The Business Owner is the advocate for the business reps on the project team. While not directly involved in day-to-day decisions and tasks, the business owner plays an important role on the project.
The Business Owner:
1) is typically a department level manager
2) participates in regular meetings with the project manager and team as required (monthly for example)
3) is aware of and supports the project goals and objectives
4) approves the level of participation of business reps from his/her department for the project
5) notifies the project manager if team resource availability may change because of upcoming business needs
6) approves all changes to business processes prior to them being designed into the new system
7) assists with conflict resolution between departments, particularly when integrated systems and processes are being implemented
8) gives the final approval to the project manager and sponsor that both the system and business are ready for go-live