Project Planning, Execution, and Closure

Colorado Technical University
Project Planning, Execution, and Closure
PM610-1303B-02- Phase 2 Individual Project
George Sheehan
Paternique Abraham
Sept 02, 2013

Premise
As the project manager in charge of IRTC’s new endeavor of upgrading their legacy billing system one of the most crucial tasks in which I have to accomplish in this function is to build a team of worthy professionals. As we know the people we work with can either be a value to a program or at time a detriment; therefore as a project manager, it is extremely important to hire the right talent at the right price. We have to keep in mind while talent is important, it’s even more important to hire personnel that will coalesce effectively in all manners pertaining to the crucial work. Without synergy from the team, the project manager is taking unnecessary risk that may impede reaching benchmarks thus ultimately risking the ability to meet requirements. Along with many other tasks, the project manager has to hire competent individuals and align these individuals to roles that are best suited for the project.

The IRTC billing system project has budgetary limitations, the budget for the project must be managed so that the best value is created for the lowest cost. The contract allows 2.5 full time employees but requires three positions to be filled for the role as the end user, business analyst and team leader, thus the common sense approach would be to create two dual hated positions that can perform at least two or more roles. I recognizing that the IRTC billing system project will be best suited for two multi-talented FTEs, therefore, I am strongly considering Chris and Terry for the End used, business analyst and team leader positions. Terry would be a great fit for the team leader and business analyst position, while Chris would be a perfect fit for the software tester and end user position.

What does a business analyst do?

The roles of the business analyst will vary from company to company. In theory the ideal Business analyst should be versatile in numerous functions related to business; the business analyst does not have to be a master in these functions, a general knowledge will suffice, enough knowledge to see trends and recognize superfluous factors that may have adverse effects on those function. A business analyst should have knowledge in finance, engineering, computer hardware architecture, operations, finance, engineering and technology. Business analysts typically serve as the liaisons which will bridge the individual departments within an organization together throughout the various phases within the developmental process. The following are core skills and functions of business analyst, as dictated by an article from Villanova University: Business analyst will works all the departments within a business to isolate prospects for enhancements in business operations and processes. Business analysts are usually included in the modification and strategy/design of IT systems or business systems. The analyst interacts with the business stakeholders and subject matter experts in order to understand their problems and needs. The business analyst and the project manager are usually close based on the fact that the business analyst will have to familiar with documents pertaining to the project and usually analyzes business needs and requirements being created by the project manager. Business analyst are usually involved in all aspect of the new project, a big part of their role is to solve business problems, come with business solutions technical issues that warrant such measures. A big part of a business analyst role is to documents technical design and functionality of the new system. Business analyst seldom works together with developers and system architects to ensure that proper integration of the system being worked on. A business analyst might aid in tests for the system being developed and part of his tasks in this function may be to produce user manuals and documentation for the system. In retrospect to the various tasks of the business analyst Terry would fit perfect within that roles. Terry has business analyst experience already and Terry attitude toward the work is positive.

What does a team leader do?
The team leader’s role and functions are directly related to the team members; hence various employees are hired by the project manager because of their knowledge and expertise. The team leader 's is hired to effectively coordinate those team mates. Nonetheless, the team leader should be familiar with organization processes and have a good report with various stakeholders. The team leader should be the liaison between the team and act as a moderator between the individual team members and the project manager. He or she should have constant interaction with the team as to gather pertinent information so as to improve processes. The team leader is usually in charge or may act as the schedule keeper and record keeper during the various stages development. The team leader must build and maintain a good relationship with the sponsor, as he or she will have constant interaction the both the sponsor and stakeholders. Lastly, the team leader may play a part in the selection of new team members. The team leader is a role for a project, the person in that role may have other functions within the organization, and therefore that person must learn to manage his various roles accordingly to be effective. Cron.com states that part of the role the team leader is to develop strategy, communicate the vision, serve the team, remain calm, and make decisions. Terry would be exemplary in the team lead position. I have worked in program where the business analyst and team position are one of the same, being fulfilled by one person.

What is an end user?
The best way to describe an end user is to think of that type of person which will ultimately be using the system or software being developed. In the realm of information technology, the concept of the end user is somewhat different; the usage for the term may be nominal to any industry but have a totally different function in IT. In information technology or the production of information technology systems, end users are hired for the sake of testing the system as a measure to provide feedback in various areas. People who do not have a good working knowledge of the software are used for the purpose of human factoring, functionality, feasibility, ease and purpose. Developers will use information from the end used in the various phases of the system being develop to improve in areas where end users functionality and ease of operation is warranted. Chris would be the perfect person to act in the role as the end user. Chris would be a valued member to the project not only does he fit perfect for the end user role but he has programming talents as well as good useful knowledge in software testing.

Why I choose Terry and Chris
Upon reading the background of the five candidates, it became clear which candidate would fit within my ideal team. First off, I disqualified Pat as candidate, although his well-qualified and would have made a great team lead/business analyst, Pat’s attitude toward the project makes me full uneasy and question is diligences to fulfilling his task based on that he does not see the benefit of moving to the Web-based version. I disqualified Jan for team lead position and business analyst position just because Terry is just a better and I could not hire her any other position because her salary requirements is higher than Terry’s. Also, Pat is overly qualified for the end user position. I did not consider Robin for either position albeit she may be a value in another needed role, possibly as a programmer. Terry and Chris will only take 48 hours from the 100 hours allowed for full time employees. Jan might be a good candidate to hire as trainer considering I we purchase the training package from the vendor. Jan’s background with vendor’s competitor will make her an avid trainer; also it would be good to have her counsel. She may be the key person to helping IRTC create a product that has advantages over current software available.

References:

Project Management Institute. (2013). Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) 5th Edition. Newton Square: Project Management Institute. Kerzner, H. (2013). Mistakes Made by Inexperienced Project Managers. In H. Kerzner, Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling and Controlling, 11th Edition (p. 213). John Wiley & Sons. Travis, E. (n.d.). Roles of a team leader in a business. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/roles-team-leader-business-22734.html What does a business analyst do?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.villanovau.com/business-analyst-career/

References: Project Management Institute. (2013). Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) 5th Edition. Newton Square: Project Management Institute. Kerzner, H. (2013). Mistakes Made by Inexperienced Project Managers. In H. Kerzner, Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling and Controlling, 11th Edition (p. 213). John Wiley & Sons. Travis, E. (n.d.). Roles of a team leader in a business. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/roles-team-leader-business-22734.html What does a business analyst do?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.villanovau.com/business-analyst-career/