Project Charter
Talent Management/Project Teams Toolkit 3 Rev. February 2013
G. Roles and Responsibilities
Describe the roles and responsibilities of project team members followed by the names and contact
information for those filling the roles. The table below gives some generic descriptions. Modify, overwrite,
and add to these examples to accurately describe the roles and responsibilities for this project.
Sponsor: Provides overall direction on the project. Responsibilities include: approve the project
charter and plan; secure resources for the project; confirm the project’s goals and objectives; keep
abreast of major project activities; make decisions on escalated issues; and assist in the resolution of
Project Manager: Leads in the planning and development of the project; manages the project to
scope. Responsibilities include: develop the project plan; identify project deliverables; identify risks and
develop risk management plan; direct the project resources (team members); scope control and change
management; oversee quality assurance of the project management process; maintain all
documentation including the project plan; report and forecast project status; resolve conflicts within the
project or between cross-functional teams; ensure that the project’s product meets the business
objectives; and communicate project status to stakeholders.
Team Member: Works toward the deliverables of the project. Responsibilities include: understand the
work to be completed; complete research, data gathering, analysis, and documentation as outlined in
the project plan; inform the project manager of issues, scope changes, and risk and quality concerns;
proactively communicate status; and manage expectations.
Customer: The person or department requesting the deliverable. Responsibilities include: partner
with the sponsor or project manager to create the Project Charter; partner with the project manager to
manage the project including the timeline, work plan, testing, resources, training, and documentation of
procedures; work with the project team to identify the technical approach to be used and the
deliverables to be furnished at the completion of the project; provide a clear definition of the business
objective; sign-off on project deliverables; take ownership of the developed process and software.
Subject Matter Expert: Provides expertise on a specific subject. Responsibilities include: maintain
up-to-date experience and knowledge on the subject matter; and provide advice on what is critical to
the performance of a project task and what is nice-to-know.