Successful projects are usually the result of careful planning, skills, and interaction of the project team. This article will explain the leading roles and responsibilities in project management.
The place of the team in the project management
The essence of projects involves collective work on their implementation. A group of people is united in a temporary structure, each member taking responsibility for specific results. But not every association of reliable resources of tasks becomes a team. And not all project participants are part of it. So what is a project team in composition and numbers, and how is it related to other management subjects?
The project team is one of the main concepts of project management. It is a group of employees directly working on the implementation of the project and subordinates to the head of the latter; The main element of its structure is the project team that ensures the implementation of its plan. This group is created for the period of the project and, after its completion, is blooming. The number of people in the team is determined by the project’s volume of work. As a rule, leaders (managers) functionally and objectively oriented groups of specialists make up the project management team
The distribution of roles in the team means:
- correct highlighting roles, according to the project tasks performed;
- establishing the rules of interaction between team members, according to the role;
- the arrangement of roles activists who are most suitable for them.
Team roles reflect the method by which we do our work. Our congenital and acquired personal qualities also determine the team role. The role of a specific participant is determined by his contribution to the work of the team and the relationships between the team members.
Planning project team: how it should look like
As a rule, the main roles in the project team are performed by employees already working in the company. They redistribute the responsibilities within the organization and fulfill the tasks they have set. The advantages are that in comparison with individual work, the team can achieve the result in the shortest possible time. The main thing is to establish communication processes between participants. Distributing the forces evenly and clearly distinguishing between the functionality is important.
The main core of the team are specialists in the project activities. For different projects, a group of specialists is formed. The general is that for each team member, a job description is being developed, where the main powers of the team member and responsibility for implementing these powers within the framework are transferred. Any team is a mixture of characters, skills, knowledge, and worldly experience. Therefore, it is very difficult to immediately choose a team that would be ideal for solving a particular problem.
Most often, the team consists of the following project participants:
- The customer is the future owner of the project results. Sets the task, puts forward requirements for the project results and ensures the project’s financing.
- The curator – modulates the main directions of the project, looks for employees, provides general control and support for the project, and is responsible for achieving the project of the final goals and the implementation of benefits for the organization. Ideally, the project curator is the final responsibility of the project customer.
- A manager or project manager is a person responsible for project management. The project manager is responsible for achieving the project’s goals under budget, on time, and with a given level of quality. The project manager provides daily management of the project, and the project team, in the context of all basic management functions (management in terms of costs, risks, etc.).