DTU ProjectLab - User contributions [en-gb]

Project Schedule development

2018-02-27T20:55:09Z

Onysz: /* Bibliography */

==Abstract==

Managing and organizing activities to achieve a desired goals require a structured approach, as well as systematic and regularity. The article focuses on one of the segments of Time Management, namely ''project schedule development'' (PSD). It presents the importance of this aspect in terms of supporting project managers along with a project. It introduces the philosophy of scheduling and proposes a way of executing the mentioned segment.

Even though the process starts at an early stage, it is inseparable part and accompanies a project manager to an end of a project. Developing a high-quality schedule requires time, sufficient input, analysing activities and resources <ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. In order to provide expected results, based on ''PMBOK@ Guide'', technique and the methodology were presented, highlighting one of the methods: ''Critical Path Method'' (CPM). Proper application of tools leads to a fully developed schedule of all activities included in a project. Structured proceeding improves teamwork, communication and allows for better performing during a project life cycle. A sequential plan helps in controlling and reaching previously established targets.

==Motivation==
There are many reasons behind ''project schedule development ''to be taken with appropriate caution while planning time frame of a project. First of all, it provides in structure way the scheme and toolkit for planned activities. Following the guidelines, it allows to build a sufficiently detailed plan of actions with the time-frame for each activity, enable tracking the progress and updating a schedule if necessary. Secondly, transparency and overview of planned action increase efficiency and support maintaining sufficient communication flow. More organized work often results in increased motivation, awareness of the project, as well as, gives a sense of stability among employees. At last but not least, PSD implemented correctly decreases the risk of delays, helps allocated resources, which may result in minimizing potential costs of the project.

==Introduction==
===Project Time Management===
Project Time Management (PTM) is defined as a set of processes with outputs to ensure all the activities throughout a project are accomplished on time<ref name=P59>Page 59, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. It is about increasing efficiency, effectiveness and a control over time spent on particular tasks. As one of the key project management areas, PTM plays a major role in each out of five project phases. It reflects the overall performance during the project life cycle as well as the individual task consumption. “Control of time is competitive advantage”[<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/time. Retrieved 11 February 2018</ref>, wisely used can increase benefits and decrease the costs of a project.

[[File:Figure 1..jpg|thumb|right|x400px|alt=Project Management Overview|Figure 1: Project Management Overview, inspired by PMBOK® Guide <ref name=P60>Page 60, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

As it is shown in Figure 1. according to PMBOK, The Time Project Management consists of :
* Active Definition- defining particular tasks necessary to accomplished project's goals.
* Activity Sequencing- defining dependencies between project's tasks.
* Activity Duration Estimating- estimating the number of work periods that will be needed to execute individual task.
* Schedule Development- evaluating the sequences of the tasks, its duration and resources requirements in order to prepare the project schedule.
* Schedule Control- monitoring variations to the project schedule.

(different sources: PMI<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/time-management-project-functions-schedules-5283. Retrieved 11 February 2018</ref> divides it into 4 areas: Time Planning, Time Estimating, Time Scheduling and Time Control).

The overview is meant to be standardized for a general purpose of all project, however, based on a close connection between Activity Sequencing, Duration Estimating, and Development, they may be treated as one process, especially in small projects<ref name=P59 />.

===Schedule Development===
As a project has starting and finishing date, so the project's activities should have them as well. It is essential to define a beginning and an end time of the individual work during a life cycle of the project in project management. Therefore, schedule development as one of the core processes in planning processes<ref>Page 47, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>should be proceeding with details and after analyzing key activities. With its nature to recognize realistic time and resources limitations, scheduling takes both into account while preparing the plan. Since the baseline of the schedule is affected by many factors while executing this process, PMs should have in mind that the procedure must be iterated.

The flow of Schedule Development is determined by the steps (see Figure 1.) :
1.Inputs
1.1 Project network diagram- visual overview of the sequence and dependency(relation) between the activities.
1.2 Activity duration estimates- estimating the number of work periods that will be needed to execute individual task.
1.3 Resource requirements- Quantity and type of resources required for each activities from Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
1.4 Resource pool description- Quantitative and type availability of resources during project.
1.5 Calendars- Defining periods when work is allowed
1.6 Constrains- Limitations that affects project's team work. There are two main types :
1.6.1 Imposed dates,
1.6.2 Key events and major milestones.
1.7 Assumptions- hypothesis and beliefs, which are taken for granted for the purpose of the project
1.8 Leads and Lags- Dependencies between predecessor and successor activities
2. Tools and Techniques
2.1 Mathematical Analysis- based on theoretical calculations of starts and finishes of the activities (without taking under consideration any constrains) it provides the time windows where particular activity should be proceed. As most known methods includes:
2.1.1 Critical Path Method (CPM)
2.1.2 Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique (GERT)
2.1.3 Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
2.2 Duration compression- Process used to shorten duration of the activities without interfering into the scope of the project. Methods included in the process :
2.2.1 Craching
2.2.2 Fast Tracking
2.3 Simulation- Based on assumptions multiple duration of the activities are calculated. The most known simulation is Monte Carlo Analysis.
2.4 Resource leveling heuristics- based on resources constrains and limitation, start and end dates of the activities are adjusted.
2.5 Project Management software- These products allows to speed up above calculation by automating the processes
3. Outputs
3.1 Project schedule- Plan of the start and finish of each planned activity. It is shown either as table or more often as a graph like :
3.1.1 Project Network Diagrams
3.1.2 Gantt Charts
3.1.3 Milestone Charts
3.1.4 Time-scaled Network Diagrams.
3.2 Supporting detail- All assumptions and constrains related to the project,plus additional details differ on project type.
3.3 Schedule management plan- Description how the changes in the schedule are managed.
3.4 Ressource requirement updates- see point 1.4

==Application of Critical Path Method==
Out of many tools to support schedule development, CPM was chosen for a wider description, based on its general simplicity<ref>Page 190, Dragan Z. Milosevic, ''Project Management ToolBox: Tools and Techniques for the Practicing Project Manager''</ref> As the method is described in depth below, the theory behind the tool is not complicated and can be used in different kind of projects. Its relatively short time of updates and straightforward execution make this method suitable for beginners as well as more experienced project managers.

===Critical Path Method===
''Critical Path method (CPM)''' is used as a tool for scheduling activities for executing projects. It allows to determine activities with the highest impact for project. These activities are call critical and it means, that they play such a role in a whole sequences of tasks that, their delay will cause delay for the entire project. Therefore, defining CPM at the early stage and securing these activities to the possible extend, significantly decrease a risk of missing deadlines during life of a project. In order to structure the method correctly, it is important to follow these steps below <ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20100612142236/http://hspm.sph.sc.edu/COURSES/J716/CPM/CPM.html Retrieved 25 February 2018</ref>

[[File:Activity List and Precedence Diagram.jpg|thumb|right|x400px|alt=Project Management Overview|Figure 2: Activity List and Precedence Diagram adapted from Engineering4free <ref name=Engineering4free>https://www.engineer4free.com/4/how-to-draw-a-cpm-network-diagram. Retrieved 25 February 2018</ref>]]

<ol>
<li> Step 1.List of activities
In terms of preparation of defining ''critical path'' all activities included in project must be listed. Next to activities detail information about its sequence and duration must be provided. Figure
<li> Step 2.Precedence Diagram
It is visual representation of sequences. That diagram allows to allocate each activity showing clearly realtion between predecessor and successor.
<li> Step 3.Active-on-node diagram
Originally CPM was supported by PERT, but nowadays it was replaced by''active-on-node diagram'' and PERT-like estimations are rarely used<ref>Page 67, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>.
[[File:Active on node diagram.jpg|thumb|right|x280px|alt=Active on node diagram|Figure 3: Active-on-node diagram adapted from Engineering4free <ref name=Engineering4free/>]]
In the left-top corner there is a legend that describes content of each box in a node. Abbreviations meaning :

*'''A'''-Activity. In the boxes is marked as Orange letter and it defines particular activity with its details.
*'''D'''-Duration.
*'''ES''' - Earliest start, which is a value from Early Finish (EF) of the predecessor of that particular activity :EF of activity A is equal to 3, and activities B and C are its successors, so their ES is equal to 3 .
*'''EF'''-Earliest Finish, which is sum of ES and D. ''ES+D=EF''
*'''LS'''-Latest Start for particular activity.
*'''lF'''-Latest Finish, which is sum of ES and D. ''LS+D=LF''

As a first step in executing the diagram, ES and EF are necessary to be calculated. For example as it is shown in Figure 3., activity A has ES=0 and D=3, so EF=3+0=3. Then ES of activity B is 3, because EF of its predecessor is 3. When there is only one predecessor for the activity the methodology is straight forward and easy to follow. However, when activity has more than one predecessor, only one value of EF can be chosen. The rules says to choose greater EF of all options<ref name=Fondahl>Fondahl, John W. "A non-computer approach to the critical path method for the construction". Stanford University. (1962).</ref>. It is important regarding defining the longest path( See Figure 4.). Calculation are repeated till the last activity.

