Real property project management improvement steering committee

Date established
August 10, 2006
Date updated
September 18, 2017

Mandate

The Real Property Project Management Improvement Steering Committee provides the overall governance for recommendation and implementation of improved project management practices for all real property work undertaken in, and for, the Department. This committee oversees the National Project Management System (NPMS) framework for real property, and provides a focal point for the co-ordination of improvements in project management. As such, it fulfills a cross-sector integration role, helping all areas work together with a common goal of continual improvement. The committee liaises with the Director General Committee on Investment Planning (DGCIP) for inter-branch coordination, such as that required to maintain the alignment of NPMS between the real property and information technology streams. The committee serves as a vehicle through which the implementation of the various project delivery measures can be monitored, and reinforces the Department’s commitments to project delivery improvement, especially those found in the Policy on the National Project Management System (106) (DP 106) for real property projects. The project management aspects of the activities related to the projects delivered externally also fall within the mandate of the Committee.

This Committee is to:

Chair

Director General, Service Lead, Project Management

Membership

Delegated members are to ensure their Directors General are informed of the proceedings of the Committee, and invited to attend when necessary.

Governance structure

This committee advises the ADM, Real Property Services (RPS) on project management matters, and the related policies and frameworks.

Roles and responsibilities

Members are to make recommendations to ADM, RPS about the:

The Committee:

Operations of the committee

Meeting structure:
The meeting agenda is to focus on departmental/corporate issues related to project management, the governance of real property projects, the NPMS framework, the management of projects delivered externally and current project management issues.
Agenda:
The agenda is issued by the secretariat prior to the meeting, and members can make additions. The final agenda is approved by the Chair.
Participation:
With the exception of Directors General with permanent delegated members as indicated in section 3 above, committee members will arrange for substitutions, at no more than one reporting level lower within their organization, with advance notice to the Chair. Delegates below that level will be considered observers.  Members can invite, as observers, other personnel or client department representatives as desired/appropriate. These observers do not have voting rights.
Languages:
The official languages of the Committee shall be English and French.
Frequency of meetings:
Meetings shall be held typically on a quarterly basis. Additional meetings may be called at the discretion of the Chair.
Venue:
Meetings are held in the National Capital Area and members are encouraged to attend in-person. Teleconference will be made available for members outside of the NCA.
Meeting documentation:
Presentation or discussion material is to be provided to the secretariat in both official languages 10 days in advance of meeting for distribution to the members in a timely manner.
Quorum:
Meetings require a quorum of at least nine members (not including the Chair)
Decisions:
Decisions are reached by member consensus for final approval by the Chair. Alternates are required to have full decision-making authority. Observers, if present, are not permitted to participate in the decision process.
Secretariat:
Secretariat support is provided by the Project Management Service Line.
Minutes—Record of decisions:
A record of decisions (ROD) is prepared by the secretariat and circulated to members for review and comment in advance of the next meetings. Comments are reviewed and considered by the Chair. The final ROD is presented to members for final adoption at the next meeting.

Changes to the terms of reference

Changes to the Terms of Reference are to be discussed by the Committee and approved by the Chair.

Background

In response to Treasury Board's direction in March 2005 to present an approach to improve planning and management of real property projects, Real Property Branch (RPB) developed revised project management practices and policy.

In April 2006, policy and procedures on the National Project Management System (NPMS) were issued for RPB. The NPMS provides a comprehensive project management toolkit reflective of industry best practices. It constituted one of the main elements of the 2006 Treasury Board submission on the implemented and planned improvements in project planning and management. This Committee was created later that year.

In December 2010, a new departmental Policy on the National Project Management System (106) and the related directive were issued "to ensure that the NPMS methodology is applied in order to establish and maintain efficient, effective and standardized project management practices."The policy required the use of NPMS for all Public Services and Procurement Canada real property projects and business projects—IT-enabled, and non-routine initiatives that have characteristics analogous to a project.

In 2014, the award of the multi-year contracts for the provision of property management services, project delivery services, lease services and optional related real property services across Canada marked the beginning of an increased focus on externally-delivered services. As such, the role of the project management community of the Department is evolving to one that focuses more on oversight duties, as opposed to hands-on project management.

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