3 INTERESTS IN YOUR PROJECT
A project board represents the interest in a project delivery. The project board needs to be made up of more than just the business and the supplier delivering the project. It should also encompass the user(s) who are of equal importance when ensuring that all interests are being met during project delivery.
When creating the project board there needs to be representation from all three key areas.
Project Board Make-up
Business - the outcomes of the project are that it should meet a business need and present value for money. A representative from the business needs to form part of the executive to ensure that these outcomes are considered and monitored.
User - is someone who will be affected by the implementation of the project in some manner. For example, they could end up using the output of the project or may be impacted by they project outcome e.g. automation of a particular role.
Supplier - a representative from the supplier that is going to provide the necessary skills and resources to make the project a reality. These can be in-house or external suppliers.
For many smaller businesses, the business and user representative can end up being one and the same person. It is still important to ensure a distinction in terms of role though to ensure that both needs are met i.e. that the business is benefiting from the project and that the end-user considerations are being met.
For example, a business might benefit from implementing a new piece of software in terms of management visibility, but the effort involved in terms of operation from a user perspective might make implementation of that particular piece of software a nightmare to work with no matter how much value the business might derive from it.
Do you consider all three interests when delivering your projects?
Tags: business management, effective management, Project board, Project Management, Small Business
