Role responsible for day-to-day planning, monitoring and control of the project to deliver agreed outputs within defined constraints.

Project Board / Steering Group

Group that provides strategic oversight and key decisions, representing business, user and supplier interests, and reviewing progress at control points.

Project Management Office (PMO)

Function that supports projects and programmes with standards, templates, reporting, tools and sometimes staff, improving consistency and governance.

Framework of rules, roles, processes and decision-making structures that ensure a project is directed and controlled effectively.

A formal decision point at the end of a project phase where continuation, change or termination of the project is decided.

The role that owns the outcome and is answerable for success or failure of a task or project.

Who Does What: Roles, Governance and Project Organisation — APM PFQ Essentials with Citivirtual: Fast-Track to Project Fundamentals

Q: On a PFQ-level project, who is normally ACCOUNTABLE for ensuring that the project remains aligned with the business case and should continue at each major review point?

The project sponsor (or equivalent executive role). The project sponsor (or equivalent executive role) owns the business case and is accountable for ensuring the project remains viable and aligned with organisational objectives. The project manager is responsible for day-to-day delivery but does not usually own the business case. The team and PMO support but are not accountable.

Q: You have identified a regulator with high power but currently low interest in your project. According to a typical power–interest grid, how should you treat this stakeholder?

Keep satisfied with targeted information at key points. Stakeholders with high power but low interest should be kept satisfied: you provide targeted information at key points to avoid problems, but you do not involve them in day-to-day detail unless their interest increases.

Big Picture: Why Roles and Governance Matter

People, Power and Process

Projects are temporary organisations. To work, they need three things: clear roles, governance (how decisions are made) and stakeholder engagement (how people are involved).

Link to Earlier Modules

You already know the business case (why the project exists) and the life cycle (when decisions happen). Roles and governance explain who makes those decisions and how.

Your Learning Goals

You will learn to list core PFQ roles, summarise their responsibilities, sketch a simple governance structure, and perform a basic stakeholder analysis.

Accountability Question

Keep asking: if this project failed badly, who would ultimately be held to account? Governance is about making that answer clear before problems occur.

Core Project Roles in PFQ-Level Practice

Sponsor

The sponsor owns the business case, provides direction and funding, and is ultimately accountable for success. They make major decisions and resolve high-level conflicts.

Project Manager

The project manager runs day-to-day work: planning, monitoring and controlling scope, schedule, cost, risk and quality. They lead the team and report to the sponsor or board.

Board and Team

A project board or steering group gives strategic decisions and oversight. Project team members do the specialist work, estimate effort and report progress.

Users, Customers, PMO

Users and customers define requirements and judge acceptance. The PMO supports with standards, templates, reporting and tools, ensuring consistent governance.

Other Stakeholders

Other stakeholders include regulators, suppliers, neighbours and internal departments. They may not work on the project but can strongly influence its success.

Example: A Campus Wi‑Fi Upgrade Project

Sponsor in the Wi‑Fi Project

For a campus Wi‑Fi upgrade, the sponsor is the CIO or Pro-Vice-Chancellor. They own the business case, approve budget and decide whether the project continues at review points.

PM, Board and Team

A senior IT project manager plans the rollout and manages suppliers. A steering group (sponsor, IT, students, Estates) reviews progress and resolves conflicts. Engineers and technicians do the technical work.

Users, PMO and Others

Users are students and staff; the customer is the university. A PMO supplies templates and reporting. Other stakeholders include library staff, Estates and the data protection officer.

Why Roles Matter Here

If the sponsor is weak, decisions stall. If the PM is weak, control collapses. If users are ignored, Wi‑Fi may be technically sound but unusable. Clear roles prevent these failures.

Project Governance: How Decisions Are Made

Accountable vs Responsible

Accountable means owning the result; usually one person. Responsible means doing the work; can be many. Sponsors are accountable; project managers are responsible for day-to-day delivery.

