Session 2.4 - Role Goals
Chapter 3: Launching a Team Project | Duration: 1 hr
Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, you will be able to:
- Identify the specific goals for each TSPi role
- Explain how role objectives support team goals
- Recognize potential tensions between roles and how to balance them
- Plan how to perform effectively in your assigned role
Introduction
Each role views the project through a different lens. Chapter 3 defines role-specific goals to ensure every lens contributes to the team’s overall objectives. Balancing these goals prevents local optimizations from hurting the project.
Role Goals at a Glance
Role goals are not in competition—they are facets of the same mission. When priorities clash, favor team goals (quality, productivity, schedule) and find a compromise that keeps the team moving.
Team Leader Goals
- Build and maintain an effective team.
- Motivate members to work aggressively on the project.
- Resolve issues raised by team members.
- Keep the instructor fully informed.
- Facilitate effective meetings.
Measures
- Peer evaluations
- Issue resolution time
- Meeting effectiveness and attendance
- Instructor feedback
Development Manager Goals
- Produce a superior product.
- Fully use team members’ skills and abilities.
Measures
- Product quality metrics
- Skill utilization (pairing, assignments)
- Defect containment across phases
Planning Manager Goals
- Produce a complete, precise, and accurate plan for the team and each member.
- Accurately report team status every week.
Measures
- Plan vs. actual variance
- Timeliness/accuracy of status reports
- Estimate quality (size, time)
Quality/Process Manager Goals
- Ensure accurate reporting and proper use of TSPi process data.
- Ensure the team follows TSPi and produces a quality product.
- Ensure all inspections are moderated and reported.
- Ensure meetings are accurately reported and archived.
Measures
- Data completeness/accuracy
- Inspection coverage and yield
- Defect trends by phase
- Meeting minutes captured
Support Manager Goals
- Provide suitable tools and methods.
- Prevent unauthorized changes to baselined products.
- Record and report all risks/issues weekly.
- Meet reuse goals for the cycle.
Measures
- CM compliance (no rogue changes)
- Risk/issue log freshness
- Tool availability
- Reuse achieved vs. target
Integrating Role Goals
Balancing Tensions
- Quality vs. schedule: use data to decide when to add inspections or adjust scope.
- Plan precision vs. speed: refine estimates iteratively; avoid analysis paralysis.
- Tooling vs. delivery: adopt only what reduces risk or effort within the cycle.
Rule: prioritize team goals first; negotiate trade-offs openly in weekly meetings.
Summary
- Role goals clarify what “good” looks like for each responsibility area.
- All role goals exist to serve team goals (quality, productivity, schedule).
- Use objective measures to track role performance and surface tensions.
- Resolve conflicts by favoring team outcomes and adjusting process together.