Mann Creek Software

Staffing Object-Oriented Projects

Staffing (assigning team members to the defined project activities) and Roles:

• Administration: Individuals providing administrative assistance to the project (typing, taking notes, setting up supplies, setting up procedures, copying and distributing work procedures).
• Application Designer: Puts mechanisms in place to ensure the physical system will provide the result that is specified by the Business System Analyst. Ensures physical system maps to logical business requirements. Specializes in the detailed construction of systems and uses the environment to create machine executable solutions.
• Application Developer: Assists with the construction of systems by providing programming skills; performs detailed design, codes classes and other modules, and executes unit tests.
• Application Metrics Analyst: Individual who provides analysis and review of the design and procedural metrics.
• Architect: Responsible for the total information architecture of a project or company. Coordinates subsequent subprojects derived from the global information architecture and ensures integrated functioning of the total architecture (company and/or project).
• Assesment Leader: An individual who is not actively involved with the day-to-day aspects of the project. At the Project Manager's or the Integrated Project Management Team's request, this individual is responsible for assembling and leading a team to assist in: (a) providing independent assessment, advice and recommendations during various phases of the project, and specifically at the various Design Check Points (DCP), (b) insuring the quality standards, the technical accuracy, and corporate compliancy, (c) assessing the project's status and the associated risks.
• Assesment Team: A team who is not actively engaged in the day-to-day aspects of the project. This team assists the assessment leader in: (a) providing independent assessment, advice and recommendations during various phases of the project, and specifically at the various Design Check Points (DCP), (b) conducting interviews with project team members, (c) reviewing the project control files and documentation, (d) ensuring the quality standards, technical accuracy and corporate compliancy, (e) assessing the project's status and the associated risks.
• Auditor: Individual who audits all Information System products and implemented systems. Ensures system security and protects against deficiencies.
• Business Area Expert: Individual with expert knowledge in a particular area of business who provides detailed business information to the project, usually on a consulting basis, and expert input to the Architect and the Business System Analyst when the system is being specified. Typically comes from the organizations represented by the Steering Committee members, and will often act as the buffer between the project and the business.
• Business Systems Analyst: Responsible for the detailed analysis of subsystems of the global architecture on a business (logical) level. Uses skills similar to the Architect but operates in the confines of the area allocated for the particular subsystem. Requires in-depth knowledge of the method sets and supporting tools.
• Change Management Specialist: Iindividual who assesses an organization's readiness for change and who provides recommendations for incorporating change successfully into the organization.
• Class Designer: Responsible for class design standards (maintenance, performance, reusability, ...).
• Client Infrastructure Designer: Individual reporting to the client (business) organization responsible for the application environment below the application layer. Provides client with a design that will support intended business functionality and provide stable and adaptable architecture for growth and changes in technology.
• Client Project Manager: An individual who is appointed by the client and is responsible for obtaining client resources and information when needed by the project team.
• Client Systems Manager: Individual reporting to the client organization responsible for the systems that are developed within the Information system department. The person manages the production environment and accepts all maintenance and redevelopment changes to systems. They manage the maintenance releases that go into production.
• Client Vendor Contact: An individual who works for the client's organization and who is responsible for obtaining information from the vendor of products used by the client's organization. There may be several client employees that act in this role for different vendors.
• Customer: Individual representing the client who will provide input when necessary to proposal activities. Has the ability to make decisions and share information, on the client's behalf, with the proposal team. May also be involved in Beta Testing.
• Data Administrator: Responsible for the most cost effective organization and use of an enterprise's data resources. Responsible for the design of the data model and definition of data.
• Database Administrator: Responsible for designing the logical data model and the physical database and for developing the application's database access standards. May also maintain the database and make changes to its design to enhance performance.
• Database Specialist: Responsible for the physical implementation and support of the database. May also install new releases and make changes to improve performance and usability.
• Design Team Member: Individual who creates an application environment below the application layer. Provides the components that will support the intended business functionality and provide a stable adaptable architecture for growth and change. May suggest business advantage from new or currently unused technology. Responsible for: (1) Developing solution architecture and ensuring technical feasibility and integrity, (2) Providing specialty skills and estimates, (3) Writing proposal or statement of work.
• Delivery Team Member: Develops and executes the project management plan to meet the Customer's conditions of satisfaction. Responsible for meeting the project milestones.
• Engagement Manager: An individual who is responsible for assessing the quality of the work being performed on the project and interfacing with the client at key milestone points. The Engagement Manager verifies that starting criteria are satisfied at key milestones before the project continues beyond the milestone.
