project lead

Apr 20 2009   10:05AM GMT

Role of customer project manager at customer site during implementation stage

Posted by: Jaideep
project manager, Project Management, project implementation, implementation phase, project lead, project ownership, UAT, business study, business need, software training, implementation process, implementation plan, project team, Risk Management, Risk Plan, post implementation, process owner, reconciliation, transaction entry, project sign-off, project closure, project failure, project success

The customer project manager has to take the lead and ownership of product as soon as it is launched at customer site for implementation. The UAT, training and implementation process can only be effective in case customer project team gets fully involved into each and every activity of the implementation phase. Infact the implementation plan prepared by vendor project manager should be the responsibility of customer project manager to execute.

Customer Project manager and management has to clearly understand the risks involved during the business study, implementation and post implementation phase as highlighted by the vendor Project Manager and to act thereupon to overcome those risks with suggestions from vendor project manager.

These risks could be in terms of consequences involved:

if requirements are not complete and well defined,
the involvement of users and process owners during business study, implementation, UAT, masters creation, transaction entry, reconciliation etc.,
if sign-offs not happening in time, etc.

Even if the sign-off is given and product is not put in use, there is a chance of project failure at both ends.

Apr 17 2009   10:03AM GMT

Role of vendor project manager at customer site during implementation stage

Posted by: Jaideep
project manager, software implementation, project implementation, Project Management, project team, project lead, Risk Management, Risk Plan, implementation plan

The vendor project manager has to work as a consultant to the customer project manager rather than taking the full command at customer site during implementation phase. From vendor side, it is the responsibility of the project manager to highlight the risks (in terms of user’s availability, user’s understanding level, or about the product usage) to his and customer management and a plan to overcome those risks. He also has to ensure that the solution provided is in line with the business needs.

He has to make the customer management totally convinced that it is their product which they have to use in real life scenario and hence they have to be fully confident in that. The vendor management has to be with him all the time for this.

Apr 16 2009   9:40AM GMT

Responsibilities of project manager during project implementation phase

Posted by: Jaideep
Project Management, project manager, Software Project, software implementation, project closure, implementation plan, project lead, project team, software acceptance

Project managers (the customer end and the vendor end) have to work hand in hand during the implementation stage of a software project happening at customer site. The key responsibility of both the project managers working on the project is to ensure successful implementation and project closure.

It is the customer project manager who has to take the charge, be in full lead and command to drive the project and keep the responsibility and onus to him and his management. The implementation plan has to be his baby all the time. Unless and until he takes the lead, he will not be able to put the potential fire in his team to accept the product. And then only he will be able to ensure a fully hassle free implementation.

Jan 22 2009   11:03AM GMT

Is testing merely a Bug filtering process?

Posted by: Jaideep
software development, software testing process, software, testing, testing process, tester, project lead, Project Management, Bug, QC, bug filtering

In an organization engaged in software development, usually each software goes through testing process by a separate set of team in the organization know as Testers meant exclusively for the purpose of testing. It matters most what this process is being thought as by the development team, project leads and the management (and also the customer). Testers are taken for granted as Bug Filters and testing as bug filtering process. If that is so, the management is at mistake, more so, if testers or QC department also thinks the same. This sort of culture is good for testing purposes, but is not so for the purpose of improvisation in the development process. Testers are safe as they are able to dig out a good amount of bugs every time. Bug removal time is substantial. Even the targets of product hand over to customer are met.

Isn’t the testing team’s result decrease every time even after increased efforts! That means the development team in maturing with each round of testing and development. This can happen only in case testing is not merely thought as the bug filtering process.