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126 ROLE-BASED NEEDS FOR RESOURCES

nature of needs and participation in the project management system. There is no
standard classification, so we will set a few up.

The Management Groups Within the general classification of Management, we
have several subgroups. We have general senior management, including any se-
nior managers charged with the overall execution of the business. I would include
in this group, executives charged with the responsibility for strategic planning,
Senior VPs of major corporate divisions, and other Operations-oriented func-
tions. There are the managers of operating functions. There are the managers of
the project function and the project managers. Finally, there are the managers of
staff functions.

The Participant Groups Another classification is comprised of the groups that
directly participate in the projects. These are people who would likely be charg-
ing time to the projects (if time keeping is in effect). These are people directly in-
volved in planning the work and in providing status.

Other Stakeholders As noted earlier, the universe of people who care about or
impact projects is quite large. Often, their role is as important to success as those
listed above. One such group is the Owner of the project. This might be an exter-
nal client, or an internal sponsor. It is the person who represents the organization
that is directly or indirectly paying for the work and has (most likely) the greatest
stake in its successful completion. Other internal operations that might have more
than a passing interest in the ongoing projects would include the Human Re-
sources function, Accounting, and Information Systems. And many organizations
depend on external functions as well.

The Roles

It should be easy to see, as we look at all the possible classifications, above, that
each group would have a decidedly different need and involvement with the proj-
ects information system. We continue, now, by exploring each of these roles and
discussing needs, issues, and suggested solutions regarding use of and support of
the projects process.

Processes, Not Job Titles, Define Roles

In their 1993 book Reengineering the Corporation (HarperBusiness) Hammer
and Champy offer the revolutionary concept that we treat the enterprise as
process rather than function. In her 1983 book The Change Masters (Simon &