Building Your Project Team


The number of people on your team will vary depending on the size and visibility of the project. No matter what size the project is, the same functions need to be executed. Here are some of the functional roles you ll need to fill for a successful team:

IT

IT is the functional area responsible for programming, managing, and integrating the project s hardware and software.

They are also responsible for defining, designing, and developing a project, as well as for conducting its initial testing and fixing any errors before it is released. IT is the key member on the project team and needs to be available to provide technical information both written and verbal to all members of the team.

Communications

Communications is the functional area responsible for all communications inside and outside of the company. Smaller companies do not need a separate communications person for internal projects; the Project Manager will handle all the internal corporate communication. Larger companies with offices scattered around the United States or around the globe will need a person to provide communications to end users. If the project being developed will be made available to people outside the company, the corporate communications person will need to interact with public relations, advertising, industry analysts, and other outside agencies.

Business Development

The Business Development person is responsible for project direction, industry analysis, and competitive analysis, as well as for understanding the user and identifying and driving project direction. Business Development works with all areas of the company to make sure the project is focused on the user and is presented in the best possible light.

Project Manager

The Project Manager s responsibility is to make sure each member of the team understands his or her interdependencies. The Project Manager facilitates communications among departments, as well as manages processes and confirms the deliverables within each stage of the project life cycle have been met. When deliverables slip, it is the responsibility of the Project Manager to escalate this information and to facilitate resolution. In smaller companies the Project Manager s duties usually incorporate those of Business Development and Communications.

Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance (QA) is responsible for defining, designing, developing, and implementing a test plan. QA tests the project to confirm that it meets the design specifications outlined in the Design Document and the PRD. QA uses the documentation developed by Documentation to ensure that it correctly explains how to install and use the project along with identifying how errors are to be handled. QA is responsible for managing the user test procedures defined in the Beta Plan and for confirming that bugs have been fixed.

Help Desk

Help Desk is responsible for defining, designing, and developing a detailed plan that articulates how the company will support a project after it is released. The Support Plan defines how Help Desk personnel are trained, how users will access help, how bugs will be tracked and fixed after release, what training will be available to end users, and how updates and fixes will be sent to users.

Documentation

Documentation is responsible for defining, designing, and developing all the documentation required to install, support, and answer any questions a user would have regarding a project. Documentation defines what publications will be produced in the Doc Plan; these may include online help, E-Learning courses, or manuals. Documentation works closely with IT to develop these documents, and works closely with QA to assure documents are appropriate for end users.

Users

Although not actually on a team, users are so important to the success of a team they need to be thought of as a silent team member. The people who will use what the team is developing, users may be employees , partners , customers, or the general public.




Effective IT Project Management
Effective IT Project Management: Using Teams to Get Projects Completed on Time and Under Budget
ISBN: B000VSMJSW
EAN: N/A
Year: 2004
Pages: 105
Authors: Anita Rosen

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