Choosing Members for a Team
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Assigning team members to task roles is a delicate and critical task. When done correctly, the team members will be excited about their role on the project, feel confident they can successfully complete the tasks assigned, and know they will have some conquerable challenges as they move through the project.
To effectively assign tasks to people (and people to tasks), the project manager must perform the following:
- Identify the roles needing to be filled.
- Determine the skills required for each role.
- Determine the skill sets of the team members.
- Assign team members to roles.
The objective for this assignment is to effectively select your team from the following people:
- Pat is available for 24 hours a week at $115 per hour. Pat was involved in several upgrade projects for this package and can act as business analyst, developer, or tester. Pat is very comfortable with the legacy system and does not see the benefit of moving to the Web-based version. He feels that the end users do not fully utilize the functionality they already have and will not use this new functionality effectively.
- Terry is available for 24 hours a week at $100 per hour. Terry was involved in the original installation and every upgrade since then. She tends to be in developer or tester roles for this system but acts as business analyst for other systems. She is very excited about the Web-based package and the functionality it provides. She is concerned; however, that the end users do not have the computer savvy to use it.
- Robin is available for 30 hours per week at $100 per hour. She was involved in the last two upgrades as a business analyst and has been trying to become involved in other systems and business areas. She was actively involved in the development of a custom Web-based application as a programmer. This was considered a skills development opportunity because her Web programming skills are not strong.
- Chris is available for 24 hours per week at $80 per hour. He is new to the IT department; he was previously a customer service representative. He just completed his undergraduate degree in computer science and has experience with Web programming and software testing techniques.
-Jan is available for 16 hours per week at $115 per hour. Jan is also new to the IT department. She was previously a consultant and was on process re-engineering projects, including several for billing functions. She previously worked with the Web version product of the vendor's competitor.
You are planning to fill the roles for the following 3 positions:
- End user
- Business analyst
- Team leader
For each role,
- Describe the main responsibilities of the role.
- Identify the skills that are necessary.
- Select one of the candidates listed in the assignment description, and thoroughly explain why you have chosen each person for his or her role.
- Explain any conflicts or problems that you encountered while making your selections.
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The expert examines choosing members for a team.
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The Legacy system is an extremely important software system. The company must ensure that the correct employees are hired for the positions of end user, business analyst and team leader. There are five candidates that are being considered for the positions - Pat, Jan, Terry, Robin and Chris. Each candidate has positive and negative attributes. The company positions of end user, business analyst, and team leader must be defined correctly, job duties listed, and educational background must be explored. Cost-effectiveness of hourly rate and hours available for each candidate must also be considered. Ultimately one person will be chosen for each position; this person must be the best match for the company and the position.
In this scenario, there are three positions that must be filled. Each position has its own requirements. The 'end user' will most likely be a 'end user support' position. According to PMU.edu, duties of this position would include desk-side and telephone based technical support, customer relations, hardware and software upgrades and various other duties (2012). This position would be a critical customer service position that must be able to react quickly to situations and address problems and correct them in a fast-paced environment. The second position, 'business analyst' could include many duties. Florida Tech University Online states that a business analyst position usually is responsible for 'evaluating and solving business challenges', to 'review and analyze information that enables them to make sound recommendations' and specialization in business specific industries (2012). The person in this position must be able to multitask and must be skilled in many areas. Finally, the 'team leader' position would typically include coordination of team duties, leadership and customer service, works as a liaison between workers and management, conflict management and ...
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