Strategy Survival Guide

Strategy Survival Guide Version 2.1
Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit
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Strategy Skills > Managing the Project
Defining accountability
> in practice
As the project is planned it is important to determine the appropriate governance structures. This should
include identifying a sponsor Minister and whether it is appropriate to establish a Steering Group.
Where possible, it is a great advantage to identify a Minister who will be the project's sponsor. This will help
to gain senior buy-in to the project from the outset, and also provide someone to consult about the political
feasibility of emerging conclusions and recommendations.
It can also be very useful to have a project Steering Group. The traditional role of the Steering Group is to
provide a steer and take decisions at key stages in the project. Members should include key project
stakeholders and may include external stakeholders, if appropriate. The key to a successful Steering Group
is getting the balance right between breadth and depth of experience.
There are also other roles for a Steering Group:
• Advice on content
• Stakeholder buy-in
• External discipline for the team.
These roles may not be fulfilled by a single group. Content work in some cases is best done separately, for
example through expert panels, bilateral sessions with stakeholders etc.
It is generally advisable to have 3-4 meetings of the Steering Group during the life of the project. The
objective of each meeting is to provide an update on project progress and to seek advice and consensus at
key decision points. In practice, this means that there is likely to be a meeting at the end of each phase of
the project, to discuss project outputs. For example, during the Justification & Set-up phase of the project,
the Steering Group should agree the project plan. Steering Group Meetings should be factored into the
project plan, as key milestones. It takes a lot of work to prepare for these meetings, so holding more than 3
or 4 could mean that servicing the Steering Group could become overly burdensome.
In addition or as an alternative to the Steering Group, it may be useful to have an Expert Advisory Group.
This is a small group of industry, sector or issue experts who are used to providing technical input and
advice, and can act as a sounding board and reality check on emerging conclusions. It is advisable to
establish the Group early in the project as it can take stakeholders some time to identify the most appropriate
representatives. The Advisory Group can also feed into the development of the project approach if they are
involved early in the process.
Strategy Survival Guide – Strategy Skills
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