• Executive Project Manager: Individual who manages all project activity with the client or within an area. Client relationship management is included in this role. The coordination of all project managers at a site falls under this. Often responsible for maintaining and building relationships on the Sponsor level.
• External Reviewer: An experiences and knowledgeable application development and infrastructure individual who is not a stakeholder involved with the project. This person is responsible for reviewing the project and reporting on strengths and areas of improvements.
• Facilitator: Leads a meeting or workshop and ensures the objectives of the meeting are achieved within the scheduled time. Should have experience in one or more of the project areas and have good communication and meeting management skills.
• Financial Analyst: An individual responsible for (a) capturing and analyzing the market financial data, (b) assessing the market segment's financial performance, (c) analyzing the market segment's business performance.
• Help Desk: A support group usually available over the telephone. Support can be set up at different levels to provide immediate response as well as the appropriate technical skills to provide the help needed.
• Implementation Planner: An individual who has primary responsibility for the estimation of costs, benefits, resources, and schedule. The Implementation Planner also has shared responsibility for partitioning with the RA Specialist and Analyst roles. Qualifications for this role include expertise in building and using estimating models. For instance, an individual in this role recognizes and accounts for the effects of: (a) schedule compression on project cost and quality, (b) resource constraints on project cost and schedule, (c) scope creep on cost and schedule. This role exists to ensure that unreasonable assumptions and infeasible solutions are not included in the estimates. The Implementation Planner role is distinct from the Analyst role, which has responsibility for various kinds of data collection, such as conducting surveys and/or focus groups. It is also distinct from the Project Manager role, which has responsibility for execution of the current project. Neither Analysts nor Project Managers have the level of estimating expertise required by the Implementation Planner role.
• Industry Solution Specialist: Individual who provides expert knowledge in a particular field. It is generally used to provide a wider sphere of experience and to support the Business Area Expert. The role is usually filled on a consulting basis.
• Information Developer: Responsible for developing and/or editing all the system user, maintenance and operational documentation.
• Information Planner: Analyzes user documentation requirements, specifies user documentation design, plans and facilitates user documentation inspections and tests.
• Infrastructure Developer: Individual who assists with the defiition and design of the infrastructure. This individual will be knowledgeable on subjects dealing with the centralization and distribution of data and application processes. Will be able to discuss presentation, placement, performance, availability, security, and systems management.
• Infrastructure Designer: Individual who creates an application environment below the application layer. Provides components that will support the intended business functionality and provide a stable adaptable architecture for growth and change. May suggest business advantage for new or currently unused technology.
• Infrastructure Metrics Analyst: Specialist in the analyses of infrastructure data. The metrics to be analyzed include results detailing system performance in the areas of system volume and capacity, performance, availability, security, systems management and implementation.
• Infrastructure Specialist: Individual who has a particular area of expertise within the infrastructure environment. May be obtained from outside the environment (e.g. suppliers, consultants). The specialist normally performs support role to project members.
• Installation Coordinator: Responsible for system integration. Assures that all technical requirements are in place to support systems. May be involved in developing installation plans, procedures, testing environment and data, system level configuration management, testing facilities, and testing deficiency management from integration of the various products.
• Instructor: Individual skilled in training techniques and knowledgeable in the topic subject matter. Conducts classes that teach participants in the subject matter.
• Integrated Product Management Team: Cross-functional team comprised of senior executives who are responsible for the on-going business investment decisions in selected market segments based on growth, profitability, resource availability and risk. They provide the go or no-go at the Decision Check Points and the release of resources to the Solution Development Team, also known as the Product Development Team (PDT).
• Key People: Personnel in the business organization who are responsible for creating, enabling, implementing and accepting the changes the project is to bring about. Could be supported by other roles, depending on the size of the project, and could be both technical and non-technical, and be inside or outside of the project.
• Legacy System Specialist: Individual who has a particular area of expertise within the infrastructure environment. May be from outside the business organization / project. Normally performs a support role to project members.
• Modeler: Instrumental in the development of the Subject Area Model, Functional Model, Entity Model, Process Model, Activity Model, and/or Object Models. Skills required include an in-depth knowledge of the techniques for modeling and CASE tool(s) that support the modeling techniques. Knowledge of the Enterprise and/or Business Areas under construction is helpful.
• Network Specialist: Individual providing networking services and responsible for design and development of network solutions to the assurance of multi-vendor, multi-protocol complex network environments. Activities include support for the installation, configuration, customization, and maintenance of networking tools, software, and service applications.
