Programme Board
The Programme Board is the most senior level in the roll out and Board members are collectively responsible for the success or failure of the programme. The Board provides overall direction for the project and crucially ensures that all necessary resources are available for its success. Note, other managers may be invited to attend Board meetings, as observers or for specific purposes, without having formal Board membership. The Programme Board delegates the detailed management of the project to a Project Manager based on a Project Plan or a series of Stage Plans.
PKB recommends that the Board is made up with representation from all senior stakeholders in the project.
Reporting into the Board as necessary will be representation from each of the workstream areas: Communications, Information Governance, Integration, Training, Project Management, Clinical Engagement, Support.
Below is a list of the key roles and responsibilities of members of the Programme Board.
Executive
The Executive chairs the Programme Board and represents the Business/Service interest of the sponsoring organisation or consortium. The Executive's main concern is that the project is managed securely, is completed within the required budget/schedule constraints and will realise the expected benefits for the organisation(s) concerned.
Senior Responsible Officer
The Senior Responsible Officer will collectively represent the services interests. He/she is likely to be a Service Director and will have overall accountability for the operational service, together with personal responsibility for ensuring that it meets its objectives and realises the expected benefits. The role is responsible for establishing the new environment resulting from the programme, meeting the new business needs and delivering new levels of performance, benefit, service delivery, value or market share. The SRO ‘owns’ the Business Case.
Senior User
The Senior User (there may be more than one) represents the interests of those who will use the output from the project – and commits all user resources required for the project. The Senior User(s) are concerned that the outcome of the project will enable users to realise the intended benefits. The position is typically held by a clinical director.
Senior Supplier
The Senior Supplier (there may be more than one) represents the interests of the various technical specialists responsible for designing, developing and/or implementing the project deliverables – and commits the necessary resources in this category. The Senior Supplier is concerned that the outcome of the project will be technically secure and meet required specialist standards for quality and operational maintenance. Service Management may also be represented at this level.
Project Assurance
The function of Project Assurance is to assure Project Board member's various interests in the project are being properly satisfied and represented in the day to day activity. Thus, though part of the Project Team, personnel performing Project Assurance roles are independent on the Project Manager. Business Assurance focuses on ensuring that sound project management process is being followed, and that the project is progressing in line with its budget, schedule and business case. User Assurance focuses on ensuring that project deliverables meet user requirements, and Technical Assurance that sound technical processes and standards are followed and that the overall solution is properly integrated. Personnel performing Project Assurance roles are usually termed Assurance Co-ordinators and they should support the Project Manager by ensuring that appropriate personnel from the various user and technical communities are consulted during the work, e.g. for product quality reviews and risk impact assessments.
Project Manager
The Project Manager is responsible for the detailed, day-by-day conduct of the project, based on plans approved by the Project Board. The plans constitute a notional contract, in that:
The Project Board supplies the direction and resources.
In return, the Project Manager:-
Delivers the Products
Meets the Quality Criteria (for the products)
Ensures compliance with agreed Quality processes
Within the Budget
By the Target Date for completion
Within any defined Tolerances
The Project Manager is also responsible for preparing the plans for approval by the Project Board.
Lead Solutions Architect
This is a technical role and, is not formally part of the PRINCE project management structure. It is nevertheless one of the most crucial project roles. The Lead Solution Architect is responsible for all aspects of the design, integration, implementation and performance of the project solution. There may be many Solution Architects involved in the project, covering several technical disciplines. There is only one Lead Solution Architect, a senior person who works closely with the Project Manager to ensure that all the technical aspects of the plans are secure.
Project Support and Product Specialist
The Project Support function provides management and administrative support for the Project, and reports to the Project Manager. Support typically takes the form of assistance with project processes for planning, quality control, change control, issue and risk management – as well as administrative tasks, such as recording meetings and maintaining the Project Library. Depending on the scale and circumstances of the project, Project Support may be provided by dedicated personnel or by a shared Programme Support Office function.
Team Lead
Depending on the size of the project, the team(s) involved may report directly to the Project Manager or indirectly via Team Leads / Work Stream Managers. The Team Lead’s/Work Stream Managers responsibility is to achieve the completion of the Product(s) or Work Packages allocated to the team, using whichever quality processes have been agreed for the project and meeting the product’s Quality Criteria.
Team Member
The Team Members within a project are responsible for delivering the ‘technical’ products. Teams may be cross-functional (i.e. composed of people from different parts of the participating organisation(s) and brought together temporarily for the specific purposes of the project) or functional (i.e. working in a specialist function which is acting as a supplier to the project).