3 Governance Structures and Roles

The establishment of project governance structures means putting in place management, reporting and decision-taking arrangements to deliver the required outcomes of the RWTP. It defines how the organisation is to be directed and controlled and involves defining the roles required with corresponding responsibilities, delegated authorities and accountabilities.

When constructing the governance arrangements for a RWTP, the following need special consideration:

• terms of reference and constitutions of the Board, the Project Team and other established project groups;

• the fit with the Authority's corporate structures and business activities;

• relationships with partners, especially with constituent Waste Collection Authorities (WCAs) and partner Waste Disposal Authorities (WDAs) and service providers;

• authorities and responsibilities of officers and or member or stakeholder groups;

• internal audit and scrutiny arrangements; and

• communications with all stakeholders.

Authorities should be cognisant that effective governance and delivery of procurements will require substantial on-going resource commitment.

The diagram below illustrates the basic governance arrangement for delivering RWTPs as recommended by WIDP:

PROJECT GOVERNANCE STRUCTURAL FRAMEWORK

Arrangements should reflect the need to direct and manage, at the appropriate levels, strategic issues, including those of

• project definition and documentation;

• empowerment;

• resources;

• adherence to programme and timely sign-off at key stages;

• financial controls;

• risks;

• accountability;

• communications; and

• stakeholder engagement.

One important factor emerging from recent experiences is that the success of governance arrangements relies significantly on the leadership and management skills of the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO), the Project Director (PD) and the Project Manager (PM). It may therefore be helpful to define the required skills, experience and authority profiles for each of the key positions within the project management and governance structure (e.g. for the SRO) prior to the establishment of the Board and appointments being made.

Best practice generally adopts a structure, roles and responsibilities consistent with Prince 2 methodology. However, the requirements will differ in some details between unitary Authorities and two-tier administrative areas, and single WDA projects and projects involving more than one WDA.