Decision Rights and Escalation

Governance defines who can decide what. PMs approve small changes; sponsors or boards approve big ones. It also defines how serious issues are escalated.

Stage Gates

At the end of each phase, a stage gate review checks the business case and performance. The sponsor or board decides whether to continue, change or stop the project.

Documentation and Alignment

Governance relies on clear records of plans, risks and decisions. It must align with wider organisational rules, including finance, regulation and portfolio management.

Activity: Map a Simple Governance Structure

Use this short exercise to connect roles and governance.

Task (5 minutes)

Think of a small-to-medium project you know about (real or imaginary). Examples:

Refurbishing a student common room.
Launching a new student society website.
Introducing a new lab booking system.

On paper or a notes app, sketch a simple diagram with three layers:

Top layer (Strategic): Sponsor and any board/committee.
Middle layer (Management): Project manager.
Bottom layer (Delivery): Project team and users.

For each role, write a one-line decision right next to it. For example:

Sponsor: "Approve total budget and major scope changes."
Board: "Approve continuation at phase end."
PM: "Decide task assignments and approve minor changes within ±5% budget."
Team: "Propose technical solutions and estimate effort."

Reflect briefly:

Is it obvious who is accountable if the project fails?
Would team members know who to ask for different types of decisions?

If you find overlaps (two roles trying to own the same decision) or gaps (no one clearly owns something important), you have just discovered why governance design matters.

Stakeholders: Identifying Who Matters

Who Are Stakeholders?

Stakeholders are people or groups who can affect, be affected by, or perceive themselves to be affected by a project. Think widely: internal, external, upstream and downstream.

Identify and Analyse

First, list stakeholders. Then analyse using tools like the power–interest grid and by checking attitude (supportive, neutral, opposed) and how much the project affects them.

Plan Engagement

Plan what information each group needs, how often, and through which channels. Sponsors care about benefits and risk; users care about usability and disruption.

Continuous Engagement

Modern practice emphasises continuous stakeholder engagement, not a one-off list. Poor engagement is a major cause of project failure, even when technical work is sound.

Mini Stakeholder Analysis for the Wi‑Fi Project

Apply stakeholder analysis to the campus Wi‑Fi upgrade example.

Task (5–7 minutes)

List at least six stakeholders:

Example starters: CIO, students, academic staff, library staff, Estates, network supplier, data protection officer.

Draw a simple power–interest grid on paper with two axes:

Horizontal: Interest (Low to High).
Vertical: Power (Low to High).

Place each stakeholder on the grid. For each one, ask:

How much power do they have to influence or stop the project?
How much interest do they have in the Wi‑Fi upgrade?

For three stakeholders in different quadrants, write a one-line engagement strategy. For example:

High power, high interest (CIO): "Monthly dashboard and decision meetings."
High power, low interest (Estates director): "Early notice of building work; only escalate when needed."
Low power, high interest (students): "Regular updates via email and social media; invite feedback."

Quick reflection:

Which stakeholder surprised you in terms of power or interest?
What could go wrong if you ignored that stakeholder?

Check Understanding: Roles and Governance

Answer this question to test your understanding of roles and decision rights.

On a PFQ-level project, who is normally ACCOUNTABLE for ensuring that the project remains aligned with the business case and should continue at each major review point?

The project manager
The project sponsor (or equivalent executive role)
The project team members
The PMO

Show Answer

Answer: B) The project sponsor (or equivalent executive role)

The project sponsor (or equivalent executive role) owns the business case and is accountable for ensuring the project remains viable and aligned with organisational objectives. The project manager is responsible for day-to-day delivery but does not usually own the business case. The team and PMO support but are not accountable.

Check Understanding: Stakeholder Analysis

Test your understanding of stakeholder engagement priorities.

You have identified a regulator with high power but currently low interest in your project. According to a typical power–interest grid, how should you treat this stakeholder?

Keep informed with frequent detailed updates
Monitor only; no proactive communication needed
Keep satisfied with targeted information at key points
Treat as a key player and involve in day-to-day decisions