Project manager

Purpose

The Project Manager is the individual responsible for delivering the project. The Project Manager leads and manages the project team, with the authority and responsibility to run the project on a day-to-day basis.

Figure 1 illustrates all the key roles that could be involved; depending on the scale and/or complexity of the project, some of these roles could be combined and reporting lines shortened. For smaller/straightforward projects, the roles of Project Sponsor/Director and Project Manager may be combined subject to the proviso that the person taking on the combined responsibilities possesses the requisite competencies, expertise, experience and has the available time and resources. Where roles are combined, it is essential that delegations and responsibilities are clearly understood and do not overlap with other roles. This role description assumes that the roles of Project Sponsor/Project Director and Project Manager are separate. Where the roles are combined with no separate interface, the Project Sponsor/Project Manager reports direct to the SRO/PO.

Figure 1: Project organisation

Specific responsibilities

The Project Manager operating within agreed reporting structures (see Figure 1 above) is responsible for:

• Designing and applying an appropriate project management framework for the project (using relevant project standards) incorporating the Gateway review process if required
• Managing the production of the required deliverables
• Planning and monitoring the project
• Adopting any delegation and use of project assurance roles within agreed reporting structures
• Preparing and maintaining the Project Plan (or Project Execution Plan), Stage and Exception Plans as required
• Manage project risks, including the development of contingency plans
• Liaison with programme management (if the project is part of a programme) and related projects to ensure that work is neither overlooked nor duplicated
• Overall progress and use of resources, initiating corrective action where necessary
• Change control and any required configuration management
• Reporting through agreed reporting lines on project progress through Highlight Reports and stage assessments
• Liaison with appointed project assurance roles to assure the overall direction and integrity of the project
• Adopting technical and quality strategy
• Identifying and obtain any support and advice required for the management, planning and control of the project
• Managing project administration
• Conducting end project evaluation to assess how well the project was managed [nb 'post project' is different from 'end of project'] and preparing and end-project report
• Preparing a Lessons Learned report
• Preparing any follow-on action recommendations as required

 

Skills and attributes

The Project Manager should be able to:

• Apply standard project management approaches to the specific requirements of the project
• Direct, manage and motivate the project team
• Develop and maintain an agreed project plan and detailed stage plan(s)
• Tailor expert knowledge to meet specific circumstances
• Plan and manage the deployment of resources to meet project milestones
• Build and sustain effective communications with other roles involved in the project as required (see Figure 1 above)
• Apply quality management principles and process.

 

Notes

The Project Manager should be appropriately trained in project management techniques and processes. It is essential that the skills and experience of the Project Manager are matched to the requirements of the project.

Further information

See the briefing on project management; for construction projects see also Achieving Excellence briefing 2.

For more detailed advice, see OGC's commercially published guidance: Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 .