Executive

The Executive is ultimately responsible for the project, supported by the Senior User and Senior Supplier. The Executive’s role is
to ensure that the project is focused throughout its lifecycle on achieving its objectives and delivering a product that will achieve
the forecast benefits. The Executive has to ensure that the project gives value for money, ensuring a cost-conscious approach to the
project, balancing the demands of enterprise, user and supplier.

Throughout the project, the Executive ‘owns’ the Business Case.

Specific Responsibilities
» Oversee the development of the Project Brief and Business Case
» Ensure that there is coherent project organisation structure and logical set of plans
» Authorise customer expenditure and set stage tolerances
» Monitor and control the progress of the project at a strategic level, in particular reviewing the Business Case continually
(for example, at each end stage assessment)
» Ensure that any proposed changes of scope, cost or timescale are checked against their possible effects on the Business
Case
» Ensure that risks are being tracked and mitigated as effectively as possible
» Brief corporate or programme management about project progress
» Organise and chair Project Board meetings
» Recommend future action on the project to corporate or programme management if project tolerance is exceeded
» Approve the End Project Report and Lessons Learned Report and ensure that any outstanding Project Issues are
documented and passed on to the appropriate body
» Approve the sending of the project closure notification to corporate or programme management
» Ensure that the benefits have been realised by holding a post-project review and forward the results of the review to the
appropriate stakeholders.

The Executive is responsible for overall enterprise assurance of the project – that is, that it remains on target to deliver products
that will achieve the expected enterprise benefits, and that the project will be completed within its agreed tolerances for budget and
schedule. Enterprise assurance covers:
» Validation and monitoring of the Business Case against external events and against project progress
» Keeping the project in line with customer strategies
» Monitoring project finance on behalf of the customer
» Monitoring the enterprise risks
» Monitoring any supplier and contractor payments
» Monitoring changes to the Project Plan to see whether there is any impact on the needs of the enterprise or the project
Business Case
» Assessing the impact of potential changes on the Business Case and Project Plan
» Constraining user and supplier excesses
» Informing the project team of any changes caused by a programme of which the project is a part (this responsibility may
be transferred if there is other programme representation on the project management team)
» Monitoring stage and project progress against agreed tolerances.

If the project warrants it, the Executive may delegate some responsibility for the enterprise assurance functions.

The Project Board is not a democracy controlled by votes. The Executive is the key decision maker because he/she is
ultimately responsible to the enterprise. He/she is supported by the Senior User and Senior Supplier.

IT Services | it.ecu.edu.au | itservicedesk@ecu.edu.au | +61 (8) 6304 6000