Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
As we have explained with other project management strategies, a team can be
further decomposed into smaller teams, each charged with completing tasks
involved in the original activity. In this case, each sub-team will have its own team
leader, who will report to the team leader above him or her.
Many factors can complicate effective teamwork. Conflicting personalities,
differences in working habits, or ineffective communication can lead to misun-
derstandings or disagreements within a team. For this reason, deliberate and
careful team assignment on the part of the project manager and team leaders is
important in the successful completion of a project. In addition, managers and
leaders must be prepared to handle conflicts between team members, and to
resolve them effectively and efficiently.
4.3.3 Project Communication
We have said many times that effective communication is crucial to the success of
a software engineering project. This statement however, is extremely open ended,
as there are many forms of communication which will take place during a projects
development life. The term project communication is used to describe the
interactions that occur between the client and the development team. It can include
anything from the elicitation of requirements, to the exchange of design models, to
conflict resolution.
The most important communication that takes place during a software engi-
neering project, without question, is that between the development team and client.
Without effective communication at this level, there is no project. The best way to
achieve successful communication with the client is to get the communication
process started early. Interviews and preliminary meetings are of course necessary
in dictating the requirements and expectations of the software to be developed; but
this is not their only role. In addition, they serve as the foundation for all further
communication between the software engineers and the client. If these initial
meetings are handled poorly, a shadow may be cast over the rest of the project.
Simply said, the initial communications set both the standard and the mood for the
rest of the project. A common approach to ensuring effective early communication
is to minimize the potential for confusion and misunderstanding between the
software engineers and the client. That is, the software engineer should open with
abstract questions, not specific, technical ones. These questions should help both
parties to articulate what the software is to accomplish in a very general sense, and
not how it is to function. From here, when both parties are comfortable with the
problem and the solution is presented, discussions can move into greater specifics.
The use of the initial, context-free questions is crucial to making both the client
and engineer comfortable with what is being discussed. The first set of questions
should be general enough to only cover the people and economic benefits involved
with the solution being presented, and not the details of the solution itself. They