• Opportunity Owner: Responsible for assessing opportunities and determining whether provider will bid manage the opportunity from qualification through implementation. Represents the provider to the Customer for the life cycle of a selected opportunity. Is responsible for: (1) Customer satisfaction, profit, morale, and quality, (2) Executing entire solution definition and design process, (3) Assuring quality of process and solution, (4) Managing interfaces with other processes or functions, (5) Delegating tasks as necessary, (6) Performing roles of Proposal Team Leader on less complex opportunities.
• Package Specialist: Individual having full knowledge of a technology component, including its internal and external operation requirements and full functional capabilities. Serves in a support role for project members who are or will be using tools.
• Platform Specialist: Individual having specific knowledge of platform considerations relating to transaction-based systems, database oriented systems, and operating systems. Activities include planning, designing, converting and migrating (releasing) of systems. Other activities include systems programming, systems connectivity, interface coding, systems integration, performance and tuning, capacity planning and problem determination.
• Practitioner: Generic term used to describe anyone fulfilling one or more project roles (a project management role, a business role, an application role, an infrastructure role, ...).
• Pricer: An individual responsible for analyzing the business plan, the financial assessment and the competition, as well as recommending the Solution and Services pricing structure.
• Process Leader: Has responsibilities for an instance of a (business) process. Similar to a Project Manager (Leader).
• Process Operator: An individual working to perform a process. Each individual may take part in one or several (business) processes.
• Process Owner: Has the responsibility for a (business) process. Responsibility entails defining the (business) process, determining the interface(s) to the (business) process, defining the goals of the (business) process, planning the budget, appointing process leaders, allocating resources, and developing the (business) process itself.
• Project Controller: Individual who controls the project information for the project manager and keeps the project running in the project managers absence. Responsibilities include tracking the project plans, risks, issues and changes; filing and managing access to proposal documentation, maintaining contract files, invoicing clients, and ordering products and services.
• Project Leader: Individual who is responsible for a group of people and work on a day-to-day basis. Primarily assists the "workers" on the project, acting as a guiding force. Has technical ability in the area under question and would be expected to perform some of the work should it be required.
• Project Leader (Test): An individual who is responsible for a group of testers. This person plans and carries out the physical testing of the system through a test team in conjunction with the business and technical project members. If it is a smaller project, this role can be played by a Project Leader or a Sub-Project Manager.
• Project Management: Generic catagory for a class of roles, responsible for planning, organizing, directing and managing the day-to-day activities of a project and for achieving the project objectives (project manager, project (team) leader, sub-project manager, project controller, ...).
• Project Manager: Responsible for planning, organizing, directing and managing the day-to-day activities of a project, and for delivering the project objectives to the Sponsor and Steering Committee.
• Project Manager (Business): This individual is usually the lead for the Phase 0 - Concept phase and transitions out to another project manager for the rest of the phases. This individual is responsible for working with the solution manager to assemble and present the Concept Decision Checkpoint packages and recommendations to the IPMT (Integrated Product Management Team) for investment decisions and reviews.
• Project Test Leader: Individual who is responsible for a group of testers. Plans and carries out the physical testing of the system through a test team in conjunction with the business and technical project members. If a smaller project, this role can be playes by a Project Leader or a Sub-Project Manager.
• Proposal Team Leader: Responsible for the development and delivery of the accepted proposal that best meets the Customer's needs, including: (1) Developing the proposal plan, (2) Executing and managing the proposal plan, including resources, time schedules, and coordinating proposal documents, (3) Determining solution components, milestones, solution deliverables, dslivery schedules, terms and conditions, and financial alternatives.
• Prototype Developer: Individual responsible for selecting proper prototyping tools and quickly developing prototypes in a structured manner. Should: (1) Have sufficient knowledge of what can and can not be done with prototyping tools, (2) Know the difference between prototypes and final products, (3) Know the prototyping problems when defining usability and operability requirements, (4) Know the problems in converting a prototype into a development process, (5) Adequately understand and analyze client requirements, (6) have good communication skills.
• Quality Assurer: Qualified professional who is not actively involved in the transaction being processed. May assemble a team for assistance. Responsible for: (1) Providing independent assessment, advice, and approval during various stages of the solution design and development process; solution design, proposal preparation, project management plan, milestones, solution delivery, and any changes that may occur during these stages, (2) Assessing, advising and approving content, quality, commitment, technical accuracy, and risk to ensure that both the Customer's and the provider's business requirements are met, (3) Ensures that quality standards are met.
• Reengineering Team: Persons involved in the reverse engineering of an existing process followed by forward engineering of the new process.
• Resource Owner: Owns resources in a business. Makes sure all owned resources are allocated, resolves owned resource conflicts, and recruits and establishes development plans for each owned human resource.
• Reuse Library Manager: Responsible for content and processes affecting repository of reusable assets. Ensures overall integrity of library contents.
