97 Things Every Project Manager Should Know

Chapter 46. One Deliverable, One Person

Alan Greenblatt

EVERY DELIVERABLE SHOULD HAVE A SINGLE PERSON who is responsible for its completion. Everyone working on the project should clearly understand who is responsible for the delivery of each item. Actual development of the item may involve a large group of people, but ultimate responsibility for ensuring its on-time completion, and for understanding the technical issues surrounding that item, should be associated with one person.

Too often, especially in highly politicized environments, responsibilities are shared, particularly when things are a little fuzzy at the beginning of a project. People like to be responsible for highly visible items that they know are going to be successful. No one wants to be held responsible for something that is sure to be a failure. In the beginning of a project, sometimes responsibilities are shared because a deliverable, and its associated risks, are not fully understood. No one really wants to step up and assume responsibility for a vague task.

Sometimes, a deliverable is so juicy that you end up with multiple people who want to assume responsibility for it. Yet, not wanting to rock the boat, management doesn't assign specific responsibility to one person for fear that others will get upset. Either way, you are setting the stage for much larger problems down the road.

First, if there is a problem associated ...