Throughout the articles on our blog, we’ve discussed what to expect from IV&V, the ROI it can bring, and even the benefits of the process – but what about management? Once you’ve brought and IV&V team onboard, who do they answer to?
As we’ve mentioned before, each IV&V project is going to look a little bit different. Depending on your organization, IV&V findings will be presented to a range of departments or staff members. The top level reports, however, will mostly likely fall to senior leadership. So called “project sponsors” are the responsible parties here – the people who hired and briefed the IV&V team.
These company leaders are the ones overseeing the success of the business, not just the development project at hand. Because of this, they are the best suited for the overall vision that IV&V teams need to succeed. Project managers, however, and those closest to the development process, are not.
Let’s explore this a little bit deeper.
Why Stakeholders and COOs?
For board members, CEOs, CIOs, COOs, and so on, the primary concerns are usually big picture. These members of the organization tend to focus on annual figures, year to year planning, customer satisfaction, and so on. The large-scale vision lends itself to identifying strategic goals, and the leadership skills to not get bogged down in minutia.
These people can guide an IV&V team without getting in the way, identifying top-down goals and broad needs. They are also intimately connected to company stakeholders. This means providing high level guidance, while also allowing the IV&V professionals do what they do best – without micromanaging or conflicts of interest.
Why Not Project Managers?
For all the reasons mentioned above, project managers and people directly involved in development are NOT the best choices for overseeing or guiding an IV&V team. They are simply too close to the project – and potentially too far away from the company’s long term plans.
There’s simply too much potential for conflict, disagreement, or miscommunication. The development team(s) and IV&V teams need to work together, but if they IV&V professionals are subordinate to the people performing the work they evaluate, problems are bound to arise.
This isn’t to say that project managers aren’t capable of regulating themselves, seeing the bigger picture, or taking constructive feedback… But if they are to work side by side with an IV&V team, it’s often best if oversight comes from “higher up” – even if those leaders are somewhat disconnected from the development process.
To learn more about the IV&V process, how it can benefit your company, and who should be in charge, contact us today!
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