Styringsgruppe

Styringsgruppe, often translated as steering committee, is a governance body responsible for providing strategic direction and decision-making for a project or program. It ensures alignment with the organization’s objectives, approves major changes to scope, schedule, and budget, and oversees the realization of expected benefits. The group sets priorities, authorizes resources, and manages high-level risks and issues that exceed the authority of the project team.

Composition typically includes the project sponsor or executive owner, key business representatives, customer or end-user representatives, the project manager, and functional leads such as IT, finance, and risk management. The exact makeup varies by organization and project. The steering committee is usually chaired by the sponsor or another senior executive and operates under a terms of reference and a decision log.

Responsibilities include approving the project charter and business case, major scope changes, budgets, milestones, and critical risks. It reviews progress reports, validates benefits realization plans, and makes escalated or strategic decisions. The committee delegates day-to-day management to the project manager and PMO, while maintaining accountability for alignment with strategic goals.

Operation typically follows predefined meeting cadences, such as monthly or quarterly, with decisions recorded in formal minutes or a decision log. It may also convene on an ad hoc basis for urgent issues. In larger programs, it interacts with a program management office and other governance bodies.

Styringsgruppen aims to improve governance, transparency, and accountability in projects, balancing the need for oversight with timeliness of decisions.