Roles and Responsibilities on Programs and Projects

A vital thing for a program/project manager to get right is for everyone involved to understand their role on the program/project and their responsibilities.

I've seen this go wrong in many ways - mis-communication, poor coordination between parts of the program, frustration and even burn-out.

My recommendation is to start with the basics: document each role on the program, list the responsibilities and deliverables and communicate with the person involved to ensure that they thoroughly understand what's being asked of them, get their input and to help uncover any gaps. Clearly there will be a need to adapt as the program goes along, but it should be the details which change rather than the big picture.

I always suggest to do this ground-work before the program kickoff. The kickoff may be the one chance that the whole program gets together, even if only virtually. During the kickoff, it's very effective to have each participant explain their role and their responsibilities. In this way, everyone on the program knows who does what and therefore who to talk do in certain situations. The result is much clearer communications and expectations.

Too many programs and projects don't get this right. When done correctly, it's a breath of fresh air to all participants. I remember one very carefully planned and executed program kickoff where everyone - consultants and client participants up to the sponsor, stood up (do you remember face-to-face meetings?) to explain what their involvement would be. Suffice to say that the program director knew exactly what she was doing and that program has been my benchmark ever since.