A Steering Committee serves and protects organization interests with respect to a project; these committee members provide support and guidance to those managing project activities. And also understands the project’s strategic implications and outcomes being pursued.

Steering Committee is a gang of high-level stakeholders who are responsible for providing guidance on overall strategic direction; and make…High-level direction, decision and oversight from project initiation, throughout the project and beyond; sometimes they act as a Guide… to guide on project issues, especially issues which would compromise the success of the project. They also play very important role for project planning, implementation & evaluation.

Steering committee plays an important role for aligning strategic business and priorities; which also includes following 

• Review all change requests, risks and issues having major implications.
• Ensures Project scope is under control
• Project outcomes are consistent with the organization’s goals, objectives and expectations.
• Make sures project receives the required resources and expertise
• Coordinating and ensuring Commitment from all areas for all major project decisions

Sometimes Steering Committee may play devil’s advocate role.