There are many different types of project stakeholders. Not all will be involved with every project or in every stage of a project's life cycle, but each group is unique in its offerings and requirements. Here are the main groups of stakeholders.
Project Management requires many people to manage the individual responsibilities and tasks that must be completed, often under tight budgetary and time limitations. In order to successfully complete a project, several types of people—or groups of people—are needed.
Role of Customers/Users
This may be an individual or multiple companies each with their own requirements who have requested the work with a precise definition of business needs. Their primary responsibilities include monitoring the project timeline, work plan, resources, and training. At completion, they will sign off on the project’s deliverables and take possession of the final product.
Role of Sponsor / Business Partners
Thismay be an individual or a group that provide financial assistance to the project. They are often a member of the management team who receives the product once the project is finalized. This person or group is the driving force behind the initiation of the project, provides funding and sets the criteria defining success of the project.
Role of Program Managers
This group monitors related projects in a program with the goal of maximum company benefits. They develop the Project Workbook, schedule and assign various resources and provide leadership, guidance and support to the various team members. They also develop and maintain technical documentation of the project and program’s progression including systems analysis, technical specifications and keep track of design changes and creation criteria.
Role of Project Managers / Project Management Office (PMO)
This person or group has overall project responsibility including meeting timelines, budget requirements, quality criteria and project goal specifications. This group implements project policies and procedures and infrastructure needs. They also define and communication project goals, objectives and success measures and monitor progress to establish and maintain project quality. They evaluate and manage the risks throughout the process and then close out the project in the end by finalizing action items and creating post-implementation reports.
Role of Project Team
This group of individuals are the workers of the team. They work with the Project Manager to help plan the project, develop a technical approach, identify tools and human resources needed, and watch for roadblocks or unanticipated risks as they work towards successful completion of the project. Once the project reaches completion, the Project Team will provide quality assurance support and help create lessons learned documentation for future reference.
Role of Operations Managers
The Operations Group is responsible for monitoring the daily operations of all administration information systems. They implement health and safety procedures, manage staff training issues, provide team motivation and set clearly defined objectives and deadlines. They also perform the regularly scheduled tasks such as processing of forms, reports and checks and batch processing.
In Summary
It takes many people and groups of people to oversee and successfully complete a project. Often, the larger the project’s scope, budget and goals, the more people involved. Understanding each person’s roles and responsibilities helps keep the communication and expectations clear.
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