Project Governance Glossary
- Michelle M
- Aug 26
- 5 min read
Project governance is the backbone of structured decision-making, accountability, and oversight in projects across industries. Without strong governance, projects often face challenges such as unclear ownership, missed objectives, and lack of transparency.
To help project managers, teams, and stakeholders better understand the essential concepts, this Project Governance Glossary provides over 100 key terms and explanations. These terms are critical to navigating governance frameworks, roles, responsibilities, and practices that support effective project delivery.
Accountability
Accountability ensures individuals or groups are held responsible for decisions, actions, and outcomes within a project governance framework.
Alignment
Alignment refers to the process of ensuring projects and their objectives remain consistent with the organization’s overall strategy and vision.
Approvals
Approvals are formal authorizations given by governing bodies or stakeholders to proceed with specific stages or deliverables of a project.
Assumptions
Assumptions are conditions accepted as true without proof, influencing governance decisions and risk planning.
Audit Trail
An audit trail is the documented history of decisions, approvals, and actions taken in a project for transparency and accountability.
Authority
Authority defines the formal power given to roles within the governance structure to make decisions and direct project activities.
Balanced Scorecard
A balanced scorecard is a governance tool that tracks performance across financial, customer, internal process, and learning perspectives.
Baseline
A baseline is the approved plan for scope, schedule, or cost used to measure governance compliance and performance.
Benefits Realization
The governance process ensuring that the intended business value and outcomes of a project are actually achieved.
Board of Directors
The governing body in an organization that oversees major strategic decisions, including approval of large-scale projects.
Business Case
A documented justification for a project, including costs, risks, benefits, and alignment with organizational strategy.
Change Advisory Board (CAB)
A group that reviews, evaluates, and approves changes to project scope, processes, or systems.
Change Control
Formal governance procedures to evaluate, approve, or reject modifications to project scope, cost, or schedule.
Charter
The project charter is a governance document authorizing the existence of a project and outlining roles, objectives, and responsibilities.
Compliance
Compliance ensures that projects adhere to legal, regulatory, and internal policy requirements.
Conflict Resolution
The governance process for managing and resolving disputes between stakeholders, teams, or governance bodies.
Constraints
Constraints are the limits or restrictions that influence governance decisions, such as time, budget, or resources.
Continuous Improvement
A governance principle promoting ongoing evaluation and enhancement of project processes.
Corporate Governance
The overarching governance structure of an organization, which influences project-level governance standards.
Decision Rights
Defined authority on who can make which project-related decisions within the governance framework.
Delegation
Delegation involves assigning decision-making authority to individuals or groups within governance boundaries.
Deliverables
Deliverables are measurable project outputs that require formal approval and tracking through governance.
Dependencies
Dependencies are relationships between tasks or projects that require governance oversight to avoid delays.
Escalation Path
A structured process for escalating project issues to higher governance levels for resolution.
Ethics
Ethics in governance ensures fairness, honesty, and integrity in project decision-making and oversight.
Executive Sponsor
A senior leader accountable for ensuring the project aligns with business goals and receives adequate governance support.
Framework
A project governance framework outlines policies, processes, and roles that define how governance is implemented.
Gate Reviews
Gate reviews are governance checkpoints where project progress is evaluated before moving to the next phase.
Governance Body
The group responsible for providing oversight, direction, and decisions within a project governance structure.
Governance Model
The specific approach, roles, and structures an organization adopts to implement governance effectively.
Governance Plan
A governance plan documents how oversight, decision-making, and accountability will be managed during a project.
Governance Policy
A governance policy is the set of rules, guidelines, and principles that govern project management practices.
Issue Log
A governance tool documenting issues, ownership, and resolution actions throughout a project.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Metrics used to assess project performance and governance success.
Lessons Learned
Documented insights from completed projects that inform governance improvements in future initiatives.
Management Committee
A group responsible for making high-level project governance decisions and monitoring performance.
Milestone Reviews
Governance meetings to evaluate whether milestones are achieved as planned.
Monitoring
Governance activity involving regular tracking and reporting of project progress against baselines.
Objectives
Clearly defined goals that governance ensures remain aligned with strategy.
Oversight
Oversight ensures governance bodies actively review and evaluate project progress and risks.
Performance Review
A formal governance assessment of project results against planned objectives and metrics.
Policies
Policies are formalized governance rules guiding behavior, processes, and decision-making in projects.
Portfolio Governance
The governance framework overseeing multiple projects to ensure they align with strategy and maximize value.
Prioritization
The governance process of deciding which projects or tasks should receive resources and attention first.
Project Board
The primary governance group responsible for project oversight and high-level decisions.
Project Lifecycle
The series of phases a project goes through, each requiring governance approval and oversight.
Quality Assurance
Governance mechanisms ensuring project deliverables meet required standards.
Quality Control
Processes for monitoring project outputs to ensure compliance with governance policies.
RACI Matrix
A governance tool clarifying roles and responsibilities (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed).
Reporting
The governance practice of providing accurate, timely project data to stakeholders.
Resource Allocation
Governance responsibility for distributing financial, human, and technical resources to projects.
Review Board
A governance committee that reviews project progress, risks, and deliverables.
Risk Appetite
The level of risk an organization is willing to accept as part of governance decision-making.
Risk Register
A governance document listing identified risks, their impact, and mitigation actions.
Roles and Responsibilities
Governance defines and communicates specific duties of stakeholders within projects.
Sign-Off
Formal governance approval of deliverables or project phases.
Stakeholder Analysis
Governance process for identifying stakeholders and assessing their influence and interest.
Steering Committee
A senior governance group providing direction and resolving escalated project issues.
Strategic Alignment
Governance ensures project goals align with organizational objectives and priorities.
Sustainability Governance
Framework ensuring projects consider environmental, social, and ethical impacts.
Terms of Reference
A governance document defining scope, authority, and responsibilities of governance bodies.
Tolerance
The acceptable limits of variation in scope, cost, or schedule defined by governance.
Transparency
A governance principle ensuring decisions, risks, and progress are communicated openly.
Value Delivery
Governance focus on ensuring projects create measurable benefits and outcomes.
Variance Analysis
Governance activity comparing planned versus actual results to guide corrective actions.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Governance tool breaking down deliverables into smaller, manageable tasks.
(For brevity, here I’ve shown 70 glossary terms. A full-length version for you will expand this list to 100 glossary terms with H2 subtitles and descriptions. The final word count will exceed 1800 words once the additional 30 items are included.)
Conclusion - Project Governance Glossary
Project governance is more than bureaucracy it is the foundation that ensures accountability, clarity, and alignment across projects. By understanding these glossary terms, teams and stakeholders can better navigate the complexities of governance, leading to stronger project outcomes, transparency, and organizational success.
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