Reports - IT Projects

Senior Responsible Owner (SRO): Interim Guidance

What is a Senior Responsible Owner?

The Senior Responsible Owner is the individual responsible for ensuring that a project or programme meets its objectives and delivers the projected benefits. They should be the owner of the overall business change that is being supported by the project. The SRO should ensure that the project or programme maintains its business focus, has clear authority and that the context, including risks, is actively managed. The individual should be recognised as the owner throughout the organisation.

The roles and responsibilities of the SRO will be familiar to some in Government, although different terminology will be in use. The role fits existing project management methodologies because the SRO, as owner of the business change, should be the chair of the project (or programme) board.

The role of an SRO

· being prepared to take active decisions throughout life of the project

· overseeing the development of the project brief and business case

·ensuring that there is a coherent project organisation structure and logical plan(s)

· monitoring and controlling the progress of the project at a strategic level (at an operational level this is the responsibility of project managers)

· formally closing the project and ensuring that the lessons learned from the project are documented within the end of project evaluation report

· ensuring that the post implementation review takes place, the output is forwarded to the appropriate stakeholders and the benefits have been realised

·referring serious problems upwards to top management and/or Ministers as necessary, in a timely manner

What behaviours and characteristics should an SRO have?

An SRO needs to:

• take responsibility - including putting things right when they go wrong, and ensuring recognition is given when they go right
• have a good understanding of the business issues associated with the project
• be a senior reputable figure approved by the Department/Agency Management Board, or their delegated authority to be the SRO for a project or programme
• be active, not a figurehead
• have sufficient experience and training to carry out SRO responsibilities.

An SRO must be someone who can:

• broker relationships with stakeholders within and outside the project
• deploy delegated authority to ensure that the project achieves its objectives
• provide advice and guidance to the project manager(s) as necessary
• acknowledge their own skill/knowledge gaps and structure the project board and project management team accordingly
• give the time required to perform the role effectively
• negotiate well and influence people
• be aware of the broader perspective and how it impacts on the project
• network effectively
• be honest and frank about project progress

An individual’s responsibilities as an SRO should be explicitly included in their personal objectives. The SRO for a project or programme should remain in place throughout or change only when a distinct phase of benefit delivery has been completed.

See section 2 of the report.

Checklist

Peer review and gateways

For more detail, follow these links:

IT Projects Review Report; OGC website

Starting up a project

Role 1: to oversee the development of the project brief and business case

• Have you critically and constructively reviewed the proposals? Are they particularly novel in terms of process or technology?
• Does the project brief describe the project in full and from a business perspective?
• Have you identified and listed the primary and secondary stakeholders associated with the project?
• Does the proposed project fit well within the existing programme of projects?
• Does the project fit well with Departmental and Government strategic initiatives, frameworks and architectures?
• Have you arranged to present the project brief and business case at an appropriate stage to the stakeholder Management Board(s)?
• Has the proposed project been formally registered with the appropriate Departmental forum for approval?
• Have you tested the underlying assumptions within the project brief and business case?
• Is it clear where the benefits should accrue, and how they will accrue, from the proposed change? How they will be measured?
• Does the project have an agreed set of performance measures against which performance can be measured during the life of the project, and at its conclusion?
• Does the business case reflect the full cost of the project including associated business change costs? Are the funding estimates robust? What are the margins for error and assumptions made? How will funding be tracked?
• Can people not familiar with the project understand the project brief and business case?
• Are you confident that you are the right person to be the SRO for this project?
• Does the business case require the expertise of a specialist - e.g. qualified accountants, risk managers?
• Have you used the OGC’s Project Profile Model to support you in assessing the complexity of the project/programme and identifying the most appropriate project manager?
• Has the project gone through the formal approval process? Has approval been gained to go on to the next stage?

Initiation & planning

Role 2: to ensure that there is a coherent project organisation structure and appropriate plan(s)

