programmacomité

Programmacomité is a governance body used in some francophone organizations to oversee the planning, prioritization, and oversight of a portfolio of programs. The term blends the ideas of a program and a committee and is employed to describe a joint structure that combines strategic governance with program-level decision rights. Its purpose is to ensure coherence among programs, align them with strategic objectives, and optimize resource allocation across the portfolio.

The composition of a programmacomité typically includes senior managers from business units, representatives from the program management office, finance, risk, and, depending on the portfolio, IT or operations. Members usually serve defined terms and meet regularly to review proposed programs, approve program charters, budgets, and milestones, and escalate strategic issues to higher governance levels. The body often operates with a defined mandate and authority within pre-approved limits.

Authority and responsibilities commonly include prioritizing programs, approving stage-gate decisions, and sanctioning funding across multiple programs. It serves to inform and coordinate with other governance layers such as steering committees or the board, rather than replace executive leadership. The programmacomité also monitors performance indicators like benefits realization, risk exposure, and schedule adherence, and it is responsible for approving cross-program changes and ensuring governance policies are followed.

Relation to other bodies is a key feature, with the programmacomité typically reporting to a steering committee or an enterprise governance forum and interacting with the PMO, risk committees, and audit functions to maintain control across programs. In practice, terminology varies; standard terms include comité de programme or portefeuille de gouvernance, while programmacomité emphasizes the blended governance role.

See also: portfolio management, program management office, program committee, governance committee, steering committee.