Software Development Project Management: The Importance of the Project Leader

One of the great principles of Agile Development is “self-organizing teams.” There is, however, a common misunderstanding that project leaders don’t need to be involved with these teams. This is not true, especially in the software development industry.

Many people think that since they are “self-organizing,” they don’t need project leaders to manage them. While project leaders don’t control every detail of how the team does its work, but they do influence behavior to ensure that the team is self-sufficient and productive.

A project leader must serve as a mentor to team members. For a successful, “self-organizing team” to emerge, a project leader should take on these responsibilities:

• Build a team that best fits the project. The project leader should select the developers who are most suitable for the project based upon which technologies are required to get the job done.
• Create a collaborative team culture based on trust and respect. The project leader should encourage team members to be honest and transparent with each other so they can resolve problems and overcome challenges. With this guidance, team members will work cooperatively and learn from each other.
• Once the team has been selected and a collaborative culture is defined, the project leader, serving as an Agile Coach, should take the following steps:

1. Guide the team to build an appropriate development process, starting with a basic method and making improvements as needed.
2. Establish code standards and team rules.
3. Improve the quality awareness, such as using TDD (Test-Driven Development) in the project.
4. Train the team members to work efficiently, using methods such as continuous integration and automated scripts.
5. Coordinate project resources and prevent external disturbances.
6. Guide the team to think from the client’s perspective and create true business value.

The project leader must be an effective communicator, with the team and with clients as well. It is important that they respond to clients in a timely manner and actively solve problems that might arise.

Since “self-organizing teams” are influenced by management, it is vital that the project leader observes the team’s overall performance and make suggestions for improvements as needed. While they don’t control the way team members do their work, project leaders do play an influential role in helping these teams become more agile and efficient. 

Photo credit: Kay Kim