Steering committees as governance entities

Drawing on research as well as practice standards and guides, this chapter aims to provide insight into the common features and challenges of sponsorship, steering groups, and equivalent governance arrangements. Such roles and entities are central to governance of temporary endeavors, as they take accountability for direction and oversight of a project, program, or portfolio on behalf of the owner for whom the endeavor is being undertaken. At the same time they have an important role in ensuring that the temporary endeavor has the resources, capability, guidance, and timely decision-making required to enable it to deliver value. The specific roles and responsibilities, membership, and operation of these governance entities must be carefully considered and tailored to suit the widely varying characteristics and needs of temporary endeavors from single owner projects, to complex internal change programs and multi-owner megaprojects delivered in alliance, partnership, and network arrangements in volatile and uncertain environments.