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Steering Group Pack Template (IDK-06)

Template IDK-06, version 1.0. Phase: All phases.

How to use this template

  • Part A (terms of reference) is written once, during Initiate Project, and approved at the first steering group meeting.
  • Parts B to E are reused for every meeting: standing agenda, status report, key design decision paper (one per decision), minutes.
  • The two project managers prepare the pack together and send it [agree in project] before the meeting. A steering group that reads papers at the table decides badly or not at all.
  • Replace every [bracketed field]. Delete rows marked Example: once you have your own.
  • A pack is done when each decision requested is stated as a question the steering group can answer with yes, no, or a choice between named options.
Template metadata
Field Value
Template ID IDK-06
Phase All phases
Owner Customer project manager and supplier project manager (joint)
Approver Steering group chair (executive sponsor)
Qualification gate Project Initiated (terms of reference approved); used at every gate for the status report and gate decision
Version 1.0

Document control

Version Date Author Change Approved by
0.1 [YYYY-MM-DD] [name, role] Terms of reference drafted  
1.0 [YYYY-MM-DD] [name, role] Terms of reference approved [steering group chair]
[meeting no.] [YYYY-MM-DD] [names] Pack for steering group meeting [no.]  

A1. Purpose

The steering group is accountable for the money spent and for the work as a whole. It connects the project to the business and is the only body that can change scope, plan or budget.

A2. Responsibilities

  1. Monitor the project against its objectives and benefits.
  2. Approve the project strategies (testing, training, communication, data, infrastructure, business change, legacy decommissioning).
  3. Decide key design decisions brought by the project managers.
  4. Authorise or reject changes to scope, plan and budget, including every modification and integration.
  5. Set priority against competing initiatives and resolve resource conflicts.
  6. Approve each qualification gate and release the next phase.
  7. Act as visible champions of the project in their own business areas.

The steering group does not manage the project day to day. That is the project managers' job.

A3. Members

Name Role in the company Role in the steering group Deputy allowed
[name] [title] Chair, executive sponsor No
[name] [title, supplier] Supplier sponsor [yes/no]
[name] [head of business area] Member, represents [area] [yes/no]
[name] Customer project manager Reports, no vote No
[name] Supplier project manager Reports, no vote No

Members are senior representatives of the business areas most affected. Membership is a commitment of time: [agree in project] per meeting, plus reading the pack.

A4. Working rules

Rule Agreement
Meeting frequency [agree in project], plus one meeting per gate. All dates booked at project start.
Quorum [agree in project]. The chair must be present for a gate decision.
Pack distribution Sent [agree in project] before the meeting
Decision method [consensus, chair decides if none]
Decisions between meetings [written procedure, for example by email with chair confirmation, recorded in the next minutes]
Minutes Issued within [agree in project], with owned and dated actions
Extraordinary meeting Called by the chair on request of either PM when a decision cannot wait
# Item Lead Purpose
1 Minutes and open actions from last meeting Chair Confirm, close actions
2 Status report (Part C) Both PMs Inform; questions
3 Top risks and issues, escalations Customer PM Decide on escalations
4 Key design decision papers (Part D) Paper author Decide
5 Change requests for authorisation (IDK-07) Both PMs Authorise or reject
6 Benefits and business readiness Executive sponsor, change lead Review
7 Gate readiness, or gate decision when due (IDK-08) Both PMs Decide at gate meetings
8 Summary of decisions and actions; next meeting Chair Confirm

Meeting: [no.] Date: [YYYY-MM-DD] Reporting period: [from] to [to] Current phase: [phase] Next gate: [gate], planned [YYYY-MM-DD]

C1. Summary

Dimension Status Trend since last report One-line explanation
Schedule [green/amber/red] [better/same/worse] [explanation]
Budget [green/amber/red] [trend] [explanation]
Scope [green/amber/red] [trend] [explanation]
Resources [green/amber/red] [trend] [explanation]
Solution quality [green/amber/red] [trend] [explanation]
Business readiness [green/amber/red] [trend] [explanation]

Green: on baseline. Amber: off baseline, recovery plan owned by the PMs. Red: off baseline, steering group decision needed.

C2. Progress against plan

Workstream Planned for this period Achieved Not achieved, and why Planned for next period
Example: Procurement and inventory Solution workshops for requisition approval and receipt with putaway; draft guides Both workshops held; requisition approval rules decided and recorded in the Book of Rules Receipt guide not drafted: functional lead absent, no deputy Draft receipt guide; first scenario test run with end-user permission sets
Example: Data migration Second load of suppliers and parts Load completed in Data Migration Manager; rejected records listed by cause Duplicate suppliers still present in source Cleansing of duplicates by procurement; third load
[workstream] [planned] [achieved] [gap and reason] [next]

C3. Milestones

Milestone Baseline date Forecast date Status Comment
[milestone] [YYYY-MM-DD] [YYYY-MM-DD] [done / on track / at risk / late] [comment]

