A project will require a number of people to complete it, there will be different teams coming together to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. The bigger the project, the more team members it will likely require. Each member of the team will play a vital role in the success of the project. Therefore, it’s important to know who will be involved in the project and how they will be contributing to the overall success of it. It can also help the team members work well together if they know how important each member’s contribution is.
We have looked at in-depth what the roles and responsibilities of a project manager are, now in this guide we will look at the different project management roles that exist within a project.
Project sponsor
The sponsor of the project is the person that is at the top of the project team pyramid. The project sponsor is the middle person between the end client/customer/business the project is being carried out for and the project manager. The project sponsor will control the budget of the project, therefore this will be the person that the project manager will have to report to. If a project manager requires more budget or any decisions made, they will have to speak to the project sponsor to get any additional budget or a final decision.
Project manager
The project manager will be next in the pyramid and they will run and control the project. A project manager will have several responsibilities and tasks to fulfil throughout the duration of the project and they will be responsible for the success or failure of a project. Depending on the size of the project, the project manager will be managing a team or many teams working on the project, ensuring that it is all running smoothly.
Project client
The project client will be the company/business that the project is being carried out for. Each project is different, so the involvement of the project client will vary from project to project. However, the client will communicate with the project manager through the project sponsor.
Project team
Each project will require a team or a number of teams to make the project a success. The team will consist of several members who have various skills that are relevant to the project and the tasks being carried out. The project team may also have a team leader who will report to the project manager.
Project co-ordinator
The project co-coordinator will be the person that coordinates the teams and reports to the project manager. They will provide assistance with large projects that require a number of teams to work on them. A project coordinator is especially helpful when there are a lot of remote teams working on a project.
Each project is unique and depending on the size of the project the number of people involved will vary. A big project may require many teams, whereas, a small project may require only one team. However, the roles mentioned are the key roles/jobs required for a project to be a success.
More on excelling in project management and becoming a project manager.