Technical Senior Level

How do you establish appropriate project governance - steering committees, decision rights, and escalation paths - without creating unnecessary bureaucracy?

Quick Tip

Right-size your governance. A two-person project does not need a steering committee. A cross-departmental programme does. Define who decides what, and when to escalate. Keep it as simple as the project allows.

What good answers include

Strong answers scale governance to project complexity: lightweight for small projects, more structured for large initiatives. Key elements include clear decision rights (RACI), steering committee cadence, escalation criteria, and stage gates. Best candidates discuss the cost of both too much and too little governance.

What interviewers are looking for

Tests PM maturity. Over-governance slows projects; under-governance leads to chaos. Candidates who can calibrate governance to project size and risk demonstrate experienced judgment.

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