1.2 Roles and Responsibilities

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The following sections describe the roles of participants in projects that are run by the SPMO. These descriptions may also be used as a guideline for projects that are run by functional groups outside the SPMO.

NOTE: Roles may differ from the titles belonging to individuals who are functioning in an organization with specific responsibilities. For example, a Technical Lead in the development group may play the role of a Project Manager for a new initiative in that group. For our purposes, it is important to remember this book references roles and not titles.

1.2.1 Executive Stakeholder

This is the person to whom the Sponsor usually reports. He or she is responsible for reviewing the weekly status reports and schedules that are provided by the SPMO. The Executive Stakeholder is the owner of the entire program and represents it to the senior executive staff as needed. In many instances, the Executive Stakeholder and the Project Sponsor are one and the same person. He or she may also be asked to provide strategic direction and make decisions on highly critical issues and project prioritization. Most importantly, this person will approve the overall funding for the program (otherwise, it never gets off the ground).

1.2.2 Project Sponsor

This person is the functional owner of the project (typically the vice president of the business unit driving the project or a director of an area within that business unit). The Sponsor is also responsible for providing strategic direction to the project. The Sponsor is the person with financial accountability, and he or she agrees, via the Sponsor Formalization Letter, to apply resources to a project, including the formal appointment of a Project Manager. The Sponsor is the focal point for project decisions that are beyond the Project Manager's scope, as well as acting as the project representative to upper management. Sponsors agree to review and approve all deliverables (as appropriate), in addition to approving all project phase transitions.

1.2.3 Program Manager

This function is responsible for soliciting standard reporting and Systems Engineering Process (SEP) methodology information from various Project Managers and Coordinators regarding subprojects of a major project (defined as a project that spans more than one business unit in an organization.) The Program Manager is responsible for sharing information with other business units and communicating relevant major project information to and from other business units to individual Project Managers. The Program Manager may sometimes be mistaken for the Project Sponsor because his or her role is much more involved at the day-to-day level. The Program Manager is much more of a decision maker, but project staff often do not distinguish between the manager and the role of the Sponsor. Project Managers often report directly to the Program Manager when they are assigned to the SPMO by the Project Sponsor in an Appointment Letter.

1.2.4 Project Manager (PM)

The Project Manager works within a functional group that usually belongs to the Sponsor. The Project Manager is the primary point of contact for a project. He or she is responsible for day-to-day management of project tasks, including schedule management, project definition, architecture and implementation plans, resource needs identification, vendor selection, and many other specific items required for a successful delivery. The Project Manager is also responsible for providing the Project Coordinator in the SPMO with all appropriate and completed SEP methodology documentation, reports, and any other additional project-specific information requested.

1.2.5 Project Coordinator

The Project Coordinator works directly with the Project Sponsor and provides various services offered by the SPMO (the service areas of the SPMO are further detailed in this chapter).

The Project Coordinator ensures that all project management processes are consistent with SEP methodology. He or she provides reports, status updates, and pertinent project information to the SPMO manager and the Sponsor for continuous tracking and cross-functional monitoring of a given project. The Project Coordinator collaborates with other Project Coordinators within the SPMO to facilitate communications about different projects in progress across the organization. The Project Coordinator is tasked to identify, track, and synchronize project interdependencies. This person resolves issues that arise when such interdependencies exist.

1.2.6 Business Systems Analyst (BSA)

The BSA is responsible for analysis of business and user requirements. He or she also monitors projects that affect business units. The BSA would typically oversee requirements for delivery of a specific business system (e.g., customer relationship management, sales automation tools, or financial package etc.). The BSA works closely with user representatives and the Project Manager to identify, classify, and mitigate project risks, perform cost-benefit analyses, and provide input regarding product and tool selection. This person serves as a liaison between the development team and the user. It is the BSA's responsibility to ensure that user needs are properly communicated to and implemented by the developers. The BSA is generally an expert in the business processes and knows all of the details of business process execution inside and out. This person is a resident expert in the area of the business you are working to support.



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Managing Software Deliverables. A Software Development Management Methodology
Managing Software Deliverables: A Software Development Management Methodology
ISBN: 155558313X
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 226

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