Defined Roles and Responsibilities
Defined Roles and Responsibilities is a fundamental PRINCE2 principle that ensures everyone involved in a project understands their role, authority, and accountability. This principle addresses a common cause of project failure: unclear responsibilities leading to confusion, gaps, or duplicated effort. PRINCE2 establishes a defined project management team structure with clear roles and responsibilities, creating a framework where stakeholders understand not only their own duties but also how they interact with others. The methodology defines four layers of management: corporate or programme management, project board, project manager, and team management. Each layer has specific responsibilities with clear reporting lines and accountability structures. Key roles include the Executive (business sponsor), Senior User (representing users' interests), Senior Supplier (representing those designing and implementing solutions), Project Manager (day-to-day management), and Team Manager (coordinating specialized work). This principle ensures that decision-making authority is clearly allocated, with the project board responsible for major decisions while the project manager handles day-to-day management within agreed tolerances. This clarity avoids both micromanagement and lack of oversight. PRINCE2 recognizes that smaller projects may require role combinations, but maintains that all responsibilities must be allocated appropriately regardless of project size. The principle also accommodates matrix organizations where team members report to different managers. By establishing clear expectations for all participants from the outset, this principle creates efficiency, prevents confusion about who should be doing what, ensures appropriate stakeholder engagement, and establishes clear accountability. This structured approach is particularly valuable in complex projects with multiple stakeholders, where role clarity becomes essential for effective coordination.
PRINCE2 Foundation: Defined Roles and Responsibilities
Why Defined Roles and Responsibilities Are Important
Clear definition of roles and responsibilities is a crucial principle in PRINCE2 methodology because it establishes accountability and efficient project governance. When everyone knows exactly what they should be doing and who is responsible for what, projects run more smoothly with:
• Better coordination between team members
• Reduced confusion about decision-making authority
• Clear escalation paths for issues
• Appropriate delegation of tasks
• Prevention of important activities being overlooked
• Avoidance of duplication of effort
What Are Defined Roles and Responsibilities in PRINCE2?
In PRINCE2, roles and responsibilities are systematically defined through the project management team structure. Rather than assigning responsibilities to specific individuals, PRINCE2 defines roles that must be filled. This approach separates the role from the person, allowing multiple roles to be filled by one person or one role to be shared by several people, depending on the project's scale and complexity.
The key PRINCE2 roles include:
Project Board:
• Executive (ultimate accountability for the project)
• Senior User (represents those who will use the project's products)
• Senior Supplier (represents those providing resources and expertise)
Project Management:
• Project Manager (day-to-day management of the project)
• Team Manager (delivering project products)
Project Assurance:
• Business Assurance (representing the Executive)
• User Assurance (representing the Senior User)
• Supplier Assurance (representing the Senior Supplier)
Other roles:
• Change Authority (making decisions about requests for change)
• Project Support (administrative support)
How Defined Roles and Responsibilities Work in Practice
1. Role descriptions: Each role has clearly defined responsibilities, competencies, and levels of authority.
2. Role assignment: At project initiation, specific individuals are assigned to each role based on their skills and availability.
3. Documentation: Role assignments and responsibilities are documented in the Project Initiation Documentation (PID).
4. Communication: All stakeholders are informed about who is responsible for what.
5. Review: Role assignments are reviewed at stage boundaries to ensure they remain appropriate.
6. Adaptation: The structure can be tailored to the project's size and complexity, with roles combined or shared as needed.
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Defined Roles and Responsibilities
1. Know the standard roles: Memorize the key PRINCE2 roles and their primary responsibilities. Focus particularly on the Project Board composition and Project Manager duties.
2. Understand delegation limits: Remember that while responsibilities can be delegated, accountability cannot. The Executive remains ultimately accountable for the project's success.
3. Recognize separation of duties: Be clear on the separation between Project Assurance (independent oversight) and Project Management (day-to-day operations).
4. Apply the principle correctly: Questions may ask you to identify scenarios where this principle is being applied correctly or incorrectly. Look for situations where roles are unclear or responsibilities overlap inappropriately.
5. Match scenarios to roles: Practice identifying which role should handle specific situations. For example, who approves major changes to the project scope? (Project Board)
6. Remember tailoring: Be aware that role assignments can be tailored according to the project's scale, but core responsibilities must still be covered.
7. Focus on accountability: Questions often test understanding of which role is ultimately accountable for specific aspects of the project.
8. Avoid common misconceptions: Don't confuse project roles with job titles or organizational positions - they're not the same thing.
9. Connect with other principles: Understand how Defined Roles and Responsibilities connects with other PRINCE2 principles such as Manage by Exception.
10. Read carefully: Exam questions may describe a scenario and ask which role should take specific actions - pay close attention to the details provided.
When faced with questions about Defined Roles and Responsibilities, always consider the PRINCE2 structure first, then apply that knowledge to the specific scenario in the question.
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