EUPM² Guide provides a model for project organisation structured in layers and sides, which is adapted to generic EU-funded projects. The diagram below provides an overview of this structure, with the corresponding roles that are distributed on each layer and side.
Fig. 6.1.- EUPM2 Guide project organisation
Sides allow to allocate a degree of ownership and accountability of the project within the consortium, while layers provide the degree of strategic and operational involvement in the project.
Sides
Grant Requestor side
The Grant Requestor Side is mainly taken by the institution that acts as Lead partner of the Consortium, as the institution that identifies the Call for Proposals and lead the answer to the Call, gathers the interest of the partners, and acts as sole interlocutor with the Contracting Authority being ultimate accountable for all project funds, activities, and deliverables.
Solution side
The Solution Side is occupied by all the partner organizations that participate in the project under the management/leadership/coordination of the Grant Owner (GO) with their know-how, expertise, and resources, supporting the project design, allocating teams for the implementation of project activities, and production of project deliverables.
Layers
Governing Layer
The Governing Layer corresponds to the Contracting Authority (CA). It is external to the rest of the project partners and supervises the implementation of the project and the achievement of the project objectives set in the project proposal. It operates at the highest level, and it is here that strategic priorities are defined, award decisions are made, budget is disbursed, and reports and deliverables are assessed and approved.
Steering Layer
The Steering Layer provides general project direction and guidance. It keeps the project focused on its objectives. It reports to the Contracting Authority (CA). The Steering Layer is composed of the roles defined in the Directing and Management Layers plus other optional roles.
Directing Layer
The Directing Layer champions the project and owns the Grant Agreement. It mobilises the necessary resources and monitors the project’s performance to realise the project’s objectives. The Directing Layer comprises the roles of Grant Owner (GO) and Consortium Representatives (CRs).
Managing Layer
The Managing Layer focuses on day-to-day project management. It organises, monitors and controls work to produce the intended deliverables and capitalize them. Members of the Managing Layer report to the Directing Layer. The Managing Layer comprises the roles of Domain Coordinator (DC), the EU Project Manager (EUPM), and the Partners EU Project Managers (PtEUPM). It is of utmost importance for the success of the project that there is close collaboration and good communication between these roles.
Performing Layer
The Performing Layer carries out the specialised project work to produce the deliverables. Members of the Performing Layer report to the Managing Layer. The Performing Layer comprises the roles of the Project Target Group (PTG) and the Project Core Teams (PCT).
The project team is composed of the people assuming the roles defined in the Performing, Managing, and Directing layers. For the project to succeed, all these people need to work together as a team.