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Description

Project Direction: Framing the Mandate, Deciding and Reporting to the Steering Committee

Taking on the project director role before the steering committee and the trade-offs it demands

  • 0.75 days — 5.25 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • All levels
  • Up to 6 participants

Directing a project is not the same as running it. The project director arbitrates between interests that do not naturally converge. They commit resources and bring to the steering committee decisions they have not all taken alone. Many people step into this role mid-course, on projects already launched and sometimes already in difficulty.

Three half-day virtual sessions to work on the leadership posture of a project director. The mandate and its room for manoeuvre are clarified, then the relationship with the steering committee is rehearsed through simulation. This short format concentrates on moments of decision and escalation rather than on planning tools.

Learning objectives

  • Clarify your mandate and the decisions that belong to you
  • Prepare and lead a decision-oriented steering committee
  • Arbitrate between scope, schedule and resources while making the consequences explicit
  • Escalate an issue at the right moment and to the right level
  • Report on progress in a factual manner

What makes this programme different

Steering committees are simulated virtually with distributed roles
Each participant formalises their mandate and decision thresholds
The situations addressed concern projects already under way and in difficulty

Programme

1Mandate and Room for Manoeuvre

Knowing what you are directing

  • Distinguishing project direction from operational delivery
  • Formalising the mandate and the committed objectives
  • Identifying the decisions that belong to the project director
  • Spotting grey areas with the project sponsor

2Steering Committee

Driving decisions rather than sharing information

  • Building a decision-oriented agenda
  • Presenting an alternative and its consequences
  • Handling a committee that overruns or avoids taking a position
  • Formalising decisions and their follow-up

3Trade-Offs and Reporting

Deciding, then owning the decision

  • Arbitrating between scope, schedule and resources
  • Choosing the right moment to escalate
  • Announcing an unpopular decision to the team
  • Reporting variances without smoothing them over

Who is it for

Experienced project managers, newly appointed project directors and managers required to present a project to a steering committee.

Prerequisites

Prior experience of running projects.

Dates & locations

12 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.