PRINCE2 Organization

“Organize, don't agonize.” ― Nancy Pelosi
“The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.“
 - Vince Lombardi

A PRINCE2 project organization is built on the principle that there will always be three primary stakeholder categories. The categories are

• Business – representing the business needs
• User – representing the users of the project output.
• Supplier – representing those who will create the project’s output.

These three stakeholder categories should be represented on the PRINCE2 Project Board to ensure balanced direction given to the Project Manager.

The PRINCE2 Project Management Team has three layers:

Project Board
The Project Board is responsible for the overall direction and management of the Project. Note that the Project Board is not a democracy controlled by vote. The Project Board is chaired by the Executive who is ultimately responsible.

Executive
The Executive is ultimately responsible for the project and for decisions in directing the work, supported by Senior User and Senior Supplier. The Executive’s role is to ensure that the project is focused throughout its life on achieving its objectives and delivering a product that will achieve the benefits, balancing demands from various stakeholders. Throughout the project, the Project Owner is responsible for the Business Case.

Senior User
The Senior User is responsible for specifying the needs of those who will use the project’s products, commits user resources and monitors products against such requirements. The Senior User specifies and assures furthermore the benefits and qualities and is held to account by demonstrating that the forecast benefits have in fact been realized.

Senior Supplier
The Senior Supplier represents the interests of those designing, developing, facilitating, procuring and implementing the project’s products, secures the necessary resources and is accountable for the quality of products delivered by the supplier(s) as well as for the technical integrity.


Project Manager
The Project Manager has the authority to run the project on a day-to-day basis within the given constraints. The Project Manager’s main responsibility is to ensure that the project produces the required products within the specified tolerances of time, cost, quality, scope, risk and benefits – and that the ultimate project’s product(s) is capable of achieving the benefits defined in the Business Case.

Team Manager
The Team Manager ensures production of those products defined by the Project Manager to an appropriate quality, in a timescale and at a cost acceptable to the Project Board. The Team Manager reports to and takes direction from the Project Manager. The Team Manager agrees the work with the Project Manager, plans the team’s work, supervise the team’s work and reports on quality and progress. The Team Manager obtains the approval for the completed products delivery.


Having a competent and active Project Board clearly lead by an Executive with sufficient level of authority is the most important success factor for a project.

The PRINCE2 Organization is one of the seven PRINCE2 Themes

Relevant articles:
PRINCE2 Project Board - Can I have Two Senior Users?
Combining PRINCE2 Roles? Watch Out!!
The Most Important Project Success Factor
Advice: Make the Project Board’s Job Easy