[[File:Greater_EF.jpg‎ |thumb|right|x280px|alt=Greater_EF|Figure 4: GreaterEF]]

When calculation forward is completed, calculation backward may start. Procedure is very similar, but now starting activity is the last one in the project.
EF of activity H becomes also LF of its activity, which means any delay in project, postpone its ending. In terms of calculating LS, LF of H activity must be subtracted with D. LS=LF-D. Then, LS of the activity H becomes LF of predecessor activity. When there is only one successor for the activity the methodology is straight forward and easy to follow. However, when activity has more than one successor, only one value of LF can be chosen. The rules says to choose lower LF of all options<ref name=Fondahl/>.

<li> Step 4.Define Critical Path
After all calculation are finish, critical path may be defined. Beginning from activity A, critical path is the one with activities having EF=LF. From Figure 3. can be noticed that critical activities are : ''A, B,D,G,H''. That equality results in no flexibility for these particular activities regarding time. If delay occur in at least on of the tasks included in a path, a date of finishing a project is delayed as well.

Activities not included in CP have so called ''Float'' or ''Slack''. Difference between LF and EF in these tasks shows amount of time, a project can be delayed without affecting overall finishing date for a project. For example activitie C : LT-EF= 11-5=6. IF a delay happens during that task and it takes less 6 days, a project is still finished on time.
</ol>

Properly prepared CMP allows to define activities, which can have the biggest impact regarding time and highlights where PM's attention should focus on. Regardless to that, CMP does not include factors like : resources availability or resources leveling. Additionally, time calculation are based on estimation and it may change the schedule. Luckily, the method stands out with its flexibility and and ability to adjust, which make it a handy tool in PM's toolkit during schedule development.

==Outputs==
Among the outputs of ''project schedule development'', project schedule was chosen to be described wider. Key features and broad use of that result make it a valuable asset for project managers during a project life.

===Project Schedule===
Project schedule is a list of deliverables, targets, milestones and activities, preferably with their dates of execution. It is built based on many related factors affecting the project. Designing a schedule resources allocation, task duration, budget, and task dependency are taken into account. That is why proper preparation of data and input factors (see figure 1.) are essential in order to establish a real project schedule. As the project schedule meant to reflect the actual status of the project it has to be updated. That kind of document are meant to be sensitive for the changes and all unplanned delays, reschedules acceleration of operation should put on the plan. That can prevent from confusion and decrease the amount of future changes in the plan

Regarding medium and large size projects or project with highly complexity, preferable result is so called '''Project Master Schedule'''. When it comes to manage and control all level tasks in projects it is important to have and general overview. Some deliverables require more activities and planning then others. Therefore, individual schedules focusing on specific part of a project. Hence, PMS is a visual summary of key targets defined in a project<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/fundamentals-master-scheduling-project-manager-1809. Retrieved 23 February 2018</ref>. Regardless, time and budget required preparing PMS, benefits for PM are undeniable. It allows efficiently coordinate tasks and support maintaining on track with an overall schedule. It might be presented in many different forms, most common once

There are numerous tools, which may be found useful in visualizing task sequence and dependence among them. Choosing the suitable one depends on PM's preferences and features are to be highlighted. Few of most common once are briefly introduced below, based on PMBOK® Guide suggestion:

''Project Network Diagram''' is graphical illustration of tasks order and relations between them. It may present either a whole project or its part. Diagram should be readable for everyone, therefore it should be followed by description of the shown sequences. WBS output is clearly visible, while preparing diagram. PND is often confused with PERT Chart ( Program Evaluation and Review Technique), which is special kind of PND and proposed as one of the tools by PMBOK® Guide while building project schedule. <ref>Page 64, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>.

''Gantt Chart'' is a bar chart presents what and when activities take place as well as how long it takes to finish the task according to a plan. Compering to PND in ''Gantt charts'' user can spotted overlaps in time of the activities. Utilization of that feature finds its usefulness in tracking parallely executed tasks. Regarding the need charts can be enriched with more detailed information, like task owner.

''Milestone Charts'' display main deliverables during life cycle of the project. Unlike ''Gantt charts'', its only shows the exact date when particular target should be achieved. Milestones are the result of accomplishment of certain activities in certain period of time. Fulfilling milestones requirements is often treated as a performance measurement and reflects accuracy in executing a project regarding established schedule.

''Time-scaled Network Diagram'' is a combination of ''network diagram'' and bar chart. That merger means that bar chart follows schedule network logic. As a result, activities on diagram based one their position and length reflect their duration. Difficulty of that method lays in the special manner of drawing a diagram .Thus, preparing the graph, description or short introduction is necessary in terms of common use and understanding.

Apart of mentions methods, PMs may find may others tools in their toolkit. Based on best practice in many companies methods are standardized and templates for the diagrams are prepared. That simplicity ensure common understanding and generality of the outputs, which are crucial for the communication flow inside projects in organizations.

===Schedule management plan===

Whenever changes are need to be applied, the focus is on being adhere to the former version of schedule. '''Schedule management plan''' is a supportive document that can be qualify as formal or informal item for the overall project schedule. it describes key indicators that are crucial in terms of managing the changes in the schedule and maintaining consistency in developing new one.

===Resources requirements update===
As the necessary resources based on type and quantity were defined and allocated, it is important to keep on track with their current status. In many companies, the number of needed resources are represented as a number of working hours- a Full-Time Equivalent (FTE). For instance, when an activity is evaluated as 0.8 FTE weekly, it means that 29,6h (0,8*37 working hours a week) of Full Time Employee time is necessary to execute that task in given time. Thus, differences in accessibility of resources directly affect timetable of the project. Therefore, all the changes in an availability of resources are crucial to being updated and reflected on the activities schedule.

==Limitation of PSD==
The concept described above allows in clear and convenient way schedule the activities for a project, however as every process it has its weakness and limitations:

* Changing the scope: Activities defined before scheduling are based on the scope and subject matter expert analysis of the project in terms of delivering a desired deliverable. Nonetheless, it is unlikely that the scope remains the same through the whole life cycle of the project. Changing the scope means also defining new or re-defining existing activities, which in results affects the outputs out of Schedule Development.
* Decreased budget: For the Schedule Developments means that duration of some activities need to be shortened and resources reallocated.
* Since projects environment is dynamic and in constant change, there is no Schedule Development tool or method, which can build 100% accurate time-frame. Projects are affected and influenced by multiple factors, which ends up with readjusting or iterating the plan.
* Project Schedule development requires many factors as an input before executing the process. If listed inputs are prepared without sufficient both information, nor quality, outputs of PSD are likely to not accrue and iteration may be necessary.
* While building a schedule some of the activities may be never performed before, which means its duration and resources estimation is based partly on assumptions. These assumptions not always align in 100% with reality and at that point, regarding misalignment plan needs to be updated or iterated.

==Glossary==
==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==

* William R. Duncan (1996): PMBOK® Guide (A Guide to The Project Management Body of Knowledge)

* PMI (Project Management Institute), an organization that defines worldwide standards for project management

Project Schedule development

2018-02-27T20:54:54Z

Onysz: /* Bibliography */

==Abstract==

Managing and organizing activities to achieve a desired goals require a structured approach, as well as systematic and regularity. The article focuses on one of the segments of Time Management, namely ''project schedule development'' (PSD). It presents the importance of this aspect in terms of supporting project managers along with a project. It introduces the philosophy of scheduling and proposes a way of executing the mentioned segment.

Even though the process starts at an early stage, it is inseparable part and accompanies a project manager to an end of a project. Developing a high-quality schedule requires time, sufficient input, analysing activities and resources <ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. In order to provide expected results, based on ''PMBOK@ Guide'', technique and the methodology were presented, highlighting one of the methods: ''Critical Path Method'' (CPM). Proper application of tools leads to a fully developed schedule of all activities included in a project. Structured proceeding improves teamwork, communication and allows for better performing during a project life cycle. A sequential plan helps in controlling and reaching previously established targets.

==Motivation==
There are many reasons behind ''project schedule development ''to be taken with appropriate caution while planning time frame of a project. First of all, it provides in structure way the scheme and toolkit for planned activities. Following the guidelines, it allows to build a sufficiently detailed plan of actions with the time-frame for each activity, enable tracking the progress and updating a schedule if necessary. Secondly, transparency and overview of planned action increase efficiency and support maintaining sufficient communication flow. More organized work often results in increased motivation, awareness of the project, as well as, gives a sense of stability among employees. At last but not least, PSD implemented correctly decreases the risk of delays, helps allocated resources, which may result in minimizing potential costs of the project.

