the project manager reports to the director of the organization. The project manager can change schedules and tasks, but they need to get the permission of the director and the donor to change any budgets, deadlines, or requirements.

Does the donor have no say in the process? Am interested to hear how the donor(s) fits in the picture?