Senior Responsible Owner

Senior Responsible Owner

A new management role suggested in the McCartney Report (Successful IT: Modernising Government in Action), for a person who is a single, senior, accountable figure within the public sector. The presence of an SRO is now regarded as a key feature of good governance for a broad range of initiatives and programmes. An SRO is responsible for ensuring that projects meet their objectives and deliver the intended benefits; the SRO is the visible owner of the overall business change, should be recognised throughout the organisation and is the key leader in driving it forward. The SRO must ensure that the change process maintains its business focus, has clear authority and that the overall context, including risk, is actively managed. The SRO must be senior and have the necessary authority to make key decisions.
SRO responsibilities in a Programme/Project (P/P)
• Ensure that a P/P meets its objectives and delivers the projected benefits;
• Ensure agreement amongst stakeholders as to what the objectives and benefits are;
• Ensure strategic fit of the P/P objectives and benefits;
• Get the stakeholders to commit to delivering the benefits;
• Monitor delivery of the objectives and benefits taking appropriate action where necessary to ensure their successful delivery;
• Ensure that the P/P is subject to review at appropriate stages;
• Ensure that, if appropriate, the P/P is subject to Gateway Review (GR) at the key decision points identified in the GR process;
• Ensure that any recommendations or concerns from GR are met or addressed before progressing to the next stage;
• Own the P/P Brief and Business Case;
• Ensure that the aims of the planned change continue to be aligned with the direction of the business and establish a firm basis for the P/P during its initiation and definition;
• Secure the necessary investment for the business change;
• Develop the P/P organisation structure and logical plans;
• Ensure that there is a coherent organisation structure and logical plan(s).