==Introduction==
===Project Time Management===
Project Time Management (PTM) is defined as a set of processes with outputs to ensure all the activities throughout a project are accomplished on time<ref name=P59>Page 59, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. It is about increasing efficiency, effectiveness and a control over time spent on particular tasks. As one of the key project management areas, PTM plays a major role in each out of five project phases. It reflects the overall performance during the project life cycle as well as the individual task consumption. “Control of time is competitive advantage”[<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/time. Retrieved 11 February 2018</ref>, wisely used can increase benefits and decrease the costs of a project.

[[File:Figure 1..jpg|thumb|right|x400px|alt=Project Management Overview|Figure 1: Project Management Overview, inspired by PMBOK® Guide <ref name=P60>Page 60, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

As it is shown in Figure 1. according to PMBOK, The Time Project Management consists of :
* Active Definition- defining particular tasks necessary to accomplished project's goals.
* Activity Sequencing- defining dependencies between project's tasks.
* Activity Duration Estimating- estimating the number of work periods that will be needed to execute individual task.
* Schedule Development- evaluating the sequences of the tasks, its duration and resources requirements in order to prepare the project schedule.
* Schedule Control- monitoring variations to the project schedule.

(different sources: PMI<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/time-management-project-functions-schedules-5283. Retrieved 11 February 2018</ref> divides it into 4 areas: Time Planning, Time Estimating, Time Scheduling and Time Control).

The overview is meant to be standardized for a general purpose of all project, however, based on a close connection between Activity Sequencing, Duration Estimating, and Development, they may be treated as one process, especially in small projects<ref name=P59 />.

===Schedule Development===
As a project has starting and finishing date, so the project's activities should have them as well. It is essential to define a beginning and an end time of the individual work during a life cycle of the project in project management. Therefore, schedule development as one of the core processes in planning processes<ref>Page 47, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>should be proceeding with details and after analyzing key activities. With its nature to recognize realistic time and resources limitations, scheduling takes both into account while preparing the plan. Since the baseline of the schedule is affected by many factors while executing this process, PMs should have in mind that the procedure must be iterated.

The flow of Schedule Development is determined by the steps (see Figure 1.) :
1.Inputs
1.1 Project network diagram- visual overview of the sequence and dependency(relation) between the activities.
1.2 Activity duration estimates- estimating the number of work periods that will be needed to execute individual task.
1.3 Resource requirements- Quantity and type of resources required for each activities from Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
1.4 Resource pool description- Quantitative and type availability of resources during project.
1.5 Calendars- Defining periods when work is allowed
1.6 Constrains- Limitations that affects project's team work. There are two main types :
1.6.1 Imposed dates,
1.6.2 Key events and major milestones.
1.7 Assumptions- hypothesis and beliefs, which are taken for granted for the purpose of the project
1.8 Leads and Lags- Dependencies between predecessor and successor activities
2. Tools and Techniques
2.1 Mathematical Analysis- based on theoretical calculations of starts and finishes of the activities (without taking under consideration any constrains) it provides the time windows where particular activity should be proceed. As most known methods includes:
2.1.1 Critical Path Method (CPM)
2.1.2 Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique (GERT)
2.1.3 Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
2.2 Duration compression- Process used to shorten duration of the activities without interfering into the scope of the project. Methods included in the process :
2.2.1 Craching
2.2.2 Fast Tracking
2.3 Simulation- Based on assumptions multiple duration of the activities are calculated. The most known simulation is Monte Carlo Analysis.
2.4 Resource leveling heuristics- based on resources constrains and limitation, start and end dates of the activities are adjusted.
2.5 Project Management software- These products allows to speed up above calculation by automating the processes
3. Outputs
3.1 Project schedule- Plan of the start and finish of each planned activity. It is shown either as table or more often as a graph like :
3.1.1 Project Network Diagrams
3.1.2 Gantt Charts
3.1.3 Milestone Charts
3.1.4 Time-scaled Network Diagrams.
3.2 Supporting detail- All assumptions and constrains related to the project,plus additional details differ on project type.
3.3 Schedule management plan- Description how the changes in the schedule are managed.
3.4 Ressource requirement updates- see point 1.4

==Application of Critical Path Method==
Out of many tools to support schedule development, CPM was chosen for a wider description, based on its general simplicity<ref>Page 190, Dragan Z. Milosevic, ''Project Management ToolBox: Tools and Techniques for the Practicing Project Manager''</ref> As the method is described in depth below, the theory behind the tool is not complicated and can be used in different kind of projects. Its relatively short time of updates and straightforward execution make this method suitable for beginners as well as more experienced project managers.

===Critical Path Method===
''Critical Path method (CPM)''' is used as a tool for scheduling activities for executing projects. It allows to determine activities with the highest impact for project. These activities are call critical and it means, that they play such a role in a whole sequences of tasks that, their delay will cause delay for the entire project. Therefore, defining CPM at the early stage and securing these activities to the possible extend, significantly decrease a risk of missing deadlines during life of a project. In order to structure the method correctly, it is important to follow these steps below <ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20100612142236/http://hspm.sph.sc.edu/COURSES/J716/CPM/CPM.html Retrieved 25 February 2018</ref>

[[File:Activity List and Precedence Diagram.jpg|thumb|right|x400px|alt=Project Management Overview|Figure 2: Activity List and Precedence Diagram adapted from Engineering4free <ref name=Engineering4free>https://www.engineer4free.com/4/how-to-draw-a-cpm-network-diagram. Retrieved 25 February 2018</ref>]]

<ol>
<li> Step 1.List of activities
In terms of preparation of defining ''critical path'' all activities included in project must be listed. Next to activities detail information about its sequence and duration must be provided. Figure
<li> Step 2.Precedence Diagram
It is visual representation of sequences. That diagram allows to allocate each activity showing clearly realtion between predecessor and successor.
<li> Step 3.Active-on-node diagram
Originally CPM was supported by PERT, but nowadays it was replaced by''active-on-node diagram'' and PERT-like estimations are rarely used<ref>Page 67, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>.
[[File:Active on node diagram.jpg|thumb|right|x280px|alt=Active on node diagram|Figure 3: Active-on-node diagram adapted from Engineering4free <ref name=Engineering4free/>]]
In the left-top corner there is a legend that describes content of each box in a node. Abbreviations meaning :

*'''A'''-Activity. In the boxes is marked as Orange letter and it defines particular activity with its details.
*'''D'''-Duration.
*'''ES''' - Earliest start, which is a value from Early Finish (EF) of the predecessor of that particular activity :EF of activity A is equal to 3, and activities B and C are its successors, so their ES is equal to 3 .
*'''EF'''-Earliest Finish, which is sum of ES and D. ''ES+D=EF''
*'''LS'''-Latest Start for particular activity.
*'''lF'''-Latest Finish, which is sum of ES and D. ''LS+D=LF''

As a first step in executing the diagram, ES and EF are necessary to be calculated. For example as it is shown in Figure 3., activity A has ES=0 and D=3, so EF=3+0=3. Then ES of activity B is 3, because EF of its predecessor is 3. When there is only one predecessor for the activity the methodology is straight forward and easy to follow. However, when activity has more than one predecessor, only one value of EF can be chosen. The rules says to choose greater EF of all options<ref name=Fondahl>Fondahl, John W. "A non-computer approach to the critical path method for the construction". Stanford University. (1962).</ref>. It is important regarding defining the longest path( See Figure 4.). Calculation are repeated till the last activity.

[[File:Greater_EF.jpg‎ |thumb|right|x280px|alt=Greater_EF|Figure 4: GreaterEF]]

When calculation forward is completed, calculation backward may start. Procedure is very similar, but now starting activity is the last one in the project.
EF of activity H becomes also LF of its activity, which means any delay in project, postpone its ending. In terms of calculating LS, LF of H activity must be subtracted with D. LS=LF-D. Then, LS of the activity H becomes LF of predecessor activity. When there is only one successor for the activity the methodology is straight forward and easy to follow. However, when activity has more than one successor, only one value of LF can be chosen. The rules says to choose lower LF of all options<ref name=Fondahl/>.

<li> Step 4.Define Critical Path
After all calculation are finish, critical path may be defined. Beginning from activity A, critical path is the one with activities having EF=LF. From Figure 3. can be noticed that critical activities are : ''A, B,D,G,H''. That equality results in no flexibility for these particular activities regarding time. If delay occur in at least on of the tasks included in a path, a date of finishing a project is delayed as well.

