A cross-national comparison of the project governance frameworks in two Nordic countries

A strong public project governance structure is instrumental to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of projects in the public domain. The Norwegian State Project Model is an example of such a structure; a standardized classification of projects into stages, with defined decision points, where requirements regarding documentation are specified. In Iceland, the public project governance structure has been criticised. This paper investigates the Icelandic framework by comparison to the Norwegian framework, through a desk analysis of both structures. Furthermore, the features and perceived utility of the Icelandic project governance structure are assessed by interviewing selected public stakeholders who are representatives of seven important organizations in the public sector. The study indicates that there is a significant difference between the frameworks where the Icelandic framework is lacking crucial elements of what constitutes best practices in modern project governance. In view of extensive plans for investments in infrastructure in the coming years, there is an urgent need for reforming the Icelandic project governance structure. •Best practices in project governance are based on transparency, fairness, responsibility, and accountability.•This is the case with the Norwegian framework but the Icelandic framework lacks crucial elements.•It consists of basic instructions - quality assurance is dependent on the decisions of individual institutions or ministries.•Investment in infrastructure projects in Iceland in the next 20 years will be close to 10 billion euros for over 100 projects.•To ensure that public funds are well spent, the Icelandic Project Governance Framework should be reformed.