The “project governance plan” is the
primary process deliverable
produced as part of the governance phase of the project
management process. Because of it’s intended purpose, the governance
plan is certainly a high priority deliverable, essential to optimized
project execution.  In order to ensure that every plan
is fully relevant and realistic (considering project needs and
capabilities), it’s important to follow simple, but standardized
production steps.  Read on for more.

The primary objective of the documented governance plan is to specify
and approve actionable procedures as needed to manage and administer
a given project. An effective governance plan is prepared using both
procedural and documentation templates, providing consistent steps and
tools for production and processing.

The project “governance plan” serves four (4) key goals within
the project management process

• To promote consistency, productivity and shared stakeholder
  expectations.
• To produce quality deliverables using pre-defined practices.
• To empower stakeholders with flexible practices, designed to
  produce quality deliverables.
• To establish baselines for procedural reviews and governance
  “performance” evaluations.

Governance is the Key to Management Success

Project governance is made up of the practices, steps, strategies
and decisions used to direct project execution. While projects are executed
at a functional level (to produce expected business or technical outcomes),
they are also executed at a “process” level. To achieve both elements,
governance activities must incorporate at least (10) key “procedural”
elements: issues management,

change management, resource management,
communication management, status reporting, meeting management,
risk
management, quality control, procurement and
project closure.

Project governance is a “people and purpose�? driven process. Projects
are governed by people, with delegated authority and responsibility
to carry out specific steps and make related decisions in accordance
with business needs and established standards. As part of “cost effective”
management practices, governance scope must be adapted and optimized
to suit the needs of individual projects.

Project size and scope determines
governance size and scope. Smaller, less complex projects will likely
require “less�? governance than other projects of a larger scope and
greater complexity. These variations are the driving force behind the
concept of project fast tracking. As part of the
fast track management
process, governance practices must be crafted and applied in a manner
reflective of project needs and surrounding constraints.

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It’s the Deliverables that Make Governance Happen

The “Governance Plan” is the primary deliverable of the governance
process, providing a roadmap for how a given project is to be managed.
These plans should be standardized to save time, but also readily adaptable
to the needs of the project at hand. Once the plan is produced, it becomes
the authoritative “go-to�? guide for running the subject project. As
such, “plan” content must answer the following questions:

• What are the key governance goals and objectives for the current
  project?
• What are the expected governance results and anticipated benefits?
• Who are the governance stakeholders and what are their respective
  roles and responsibilities?
• What are the established governance procedures to be followed
  and used (considering all the various governance practices listed
  above)?
• Why is each procedure necessary and how will each contribute
  to project success?
• How will the governance plan be maintained and updated as the
  project proceeds?

In order to meet these requirements, governance plan deliverables
must be produced using standardized formats – to save time and provide
an appropriate framework for “plan” production (while also allowing
sufficient flexibility to meet varying project needs). As such, standardized
plan formats should be made a integral part of any and all adopted project
management practices.

Tips and Techniques for Governance Plan Production

1. Be Nimble and Flexible. Governance plan formats
   must be sufficiently flexible to account for varying
   project sizes (i.e.
   smaller, less complex projects may not require the same extensive governance
   planning as large, complex projects.)
2. Ensure Clean and Concise Consistency. Governance
   plan formats must provide a clean, concise layout to ensure that all
   key governance variables are presented, including resource management,
   project communication, project administration, procurement, financial
   management, and related matters.
3. Explain and Justify. Governance plan contents
   must specify planned procedures and provide explanatory justifications
   for each in terms of inclusions and exclusions.
4. Accept and Approve. Governance plan formats must
   provide the means to obtain and record related approvals, ensuring appropriate
   stakeholder acceptance and buy-in.

Stick to “Define, Align and Approve” for Actionable Results

The “governance planning�? deliverable should be produced according
to the “define-align-approve” management technique, designed to ensure
actionable content, alignment with needs and capabilities and tangible
stakeholder approval. Furthermore, the governance plan workflow should
be executed in standardized phases, designed to ensure that all key
planning, preparation, production and processing needs are addressed.

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• How to plan and govern projects using strategic project fast tracking.

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• How to use strategic fast tracking to overcome project constraints and limitations.

• How to use strategic fast tracking to negotiate with stakeholders and build shared expectations.

• How to use strategic fast tracking to become a more productive project manager and team member.