Project steering

Clearly defined stakeholder leadership is critical to the delivery of a successful project.

Key leadership committees help build a strong foundation for project success. These committees guide the team, set priorities, and align efforts with the strategic goals of the organization. This section focuses on the importance of the project committee.

Leadership committees

Executive committee

An executive committee for a commerce project is typically a group of senior leaders and decision-makers (for example, CEO, CTO, CFO, and CMO) within an organization who are responsible for overseeing and making fundamental strategic decisions related to the project.

Steering committee

An executive committee and a steering committee play essential roles in organizational governance and project management, but they operate at different levels within the organization.

The executive committee is concerned with high-level corporate strategy and governance for the entire organization, while the steering committee is dedicated to guiding and overseeing a specific project or initiative to ensure its success.

Project committee

Having experienced business, technical, and delivery leads as part of the project committee is common practice, as these roles serve distinct purposes and are essential to the successful execution of the project.

Business lead

  • Requirement gathering: they gather and define the business requirements for the project. They understand the client's needs and the market, and they translate these into specific requirements.
  • User-centric approach: they focus on the end-user experience, ensuring that the project meets customer expectations and aligns with the company's business goals.
  • Priority setting: they prioritize features and functionalities based on business value, customer impact, and market trends.
  • Feedback and iteration: they gather feedback and adapt the project to changing business needs, ensuring that the project remains relevant and effective.

Technical lead

  • Technical expertise: they ensure that the chosen technology stack and architecture are suitable for the project's requirements.
  • Development oversight: they oversee the development team, ensuring that coding standards, best practices, and quality assurance are maintained.
  • Problem-solving: they address technical challenges and make decisions about system design, integration, and scalability.
  • Integration and security: they ensure that the commerce platform integrates seamlessly with other systems, meets security requirements, and performs efficiently.

Delivery lead

  • Coordination and communication: they manage and coordinate all aspects of the project. They ensure that everyone involved in the project is on the same page and working towards common goals.
  • Timeline and budget management: they manage project timelines and budgets, ensuring that the project stays on track and within the allocated resources.
  • Risk mitigation: they identify potential risks and develop strategies to mitigate them, ensuring the success of the project and minimizing unexpected setbacks.
  • Stakeholder engagement: they engage with various stakeholders, including team members, executives, and clients, to gather requirements, provide updates, and address concerns.