Cross Cutting 1 Project Governance
Steering Committees of Projects / Project Advisory Boards
Zoltán Mihók – COD Serbia
Handicap International seminar« SUPPORT TO DPO’s »
Antananarivo, Madagascar
31/10 – 04/11 2011
During this session will present and discuss with you
following:
- Examples of steering comities on different levels
- How to make a project real participatory?
- Challenges and opportunities for relationship HI and
DPO (International NGO / local NGO)
What is Steering Committee / Project Advisory Board?
Definition 1:
The Steering Committee is a group of individuals responsible for
general operating policy, procedures, and related matters affecting
the project/program/organization as a whole
Definition 2:
An advisory committee usually made up of high level stakeholders and/or
experts who provide guidance on key issues such as
project/program/organization policy and objectives, budgetary control,
resource allocation, PR strategy, and decisions involving large expenditures.
Definition 3:
....
One of the key aspects of managing the project/program is the composition and role of the
steering committee:
Who is on it?
What does it do?
What is its scope?
Does it make decisions or only recommendations?
If it doesn't make decisions, who does?
Who has the titular power?
Who has the real power?
Who knows what they're talking about?
Who just knows the acronyms?
Does the committee have access to the right information?
Are the members clear about their role?
Is the content more important to them or are they problem solvers?
The answers to these questions are not easy nor are they obvious.
Composition of a Steering Committee
The project steering committee should consist of individuals
representative of the CSO’s (NGO’s) and who have a direct,
vested interest in realizing the project’s deliverables and
objectives.
When Do We Define Roles and Responsibilities?
Ideally, roles and responsibilities should be defined at the start
of the project when the project structure is established, and
signed off at the first steering committee meeting.
Examples of Project Advisory Board /
Steering Committee
Example 1: DRC
One implementing agency, 3 countries,
network of CSO’s – 3 years project – DRC /
Kosovo Initiative Program 2004 - 2006
Example 2: HI
Partnership consortium, HI + Donor country
NGO + 4 local DPO’s , 6 countries – 6 years
project – HI / Share SEE
DRC / Kosovo Initiative Program
Fresta / NAB - Donor
Phase 1:
PAB consisted from 5 external Civil
Society experts and 2 DRC officers
Montenegro
Kosovo
(UNSCR 1244)
Serbia
17 CSO’s / NGO’s in the KIP Network
KIP Secretariat – 4 persons
Phase 2:
PAB consisted from 3 external Civil
Society experts, 2 Municipal
Representatives and 2 DRC officers
- Meeting on regular basis in order to
review, select and monitor the KIP Open
Fund and KIP Network projects
- An independent PAB has as well been a
guarantee against any conflict of interests
in the selection of projects for the Open
Fund
- KIP Network partners accountable to
their communities, but also to PAB
- No executive role
- Fee per meeting
DONOR 1
DONOR 2
DONOR 3
DONOR 4
INTRAC
/ SHIA
HI as implementing partner
and DONOR
Polio Plus
IC Lotos
CIL
ADS
6 countries, 3 groups of languages,
very divers regions in terms of development,
post conflict area, from emergency toward development region
and program
In general the Share SEE Steering Committee's role was to:
-take on the responsibility for project's feasibility, implementation plan and
achievement of outcomes;
-ensure that project's scope aligns with the agreed requirements of Donors and key
stakeholder groups;
-provide those directly involved in the project with guidance on project
implementation issues;
-ensure that effort and expenditure are appropriate to donor/stakeholder
expectations;
-establishing rules and procedures
-establishing criteria for marking of Applications screening, marking and selecting
Applicants
-ensure that strategies to address potential threats to the project's success have been
identified, and that threats are regularly re-assessed;
-address any issue which has major implications for the project;
-keep the project scope under control as emergent issues force changes to be
considered;
-reconcile differences in opinion and approach and resolve disputes arising from them;
-report on project progress;
In Summary
When roles and responsibilities are well defined at the start
of a project, it enables better management of expectations of
the Steering Committee's role toward overall success giving
us GOOD PROJECT GOVERNANCE