When it comes to any one problem to solve, place to get to, goal to achieve, there are limitless ways to get there, especially when it comes to software and software development. Those divergences can be in technology used, development lifecycle, team size, test-driven, you name it, there’s a different way to do it. 

One of the most important aspect of them all is your team’s structure and the different roles that people take and how those roles fit into getting things done well. In this blog, we are going to discuss about the 5 mandatory roles (and their responsibilities) required for any successful product development. 

The image given below shows the mandatory roles and areas of their participation in a successful product development lifecycle. 

Now, let’s get into the detail of the responsibilities of each of these resources in the development process. 

1)      Business Analyst

• Prepare Systems requirements
• Perform User Acceptance Testing
• Work with Product Manager on Roadmap
• Provide clarification on the requirements to the development and testing team

2)      Offshore or Nearshore Manager/ Lead

• Plan and schedule sprint
• Allocate and manage resource
• Team management
• Report Dev. Progress and makes sure status/work log are updated
• Achieve delivery targets and deliver on time
• Ensure delivery to quality
• Monitor, tract and report team productivity
• Coordinate alpha testing and release testing
• Create and deliver build/release documentation

3)      Onsite Coordinator / Onsite Development Manager

• Analyse requirements from business / technical perspective
• Manage Estimates and Capacity plan
• Prepare Sprint/ Release plan
• Set delivery targets
• Daily progress monitoring / sync up with offshore/ nearshore
• Resolve impediments as required
• Review Deliverables
• Manage dev tracking tool
• Liaison with the offshore/ nearshore team and the onsite team to set the expectations right at both ends
• Works on a couple of sprint ahead / release ahead of the current sprint? release in development
• While the offshore/ nearshore manager works on the current sprint with the team
• Periodic sync up with the Product Manager

4)      Technical Architect

• Advise on technology choices
• Manage technical roadmap
• Perform R&D
• Advice on tech design
• Extend help on tech challenges Review and approve design decisions
• Provide technical feasibility of requirements

5)      Product Manager

• Product Strategy Management
• Create Product Roadmap
• Business Plan integration
• Market Analysis
• Enhancement Management
• Liaison with external vendors
• Manage Release Expectations with all stakeholders
• Manage Product Backlog
• Provide High level Requirement
• Provide Release Scope
• Derive Priorities from all Stakeholders
• Approve Sprint
• Publish Release Plan
• Coordinate UAT (Beta) Testing Accept Sprint / Release
• Release to Customers

To successfully bring a new product to the market, roles and responsibilities of all the resources need to work in tandem. Aspire Systems offers innovative engineering for developing new products and modernizing matured products at high velocity while achieving high quality standards.