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Authority, roles and responsibilities

Identify the levels of authority

Defining the levels of authority, roles and responsibilities is essential for good project control. This will apply to the key groups and individuals that influence the project. For example:



  • Project management team
  • Management committees:
    • Project Board (perhaps referred as a Steering Committee)
    • Programme management
  • Budgetary approval (this is likely to be the Project Board)
  • Consultants

Within the Project Board there will be positions such as the Senior User [see PRINCE2® the folder 'Project Management Team Roles' for full descriptions in the product package] and the Senior Supplier [see PRINCE2 the folder 'Project Management Team Roles' for full descriptions in the product package].

Identify individual roles

For each of the major positions you will have to identify the personnel that will fill these.

Identify responsibilities

For each role identified there must be clarity on the exact nature of their responsibilities and the level of such responsibilities. What approvals can be given without the need to go to the next level of management?

Identifying individual roles and responsibilities will help clarify duties and avoid any ambiguity. Don’t forget to consider people outside of the immediate project management team, for example, consultants.

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