Elena Humeniuk
PPM Consultant
Just as there are certain phases in a project life cycle, there are various roles in project management. Of course, the project manager’s role quickly comes to mind. However, that is not the only critical role in the project management chain. Many projects fail. This suggests you need the right people with the right skills and competence to reach your project goals and objectives. This article looks at the five critical project management roles that determine the success of a project.
Project Sponsor
The project sponsor is the driving force behind the project. They carry the vision, champion the project cause, and secure the required resources at the highest level. The sponsor removes all organizational obstructions and provides informed guidance from start to finish. In most cases, the sponsor is a senior leader in the organization and has the power to vet outcomes. They act as a bridge between the executive stakeholders and the project team.
Project Manager
The project manager position is one of the most important roles in a project team. The project manager is responsible for identifying the main problems confronting the project. Then, leveraging the data provided by the sponsor and stakeholders, they decide on a solution to the problem, the project scope and objectives, and the course of action that will deliver the expected result. Also, they are responsible for planning and scheduling tasks and overseeing the day-to-day running of the project. The role includes monitoring progress, evaluating performance, closing the project, and noting the lessons learned.
To effectively carry out their project roles, a project manager must:
- Derive authority from the sponsor
- Develop an activity framework for the project
- Identify necessary resources
- Communicate and bargain with higher authorities
- Recruit competent participants
- Set milestones
- Maintain a clear vision and keep the project work on the right track
- Coordinate activities
- Settle conflicts
- Ensure that everyone contributes and benefits from the project team roles.
Team Leader
Enterprises running large projects may have a team leader at the helm. This person reports directly to the project manager on behalf of the team. In the case of smaller projects, the project manager occupies both positions. However, the team leader cannot be the boss and receive the reward of team-based work. Instead, they must function in the following project management team roles:
- Initiator: draws their teammates’ attention to actionable steps that need to be taken to achieve enterprise goals, instead of simply issuing orders.
- Model: influences positive performance in others through their behavior, e.g., starting meetings on time and following through on scheduled assignments.
- Listener: studies the work environment and takes note of signs of potential trouble, employee discomfort, and opportunity for benefits.
- Negotiator: obtains what resource providers require by promoting the project as something mutually beneficial to everyone.
- Coach: uses their creativity to assist team members in maximizing potential and achieving common group goals.
- Working member: Aside from providing directions, the team leader must complete and perform the share of the task. This is important, particularly in positions where they are competent. Ideally, they should take up one or two unpleasant or unexciting roles in project management that no one else wants.
Team Members
Out of the different roles in project management, the project team stands out as the heart and soul of the project. That is why recruiting and bringing together the right people is extremely important.
Criteria for Selecting Members
Of course, team member selection is determined by the skills required to execute the job. But you might not always get all the technical qualifications you need without providing some training. The following are areas of proficiency you should consider when choosing your team:
- Technical skills required in a particular field like software programming, market research, product design, or finance
- Interpersonal skills such as effective collaboration with others, which is critical for team-based activities
- Problem-solving skills—allowing team members to analyze and craft solutions during difficult times
- Organizational skills like positive communication and networking with other aspects of the enterprise; navigating the political and bureaucratic landscape to help the team complete tasks and avoid conflicts with personnel from operational units.
Caution for Membership Selection
When recruiting for your project team roles, don’t focus too much on technical skills at the expense of organizational and interpersonal skills. They are equally important. For instance, if you recruit a programmer who is brilliant but unwilling to collaborate, this might impact your team’s progress. By contrast, a staff member with average technical skills but organizational savvy may become your team’s most valuable member. This is because they can enlist help and gather resources from operating units.
Try to make the most out of your available talent pool. Few people are competent in all four identified skill sets, and they are not easy to come by. Your project manager roles should include neutralizing any weakness within your group. Recruit people who have valuable skills but also have the potential to learn and develop new skills. When you have found a candidate for membership, discuss their potential impact with the sponsor. Contact their supervisor because team membership takes much time that could otherwise be channeled toward regular tasks.
Sometimes, as you recruit new members to fill your project management team roles, you may have to let go of established members. This will most likely be the case as project needs and tasks change. But take note: team members steadily develop effective working relationships, communicating, collaborating, and making decisions. Such invaluable cohesion can be lost when too many people join or exit the team.
Impact and Benefits
There should be no room for team members who enjoy membership benefits without contributing their quota. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t expect every team member to put in the same amount of time. For example, a project manager or senior manager must focus much of their time on other duties. Still, they contribute to the project by building support or securing resources for task execution.
Just as it is mandatory that each member contribute their quota to the team’s work, each should also get clear benefits based on performance. This can be in the form of bonus payments or fatter paychecks. This will encourage people to continue participating at higher levels. The benefits they receive from their regular input will encourage them to focus more on your project as a priority.
Steering Committee
Specific projects include a steering committee as part of the project management roles. The committee comprises the sponsor and the project’s key stakeholders.
The steering committee’s role is to approve the charter and make resources available. They also preside over all requests to change important project elements like the budget, the schedule, and deliverables.
Having a steering committee is an excellent choice if the project involves a range of partnering individuals, units, or companies. It allows all interests and stakes to be fairly represented. Moreover, complicated interdepartmental or interfirm challenges can be overcome amicably with such a committee in place. It also helps with handling numerous change requests.
There is a disadvantage to having a steering committee on a project. It means yet another phase of oversight, with meetings that consume much of the time of some of the most expensive employees in the organization. Therefore, don’t include a steering committee if you don’t need it.
Final Thoughts
After reading all the above-given information, you have the answer to the question: What are the five main roles of project management? These roles must work together in perfect free flow to achieve the company’s project goals and objectives. When the appropriate project management functions are in place, and each member knows and understands their role, the project has a better chance of producing a positive and successful outcome.
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