What is a Team Leader?
A team leader is an important member of a collaborative project team. This individual or group of individuals is responsible for planning, executing and promoting the activities that a project undertakes.
A project may also have several team leaders who split the duties of a team leader among them.
What are the benefits of project leadership?
As a team leader, you and your organization will be seen as an industry leader, with the following particular benefits:
- Individual and Company recognition on TM Forum website and in Community
- Individual and company recognition in published documents
- If required part-take in interviews for both internal TM Forum and industry publications on work of team
- Quotes in press releases
- Special recognition at Action Week events
- Letters of recognition to management
- Access to Team Leaders Group Conference calls
- Team Leader Recognition
What are the responsibilities of a team leader?
The team leader is responsible for planning, executing and promoting activities that a project undertakes. At a high level, the team leader is responsible for:
- Ensure project is developed in line with TM Forum IPR policy
- Encourage all participants to take an active role in the project
- Ensure participants have a clear understanding of what they need to complete and when
- Drive the project team for on time delivery
- Lead the design, planning and execution validation activities
- Identify key companies required to position for industry adoption
Specifically, some of the activities required are:
- Point of contact for members wishing to join and participate in the project.
- Set-up and management of team meetings
- Organize any necessary meetings to progress team work (weekly, daily, or ad-hoc as appropriate)
- Plan and execute meetings at Action Week and any other face-to-face meetings as required.
- Work with TM Forum staff to:
- Define roles and staffing needs, and to reach commitment on staffing and deliverables.
- Manage escalation activities and organize discussions to address issues related to program members not fulfilling commitments.
- Define and manage team structure and associated modifications
- Assign team responsibilities
- Manage delivery of the agreed roadmap items, specifically as applies to the project and outlined within the charter.
- Monitor progress and manage risks to and recovery of any schedule slippages
- Owner and principal editor for the team charter including oversight of any sub-team charters.
What experience and skills are required for the team leader position?
- Experience of managing collaborative development projects with fixed deadlines
- Track record of presenting to stakeholders, ability to understand their requirements and find pragmatic ways to meet their needs
- Strong communications skills – verbal, written and presentation
- An ability to work well with people from diverse backgrounds
What is the time commitment for a team leader?
While the amount of actual time will depend on various factors such as experience, if it is a co-leader position and maturity of the given project topic, this role typically requires approximately 10 hours per work week time committed to the role, namely:
- Including two full-week dedicated attendance at Action Weeks, one in Europe, one in the US
- Including attendance at bi-weekly Collaboration Program Team Leader coordination one-hour conference call meeting
- Group meetings as deemed necessary to deliver to project charter commitments
- Administrative time as necessary to fulfill responsibilities above
How do I apply to be a team leader?
Here is the application to become a Team Leader Team-Leader_Application_Template_Ver1-2.docx
Here is the team leader process Team-Project_Leader_Appointment_process_V2.pdf