Define roles, responsibilities, and relationships

In any project, it is essential that everyone understands their responsibilities and what they can expect from others. This is one of the most critical principles to get right from the start. PRINCE2 emphasizes that a project should have clearly defined and agreed roles and responsibilities within an organizational structure that aligns the interests of the business, users, and suppliers.

Defining roles and responsibilities can be challenging, especially when projects involve multiple organizations or have a mix of full- and part-time resources. Projects may span different locations, and the management structures of involved parties might differ, each with its own priorities, objectives, and interests. Moreover, the business’s day-to-day management structure might not be suited for project work.

Stakeholders

Projects need people, and it’s vital to have the right people involved, knowing what is expected of them and what they can expect from others. Successful projects depend on a clear understanding of stakeholder relationships and continuous efforts to strengthen these connections.

A PRINCE2 project defines roles and responsibilities within a structured organization that engages the interests of business, user, and supplier stakeholders. Additionally, the project management team is responsible for initiating and fostering relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.

According to PRINCE2, there are three primary stakeholders in a project:

• Business sponsors ensure the project delivers value for money.
• Users are the ones who will use the products and receive the benefits.
• Suppliers provide the resources and expertise to produce the project’s products.

Roles

Each of the 3 interests mentioned above must be effectively represented in the project management team. This is achieved with the following roles:

• Project board: a group of the following roles:
  • Project executive: The business-oriented person responsible for the project’s success.
  • Senior user: Individuals who represent the final users’ requirements on the board.
  • Senior supplier: Individuals who represent the interests of the suppliers.
• Project assurance ensures that the interests of the primary stakeholders are protected.
• Change authority makes decisions on requests for changes on behalf of the project board.
• Project manager responsible for the day-to-day management of the project on behalf of the project board.
• Project support: Assists the project manager with project management activities.
• Team manager: Responsible for ensuring the quality and other production variables within the team.

Responsibilities

Each role within the project management team is clearly defined with agreed-upon responsibilities. To summarize the principle of “defined roles and responsibilities,” a strong project management structure answers these key questions: “what is expected of me?”, “what can I expect from others?”, and “who makes what decisions?”

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Written by Frank Turley.

If you have questions or doubts after using this wiki, you can ask for help on the Facebook or LinkedIn study groups.