Governance is one of the primary tasks of most project management offices (PMOs). It’s vital that projects are governed by a set of standard practices, and good governance includes building a culture of participation across projects.
People working on projects and stakeholders all need to be brought into the governance process. This will make sure they buy-in to the rules, processes, and procedures your PMO implements.
Here, we’re going to explore six ways your PMO can begin to build and go on to foster a culture of stakeholder and team participation.
1. Have a stakeholder identification process
When you want to make sure the right people are participating in project success, you want to be sure that all the right people are included.
In the planning stages of a project, you need to make sure you have a stakeholder identification process. This will make sure they are built into the project plan from the beginning. You want to be sure the right people are asked for input and sign-off.
When everyone is brought into the project at the right time, it will encourage them to care that the project is delivered in the way that it should be.
2. Create a stakeholder engagement plan
Your PMO should have a standard plan for projects to follow to ensure stakeholder engagement. While the project schedule and project plan will include which stakeholders need to be engaged and when having a plan dedicated to how this will boost the plan’s success.
Make sure that stakeholder meetings, consultations, and sign-offs are built into the plan for the whole project lifecycle. Have plans to record and communicate the results of the meeting, building transparency around how project decisions are being made.
It will be up to project managers to fulfil the plan you ask them to create, and your PMO should confirm it’s being followed through.
3. Hold regular stakeholder meetings
Encourage participation in the governance of projects by having regular meetings with stakeholders. These should be part of the plan we looked at in the previous point.
In stakeholder meetings, project managers can:
- Communicate project process
- Get sign-off on project decisions
- Discuss project risks and issues
- Illicit input to ensure a successful project
This can encourage open discussion on project issues and give everyone a chance to raise questions about governance.
4. Develop 360° feedback mechanisms
To make sure everyone within a project, both external and internal stakeholders, you need to make sure they have a range of ways to get involved.
Along with meetings, you should have a range of manageable feedback mechanisms in place for every project. Consider having some of the following feedback processes:
- Email surveys at project milestones
- Online suggestion boxes
- Interviews
- Site visits from external stakeholders
- Brainstorming sessions
This will also make sure that your PMO and its project managers can give feedback to stakeholders to make sure they are contributing when needed.
5. Facilitate collaboration on projects
From decision-making to task completion, finding ways for teams and other stakeholders to collaborate is vital.
You can use the right collaboration tools, such as Google Suite or Microsoft 360 which allow everyone to share their progress and ask for feedback. Tools that allow requests for sign-off on completed tasks can also bring in the right people at the right time.
Running workshops is another tool open to your PMO and your project managers. Bringing in stakeholders to participate in solving project problems makes sure everyone knows how to have their voice heard.
6. Clear documentation processes
All of the decisions made on a project should be recorded, and it is the job of a PMO to make sure this happens.
You want to be sure that your projects are being transparent with things like how they spend money or prioritise tasks. As well as ensuring clarity, it can make it easier to figure out what went well or what went badly on a project.
With everything written down and justified, stakeholders will know they can question or scrutinise projects when needed.
A culture of participation in a PMO
Having everyone consulted on projects at the right time makes sure they are governed effectively. Good governance is built on a culture of participation, and these six processes can help embed and develop that culture.