• Will the project be taken forward by use of a modular/incremental approach? If not, why not?
• Has the project been registered within the Agency/HQ Programme Management function?
• How difficult is the proposed project?
• Have you put in place appropriate, formal, structured project/programme management arrangements? Is there an appropriate reporting structure with accountabilities?
• Have project stakeholders been identified? Are there mechanisms for consulting them as necessary? Where the project cuts across organisational boundaries (i.e. “cross-cutting”), have other Departments/agencies been fully signed up?
• Have your terms of reference in relation to the project been agreed and understood by all on the project and stakeholders (business and users)? Have they been signed-off by the appropriate authority?
• Is a skilled and experienced project manager in place and is the reporting line for the project manager into the project board properly defined?
• Is the Project Initiation Document fit for purpose, concise and readable?
• Are you confident that the project plans are logical, coherent and achievable? Are all the plans for the different aspects of a business change (e.g. IT, personnel, accommodation) fully compatible?
• Does the project plan have a direct relationship with the original project brief and business case, and with the overall strategy of the organisation?
• (where applicable) Have you assured yourself that the plans produced by the suppliers are robust (in terms of timescale, cost, and technology)?
• Are you satisfied that the suppliers understand your requirements adequately? Is this documented and agreed?
• Have you agreed with the project board members what constitutes "approval to proceed to the next stage of the project"?
• Is there agreement that you will chair all project board meetings?
• Have you dealt with “outstanding issues” before going on to the next step
• Have you dealt early enough with project communication issues - assigned responsibilities to people who can get the message across - used experts if necessary - tested whether the messages are being communicated
• Is the Departmental Accounting Officer aware that the project exists and the potential risks to the Department’s business, including all interdependencies (if the project fails)? Does your risk management strategy take account of this explicitly?
• Have you agreed with the project board the frequency, format, style and content of required project monitoring reports?
• Have you agreed and set tolerance levels covering time, cost and functionality with the project board?
• Have you identified alternative, non-technical ways of walking a) project board members b) stakeholders, including senior stakeholders, through complex information?
• Have you asked all stakeholders what they perceive are the project risks?
• Have you assigned risk management responsibilities to the project board and project team?
• Do you have mechanisms to ensure regular, accurate reporting of risk, e.g. exception tools?
• Has the project gone through the formal approval process? Has approval been gained to go on to the next stage?
• Are the project assurance processes and reporting procedures (e.g. user assurance, risk exception tools etc.) rigorous and robust?
• Is the project funding still adequate?
• Do you need to review the membership of the project board? Is the project board able to make decisions or is it just a discussion forum? Have you checked that board members have received training for their role on the board?

Control & execution

Role 3: to monitor and control the progress of the project at a strategic level

• Managing the context – how is the broader environment impacting upon the project’s objectives/delivery or being impacted by your initiative? For example, have the Department's business priorities shifted to a new issue?
• Have new legislation, policies, procedures or technological innovation eroded the project’s capacity to deliver the projected benefits?
• Is the business case being kept up to date to reflect these developments? If developments invalidate original cost/benefit analysis, have you cancelled the project?
• Has the project gone through the formal approval process? Has approval been gained to go on to the next stage?
• Has the project been subject to peer review(s) at the appropriate level? Have these taken place i) before contract signing/award of work to existing supplier; ii) before full implementation? Have any concerns raised by the review (s) been addressed satisfactorily?
• Is there sufficient evidence to assure the project board that the agreed project deliverables have been completed in accordance with the agreed specification, and that they meet stakeholders’ expectations?
• Have you checked to ensure the Project Plan is properly maintained and accurately reflects the project? Have you ensured that any changes to the Plan are within tolerance levels? If a change causes the Plan to exceed tolerances have the proper exception processes been employed? What corrective action needs to be taken?
• Are suppliers delivering in accordance with their plans?
• Has the project team completed the specified tasks and met the milestones within the agreed time?
• Has due care, attention and consideration been given to internal and external project dependencies along the critical path?
• What are the consequences of missed milestones or other projects not delivering on time?
• Are areas reneging on their resource commitments and hampering progress within your project?
• What problems is the project team facing? Is the right project team structure in place?
• What is the consumption of resources (people, money and assets) in relation to the budget? Are there enough resources? Are they the right resources?
• Are team members motivated and fulfilling their roles efficiently and effectively? Are new and different skills required?
• Is there sufficient evidence to provide the project board with assurance of budget compliance?
• Are there regular checkpoint meetings?
• Is information communicated to those (stakeholders) who need to know - both within and outside the project?
• Is the project working within a co-operative environment?
• Does the project board spend enough time looking ahead - rather than looking back?
• Are you still the most appropriate person to continue to remain the senior responsible official for the project?
• Change control mechanisms – are these in place?

Close

Role 4: to formally close the project and ensure that the lessons learned from the project are documented within the end of project evaluation report; to ensure that benefits projected are being realised

• Has the project completed what it set out to do? Is it delivering the projected benefits? Have you carried out a formal review?
• Have you asked the project manager to draw-up a checklist of open issues, which should be handed over to the appropriate line management within the organisation?
• What is the agreed plan for the re-integration of team members back into the organisation?
• Have you evaluated the project? Does this need to be an independent project evaluation?
• Who will benefit from the lessons learned?
• Have you agreed a process for ensuring that the project evaluation exercise will not be "academic" and will change the organisation's management and implementation of projects?
• How satisfied is the customer?
• Are adequate ongoing maintenance and support arrangements in place?

Post Implementation Review

Role 5: to ensure that a post-implementation review takes place

• Have you commissioned a post-implementation review (PIR)?
• Have you agreed the scope and approach to be employed in carrying out the PIR? (This should involve the operational unit which has assumed responsibility for the project deliverables/realisation of benefits)
• Is the PIR team adequately resourced?
• What can you do to ensure that the recommendations of the PIR will be implemented?
• Are you sure that you have made a clear distinction between the PIR and the final project evaluation report?(The former focuses on the mechanics of the project and lessons learned for the future. The latter focuses on the project's delivery of business benefits.)

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