Project Management

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Roles & Responsibilities

Project Sponser - Senior executive (preferably with budgetary approval authorities) responsible for the financial and managerial resources in support of the overall goals and objectives of the project.

The role of executive sponsor is to establish the goals and objectives of the proposed investment both personally and by working with his or her senior staff. Once the goals are established the executive sponsor must strongly support the accomplishment of these outcomes in words and actions. Gaining value from investments of information technology requires implementing new business processes and aligning the organization around those new business processes. The executive sponsor is the only one who can motivate and reward the organization for achieving the goals.

Project Director - Senior executive responsible for the successful implementation of the project and the achievement of the project benefits. Responsible for the resolution of any scope (features, processes, budget, schedule) issues which may effect the project outcomes. Chairman of the Management Committee.

Management Committee Members - Each member is a representative of his or her department and is accountable for communicating actions required for the successful implementation of the project to his or her organizational head. Responsible for securing necessary personnel from his or her department for the successful implementation of the project. Committee members must also act as representatives of the State and therefore must take a statewide view placing the success of the project above individual departmental perspectives.

Project Manager - The day-to-day leader of the project team and responsible for the successful implementation of the project within the agreed upon scope and objectives.

Establishes the project implementation plan.
Responsible for the management of the project team to accomplish tasks required to complete the implementation of the project.
Assess risks to the project and establish plans to manage the risk elements to mitigate their impact on project performance.
Evaluates project status, assess accomplishment of the project tasks, adjusts the project schedule to respond to gains or slippages in accomplishing the project tasks.
Provides periodic reports on project status to the project management committee.
Raise any issues which may affect scope, budget, schedule or meeting of project objectives to the Project Director.

Project Team Members - Representatives from stakeholder organizations who will work with the project manager to accomplish the steps necessary for a successful implementation and achievement of the anticipated benefits. Responsible to the project manager for satisfactorily completing assigned tasks.

Project Management Committee Charter

Direct the successful implementation of the project, including the restructuring of business processes and procedures to deliver efficient and effective operations utilizing the capabilities of the new system.

Define project goals to be achieved and measurement methods to track the achievement of the benefits.

Ensure adequate resources are available for the duration of the project and for the transition of people, processes and technology systems to operations in order to meet the ongoing goals and objectives of the project.

Review and approve the project budget, scope and schedule. Coordinate with the state’s financial planning and budgeting processes to insure a complete understanding of lifecycle costs.

Review and approve the project plan as presented by the project manager.

Monitor the efforts of the project team to accomplish the project plan and take action as needed to resolve issues and remove roadblocks that interfere with the successful completion of the project.

Review the project status no less than monthly, assess risks and take action to maintain or return the project to a satisfactory status.

Review and approve expenditures (vs. budget) based upon earned value.

Manage the project scope through a formal scope management policy and procedures.

Provide direction to the project team and monitor to ensure the goals of the project will be achieved.

Approve the transition of the project from one phase to the next, ensuring that all steps necessary for a satisfactory transition to the next phase have been satisfactorily completed.

Assess the efficiency and the effectiveness of the project and system once implemented, taking appropriate steps to resolve any problems found.

Review and provide feedback on the performance of the project team, making recommendations as necessary.

Report to the project sponsor on a monthly basis, making recommendations for action or requests for decisions in a timely fashion.

Maintain minutes and records of all deliberations and decisions.

Appoint new members to the management committee with the approval of the project sponsor. Appoint replacement members in the event of a vacancy on the management committee, or as needed for the effective functioning of the committee.