The actors of a project team: organization, role and skills

The success of a project depends above all on the men and women behind it. In a constantly evolving business environment, building a high-performance project team has become a major strategic challenge. Whether it’s digital transformation, information systems implementation or change management, every initiative requires precise orchestration of talents and responsibilities.

The players on a project team form an ecosystem in which each role is complementary and indispensable. While their composition may vary according to the scope and nature of the project, certain key functions remain essential: project manager, functional and technical managers, sponsor, PMO (Project Management Office) and steering committee. Their synergy and coordination directly determine the success of the project.

In a context where the skills required are evolving rapidly in the face of the challenges of digitalization and artificial intelligence, understanding the roles and responsibilities of each player becomes fundamental. The effectiveness of a project team depends not on chance, but on a structured organization in which each member knows precisely his or her scope of action and interactions with other stakeholders.

Let’s find out together how an effective project team is organized, what the precise roles of its various players are, and what skills they need to master to meet the current and future challenges of corporate projects.

How does a project team work?

When a customer expresses a need, the company’s management will set up a team to work on the project. Insofar as the need is punctual, the project will be limited in time, with a beginning and an end often imposed in a contractual way. The company will solicit the necessary skills by addressing the various imperative constraints: time, budget, personnel, etc.

The outcome of the project is called the “deliverable”: it is the solution that will be delivered to the client in response to his need. Depending on the scope of the task, several resources will be called upon; among them, some are systematically present because they constitute the base of knowledge and skills essential to the success of the mission. Here are some examples of the essential functions.

1. The project manager

The project manager is in charge of theproject team responsible for preparing, carrying out and finalizing the project.

In organizations adopting agile methodologies, this role can be complemented by that of the Scrum Master, who facilitates the implementation of the Scrum method and ensures that obstacles encountered by the team are eliminated.

In the course of its missions, it must call upon the skills likely to ensure its success. He or she must also lead the group and synthesize the synergies between all the players.

He has an important role as a communicator, particularly in creating a team spirit that keeps everyone involved. He is often supported by a functional manager and a technical manager, but sometimes, depending on the size of the project, he may be the only member of theproject team.

2. The functional manager

The functional manager is responsible for supporting the client in its modernization and technological development process. It carries out the global operations necessary for the preliminary study, the implementation and the realization of the project. He is the guarantor of the functional quality.

His/her duties concern the proper functioning of the solution that the project will create in relation to the needs defined by the client. Like the project manager and the project team as a whole, he or she must respect the imperatives of quality, performance, deadlines and budget.

3. The technical manager

The role of the technical manager is to manage the production and technical aspects of the project. It gives its approval on the feasibility of the project from a technical point of view and on the best way to carry it out by defining each step. He analyzes the needs, organizes and implements the development of the product. He is the guarantor of the technical quality.

4. The sponsor

This is a referent who represents the client, but sometimes the sponsor can also be found on the project team side. Very often, he has an important hierarchical position in the company of the latter. His role is to act as a link between the project team and his company. Any information on the progress of the project must be communicated to him. It gives its opinion and agreement on the continuation of the actions.

The sponsor is an essential guide to ensure that the project is in line with the client’s expectations and to direct the actions. It is a pivotal element of the project. This is why it must be mobilized from the outset and regularly solicited to maintain the link and ensure that expectations and achievements are perfectly matched. This employee must occupy a strong hierarchical position (general manager, member of the management committee or executive committee for example). A lower level manager may not be fully endorsed by his or her hierarchy and may slow down the project. It is necessary that the sponsor is experienced and has a strong impact on the company. He must have a perfect command of the strategy to be followed.

5. PMO (Project Management Office)

The Project Management Office (PMO) is a service, department or individual that defines the project management processes. It brings together a set of procedures, methods and tools to enable the steering of the mission and the management of risks. Using the PMO allows you to obtain a status report at any time during the project and to anticipate any necessary changes.

The PMO oversees the governance and tools needed to plan, create, evaluate and arbitrate projects. He/she has a cross-functional role because he/she can link several projects and make the most of the skills of the players in the various project teams. Still essential in communication, it avoids the isolation of resources.

6. Steering committee

This is a group of managers who are responsible for ensuring that a project runs smoothly within a company. For example, the human resources manager, the project manager, etc. They arbitrate strategies and make decisions to bring the project to a successful conclusion.

The steering committee has a fundamental role in the start-up of the project, as well as at its closure. It also validates each strategic point of the project’s progress. It ensures that operations are in line with the objectives set at the outset. He/she supervises the smooth running of the project, communicates about the project, the preparatory work and the feedback. It sets key dates for project progress and identifies investment needs. As such, it can allocate additional resources.

The steering committee is called upon to:

• appoint the project manager, and validate the project team,
• cost the resources required, and draw up a timetable of milestones and deadlines,
• validate these steps and give the green light to move on to the next,
• ensure that the project team meets its objectives,
• arbitrate on points that require it.

To develop its full potential, the steering committee must have real decision-making power regarding the resources deployed, the deadlines set, and the choices made for the action plans.

Conclusion: the importance of a well-structured project team

The success of a project depends essentially on the quality of its human organization and the clarity of the roles assigned to each person. As we have seen, each member of a project team brings specific expertise and added value, contributing to the achievement of objectives within the constraints of quality, deadlines and costs.

In addition to the basic roles described above, other profiles can be added to this structure, depending on the complexity and scope of the project. This is particularly true of the Service Delivery Manager, who ensures operational coordination of the teams and guarantees the quality of deliverables throughout the project lifecycle.

The constant evolution of working methods, the growing adoption of agile methodologies and the integration of new technologies are gradually transforming traditional roles. However, the fundamentals of project management remain: effective communication, clear definition of responsibilities and close collaboration between all players.

The digital transformation of companies is accentuating the need for high-performance project teams, capable of adapting rapidly to change and integrating technological innovations. In this context, mastery of technical skills must be accompanied by solid interpersonal skills and a shared strategic vision.

At SQORUS, we’ve been helping companies of all sizes with their strategic digital transformation projects for over 35 years. Our experts can help you build high-performance project teams and implement the right methodologies to meet your challenges.

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