Project Management: Summary of Roles and Responsibilities

The following components ensure a successful project:

• Sponsor—navigates the project and ensures communication between high level individuals.
• Project Manager—Problem solver who oversees project resources and components.
• Team Leader—Works with the project manager and guides the team members.
• Team Members—Apply their skill sets to complete project tasks.
• Steering Committee—An optional component that may offer additional project resources.

Sponsor

• Champion the project(s)
• Remove organizational distractions
• Ensure clear communication between the CEO and the Stakeholders
• Provide resources
• Approve or reject project outcomes
• Take accountability for project performance

Project Manager

• Identify central problems
• Work with sponsors and stakeholders to resolve problems such as scope, activities, and results
• Plan and schedule tasks
• Oversees day-to-day activities
• Monitor progress through performance evaluation
• Close projects after completion
• Capture lessons and content shared by clients

Additional tasks may include some or all of the following:

• Provides a framework for the project's activities
• Identifies needed resources
• Negotiates with higher authorities
• Recruits effective participants
• Sets milestones
• Coordinates activities
• Keeps the vision clear and the work on track
• Makes sure everyone on the team contributes and benefits
• Mediates conflicts
• Makes sure project goals are delivered on time and on budget

Team Leader

• Report progress and concerns to the project manager
• Handle small projects including PM and TL
• Adopt other roles as needed

Other Roles a Team Leader May Adopt

• Initiator
  • The initiator draws attention to actions that must be taken for team goals to be met.
• Model
  • The model uses their own behavior to shape the performance levels of others, by leading through example. A team leader may schedule and start meetings or help meet deadlines. They may rely on this role when they cannot use promotions, compensation, or threats of dismissal to influence their team members.
• Negotiator
  • The negotiator takes on this role to get what is needed from their resource providers by framing the project as mutually beneficial.
• Listener
  • The listener gathers information from the environment of impending trouble, discontent, and opportunities for gain, to improve team productivity.
• Coach
  • The coach finds ways to help their team members maximize their potential. Offers opportunities like learning new skills to be a more supportive component on a project.
• Working Member
  • Sometimes a leader acts as a worker bee, working alongside their team members on the day-to-day project activities and tasks. In an ideal situation, a good team leader will take on some of the unpleasant or undesired tasks that none of the team members want to do.

Team Members

• They must be considered carefully against the needs and required skills of a project.
• They must meet the criteria for membership set in place by the client and/or stakeholders.
• They are interchangeable among projects based on their skill sets.

Skills Valuable Team Members Will Possess

• Technical: Skills in a specific discipline, such as market research, finance, or software programming.
• Problem-Solving: Skills that analyze difficult situations or impasses and craft solutions around obstacles and challenges.
• Interpersonal: Skills, particularly the ability to collaborate effectively with others, that are a critical aspect of team-based work.
• Organizational: Including networking, communicating well with other parts of a company, and navigating the political landscape, all of which help get things done and avoid conflicts.

Steering Committee (Optional Role)

• Approving charters
• Securing resources for projects
• Adjuvating requests to key project elements such as deliverables, schedule, and budget
• Working with the sponsor to ensure project scope is met

Steering Committee Pros

• Sorts out problems between firms and departments.
• Supplies additional resources to projects as needed.
• Guides the overall project scope and end goals.

Steering Committee Cons

• Another level of oversight in the project process.
• More meetings and progress reports.
• Wastes money through non-productive employee time.