What are the key roles of a project team?

Each member of a project team plays one or more roles. A role is defined by the tasks and responsibilities that make it up. What are the key roles of a project team? Presented here is a selection of the most widespread key roles.

 

The promoter’s role in a project team

The Promoter obtains from the organization the human, material and financial resources required to complete the project. He or she acts as the project’s ambassador to senior management. He or she helps the project team to make major decisions, champions the transformations that the project will bring about. The Promoter is also responsible for the delivery of the expected benefits and makes use of his or her relations inside the organization to overcome political obstacles that hamper the project’s progress.

 

Project manager’s role

The Project Manager is responsible for the delivery of the new solution. He or she directs the planning of work and specifications. He or she is responsible for keeping the project within scope, schedule and budget. The Project Manager’s role is also to implement the necessary management processes and ensures that they work correctly. He or she reports on the progress of the work to the project promoter.

 

Project Coordination Office’s role

The Project Coordination Office ensures that the management processes required by the project are followed. He also helps the project manager to prepare progress reports.

 

Solution Architect’s role in a project team

The Solution Architect directs the information-technology solution. He or she makes sure that no components are lacking in the solution (ERP solution, business solution, Oracle solution). The Solution Architect designs the integration between the components of the solution and existing systems. He or she validates data traffic flow, reviews major data structures, ensures that the implementation approach is valid and guides team members towards an understanding of the solution. What are all the solution architect’s key roles in a project team?

 

Business Expert’s role

The Business Expert has a thorough grasp of the business needs that the project aims to meet. He or she together with the software expert, contributes to the design of the new processes to be implemented. He or she chooses the best business practices to build into the design of the solution and is actively involved in validating and testing the solution. The goal is to check that it meets the organization’s business needs satisfactorily. Also, the Business Expert works with the owners of business processes up until the acceptance of the solution and represents the project’s “customers.”

 

The Software Expert’s role

The Software Expert works with business experts to ensure that the functionalities provided by the applications to be implemented match the business needs. He or she is responsible for the parameterization of applications. He or she assists the business experts in validating the solution. Also, the Software Expert supplies the expertise on the applications that the project needs to attain its objectives.

 

The Developer’s role in a project team

The Developer prepares the programs required to load data into the new system. He or she builds the interfaces that will connect the new system with the organization’s existing applications. The Developer programs reports that are not included in the new system. He or she designs and carries out adaptations needed for the new system to meet the organization’s particular needs.

 

The Infrastructure Manager’s role

The Infrastructure Manager analyzes the organization’s business needs to translate them into an appropriate information-technology infrastructure solution. He or she installs the necessary computing infrastructures: service, network, software and peripherals. Also, the Infrastructure Manager ensures that the infrastructure functions correctly throughout the project.

 

The Change Management Manager’s role

The Change Management Manager formulates the communications, training and organization development strategies required to enable efficient adoption of the new business processes. He or she speeds up the project’s productivity by helping the project team to progress rapidly in the maturity phases. Change Management is much more than a communication plan. Read this blog post to learn more about the subject.

 

There are several other roles in addition to those presented here. They may be involved depending on the project’s nature and scope and the culture of the organization.

 

Are you occupying a key role presented in this article? Why not join the PlanAxion Affiliate Program? Learn more here.

 

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Jean-François Desroches is Program Manager at PlanAxion Solutions.
He can be reached at jean-francois.desroches@planaxion.com