C4. Budget

Cost element Baseline Approved changes Actual to date Forecast to complete Variance Comment
Supplier services [amount] [amount] [amount] [amount] [amount] [comment]
CRIM allowance [amount] [amount] [amount] [amount] [amount] [comment]
Contingency [amount] [amount] [amount] [amount] [amount] [comment]
[element]            

C5. Top risks and issues

ID Risk or issue Rating or priority Owner Response and progress Help needed from the steering group
Example: R-102 Warehouse roles defined late; acceptance test may run with broad permission sets Major Technical analyst, security Draft roles ready for review; process owner review outstanding Warehouse manager to release a reviewer this period
[ID] [description] [rating] [name] [progress] [request or none]

C6. Decisions needed today

# Decision requested Paper or change request Recommended by PMs Consequence of no decision
Example: 1 Approve option B in decision paper KDD-03 (one requisition authorisation rule set for both companies) KDD-03 Option B Prototype approval moves; gate Solution Confirmed at risk
[n] [decision as a yes/no or choice question] [reference] [recommendation] [consequence]

C7. Gate readiness

Gate: [gate name]. Planned decision date: [YYYY-MM-DD]. Detail in the gate checklist (IDK-08).

Checklist items Complete In progress At risk Not started
Count [n] [n] [n] [n]

Items at risk:

Item Reason Owner Recovery action Forecast
[item] [reason] [name] [action] [YYYY-MM-DD]

C8. Benefits and business readiness

Benefit (IDK-02) Owner Still achievable as planned Comment
[ID, benefit] [name] [yes / at risk / no] [comment]

Change management check, reported by the change lead: change plan with owners [yes/no], organisation design adjusted to new capabilities [yes/no/in progress], policies and procedures being updated [yes/no/in progress], user advocacy activities running [yes/no].

One paper per decision. Keep it short enough to be read before the meeting; detail goes in an appendix.

Paper ID: KDD-[nn] Title: [decision in one line] Author: [name, role] Date: [YYYY-MM-DD] Decision needed by: [YYYY-MM-DD]

D1. Context

Item Content
Process area and process [for example: procurement, purchase requisition approval]
What needs deciding, as a question [question]
Why it cannot be decided inside the functional team [for example: affects more than one business area, needs a modification, changes policy]
What the functional team, the solution architect and the PMs concluded [summary of steps already taken on the change control ladder]
Constraints [legal, audit, contractual, timing]

D2. Options

  Option A: [name] Option B: [name] Option C: [name]
Description Example: Keep two authorisation rule sets, one per company, using standard configuration Example: One rule set for both companies; company B changes its approval policy Example: Modification to route approvals by a custom rule
Uses standard functionality Yes Yes No
Advantages [pros] [pros] [pros]
Disadvantages [cons] [cons] [cons]
Impact on scope, schedule, cost [impact] [impact] [impact]
Impact on CRIM and on future service and release updates [impact] [impact] [impact]
Impact on data, training, testing [impact] [impact] [impact]
Business change required [impact] [impact] [impact]

Doing nothing is always listed as an option when it is possible.

D3. Recommendation

Item Content
Recommended option [option]
Reasoning [why, in business terms]
Who supports it [functional team lead, process owner, solution architect, PMs]
Dissenting view, if any [who and why; stated fairly]

D4. Impact of the recommendation

Area Impact Owner of follow-up
Baselines (scope, schedule, cost) [impact; change request reference if any] [name]
Book of Rules and process model [sections to update] [name]
Policies and procedures [documents to update] [name]
Communication [who must be told, by whom] [name]

D5. Decision

Decision Date Decided by Conditions
[option approved / rejected / returned for more work] [YYYY-MM-DD] Steering group, meeting [no.] [conditions]

Meeting: [no.] Date, time, place: [details] Chair: [name] Minutes by: [name]

Present Apologies Deputies
[names] [names] [name for name]

E1. Decisions

# Decision Reference Conditions
Example: D-07 Option B of KDD-03 approved: one requisition authorisation rule set for both companies KDD-03 Head of procurement updates the approval policy for company B before acceptance test
[ID] [decision] [paper, change request, gate] [conditions]

E2. Actions

Every action has one owner, present in the meeting or informed the same day, and a date.

# Action Owner Due Status
Example: A-21 Release a warehouse reviewer for the permission set review Warehouse manager [YYYY-MM-DD] Open
[ID] [action] [name] [YYYY-MM-DD] [open / done / overdue]

E3. Notes

Agenda item Key points discussed
[item] [points, short]

Next meeting: [date, time, place]. Pack due: [YYYY-MM-DD].

Approval

Terms of reference (Part A):

Name Role Date Signature
[name] Chair, executive sponsor (customer) [YYYY-MM-DD] ______________________
[name] Sponsor (supplier) [YYYY-MM-DD] ______________________
[name] Steering group member, [area] [YYYY-MM-DD] ______________________

Minutes of meeting [no.] (Part E):

Name Role Date Signature
[name] Chair [YYYY-MM-DD] ______________________

Independent template aligned with the IFS implementation methodology. Not an official IFS document. IFS is a registered trademark of IFS AB.

Independent template aligned with the IFS implementation methodology. Not an official IFS document. IFS is a registered trademark of IFS AB.