Activities not included in CP have so called ''Float'' or ''Slack''. Difference between LF and EF in these tasks shows amount of time, a project can be delayed without affecting overall finishing date for a project. For example activitie C : LT-EF= 11-5=6. IF a delay happens during that task and it takes less 6 days, a project is still finished on time.
</ol>

Properly prepared CMP allows to define activities, which can have the biggest impact regarding time and highlights where PM's attention should focus on. Regardless to that, CMP does not include factors like : resources availability or resources leveling. Additionally, time calculation are based on estimation and it may change the schedule. Luckily, the method stands out with its flexibility and and ability to adjust, which make it a handy tool in PM's toolkit during schedule development.

==Outputs==
Among the outputs of ''project schedule development'', project schedule was chosen to be described wider. Key features and broad use of that result make it a valuable asset for project managers during a project life.

===Project Schedule===
Project schedule is a list of deliverables, targets, milestones and activities, preferably with their dates of execution. It is built based on many related factors affecting the project. Designing a schedule resources allocation, task duration, budget, and task dependency are taken into account. That is why proper preparation of data and input factors (see figure 1.) are essential in order to establish a real project schedule. As the project schedule meant to reflect the actual status of the project it has to be updated. That kind of document are meant to be sensitive for the changes and all unplanned delays, reschedules acceleration of operation should put on the plan. That can prevent from confusion and decrease the amount of future changes in the plan

Regarding medium and large size projects or project with highly complexity, preferable result is so called '''Project Master Schedule'''. When it comes to manage and control all level tasks in projects it is important to have and general overview. Some deliverables require more activities and planning then others. Therefore, individual schedules focusing on specific part of a project. Hence, PMS is a visual summary of key targets defined in a project<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/fundamentals-master-scheduling-project-manager-1809. Retrieved 23 February 2018</ref>. Regardless, time and budget required preparing PMS, benefits for PM are undeniable. It allows efficiently coordinate tasks and support maintaining on track with an overall schedule. It might be presented in many different forms, most common once

There are numerous tools, which may be found useful in visualizing task sequence and dependence among them. Choosing the suitable one depends on PM's preferences and features are to be highlighted. Few of most common once are briefly introduced below, based on PMBOK® Guide suggestion:

''Project Network Diagram''' is graphical illustration of tasks order and relations between them. It may present either a whole project or its part. Diagram should be readable for everyone, therefore it should be followed by description of the shown sequences. WBS output is clearly visible, while preparing diagram. PND is often confused with PERT Chart ( Program Evaluation and Review Technique), which is special kind of PND and proposed as one of the tools by PMBOK® Guide while building project schedule. <ref>Page 64, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>.

''Gantt Chart'' is a bar chart presents what and when activities take place as well as how long it takes to finish the task according to a plan. Compering to PND in ''Gantt charts'' user can spotted overlaps in time of the activities. Utilization of that feature finds its usefulness in tracking parallely executed tasks. Regarding the need charts can be enriched with more detailed information, like task owner.

''Milestone Charts'' display main deliverables during life cycle of the project. Unlike ''Gantt charts'', its only shows the exact date when particular target should be achieved. Milestones are the result of accomplishment of certain activities in certain period of time. Fulfilling milestones requirements is often treated as a performance measurement and reflects accuracy in executing a project regarding established schedule.

''Time-scaled Network Diagram'' is a combination of ''network diagram'' and bar chart. That merger means that bar chart follows schedule network logic. As a result, activities on diagram based one their position and length reflect their duration. Difficulty of that method lays in the special manner of drawing a diagram .Thus, preparing the graph, description or short introduction is necessary in terms of common use and understanding.

Apart of mentions methods, PMs may find may others tools in their toolkit. Based on best practice in many companies methods are standardized and templates for the diagrams are prepared. That simplicity ensure common understanding and generality of the outputs, which are crucial for the communication flow inside projects in organizations.

===Schedule management plan===

Whenever changes are need to be applied, the focus is on being adhere to the former version of schedule. '''Schedule management plan''' is a supportive document that can be qualify as formal or informal item for the overall project schedule. it describes key indicators that are crucial in terms of managing the changes in the schedule and maintaining consistency in developing new one.

===Resources requirements update===
As the necessary resources based on type and quantity were defined and allocated, it is important to keep on track with their current status. In many companies, the number of needed resources are represented as a number of working hours- a Full-Time Equivalent (FTE). For instance, when an activity is evaluated as 0.8 FTE weekly, it means that 29,6h (0,8*37 working hours a week) of Full Time Employee time is necessary to execute that task in given time. Thus, differences in accessibility of resources directly affect timetable of the project. Therefore, all the changes in an availability of resources are crucial to being updated and reflected on the activities schedule.

==Limitation of PSD==
The concept described above allows in clear and convenient way schedule the activities for a project, however as every process it has its weakness and limitations:

* Changing the scope: Activities defined before scheduling are based on the scope and subject matter expert analysis of the project in terms of delivering a desired deliverable. Nonetheless, it is unlikely that the scope remains the same through the whole life cycle of the project. Changing the scope means also defining new or re-defining existing activities, which in results affects the outputs out of Schedule Development.
* Decreased budget: For the Schedule Developments means that duration of some activities need to be shortened and resources reallocated.
* Since projects environment is dynamic and in constant change, there is no Schedule Development tool or method, which can build 100% accurate time-frame. Projects are affected and influenced by multiple factors, which ends up with readjusting or iterating the plan.
* Project Schedule development requires many factors as an input before executing the process. If listed inputs are prepared without sufficient both information, nor quality, outputs of PSD are likely to not accrue and iteration may be necessary.
* While building a schedule some of the activities may be never performed before, which means its duration and resources estimation is based partly on assumptions. These assumptions not always align in 100% with reality and at that point, regarding misalignment plan needs to be updated or iterated.

==Glossary==
==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==

* William R. Duncan (1996): PMBOK® Guide (A Guide to The Project Management Body of Knowledge):

* PMI (Project Management Institute), an organization that defines worldwide standards for project management:

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-27T20:10:41Z

Onysz:

==Abstract==

Without a doubt, the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within project phases are performed. In case of project management, it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role in project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensures the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly affects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on a concept of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members. It also provides a description and guidelines for applying adequate tools and methods (Belbin Team Roles, Organizational Breakdown Structure and Responsibility Assignment Matrix) to ensure that roles and responsibilities assignment is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, the methodology described in the article applies to medium-complexity projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are certain roles which should be performed in medium and large complexity projects but not necessarily in low-complexity ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valuable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, a project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved otherwise, there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking into consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to work on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase the level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful output in terms of adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for a successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose of this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responsibilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively, it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply to medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply to medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team member'''- an individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|right|400x366px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: ''Belbin and successful project teams'' <ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]]

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results of the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated to individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen in Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and be constantly updated, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated to a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, used by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely linked to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally, steering committee is responsible for signing a scoping plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in a loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on the further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process however, limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to creating a group of people within a project team, for example, a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system in a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

*'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-27T20:06:56Z

Onysz: /* Abstract */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt, the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within project phases are performed. In case of project management, it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role in project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensures the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly affects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on a concept of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members. It also provides a description and guidelines for applying adequate tools and methods(Belbin Team Roles, Organizational Breakdown Structure and Responsibility Assignment Matrix) to ensure that roles and responsibilities assignment is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, the methodology described in the article applies to medium-complexity projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are certain roles which should be performed in medium and large complexity projects but not necessarily in low-complexity ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valuable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, a project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved otherwise, there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking into consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to work on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase the level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful output in terms of adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for a successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose of this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responsibilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively, it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply to medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply to medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team member'''- an individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|right|400x366px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: ''Belbin and successful project teams'' <ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]]

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results of the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated to individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen in Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and be constantly updated, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated to a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, used by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely linked to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally, steering committee is responsible for signing a scoping plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in a loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on the further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process however, limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to creating a group of people within a project team, for example, a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system in a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

*'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T14:55:06Z

Onysz: /* Abstract */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt, the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within project phases are performed. In case of project management, it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role in project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensures the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly affects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, the methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are certain roles which should be performed in medium and large complexity projects but not necessarily in low-complexity ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valuable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, a project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved otherwise, there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking into consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to work on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase the level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful output in terms of adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for a successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose of this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responsibilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively, it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply to medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply to medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team member'''- an individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|right|400x366px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: ''Belbin and successful project teams'' <ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]]

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results of the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated to individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen in Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and be constantly updated, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated to a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, used by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely linked to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally, steering committee is responsible for signing a scoping plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in a loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on the further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process however, limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to creating a group of people within a project team, for example, a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system in a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

