A Framework for Project Governance in Major Public IT projects

The rising number of major public IT projects is mirrored by a growing research interest in the management
of such projects. Both can benefit from a more complete understanding of project governance that should
lead to a practical framework for project governance. The present paper proposes such a framework. It was
developed from the literature on major and mega-projects, both public and private, that concern
infrastructure, engineering and IT. The proposed framework for project governance comprises six major
elements: governance structure, management approach, stakeholders, value, systems integration and
complexity. Empirical research has identified a number of characteristics for these project governance
elements. In the second part of the paper the framework was tested in a case study of the Danish smart card
Rejsekort project. The framework was found to be robust, and that in this case important questions relating
to stakeholders and dynamic complexity needed greater attention for the project to be successful.