Projects and operations
Template: minutes from a steering committee meeting
A minute template for steering committee meetings, with status against the frame, escalations from the project, decisions and risk above threshold.
MINUTES: STEERING COMMITTEE [project name]
Meeting no. [__] | [date], [__.__]–[__.__] | [place or meeting format]
PRESENT
[Name], [role] (project owner)
[Name], [role]
[Name], project manager (reports, without a vote)
Absent: [Name]
STATUS AGAINST FRAME
Frame Forecast Deviation
Time [date] [date] [days]
Cost [amount] [amount] [amount]
Scope [short] [short] [short]
MATERIAL DEVIATIONS
- [Deviation]: [cause], [consequence], [proposed handling]
FOR DECISION
Matter [__]: [heading]
Background: [short]
Alternatives: A) [...] B) [...] C) [...]
Recommendation: [which, and why]
Decision: [what the steering committee decided]
ESCALATIONS FROM THE PROJECT
- [What the project needs an answer to]. Alternatives: [...].
Recommendation: [...]. Answer by: [date].
Handled: [yes, decision / no, deferred to [date]]
RISK ABOVE THRESHOLD
- [Risk]: [likelihood and consequence], [owner], [measure]
TASKS
| # | Task | Owner | Due |
|---|------|-------|-----|
| 1 | | | |
NEXT MEETING
[date, time]
Minutes taken by: [name]How to use it
- Write the alternatives, not just the recommendation. A steering committee given only one proposal can do nothing but approve or defer, and then it is not a steering committee.
- Put a deadline on every escalation. Without one, the escalation sits until the next meeting, which is often a month later than the project could afford.
- Keep the frame table unchanged between meetings. The value lies in seeing how the forecast moves over time, not in today’s number.
- Write “deferred” as a decision. With a date. A matter that was not handled should not disappear quietly.
The boundary against the project meeting
If the same matter comes up in both places, the mandate is unclear. Then it is worth writing down what the project manager can decide alone, and letting it stand in the minutes from the kickoff meeting.
Frequently asked questions
The project meeting is about execution. The steering committee handles what the project cannot decide itself: frame, mandate, resources and deviations with consequences outside the project.
Only what requires their mandate. A steering committee that takes decisions the project manager could have taken has moved the responsibility upwards without moving the work, and then everything goes slower.
Write what the project needs an answer to, which alternatives exist, what the project recommends, and what deadline the answer has. Without all four, the escalation just sits there.