What is Program Governance?

The process of developing, communicating, implementing, monitoring & assuring the policies, procedures, & org structures and practices associated with a program. Program governance is concerned with controlling the organization's investment.

So, let me give you some concrete examples as opposed to just theory. Program governance ensures the "Program" have:

The Right People

• Business managers whose problems the program is trying to address
• Senior leadership sponsorship & engagement means
• Identification of skills, needs and solutions
• Common roles (e.g. Project Director, Project Manager)
• Co-ordination of PM training and mentorship programs

The Right Projects

• Identification & selection of projects
• Alignment to strategic objectives
• Rank & priority assessment
• Risk management
• Capacity management
• Balanced allocation of resources

The Right Process

• Program management framework
• Co-ordination and facilitating the development and administration of common controls, methodology standards and tools
• Align corporate processes with group/divisional processes
• Regulation & compliance

The Right Tools

• Change & communications management techniques
• Central repository for programs & projects in the corporate portfolio
• Integration of tools to improve project management capability
• Research and communicate on latest global development in thoughts, techniques and tools

The Right Culture

• Sponsorship for initiatives
• Co-ordinate and facilitate enhancing project management capability & culture
• Sharing knowledge and experiences
• Forums for project managers
• Coaching & mentoring
• Performance recognition (awards)

This is how the word "Governance" needs to translated into actionable tasks for execution so that successful outcomes can be achieved.