• Scribe: Individual who documents all models during Facilitated sessions. Responsible for complete and accurate documentation of the information system. Generally accomplished by using the methoology and capturing and managing all models on a CASE tool. Required pre- and post-development and implementation. Versioning is an important part of this role. Is a passive participant during sessions but acts as a backup the Facilitator before, during and after the sessions.
• Service Provider: Selected to provide various services required to support the solution and services offering. Tasks can include, but are not limited to: (a) help desk support, (b) network access, (c) site hosting with system installation and management. Responsible for upholding the contract or Document of Understanding (DOU) obligations.
• Segment Manager: An individual responsible for understanding the dynamics of the market segment, the customers, and competition therein, and act as the business manager for that segment. Responsible for: (a) defining the segmentation framework of the marketplace, (b) developing the portfolio model's criteria and weights, (c) prioritizing the market segments, (d) developing and maintaining the market segment's strategy and plans, (e) analyzing the segment performance and recommending corrective actions. Also responsible for supporting the solution manager in providing guidance and direction of approach regarding market segmentation.
• Solution Assurer: An individual who ensures the availability, reliability and maintainability of the system after release. This is done by developing standards for development (methodology), for the operation of Information Systems, and for auditing. Also ensures conformance to specifications.
• Solution Development Team: Also known as the Product Development Team (PDT), this team is responsible for planning and executing specific solution and service offerings within a market segment portfolio. It is comprised of representatives that mirror the cross-functional make-up of the Integrated Product Management Team (IPMT) and is led by a Project Manager. The SDT actively manages all phases, from concept evaluation and plan development to execution and end-of-life. The SDT also performs process effectiveness and efficiency measurements, analyzes the data and implements recommended process improvements. All members of the SDT are jointly responsible for the team's results.
• Solution Manager: An individual responsible for owning the business entity portfolio. The solution manager establishes the business entity vision, missions and goals for the alignment of the market business plans within the business entity, and establishes the performance of the portfolio. The solution manager is measured on revenue, profit and client satisfaction.
• Sponsor: A senior executive of the business who is the principle project stakeholder, and who has made the commitment and has the authority to resolve major project issues, approve project expenditures, plans and organization and who is ultimately responsible for delivering the business objective to the enterprise.
• Sub-Contractor Representative: This individual is the focal point for vendors who are selected as providers of various services required to support the development and delivery of the solution and services offering. The services can include, but are not limited to: (a) help desk support, (b) software development, (c) on-site and temporary resources, (d) information development, (e) course development. The subcontractor representative is responsible for upholding the contract obligations.
• Sub-Project Manager: Individual responsible for the day-to-day management and delivery of a component of the solution. Reports to the Project Manager.
• Technical Specialist: Individual who has a complete knowledge of the specific technical area, such as platforms, networks, and applications. Technical Specialists may often have titles such as Database Administrator or LAN Administrator.
• Team Leader: Responsible for a group of people and work on a day-to-day basis. Primarily assists the "workers" on the project, acting as a guiding force. Has technical ability in the area under question and would be expected to perform some of the work should it be required.
• Test Analyst: Individual who sets up and reviews the tests.
• Tester: Individual who ensures that what was initially intended by the system is achieved. This is done through planning and carrying out the physical testing of the system, and in conjunction with the business and technical project members.
• Tester (Business): Responsible for identifying and documenting requirements and analyzing these requirements from a business perspective. Participates in engagement teams, solutions and proposal reviews, and the development of test cases. May also participate in the functional testing activities.
• Tester (Technical): Responsible for the integration and testing of all hardware and software products of the system solution. Develops appropriate plans, procedures, and the testing environment and data, system-level configuration management, testing facilities management, and testing deficiency management.
• Testing Coordinator: An individual who coordinates the planning and execution of the testing activities both on-site and off-site.
• Tools Specialist: Individual having specific knowledge of the tools used in building systems and applications. These tools can be in the form of hardware or software and can support any number of development activities. Knowledge should include tools to support development, testing and code generation.
• Training Specialist: Analyzes user training requirements, designs and develops user training courseware and training evaluation materials, conducts pilot training, and trains Instructors.
• Usability Expert: A human factors expert who provides guidance as well as reviews project deliverables to ensure that they meet usability standards (CUA, SAA).
• User: An employee of client who will ultimately use the system. This includes hands-on users and their managers.
• User Coordinator: An individual responsible for scheduling access to the Business Area Experts who provide subject matter expertise to the project.
• Vendor: Supplier of Application packages, other software packages or operational support. Responsible for upholding contract obligations, providing general support for the package, and supplying upgrades with supporting documentation. May be a separate company or an organization within the Enterprise.