What is it?
Terms of reference help you think through the role, remit, and expectations of any groups you set up to guide and support the delivery of a change project. These may be in addition to your organisation’s formal governance boards and committees.
Project groups typically fall into the following categories:
- Steering group – includes senior stakeholders who provide high-level direction, governance, and strategic decision-making for a project
- Advisory (or reference) group – includes subject matter experts who provide advice and fill gaps in knowledge
- Delivery group – includes project team members responsible for driving forward project delivery from start to finish
Terms of reference include details of the group’s:
- role
- remit
- membership
- member responsibilities
- delegated authority
- meeting arrangements
- reporting and communication arrangements
When should it be used?
You may wish to create terms of reference once the need for a group has been identified, this will usually be early in the change cycle during the identify or understand steps.
Terms of reference are a “live” document, you should review and update it throughout the project to ensure the group is helping the project to meet its aim and the right people are involved.
What are the benefits of using it and why use this tool?
Terms of reference help to support process rigour and good governance throughout a project by:
- providing clarity – creating a shared understanding among group members of the purpose of the group
- defining accountability – clearly outlining who is responsible for what
- providing focus – outlining the group’s scope and setting boundaries for discussions and work
- improving decision-making – providing a structure for making choices, with defined authority levels and decision-making processes
- increasing efficiency – reducing wasted time and leading to more productive meetings
- providing guidance for new members – enabling new members to be quickly onboarded to the group