Effective Software Project Management

Organizing the Linear SDPM Strategy Project Team

Now that you have identified the individuals who will become the project team, it is time to make them function as a team. Remember right now that they are a herd of cats; they are not yet a team. First, I want to share a few words on authority and responsibility; then I will address several procedural matters that the team has to discuss and agree on.

Authority

Authority and responsibility go hand in hand. To have one and not the other makes no sense. How often have you been in situations where you were responsible for making a certain thing happen but had no authority over the resources needed to make it happen or no authority to make and carry out a decision? To be effective, the project manager must have authority over the project. It is his or her job to get the project done on time, within budget, and according to specification. That authority is often delegated, but it is the project manager who is ultimately responsible.

The major difficulty that project managers have is that the project team is not their line responsibility. Team members are assigned based on their expertise but report to other managers. This means that the project manager will have to exercise the best leadership skills and diplomacy to get the job done. The key is in the project planning activities that schedule resources to windows of time. It is here that the resource manager makes the commitment of people resources. Honoring that commitment within ...