Information Management and Technology - Programme Management Office
TECHNICAL LEAD - TERMS OF REFERENCE
Technical Lead – Terms of Reference
Terms of Reference need to state clearly and specifically the expectations of the Technical Lead
Project Name
Project Duration
Ref Number
From: Click here to enter a date. To: Click here to enter a date.
Project Manager
Technical Lead
Term of Membership
Provide details of the time allocated/ timeframes expected of the Technical Lead
The Technical Lead is assigned to the project from initiation through to the implementation of the project.
[The Technical Lead will meet with the Project Manager for ½ hour meetings on a weekly basis to review
progress on technical aspects of the project. In addition to this, adhoc meetings may be required.] – PROJECT
MANAGER TO AMEND METHOD AND TIMEFRAME AS REQUIRED
Governance
Reporting of progress, decisions, and risks/issues will be as follows:
Project Board
Project Manager
Name here
Technical Lead
Name here
Role of Technical Lead
Project Manager’s expectations of the Technical Lead
 Work with the Project Manager on definition of IT development requirements and priorities.
 Identify IMT technical work packages and scope of works.
 Lead where required, on the definition of work packages that have technical elements and
interdependencies.
 Agree scope of works with all technical resources, including delivery dates.
 Co-ordinate activities across all IMT technical teams [flow of technical information diagram overleaf].
 Monitor delivery of IMT technical deliverables.
 Report progress of technical deliverables to the Project Manager.
 Identify and report technical issues and/or risks associated with the delivery of any IMT work package to the
Project Manager including forecasting and managing exception reporting
 Escalate unresolved issues to the Project Manager where necessary.
 Work with IMT resources, including contractors, consultants and/or third party suppliers where necessary, to
identify solutions to technical problems.
 Report technical problems and update on solutions to the Project Manager.
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Contribute to technical strategy, policy and procedure.
Develop and implement technical plans and testing.
Produce technical documentation, where required, to agreed quality standards.
Lead the technical planning and design for the project across IMT.
Represent the project as Technical Lead, both in and outside of IMT.
Be single point of contact for project related technical advice.
Technical Lead is responsible for creating, managing and submitting Requests for Change (RFC) and
advising the Change Advisory Board (CAB) as appropriate
Role of Technical Lead – Project Specific
Project Managers expectations of the Technical Lead
 PM to add any project related expectations here.
Other Key Project Roles
 The Project Sponsor is responsible for the Business Case/ Project for the duration of the
project and accountable for all aspects of risk management
 The Project Manager retains overall responsibility for the project delivery and managing the
project plan, issues and risks
 The Senior Supplier ensures project and stage plans remain consistent from the supplier
perspective
Please see PRINCE2 Roles and Responsibilities document for further information
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Technical Lead - Term of Reference
Flow of Technical Information
Project Board
Project Manager
Technical Lead
Infrastructure
Customer Services
Applications
Academic Support
Architecture
Services Departments
Support
Database Administration
Information Security
Manager
Networks
Non IMT Technical Teams
Architecture
AV and Teaching Spaces
Development
Student and Open Spaces
Support
Service Management and
Service Desk
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Learning Technology and
Innovation
Systems
Integration and Data
Management
Reprographics
Web Services
Telecoms
Contractors/Consultants/
Third Parties
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Training and Support available to Technical Leads
If you feel you would benefit from the training below, or any other training, please discuss with
your line manager.
APM's Project Fundamentals for technical management staff
APMP complements PRINCE2 well: it offers a set of techniques that describe how the work in a
project is done (providing the detail for generic project management techniques
that PRINCE2 alludes to but does not explicitly explain). For example, PRINCE2 states that
engaging stakeholders is a pivotal part of project management, but does not offer a great deal of
detail as to how this is achieved. The APMP course contains a description of how this is done.
APMP also covers what are regarded as the ‘softer’ elements of project management, such as
communication, negotiation, conflict management and motivation. These are topics
that PRINCE2 does not attempt to cover as it does not try to be all things to all people; the
absence of these ‘soft’ elements may lead to a failed project so those hoping to be involved in
projects or those who currently are and who wish to get a more complete picture of what is
involved, would benefit from attending the APMP course. The qualification was devised by the
Association of Project Managers (the other ‘P’ stands for ‘Professional’), an organisation whose
aim is to advance the role of project management (they aim for it to achieve chartered status in
the future).
Further details can be found via this link - http://www.quanta.co.uk/project-phoenix
PRINCE2 Foundation
PRINCE2 (PRojects In Controlled Environments) is a process based approach for project
management providing an easily tailored and scalable method for the management of all types of
projects. The method is the de-fecto standard for project management in the UK and is practised
worldwide. The PRINCE2 method is in the public domain, and offers non-proprietorial best
practice guidance on project management.
Key features of PRINCE2:
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Focus on business justification
Defined organisation structure for the project management team
Product-based planning approach
Emphasis on dividing the project into manageable and controlled stages
Flexibility that can be applied at level appropriate to the project
Further detail can be found via this link - http://www.prince2.com/what-is-prince2
MS Project Training
Microsoft Office Project, also referred to as Microsoft Project, offers tools for more efficient project
management. Microsoft Project can be used in a variety of industries including construction,
manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, government, retail, financial services and health care.
The main modules of Microsoft Project include project work and project teams, schedules and
finances. Microsoft Project allows its users to set realistic goals for project teams and customers
by creating schedules, distributing resources and managing budgets. Users gain control over their
project work with the Project Guide that helps them create projects, track tasks, and report
results. Additionally, contractors gain control over their resources and finances by easily
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assigning resources to tasks and budgets to projects. Finally, Microsoft Project comes with
customizable wizard that walks users through the process of project creation, from assigning their
tasks and resources to reporting the final results.
Further detail can be found via this link http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/Microsoft-Project-Microsoft-Office-Project
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