Every program or project should have a decision making committee to which it reports. Many smaller projects may report into a single committee. This approach ensures each project has the benefit of a decision-making committee made up of the key stakeholders best placed to make critical investment decisions. The SRO or Project Executive is the chair of this committee and one of the responsibilities of committee members is to support the SRO in their decision making role.
The SRO or Project Executive is the single point of accountability for the success of the program or project. This means that they must have the final say on any decisions made regarding the program or project. However, this does not mean that the Program or Project Board is not a decision making entity. Most committee decisions on a program or project are likely to be unanimous – if they are not, then the committee may have significant issues. So committee members need to be prepared to make decisions, recognising that occasionally, those decisions may be overruled by the SRO.
It is not unusual for committee members to jointly sign off on document approvals, where their approval should be in the context of their role on the board.
Another way an organisation supports an SRO is to empower them.
Part of this empowerment is ensuring there is a clear and consistent process for appointing SROs/Project Executives. This is important because it sets an expectation that the appointed person will take action which supports their program or project authority.