*'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T14:53:49Z

Onysz: /* Limitations */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt, the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role in project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly affects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, the methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are certain roles which should be performed in medium and large complexity projects but not necessarily in low-complexity ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valuable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, a project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved otherwise, there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking into consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to work on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase the level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful output in terms of adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for a successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose of this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responsibilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively, it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply to medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply to medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team member'''- an individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|right|400x366px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: ''Belbin and successful project teams'' <ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]]

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results of the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated to individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen in Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and be constantly updated, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated to a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, used by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely linked to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally, steering committee is responsible for signing a scoping plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in a loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on the further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process however, limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to creating a group of people within a project team, for example, a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system in a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

*'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T14:51:27Z

Onysz: /* Application */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt, the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role in project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly affects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, the methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are certain roles which should be performed in medium and large complexity projects but not necessarily in low-complexity ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valuable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, a project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved otherwise, there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking into consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to work on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase the level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful output in terms of adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for a successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose of this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responsibilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively, it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply to medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply to medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team member'''- an individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|right|400x366px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: ''Belbin and successful project teams'' <ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]]

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results of the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated to individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen in Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and be constantly updated, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated to a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, used by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely linked to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally, steering committee is responsible for signing a scoping plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in a loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

*'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T14:42:06Z

Onysz: /* Introduction to Project Human Resource Management */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt, the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role in project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly affects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, the methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are certain roles which should be performed in medium and large complexity projects but not necessarily in low-complexity ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valuable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, a project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved otherwise, there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking into consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to work on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase the level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful output in terms of adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for a successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose of this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responsibilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|right|400x366px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: ''Belbin and successful project teams'' <ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]]

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

*'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T14:38:46Z

Onysz: /* Background */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt, the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role in project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly affects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, the methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are certain roles which should be performed in medium and large complexity projects but not necessarily in low-complexity ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valuable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, a project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved otherwise, there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking into consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|right|400x366px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: ''Belbin and successful project teams'' <ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]]

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

*'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T14:38:19Z

Onysz: /* Motivation */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt, the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role in project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly affects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, the methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are certain roles which should be performed in medium and large complexity projects but not necessarily in low-complexity ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valuable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, a project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved otherwise, there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|right|400x366px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: ''Belbin and successful project teams'' <ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]]

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

*'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T14:37:21Z

Onysz: /* Motivation */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt, the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role in project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly affects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, the methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are certain roles which should be performed in medium and large complexity projects but not necessarily in low-complexity ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valuable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|right|400x366px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: ''Belbin and successful project teams'' <ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]]

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

*'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T14:34:07Z

Onysz: /* Abstract */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt, the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role in project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly affects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, the methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|right|400x366px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: ''Belbin and successful project teams'' <ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]]

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

*'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T14:32:29Z

Onysz:

==Abstract==

Without a doubt, the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|right|400x366px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: ''Belbin and successful project teams'' <ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]]

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

*'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T13:44:06Z

Onysz: /* Annotated bibliography */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|right|400x366px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: ''Belbin and successful project teams'' <ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]]

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

*'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:59:22Z

Onysz: /* Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|right|400x366px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: ''Belbin and successful project teams'' <ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]]

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:58:38Z

Onysz: /* Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|right|400x366px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: ''Belbin and successful project teams''<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]]

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:56:29Z

Onysz: /* Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|right|400x366px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]]

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:56:06Z

Onysz: /* Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|right|400x366px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]]

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|480x437px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:55:24Z

Onysz: /* Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|right|400x366px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]]

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:54:10Z

Onysz: /* Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|right|400x366px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]]

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:53:28Z

Onysz: /* Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|400x366px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]]

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:51:41Z

Onysz: /* Application */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned points.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:50:29Z

Onysz: /* Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned steps.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:48:59Z

Onysz: /* Application */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A subsection below covers all four mentioned steps.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:48:26Z

Onysz: /* Application */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

A sub-section below covers all four mentioned steps.

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:42:00Z

Onysz: /* Annotated bibliography */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It is intended to provide generic guidance, explain core principles and what constitutes good practice in project management. It also provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization and project team roles and responsibilities.

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:39:31Z

Onysz: /* Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2012 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:39:08Z

Onysz: /* Annotated bibliography */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

*'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)". First edition, 1996.'''
This book includes the entire collection of relevant processes, best practices, guidelines and terminologies within the project management industry.

*'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]'''
This is an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

'''ISO 21500 (2012): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.'''
This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides an excellent and concise overview of the project organization

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:28:39Z

Onysz: /* Annotated bibliography */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.'''
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''PMI® [http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf "Project Management Institute"]''', an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:27:43Z

Onysz: /* Annotated bibliography */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.'''
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''PMI® [[http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_42r-08.pdf (Project Management Institute)]''', an organization, founded in 1969, that defines worldwide standards for project management. Its website provides a reader with project management globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:16:36Z

Onysz: /* Annotated bibliography */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.'''
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''PMI'''

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:13:49Z

Onysz: /* Annotated bibliography */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

'''Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.'''
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:12:14Z

Onysz: /* Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

==== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ====
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

''Provide key references (3-10), where a reader can find additional information on the subject. The article MUST make appropriate references to the reference material provided in class – either incorporating it as a source, or critically discussing aspects that are missing from it but covered by this article. Summarize and outline the relevance of each reference to the topic (around 100 words per reference). The bibliography is not counted in the suggested 3000 word target length of the article.''

Annotated bibliography: Does the article properly cite and acknowledge previous work
(reference material provided, and appropriate other sources where necessary)? Does it
briefly summarize the key references at the end of the article?

*Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:07:49Z

Onysz: /* Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities, ISO</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

=== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ===
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

''Provide key references (3-10), where a reader can find additional information on the subject. The article MUST make appropriate references to the reference material provided in class – either incorporating it as a source, or critically discussing aspects that are missing from it but covered by this article. Summarize and outline the relevance of each reference to the topic (around 100 words per reference). The bibliography is not counted in the suggested 3000 word target length of the article.''

Annotated bibliography: Does the article properly cite and acknowledge previous work
(reference material provided, and appropriate other sources where necessary)? Does it
briefly summarize the key references at the end of the article?

*Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:05:18Z

Onysz: /* Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff (2016),[https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"]. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities.</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

=== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ===
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

''Provide key references (3-10), where a reader can find additional information on the subject. The article MUST make appropriate references to the reference material provided in class – either incorporating it as a source, or critically discussing aspects that are missing from it but covered by this article. Summarize and outline the relevance of each reference to the topic (around 100 words per reference). The bibliography is not counted in the suggested 3000 word target length of the article.''

Annotated bibliography: Does the article properly cite and acknowledge previous work
(reference material provided, and appropriate other sources where necessary)? Does it
briefly summarize the key references at the end of the article?

*Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:04:37Z

Onysz: /* Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff, [https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"] Article published on 3 November 2016. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities.</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. (2012), [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

=== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ===
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

''Provide key references (3-10), where a reader can find additional information on the subject. The article MUST make appropriate references to the reference material provided in class – either incorporating it as a source, or critically discussing aspects that are missing from it but covered by this article. Summarize and outline the relevance of each reference to the topic (around 100 words per reference). The bibliography is not counted in the suggested 3000 word target length of the article.''

Annotated bibliography: Does the article properly cite and acknowledge previous work
(reference material provided, and appropriate other sources where necessary)? Does it
briefly summarize the key references at the end of the article?

*Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:03:56Z

Onysz: /* Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff, [https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"] Article published on 3 November 2016. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities.</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"] Article published on 8 December 2012. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

=== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ===
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

''Provide key references (3-10), where a reader can find additional information on the subject. The article MUST make appropriate references to the reference material provided in class – either incorporating it as a source, or critically discussing aspects that are missing from it but covered by this article. Summarize and outline the relevance of each reference to the topic (around 100 words per reference). The bibliography is not counted in the suggested 3000 word target length of the article.''

Annotated bibliography: Does the article properly cite and acknowledge previous work
(reference material provided, and appropriate other sources where necessary)? Does it
briefly summarize the key references at the end of the article?

*Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T11:03:15Z

Onysz: /* Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff, [https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"] Article published on 3 November 2016. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities.</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"] Article published on 8 December 2012. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

=== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ===
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder, P. (2012), [https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/ "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)"]. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

''Provide key references (3-10), where a reader can find additional information on the subject. The article MUST make appropriate references to the reference material provided in class – either incorporating it as a source, or critically discussing aspects that are missing from it but covered by this article. Summarize and outline the relevance of each reference to the topic (around 100 words per reference). The bibliography is not counted in the suggested 3000 word target length of the article.''

Annotated bibliography: Does the article properly cite and acknowledge previous work
(reference material provided, and appropriate other sources where necessary)? Does it
briefly summarize the key references at the end of the article?

*Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T10:59:51Z

Onysz: /* Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>Harvard Business Review Staff, [https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management "Five Critical Roles in project management"] Article published on 3 November 2016. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities.</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"] Article published on 8 December 2012. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

=== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ===
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder, P. (2012), "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)". Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

''Provide key references (3-10), where a reader can find additional information on the subject. The article MUST make appropriate references to the reference material provided in class – either incorporating it as a source, or critically discussing aspects that are missing from it but covered by this article. Summarize and outline the relevance of each reference to the topic (around 100 words per reference). The bibliography is not counted in the suggested 3000 word target length of the article.''

Annotated bibliography: Does the article properly cite and acknowledge previous work
(reference material provided, and appropriate other sources where necessary)? Does it
briefly summarize the key references at the end of the article?

*Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T10:56:34Z

Onysz: /* Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management Five Critical Roles in project management by Harvard Business Review Staff. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities.</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. [https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php "Belbin and successful project teams"] Article published on 8 December 2012. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

=== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ===
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder, P. (2012), "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)". Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

''Provide key references (3-10), where a reader can find additional information on the subject. The article MUST make appropriate references to the reference material provided in class – either incorporating it as a source, or critically discussing aspects that are missing from it but covered by this article. Summarize and outline the relevance of each reference to the topic (around 100 words per reference). The bibliography is not counted in the suggested 3000 word target length of the article.''

Annotated bibliography: Does the article properly cite and acknowledge previous work
(reference material provided, and appropriate other sources where necessary)? Does it
briefly summarize the key references at the end of the article?

*Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T10:53:59Z

Onysz: /* Application */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management Five Critical Roles in project management by Harvard Business Review Staff. Retrieved on 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities.</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php ''Belbin and successful project teams'', 8 December 2012. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

=== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ===
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder, P. (2012), "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)". Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

''Provide key references (3-10), where a reader can find additional information on the subject. The article MUST make appropriate references to the reference material provided in class – either incorporating it as a source, or critically discussing aspects that are missing from it but covered by this article. Summarize and outline the relevance of each reference to the topic (around 100 words per reference). The bibliography is not counted in the suggested 3000 word target length of the article.''

Annotated bibliography: Does the article properly cite and acknowledge previous work
(reference material provided, and appropriate other sources where necessary)? Does it
briefly summarize the key references at the end of the article?

*Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T10:53:23Z

Onysz: /* Abstract */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved on 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved on 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management Five Critical Roles in project management by Harvard Business Review Staff. Retrieved 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities.</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php ''Belbin and successful project teams'', 8 December 2012. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

=== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ===
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder, P. (2012), "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)". Retrieved 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

''Provide key references (3-10), where a reader can find additional information on the subject. The article MUST make appropriate references to the reference material provided in class – either incorporating it as a source, or critically discussing aspects that are missing from it but covered by this article. Summarize and outline the relevance of each reference to the topic (around 100 words per reference). The bibliography is not counted in the suggested 3000 word target length of the article.''

Annotated bibliography: Does the article properly cite and acknowledge previous work
(reference material provided, and appropriate other sources where necessary)? Does it
briefly summarize the key references at the end of the article?

*Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T10:52:49Z

Onysz: /* Abstract */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved 12 February 2018</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved 15 February 2018</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management Five Critical Roles in project management by Harvard Business Review Staff. Retrieved 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities.</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php ''Belbin and successful project teams'', 8 December 2012. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

=== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ===
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder, P. (2012), "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)". Retrieved 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

''Provide key references (3-10), where a reader can find additional information on the subject. The article MUST make appropriate references to the reference material provided in class – either incorporating it as a source, or critically discussing aspects that are missing from it but covered by this article. Summarize and outline the relevance of each reference to the topic (around 100 words per reference). The bibliography is not counted in the suggested 3000 word target length of the article.''

Annotated bibliography: Does the article properly cite and acknowledge previous work
(reference material provided, and appropriate other sources where necessary)? Does it
briefly summarize the key references at the end of the article?

*Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T10:52:13Z

Onysz: /* Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved 12 February 2018.</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved 15 February 2018.</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management Five Critical Roles in project management by Harvard Business Review Staff. Retrieved 13 February 2018</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities.</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php ''Belbin and successful project teams'', 8 December 2012. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

=== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ===
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder, P. (2012), "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)". Retrieved 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

''Provide key references (3-10), where a reader can find additional information on the subject. The article MUST make appropriate references to the reference material provided in class – either incorporating it as a source, or critically discussing aspects that are missing from it but covered by this article. Summarize and outline the relevance of each reference to the topic (around 100 words per reference). The bibliography is not counted in the suggested 3000 word target length of the article.''

Annotated bibliography: Does the article properly cite and acknowledge previous work
(reference material provided, and appropriate other sources where necessary)? Does it
briefly summarize the key references at the end of the article?

*Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T10:51:14Z

Onysz: /* Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved 12 February 2018.</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved 15 February 2018.</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management Five Critical Roles in project management by Harvard Business Review Staff. Retrieved 13 February 2018.</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities.</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>Dr. Jungnickel D., Mustafa A. https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php ''Belbin and successful project teams'', 8 December 2012. Retrieved on 24 February 2018</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

=== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ===
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder, P. (2012), "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)". Retrieved 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

''Provide key references (3-10), where a reader can find additional information on the subject. The article MUST make appropriate references to the reference material provided in class – either incorporating it as a source, or critically discussing aspects that are missing from it but covered by this article. Summarize and outline the relevance of each reference to the topic (around 100 words per reference). The bibliography is not counted in the suggested 3000 word target length of the article.''

Annotated bibliography: Does the article properly cite and acknowledge previous work
(reference material provided, and appropriate other sources where necessary)? Does it
briefly summarize the key references at the end of the article?

*Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T10:45:48Z

Onysz: /* Abstract */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource PMI®. Retrieved 12 February 2018.</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved 15 February 2018.</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management Five Critical Roles in project management by Harvard Business Review Staff. Retrieved 13 February 2018.</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities.</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php Article title: "Belbin and successful project teams" by Dr. Dirk Jungnickel and Abid Mustafa. 8 December 2012.</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

=== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ===
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder, P. (2012), "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)". Retrieved 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

''Provide key references (3-10), where a reader can find additional information on the subject. The article MUST make appropriate references to the reference material provided in class – either incorporating it as a source, or critically discussing aspects that are missing from it but covered by this article. Summarize and outline the relevance of each reference to the topic (around 100 words per reference). The bibliography is not counted in the suggested 3000 word target length of the article.''

Annotated bibliography: Does the article properly cite and acknowledge previous work
(reference material provided, and appropriate other sources where necessary)? Does it
briefly summarize the key references at the end of the article?

*Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T10:45:26Z

Onysz: /* Abstract */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource Project Management Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2018.</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope PMI®. Retrieved 15 February 2018.</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management Five Critical Roles in project management by Harvard Business Review Staff. Retrieved 13 February 2018.</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities.</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php Article title: "Belbin and successful project teams" by Dr. Dirk Jungnickel and Abid Mustafa. 8 December 2012.</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

=== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ===
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder, P. (2012), "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)". Retrieved 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

''Provide key references (3-10), where a reader can find additional information on the subject. The article MUST make appropriate references to the reference material provided in class – either incorporating it as a source, or critically discussing aspects that are missing from it but covered by this article. Summarize and outline the relevance of each reference to the topic (around 100 words per reference). The bibliography is not counted in the suggested 3000 word target length of the article.''

Annotated bibliography: Does the article properly cite and acknowledge previous work
(reference material provided, and appropriate other sources where necessary)? Does it
briefly summarize the key references at the end of the article?

*Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T10:42:34Z

Onysz: /* Belbin Team Roles (BTR) */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource Project Management Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2018.</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope Project Management Institute. Retrieved 15 February 2018.</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management Five Critical Roles in project management by Harvard Business Review Staff. Retrieved 13 February 2018.</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities.</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php Article title: "Belbin and successful project teams" by Dr. Dirk Jungnickel and Abid Mustafa. 8 December 2012.</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of each project team member for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

=== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ===
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder, P. (2012), "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)". Retrieved 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

''Provide key references (3-10), where a reader can find additional information on the subject. The article MUST make appropriate references to the reference material provided in class – either incorporating it as a source, or critically discussing aspects that are missing from it but covered by this article. Summarize and outline the relevance of each reference to the topic (around 100 words per reference). The bibliography is not counted in the suggested 3000 word target length of the article.''

Annotated bibliography: Does the article properly cite and acknowledge previous work
(reference material provided, and appropriate other sources where necessary)? Does it
briefly summarize the key references at the end of the article?

*Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T10:41:48Z

Onysz: /* Belbin Team Roles (BTR) */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource Project Management Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2018.</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope Project Management Institute. Retrieved 15 February 2018.</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management Five Critical Roles in project management by Harvard Business Review Staff. Retrieved 13 February 2018.</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities.</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php Article title: "Belbin and successful project teams" by Dr. Dirk Jungnickel and Abid Mustafa. 8 December 2012.</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The application of the method is in form of an individual test and based on its results it determines the suitability of project team individuals for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

=== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ===
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder, P. (2012), "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)". Retrieved 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

''Provide key references (3-10), where a reader can find additional information on the subject. The article MUST make appropriate references to the reference material provided in class – either incorporating it as a source, or critically discussing aspects that are missing from it but covered by this article. Summarize and outline the relevance of each reference to the topic (around 100 words per reference). The bibliography is not counted in the suggested 3000 word target length of the article.''

Annotated bibliography: Does the article properly cite and acknowledge previous work
(reference material provided, and appropriate other sources where necessary)? Does it
briefly summarize the key references at the end of the article?

*Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />

Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

2018-02-26T10:38:19Z

Onysz: /* Limitations */

==Abstract==

Without a doubt the human role is an inseparable part of project management. Hiring and involving the right people who will be committed throughout a whole project life cycle <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Life Cycle:''' A time slot within a project phases are performed. In case of project management it has defined start and end dates.</ref> is of critical importance<ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/resource Project Management Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2018.</ref>. Thus organizational planning plays an important role within project human resource management <ref group="glossary"> '''Project Human Resource Management:''' A set of processes within a project which ensure the most effective use of human resources.</ref> as its final output significantly effects project overall performance<ref>Page 31, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>. The output consists of, among others:
*Selection of a project team<ref group="glossary"> '''Project Team:''' A group of people created for a sole purpose of performing a certain project within its life cycle. The team is disbanded once a project is completed. </ref>
*Assignment of roles and responsibilities to everyone involved, which is a process of defining who does what (''roles'') and who decides what (''responsibilities'') and it is considered to be a solid foundation of every project to be successfully executed<ref name=P96>Page 96, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>
* Creation of an organizational chart

Project team roles and responsibilities should always link to a project scope, defined as "work required to output a project’s deliverable", <ref>https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/scope Project Management Institute. Retrieved 15 February 2018.</ref> hence nothing is omitted as well as just value adding deliverables are performed. This is why it is essential to clearly allocate roles and define responsibilities for everyone within a project team already from the very beginning of a project life cycle.

This article focuses on the method of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team members and applying adequate tools to ensure it is preserved and maintained properly during a project life cycle. The objective of the article is to provide project managers with instructions and application-ready templates. For superior understanding, methodology described in the article applies to a medium size projects and refers to the leading pharmaceutical industry best practices.

==Motivation==

It is project managers' role to build a project team, adequately assign roles and responsibilities to its members and make sure everything established is clear for everyone throughout a project life cycle. There are multiple reasons why project managers should have a careful approach to these processes.

First of all, it is essential to define a project size beforehand to support effective project execution. The more people are needed on board, the more roles and responsibilities need to be allocated among them. There are a certain roles which should be performed in medium and large projects but not necessarily in a small ones. This is also explained in detail further in the article.

Secondly, it happens that roles and responsibilities are assigned to people who do not have neither an interest nor a required knowledge or an experience to perform successfully. As a result, a project scope might become unsettled, deliverables might not be valueable as expected and in the end - a project might run behind a schedule.

Thirdly, transparency is a key for a project team to be effective. Once roles and responsibilities are assigned, project manager should ensure everything is documented as well as transparent and clear for everyone involved, otherwise there is a risk of not delivering what intended. Examples of tools and methods that support project managers in performing this processes are described further in the article.

==Background==

Before approaching a process of assigning roles and responsibilities to a project team, it is essential for a project manager to correctly define a project size.
Taking under consideration the pharmaceutical company best practices, a project size is defined mostly based on the Total Project Cost (TPC) <ref group="glossary"> '''Total Project Cost (TPC):''' A sum of Operational Expense (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) including contingency sums.</ref> and distributes as followed:

* ''' Low-complexity projects ''' (below 10 million DKK)
* ''' Medium-complexity projects ''' (more than 10 but less than 100 million DKK)
* ''' Large-complexity projects ''' (above 100 million DKK)

The article focuses on the medium-complexity projects to cover the steps that do not necessarily appear in the low-complexity projects but are relevant for project managers to be similar with.

==Introduction to Project Human Resource Management==

[[File:Project Human Resource Management.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 1: Project human resource management overview, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P94>Page 94, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>]]

Project human resource management is one of nine project management knowledge areas <ref group="glossary"> '''The Project Management Knowledge Areas:''' A set of nine knowledge areas which contribute to project management knowledge and practice.</ref> and includes a set of processes which ensures the most effective use of human resources throughout a project. According to Figure 1, which presents the project human resource overview, there are three major processes within this project management knowledge area, namely <ref>Page 93, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref>:
* ''' Organizational Planning ''' - identifying, assessing and documenting roles and responsibilities as well as reporting relationships present in a project
* ''' Staff Acquisition ''' - assigning the needed human resources to working on a project
* ''' Team Development ''' - developing of a project team skills for team as a whole as well as for individual team members to increase level of project performance

The article focuses on the organizational planning process, mostly on how to generate a successful outputs in terms of an adequate assignment roles and responsibilities to a project team as well as assurance of its transparency throughout a project life cycle.

=== Organizational Planning ===

Appropriate allocation of roles and responsibilities among a project team members and its transparency are crucial for successful project performance. That is why the majority of organizational planning process is done during the earliest phases of a project life cycle<ref name=P94 />. Nevertheless, project managers should remember to review it regularly throughout a project, so it is ensured that just necessary roles and responsibilities are being performed.

The main purpose for this process is to:
* Secure sufficient resources for the project and the right competencies
* Ensure clear roles and responsibilities
* Ensure a visible structure for overall roles and responisbilities
* Ensure fast reporting and decision making processes

It is important that a project organizational planning setup is documented, fully understood and agreed upon by all project team members to ensure transparency of assigned roles and responsibilities.

==Application==

Once a project manager defined a project size and identified key roles and responsibilities necessary for a project, it is a time to form a project team out of the people who possess necessary competencies and experience. Regarding to a specific pharmaceutical company best practices, a project manager should preferably choose an internally available human resources from a parent company. Alternatively it is also an option to hire someone external, for instance from a consulting company, in case there is a need for a specialist who is not available in the parent company at that time.

To obtain desirable outcomes from assigning a project team roles and responsibilities, a project manager should respectively:
<ol>
<li> Assign roles to a project team members - make sure to assign proper roles to proper people
<li> Allocate responsibilities among a project team members
<li> Ensure transparency of agreed set up
<li> Make sure outputs are regularly checked throughout a project life cycle
</ol>

=== Assigning Project Team Roles and Responsibilities ===

Based on Harvard Business Review, the right people need to be on board to meet a project objectives. Moreover, these people need to have a clear understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are<ref>https://hbr.org/2016/11/five-critical-roles-in-project-management Five Critical Roles in project management by Harvard Business Review Staff. Retrieved 13 February 2018.</ref>.

A standard project organization consists of <ref>Page 51, 2013 ed. ISO 21500: Guidance on project management: Roles, responsibilities,
tasks and activities.</ref>:

* '''Project owner'''- overall responsible for a project and anchoring in relevant governance structure
* '''Project manager'''- responsible for driving a project in accordance with a project purpose, a project owner and other relevant stakeholders. Project manager makes sure that a project proceeds under the established budget, within the agreed time frame while being supported by sufficient resources and achieving its objectives
* '''Steering committee (Project Governance)'''(optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - responsible for decision-making on key issues and overall guidance. Project managers should avoid having more participants than necessary – only these needed for taking critical decisions should be part of a steering committee. Stakeholders that can provide relevant input, but are not needed for a decision-making process, should be handled in a reference group or individually
* '''Project sponsor''' - responsible for authorizing the project, making executive decisions and solving conflicts which lie beyond a project manager's jurisdiction
* '''Reference group''' (optional but recommended to apply within medium- and large-complexity projects) - people from with the specific knowledge and area of expertise who are needed to provide the necessary input for the project
* '''Project team members'''- individual who actively contribute in one or more phases in a project. Responsible for specific work streams within a project. Ensure that the work streams are structured in accordance with the key project deliverables and as far as possible can be managed independently of the other work streams

When it comes to the medium- and large-complexity projects, where more people need to be involved, a project team is proportionally more extensive as well as roles and responsibilities can be assigned and performed both by individuals or a smaller teams within a project team. In the low-complexity projects some roles, which are not relevant, can be omitted.

