In our IT careers, we can all expect to be working as part of an IT project team and to have our performance measured by our contributions. Further opportunities will be influenced by our success in such implementations of IT solutions to business problems. BCS Tayside & Fife Branch is offering a series of evening presentations on the Business Life Cycle of IT Projects. Each presentation is self-contained but linked to others in the series as additional perspectives are discussed. As usual these meetings are open to both members and non-members. Students are as always especially welcome. 

This series of meetings are all on Mondays at Room 3510, University of Abertay Dundee, Bell Street, Dundee, DD1 1HG. Local street parking is free after 18.00. Catering will be available from 18.30. Please use this time to network and make yourself known to others attending. 

Our third meeting continues the Project Management Perspectives series. It is emphasised that while each meeting is freestanding, maximum benefit will be obtained by attending the whole series. If you have been unable to attend a previous meeting, please check the BCS branch pages where a hyperlink will be available. Or ask  a BCS branch office bearer. 

John Hull will talk about his experience as a Business Analyst identifying and engaging with project stakeholders to understand what the problem is that they are addressing and what the requirements may be. Examples: the complexity of getting a clear understanding of the business problem, the stakeholders and the project; the challenges of identifying all the stakeholders and their influence on the project; the challenges of agreeing and following project methodologies and deliverables; working with the project manager, the technical architects and the test manager; keeping the business up to date with what is happening without alarming them.

Robert Dunlop will talk from his perspective as a Test Manager He will describe identifying and engaging with stakeholders to understand what the project is about, what the requirements are. Includes business readiness for testing; their ability to draft test scripts; liaising with the project manager and development team to plan for and agree what has to be tested; importance of good quality testing is to the success of a project; the complexity of getting a clear understanding of the business problem, the stakeholders and the project and the ability of the business to test the IT solution; challenges of working with the Development team and the business to produce appropriate tests against deadlines and business constraints; challenges of monitoring the testing and taking the best approach to getting bugs fixed; challenges of agreeing that a requirement has been met and correctly tested; challenge of maintaining the confidence of the business in the solution.

At every BCS meeting there is the chance to network with like-minded professionals both at the buffet before the meeting and towards the end of the meeting. Students and those at the start of their professional career may care to discuss their study choices or career moves with more experienced colleagues

For more information, please go to - https://www.bcs.org/category/18370