Guidance

Role of the senior responsible owner

The requirements and supporting guidance for senior responsible owners (SROs) of government programmes and projects.

• From: Government Project Delivery
• Published: 18 July 2019
• Last updated: 23 February 2026 — See all updates

Documents

Role of the senior responsible owner

https://projectdelivery.gov.uk/library-product/the-role-of-the-senior-responsible-owner/

Details

This guidance explains what is expected of senior responsible owners when leading programmes and projects in government.

It covers:

• what the senior responsible owner role involves and how it relates to other roles in project delivery
• how senior responsible owners are appointed, including the use of appointment letters
• the specific requirements for senior responsible owners of projects in the government major projects portfolio (GMPP)
• support and development available to all senior responsible owners

The guidance is relevant to senior responsible owners, accounting officers, sponsoring bodies and those who work closely with senior responsible owners, such as project directors and managers.

It is published alongside the Government Functional Standard for Project Delivery which sets the overall expectations for the direction and management of portfolios, programmes and projects in government.

Published 18 July 2019

Last updated 23 February 2026 + show all updates

1. 23 February 2026

   Version 2.1 published. Main changes include updates to reflect current government policy, such as evaluation requirements, and to remove references to the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.

2. 23 May 2023

   The document: The role of the senior responsible owner has been updated and replaced with this version.

3. 18 July 2019

   First published.