PRINCE2^® roles & responsibilities: aiding project success

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PRINCE2 roles and responsibilities

Transcript

Welcome aboard the Knowledge Train. In this podcast we explore insights and tips to help you manage your way to success in your career and business. I’m Simon Buehring, your conductor on this journey to knowledge and I’m thrilled to have you with us today.

Today, we’re discussing the pivotal roles and responsibilities that form the backbone of PRINCE2 project management. Whether you’re new to PRINCE2 or looking to refine your project management skills, this episode will provide a clear understanding of how a structured team can lead your projects to success.

To initiate this journey, we must recognise that PRINCE2, a globally acknowledged project management methodology, identifies several key project management roles, each with its distinct responsibilities. These roles are designed to be adapted, ensuring they can be moulded to fit the unique demands of any project or organisation. PRINCE2 doesn’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach; instead, roles can be shared or merged as necessary, provided they adhere to the central PRINCE2 principles.

For those embarking on PRINCE2 training, grasping these roles is vital, as they are fundamental to the creation and maintenance of project management products. While Foundation students are expected to outline these roles, Practitioner students must demonstrate a deeper comprehension, capable of tailoring them to project-specific needs. Certain roles may be shared, but there are clear boundaries, such as keeping the functions of the executive separate from the project manager and support staff to prevent conflicts of interest.

The project board is at the helm of the project’s success. Granted the authority to steer a project within its designated mandate, the project board acts as a bridge between the project’s operational team and the broader business interests. Depending on the project’s size and nature, the board may pass on project assurance duties, maintaining oversight while ensuring effective communication.

The responsibilities here are numerous but highly structured. From confirming project tolerances and authorising stages of the project lifecycle to making decisions on escalated issues and ensuring effective stakeholder communication, the project board’s role is extensive. It is crucial in providing direction, approving key management products, and overseeing risk management. Additionally, the board is tasked with ensuring that all products meet the necessary acceptance criteria and that follow-on actions are appropriately communicated post-project.

To execute their duties, the project board members need a robust skill set including decision-making authority, resource allocation capability, and a consistent presence through the project’s duration. Leadership qualities, negotiation skills, and being adept at resolving conflicts are also pivotal for the board to function effectively.

Shifting our focus to the executive, this individual bears accountability for the project’s outcome. The executive ensures the project’s alignment with expected benefits and the overall return on investment. Acting as the project sponsor in other methodologies, the executive is the linchpin, balancing business, user, and supplier interests, and maintaining a vigil on the business case throughout the project.

The executive’s responsibilities are both managerial and strategic. They entail the design and oversight of the project management team, ensuring that the project remains in line with business strategies, and securing the requisite funding. The executive also monitors the project from a high-level perspective, holding other roles to account and ensuring that any escalated risks are managed effectively.

The senior user carries the torch for those who will utilise the project’s outcomes, ensuring that the user’s voice remains integral to the project. This role is the champion of the project’s end-users, covering operational to maintenance teams and ensuring that the final products meet the established requirements.

The senior user is active in defining quality expectations, specifying project outcomes, and championing the realisation of benefits. They play a critical role in managing user requirements, allocating user resources, and ensuring the seamless integration of the project’s products into everyday operations.

Representing the supplier’s interests, the senior supplier ensures that the project’s products are of high quality and maintain technical integrity. It is this role’s responsibility to confirm the viability of the approach and provide expert advice on development and implementation.

Responsibilities for the senior supplier span from assessing project proposals for realism to ensuring the presence of supplier resources. They focus on resolving any conflicts among suppliers and hold a vital communication link with non-technical management, ensuring that the project’s integrity is not compromised.

The project manager operates under the direction of the project board, steering the project on a daily basis within the limits set by the board. This role is central to ensuring that the required project outputs are delivered on time, within budget, and to the agreed quality specifications.

A project manager’s remit includes preparing management products, maintaining project logs, and tailoring the method to the project context. They are also responsible for the cohesion of the project management team, the flow of information, and the initiation of corrective actions whenever necessary.

Essential competencies for a project manager include planning, time, and people management, problem-solving, attention to detail, and excellent communication skills. Mastery in negotiation and conflict management is also crucial.

The team manager ensures that the team’s deliverables align with quality expectations while keeping within time and cost constraints. They report to the project manager and echo their guidance throughout the delivery process.

Tasks for the team manager involve preparing team plans, managing team dynamics, monitoring progress, managing risks, and coordinating with project assurance and support functions. They play a pivotal role in maintaining product quality and managing issues throughout the work package delivery.

Project assurance is the guardian of stakeholder interests and ensures that the project is conducted properly. Independence is key for this role to provide unbiased assurance separate from the project manager’s influence.

The responsibilities in project assurance include maintaining liaison among stakeholders, proactively controlling risks, ensuring proper involvement in quality activities, and validating that the project’s scope and solution remain consistent and satisfactory.

Project assurance demands representatives who have credibility, thoroughness, and a detailed focus. Good communication skills are paired with diplomacy to ensure that stakeholders’ needs are observed, and their advice is heeded.

Usually provided by the project manager or a dedicated project management office, project support streamlines the procedural aspects of project management.

Project support is responsible for setting up project files, data collection, updating plans, assisting with reports, and maintaining records. They also provide expertise in specialist tools and are pivotal in the administration of the project.

Those in project support need strong administrative skills, knowledge of specialist tools and techniques, and an understanding of business standards applicable to the project.

Finally, the business layer is the instigator of the project, providing the initial project mandate and appointing key roles while defining project tolerances. Following project closure, it is tasked with disseminating lessons learned and managing the benefits approach.

Throughout this episode, we explored the integral roles and responsibilities that constitute the PRINCE2 project management framework. Understanding these roles is not just about knowing who does what but about how each position inter-connects to create a cohesive and thriving project environment. PRINCE2’s rigorous structure allows for clarity and flexibility, enabling project teams to adapt to the nuances of any venture while maintaining a steadfast commitment to principles that underpin successful project management.

Thank you for joining us on the Knowledge Train as we explored PRINCE2 roles and responsibilities. Don’t forget to subscribe for more insight-packed episodes, and swing by the Knowledge Train website for resources galore. Until the next episode, keep learning, keep managing, and I’ll see you further down the track. Goodbye!