Stakeholders, roles, responsibilities, and powers of authority
Internal stakeholders
The organizational form we recommend for a project closely resembles that of a limited company. The description below are guidelines that must be adjusted to each organization and project.
The sponsor
The sponsor holds the ultimate responsibility for the successful execution of the project. The sponsor can be one person or a group of people. The sponsor must command all the resources necessary for carrying out the project. The sponsor's task is to:
-
ensure availability of the required resources for carrying out the project
-
appoint the steering committee and its chairperson if applicable
-
approve the Goal statement
-
establish the project within the organization
-
start and finish the project.
Internal stakeholders
Steering Committee
The steering committee acts as a proxy for the sponsor concerning monitoring and controlling the project. The steering committee shall preferably not be too large, and three to five individuals are usually the best. These individuals must possess the expertise required for supporting and guiding the project. They must also have enough time, commitment, and interest to play an active part in the project. The steering committee's task is to:
-
appoint a project manager
-
appoint project members, in consultation with the project manager
-
approve the project plan
-
follow up and ensure the project plan is followed
-
contribute to creating a positive working climate
-
support the project and make contributions in crises
-
ensure the project follows the company's Gate model if applicable
-
approve deviations from the project plan
-
inform the sponsor of project results.
Project Manager
The steering committee appointed the project manager and is responsible for running the project. The project manager's task is to:
-
select members of the project, in consultation with the steering committee
-
formulate a Project Definition, Project Plan, and Project Control System in consultation with the members of the project
-
run the project in a professional manner
-
put together progress reports and report to the steering committee
-
keep a continual record of the results of the project and all deliverables approved
-
take corrective action and draw attention to deviations from the project plan.
Project team members
Team members have collective responsibility for the Goal statement and individual responsibilities for their deliverables. The project members' task is to:
-
produce high quality work within their respective areas of responsibility
-
contribute within other areas if required
-
keep a record of the results of their work
-
share experiences and expertise with the team and
the organization -
contribute to a positive working climate in the team.
We distinguish between core and extended team members in the template. Core team members are the people driving the project and participate regularly. People in the extended team are usually experts that are called in to provide advice or work within their area of expertise.
Gate Assessor
The sponsor appointed the gate assessor and is responsible for reviewing the project and preparing and running the gate meeting. The gate assessor should be a person capable of making an independent and unbiased evaluation of the project. The task of the gate assessor is to:
-
review the project and the business case
-
report to the sponsor regarding readiness for running the gate meeting
-
prepare and run the gate meeting
-
ensure the production of a protocol from the gate meeting.
In the template
In a project, there are usually two different groups of stakeholders:
-
external - people outside your organization
-
internal - people inside your organization
External stakeholders
The external stakeholders can be anything from a single person to a very complex network of many different people. A definition of all those stakeholders affected can be created by following the product physically, or by following the financial transaction it causes, or by the flow of information.
These flows partly coincide and can be combined to form a common customer chain. Other players influencing can also be added to the customer chain, for example, public authorities, mass media, or environmental movements. The end of the customer chain is made up of users or end-consumers.
In the Project definition template, we have only included a simplification of the customer concept. You may have to develop the customer concept on a separate board.
Customer Chain
In the template
