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Chapter 4 • Development Life Cycle 119

Project
Role/Title Project Executive
Role Definition The project executive oversees project activities, provides broad project oversight,
resolves policy level issues, and ensures that the project stays within scope. The
project executive also builds consensus on business process changes that impact the
business and provides project status updates (as needed) to the owners. The project
executive works with the application steward and project manager(s) to establish
overall project direction, review and evaluate project progress, and ensure
appropriate user involvement for the duration of the project.
Responsibilities • Resolve project issues escalated by project manager(s).
• Ensure that project goals and scope stay aligned with the project objectives. Make
recommendations to the owners regarding any major scope changes.
• Review, approve, and consolidate project work plans, staffing plans, project
milestones, and transition plans.
• Monitor project financials and timeline.
• Ensure that an appropriate process is used for issue identification and resolution.
• Ensure project meets key campus expectations.
• Provide expectations and performance feedback to project manager(s).
• Publicly demonstrate support and commitment to the project.
• Confirm project roles, responsibilities, and reporting relationships.
• Approve all project resources.
• Work with project manager(s) and implementation partner staff to ensure that
knowledge transfer to personnel is facilitated.
• Review and approve training approach and strategy.
• Review and approve testing approach and strategy.
• Participate in all hardware and software selections and contracts with vendors
related to the implementation.
• Communicate project status and other critical communication messages to the
team and owners.
Skills • Excellent project management skills.
• Excellent leadership skills. Ability to keep a large team focused on the objectives.
• Issue resolution skills. Ability to obtain resolution by team consensus when
differences in business processes are discussed.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills. Ability to keep a wide audience
informed of goals, expectations, progress, and issues.
• Solid knowledge of large-scale system implementations.
• Thorough knowledge of the company organization.
Reports To Owners