[[File:Belbin Team Roles.jpg|thumb|left|420x386px|Figure 2: List and description of Belbin team roles, adapted from the article: "Belbin and successful project teams"<ref name=Belbin>https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/belbin-and-successful-project-teams.php Article title: "Belbin and successful project teams" by Dr. Dirk Jungnickel and Abid Mustafa. 8 December 2012.</ref>]].

==== Belbin Team Roles (BTR) ====

Successful project team is not just a group of people with roles assigned based on their academic qualification, professional certification and competencies. The key point is to match the right individuals into designated project team roles. As the result, team spirit and motivation within a project team will be enhanced. It may occur not so easy, especially when a project manager needs to choose from a number of competent people who can perform multiple roles.

When project managers are in doubt of how to properly allocate roles to each project team members, they might consider using some methods or tools which support their final decision. One of the suggestions is to apply the Belbin Team Roles (BTR) method. The method is in form of a personality test and based on its results it determines the suitability of project team individuals for specific roles within a project<ref name=Belbin />.

According to the BTR method, there are nine roles in a team, namely: ''plant'', ''resource investigator'', ''co-ordinator'', ''shaper'', ''monitor evaluator'', ''team worker'', ''implementer'', ''completer finisher'' and ''specialist''. Each of them is briefly described in Figure 2. Based on the results from the test and description of the suggested roles, a project manager can get an overview of a project team members' capabilities what might make a process of assigning roles easier and more accurate.

==== Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) ====

[[File:OSB2.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 3: Template of an organizational breakdown structure, inspired by the best practices from a specific pharmaceutical company]]

Once project team roles are distributed, it is essential that a project manager makes sure it is transparent for everyone. An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a good example of how to ensure a visible structure of the roles within a project team. The OBS is a specific type of an organization chart<ref group="glossary"> '''Organization chart:''' A diagram that shows the structure of an organization and the relationships of its parts and positions.</ref> which clearly presents assignment of roles to a project team individuals or units<ref>Page 98, 1996 ed. PMBOK® Guide</ref> and is considered as an important output from the organizational planning process.

A creation of the OBS is a simple process once a project team roles are already known. It graphically presents a top-down structure of a project organization.

Figure 3 shows a template of OBS for a medium-complexity project which is being used by project managers from a specific pharmaceutical company based on its best practices. The blue fields present roles whereas each "XXX" on fields' side is dedicated for individual's names and their job positions. As a result, the chart includes all relevant information. In more complex projects there might be more than just one person assigned to some roles, such as steering committee or reference group.

Additionally, as it can be seen on Figure 3, the OSB transparently shows correlations between roles in terms of their authority levels and reporting.

It is worth mentioning that in low-complexity projects not all of the roles are relevant to be covered. For instance, it is common that reference group is necessary mostly in medium and large-complexity projects.

The OSB should be available for everyone and being constantly updating, since roles and people involved may vary over a project life cycle.<ref name=P96 />

=== Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) ===
[[File:RAM.jpg|thumb|right|501x468px|Figure 4: Example of the responsibility assignment matrix, adapted from the PMBOK® Guide<ref name=P96 />]]

Once a set of roles is defined and allocated between a project team members, it can be combined with designed earlier responsibilities. A project manager role is to make sure it is clear what should be done by whom throughout a project life cycle.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a popular tool, using by project managers, which visualizes assigned roles and responsibilities and as a result, makes it transparent for everyone involved. Another important purpose of using RAM is ensuring that project team roles and responsibilities are closely link to a project scope definition<ref name=P96 />.

To perform it appropriately, project managers can follow these steps<ref name=RAM>Mulder, P. (2012), "Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)". Retrieved 24 February 2018</ref>:
<ol>
<li> Make sure necessary roles throughout project are defined and distributed within a project team
<li> Identify all project deliverables
<li> Discuss with project team members how they would like to support each other to enhance project performance. Define each team member's responsibilities
<li> Prepare the initial RAM draft - place the responsibilities on the left-hand column and each individual/group on the top right-hand raw. Fill out formed matrix cells with an adequate type of responsibility (''P-Participant''; ''A-Accountable''; ''R-Review required''; ''I-Input required'' or ''S-sign-off required'')
<li> Confirm with all project team members on created RAM draft to prevent misunderstandings
<li> After everyone's approval is obtained - complete the final RAM
</ol>

It is important that project managers remember to update the RAM by going through the steps 3-6 once again if responsibilities change during a project life cycle<ref name=RAM/>.

RAM is applicable to every project but its final layout depends on a project size. In low-complexity projects roles and responsibilities are assigned individually to each of a project team members. Nevertheless, the more complex a project is the more people need to be involved. Thus, in medium and large-complexity projects roles and responsibilities may be assessed both to the individual units as well as groups of people<ref name=P96 />. In case of large-complexity projects, it may be worth considering to divide responsibilities into sub-tasks and add a column with tasks description to keep the RAM clear and easy to follow.

Figure 4 presents an example of RAM in a medium-complexity project. The top right-hand raw includes roles of individuals (e.g. project manager) but also groups of people (e.g. reference group).
Empty fields mean that a particular role does not have any responsibility for a corresponding task. For instance, both team members do not have any responsibility for a scope planning, due to the fact that a project team is usually being selected after a project scope is already defined. Following this example, a project manager is responsible for a scope planning, a reference group is required to provide a project manager with a relevant input and finally steering committee is responsible for signing a scope plan once it is defined by a project manager.

Generally, RAM is a good project management tool which lets project managers know whether a distribution of tasks is done correctly, keeps all project team members in loop and reduces miscommunication between them as well as a result - enhances project performance.

== Limitations==

Roles and responsibilities assignment is a very important output from the organizational planning process and has a solid influence on further quality level of a project performance. Every project needs to have its team roles and responsibilities defined and allocated at the earliest possible stage. Many activities contribute to obtain a desirable output. Methods and tools, described in this article, are intended to support project managers during this process, however limitations need to be considered before and during their application.

Before applying tools and methods, it is important for project managers to keep in mind that they are limited with two general points to ensure valuable assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Firs of all, project managers need to define a project size (low, medium or large complexity) beforehand. It is relevant since usage of methods and tools strongly depend on it.

Second of all, roles and responsibilities need to be strongly linked to a project scope, so it is ensured that nothing will be omitted as well as just necessary work will be performed.

=== Reflection on methods and tools used ===

* '''Belbin Team Roles (BTR)''', suggested in this article as a method for supporting project managers while assigning roles to a project team members, has some points that need to be kept in mind. Firstly, the test does not have a personality results and thereby does not highlight the best matches when it comes to create a group of people within a project team, for example a reference group. Therefore, project managers should be careful when matching people with a similar competencies to share the same role, because they can simply not be pleased and efficient while working together. Secondly, the nine Belbin team roles are not an exact equivalent of roles within a project organization. They may just give a suggestion to project managers of who would be a good choice to performing which role, but they should not completely rely on this results. Ideally, the final assignment could be a combination of BTR suggestions and project managers' personal opinion about a project team members.
* '''Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)''', known as an output from the organizational planning process, is a tool to present a project organization chart in a clear way. The only limitation is that OBS is never fixed. Roles tend to change throughout a project life cycle and thereby OBS needs to be constantly reviewed and updated by project managers to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings.
* '''Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)''', presented as a tool used by project managers to transparently present who within a project team is responsible for which tasks. Project managers need to keep in mind, that there is no fixed template for RAM - its layout strongly depends on a project size which needs to be defined beforehand for RAM to be valuable. Another point is that it does not provide a project team with responsibilities flexibility once it is created, thereby it is important to keep a well-developed communication system within a project organization, hence RAM can be adjusted to a project and its team needs. Finally, as in case of OBS, RAM is not fixed once it is created, hence project managers need to remember about updating it constantly after even a minor change within roles and responsibilities.

==Glossary==
<references group="glossary" />

== Annotated bibliography==

''Provide key references (3-10), where a reader can find additional information on the subject. The article MUST make appropriate references to the reference material provided in class – either incorporating it as a source, or critically discussing aspects that are missing from it but covered by this article. Summarize and outline the relevance of each reference to the topic (around 100 words per reference). The bibliography is not counted in the suggested 3000 word target length of the article.''

Annotated bibliography: Does the article properly cite and acknowledge previous work
(reference material provided, and appropriate other sources where necessary)? Does it
briefly summarize the key references at the end of the article?

*Project Management Institute. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® guide)". 1996 Edition.
This book includes a relevant theory, concepts, and terminology within Project Management.

'''ISO 21500 (2013): ''Guidance on project management'' International Organisation for Standardization.''' This is the ISO standard for project management. It provides clear and authoritative definitions of ....

==References==
<references />