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Program Management: Building Trust (with the Steering Committee)

If a program manager is going to be effective, he needs the trust of the Steering Committee and the Executive Sponsor. That's because ultimately his authority derives from them, and without their trust and backing, his job would be extremely difficult. And in most cases, gaining the trust of the Steering Committee is relatively straightforward. The Committee is looking for the program manager to represent their interests on the project and deal with problems as they come up, so you can gain their trust by following simple steps like these:

• Demonstrate a clear understanding of ALL of the goals of the program ranging from the business to the technology. The program manager needs to be able to see the forest while helping project managers deal with their individual trees. And the program manager has to be able to demonstrate that they can do that to the committee.
• Show a clear understanding of the risks facing the program and have a plan in place to monitor and deal with them. Earlier in this blog, I talked about doing a risk assessment and monitoring it on a regular basis. Showing that you have an understanding of the risks that face the program, and that you are constantly monitoring them will go a long way to giving the committee comfort in you and your role.
• Along the same vein, highlight issues for the committee's attention early. Every problem with the program does not need to be brought to the committee's attention, but every problem that has the potential to delay or derail the program does need to be brought to them. It's a fine line on what to report and a good program manager will be able to adjust it based on the program they are on and the committee they are dealing with. But in all cases, you should be making sure that real issues are brought to their attention early enough so that if action is required on their part, it can be done before there is a major impact on the program.
• And if you are bringing an issue to their attention, make sure that you also bring a suggestion for resolution. The program manager is the expert that the committee has put in place to understand the details, come up with risk mitigation plans, and make recommendations to them. You shouldn't be going to the committee for ideas on how to resolve a problem, you should be going to them with clear alternatives laid out and a recommendation for which one you believe has the most beneficial impact on the project.

If you follow these steps, you should be well on your way to gaining the trust of your committee, but it's not an exhaustive list. What you need to do will depend on the program you are running and the individuals in the committee, and as program manager you'll need to be adaptable to meet their needs. But this will at least give you a start in that direction.