Project Stakeholders/Role Players

Most projects are comprised of a multitude of different tasks to be performed, and various people are involved in performing them or have a stake in the final outcome. Any given project might include the following role-players:

The Customer/Client: This is the person/company that orders the project. A project is conducted for and on behalf of the customer, who takes responsibility for paying for the work done. The customer also contributes to the funding and other project requirements. The customer and the project sponsor may be the same person.

Project Sponsor: The project sponsor is the authorising party who initiates the project. It could be a Board of Directors, a senior manager, a steering committee or any high-level individual. The sponsor will select the project manager and has the final say on the statement of work (SOW), decisions and strategic issues. The sponsor has the authority and/or financial strength to mandate, launch and support the project. The sponsor usually originates the project, due to his/her holistic view of what is to be achieved by means of the project.

Project Manager: The project manager is accountable to the sponsor for the day-to-day activities of a project. The project manager (PM) takes responsibility for planning, implementing and concluding the project. The PM needs to be a generalist with an array of skills to ensure a successful project. These skills include the ability to coordinate team members; allocate resources; manage the budget; resolve conflict; liaise with sponsors and other stakeholders; manage change; and many others. The PM needs to be a person with special qualities in order to successfully manage the unique challenges and difficulties of a project.

Project Team Member: A project team member is an individual drawn into the project team because of his specific skills, expertise, knowledge and experience. The team members are responsible for the timely completion of all work set out in the plan and schedule. There are two types of team members:

Core Team Member: A core team member is part of the team throughout the duration of the project and serves either in a full-time or near full-time (60 %+) capacity.

Extended Team Member: an extended team member will join the project team when his/her skills and expertise are needed for a limited period of time only. The extended team member might thus only be involved during one or a few stages of the project, depending on the need.

Project Director: The project director is the individual to whom the project manager often reports. The project director oversees the project but is not involved in the day-to-day activities of the project. The director might have more than one project manager reporting to him, in which case he is often referred to as a programme manager.

Various other positions may be established, depending on the nature and scope of the project, for example a work manager, an administrative manager, an IT manager, etc. In order to manage a project effectively, it is necessary to set up a project office. The project office is the facility where all documentation, co-ordination and communications take place. A project administrator is often appointed to manage the project office. The project office is set up to support the project manager in carrying out his/her duties.