On a project of this magnitude, strong governance is essential to steer the project, monitor progress against plans, resolve conflicts without delay, decide on work priorities, help manage changes and communicate progress to all stakeholders. Effective management and oversight of the project is especially important given a) the high-visibility of Umoja to both Member States and to staff members and b) that it will provide the fundamental infrastructure of the Organization's current and future business processes.

The Steering Committee, under the interim Chairmanship of the Deputy Secretary-General, is fully committed to putting Umoja back on the path to success. Within their areas of responsibility, the members are prepared to take extraordinary measures to support the project. In the coming phase, change control becomes vital, and the governance structure is being put in place to monitor and manage potential impacts to scope, budget, timeline or deliverables. The internal Umoja team structure is also being adjusted to carry out the revised project scope and timeline more effectively.

The governance structure below illustrates the composition, structure and reporting lines of the Project.

The Management Committee receives quarterly updates from Umoja, with a particular focus on monitoring the interdependencies of the Umoja and IPSAS implementation strategies. Involvement of high-level management is a key element of Umoja's risk management strategy and is a critical success factor; therefore, the Management Committee's active engagement in Umoja is welcomed.

The Umoja Steering Committee is currently chaired on an ad interim basis by the Deputy Secretary-General, and the Chef de Cabinet has been appointed as a member. The Office of Legal Affairs and the Office for Internal Oversight Services now have observer status.

The Process Owner's Advisory Group is being phased out as Umoja moves away from process design into an integrated build and deployment. Moreover, the Business Owners Advisory Group (BOAG) is evolving with Umoja's transition to the next phase of work. A core group of Business Owners will continue to provide advice to Umoja in relation to their area(s) of responsibility. The core membership will be supplemented by temporary members based on project priorities, for instance, related to the deployment sequence. The Umoja Director will be the principal person who will work with the BOAG. The terms of reference for the BOAG will be submitted to the Steering Committee for approval.

The Change Advisory Board (CAB), a new governance body composed of a subset of Business Owners, is being established to monitor, control and document project changes. The Umoja Director will be the principal person who will work with the Board, and Umoja's Project Management Office supports the CAB by identifying and escalating any changes that impact project scope, timeline, budget, or deliverables. The terms of reference for the CAB will be submitted to the Steering Committee for approval.