What are the PRINCE2 Roles and Responsibilities?

With the recent introduction of the 7th edition of PRINCE2, its weight in the project management domain continues to outweigh other certifications, adding credibility to management competencies. In light of this growth, it is essential to decode all about this project management methodology, including PRINCE2 roles and responsibilities.

This article explores the diverse PRINCE2 roles and corresponding responsibilities to decode their contribution to project management.

PRINCE2 Roles and Responsibilities of Primary Stakeholders

Let’s delve into the primary stakeholders and their designated responsibilities, as defined by PRINCE2, for successful project management and delivery:

1. Executive: The Executive holds the position of an ultimate decision-maker. Their most important responsibility is to guarantee that the project accomplishes its set objectives and yields the desired benefits. Additionally, they supervise the project board, offering vital strategic guidance to it.
2. Senior User: A senior user serves as a representative, ensuring that the project fulfils all its requirements in terms of functionality and quality, thereby aptly addressing client needs.
3. Senior Supplier: This role represents the interests of project designers, developers and implementers. They guarantee both the project’s technical feasibility as well as the availability of resources.
4. Project Manager: The Project Manager is responsible for daily project management. Planning, delegating, monitoring and controlling tasks fall under their purview to guarantee delivery within agreed-upon timeframes. They are instrumental in maintaining cost efficiency. Moreover, following and getting everyone to follow quality constraints is also one of their critical roles.
5. Team Manager: The Team Manager ensures that all team members possess the necessary skills and resources. They aim to enable each member to deliver their assigned tasks with optimal effectiveness.
6. Project Assurance: This position is an independent oversight role that ensures the project’s success while adhering to PRINCE2 principles. It also involves reviewing project documentation, monitoring progress, and offering guidance to the project board.
7. Project Support: The Project Support team renders essential administrative assistance to both the project manager and their respective project teams. This aid includes critical functions such as maintaining meticulous project documentation, orchestrating efficient meetings and ensuring seamless communication among all team members.

An efficient project administration is only possible by accurately defining roles and responsibilities, as outlined in the PRINCE2 Project Planning and PRINCE2 methodologies, across all project creation processes.

PRINCE2 Roles and Responsibilities Matrix

The roles and responsibilities matrix of PRINCE2 ensures a clear comprehension of the duties linked to each role. It outlines the exact duties and responsibilities of all team members throughout the project, as detailed in PRINCE2 documents. It not only specifies who is responsible for which tasks but also facilitates effective communication, which is a significant aspect in observing teams.

The PRINCE2 roles and responsibilities matrix typically includes the following elements:

1. Role: The specific role within the project team (e.g., Executive, Project Manager, Team Manager).
2. Responsibility: The specific tasks or duties assigned to each role.
3. Accountability: Each role bears a degree of accountability for the success or failure tied to their designated responsibilities.
4. Consult: Consult the roles before you make decisions or take actions pertaining to specific responsibilities.
5. Inform: Particular responsibilities necessitate maintaining a constant flow of information. Those aligned with these specific roles must keep track of decisions, actions or progress that are tied directly to their assigned tasks.

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Required Skills for PRINCE2 Roles

Individuals must possess a combination of soft and hard skills to effectively fulfil the associated responsibilities with relevant PRINCE2 project roles. When comparing PMBOK vs PRINCE2, it becomes clear that both methodologies require similar competencies. Now, let us explore some key skills that PRINCE2 roles demand:

Soft Skills:

1. Effective communication is essential for all roles in PRINCE2. Team members must clearly articulate ideas and should be able to listen actively to provide constructive feedback and a smooth workflow.

2. Roles such as Executive, Project Manager and Team Manager necessitate robust leadership skills. These are essential for driving the team and even motivating them towards achieving their set goals in a given project.
3. Throughout the project, PRINCE2 roles often face complex challenges and obstacles, which makes their ability to analyse problems, generate solutions and make informed decisions, crucial.

4. PRINCE2 projects necessitate collaboration among multiple stakeholders and team members – the capacity to work harmoniously.

Hard Skills:

1. All PRINCE2 roles demand a comprehensive grasp of the PRINCE2 methodology. This includes aspects like foundation principles, themes and processes. Additionally, familiarity with PRINCE2 terminology and documentation also proves crucial.

2. Proficiency in project management tools, including but not limited to project scheduling software, risk management tools and communication platforms, is invaluable for PRINCE2 roles. This importance is particularly underscored within the domains of Project Manager and Project Support.
3. Roles such as the Senior User and Senior Supplier may necessitate domain-specific knowledge and expertise, depending on the particular project, to accurately represent their stakeholder interests. This is what we call Domain Expertise.

4. Project decision-making roles, namely the Executive and Project Manager, must possess a thorough grasp of budgeting principles and financial management. An imperative in their positions.

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Conclusion

PRINCE2 roles and responsibilities are crucial to managing successful projects with PRINCE2. When everyone has a clear understanding of their responsibilities, it helps to manage the project better, reduce risks and get the results as per the requirements. The PRINCE2 matrix for roles and responsibilities offers a systematic structure to assign tasks and who is responsible, helping ensure team members talk clearly with each other and work together well.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1.   What are the roles in PRINCE2?

Some of the roles in PRINCE2 include Executive, Senior User, Senior Supply, Project Manager, Team Manager, Project Assurance, and Project Support. Depending on their roles, each team member has duties designed to ensure the project’s success.

2.   What are the roles and responsibilities of project assurance in PRINCE2?

PRINCE2 Project Assurance guarantees that the project is managed by an impartial member who offers independent reviewing experience. It reviews the documents to ensure the project’s successful completion, check progress, pinpoint potential problems and provide insights into what should be done to stay within the PRINCE2 principles.

3.   What is the role of the project board in PRINCE2?

The PRINCE2 project board is responsible for supervising and directing the projects in the right direction. It establishes project objectives, tracks progress and makes important decisions to ensure that the project deliveries are accomplished as expected.

4.   What are the responsibilities of project support in PRINCE2?

Project support in PRINCE2 means that the relevant administrative officials need to be present for the project manager and the team members. They are great at performing a variety of jobs, such as maintaining project documentation, organising meetings, facilitating communication among team members and undertaking administrative tasks.