User representative

The user representative represents the users and their interests in the project. The user representative is responsible for the clear specialist solution requirements agreed with the specialist departments as a stable basis for the implementation and technical success of the solution development. The user representative is the contact person for both the execution organization and the stakeholders, constituting a binding communication channel within the project organization. The user representative is appointed by the project sponsor and is managed by the project management, but is autonomous during solution development in specialist and solution-specific questions and decisions covered by the execution order.

Under the agile approach, the user representative serves as an interface to the execution organization. In such cases, the role holder assumes specialist responsibility by additionally assuming the role of product owner, which is well known in agile environments. All detailed tasks and responsibilities within the agile execution organization are defined by the agile method used.

• Responsibility for the scope of goods/services and the specialist success of the delivery outcomes
• Establishment of all solution-specific requirements
• Responsibility for the solution requirements
• Maintaining transparency and making solution requirements available to all those involved in the project
• Contributing the complete specialist requirements and functionality coordinated with the specialist areas and customers; representing stakeholder interests
• Maximizing the added value of the development work (maximizing the value of the solution)
• Ensuring the scope of goods/services and the specialist success of the solution
• Involvement of stakeholders in solution development according to the stakeholder list
• Compliance with ISDP requirements
• In the case of agile execution, interface to the execution organization

• Can access all required information
• Decision on the characteristics of the solution including the quality requirements covered by the execution order
• Definition of the acceptance criteria
• Collaboration with stakeholders and execution organization
• Participation in defining requirements and concluding SLAs

• In-depth knowledge of the specialist area
• Knowledge of project management and of HERMES
• In-depth knowledge of traditional and agile development management
• Knowledge of the development management, design, and specification methods and practices
• Basic knowledge of business administration
• Knowledge of the project environment
• Knowledge of the core organization's requirements in terms of operation of the application (e.g. for procurements, financing, controlling, security) or in terms of application of the delivery outcomes
• Ability to establish, formulate, evaluate, and prioritize requirements and prepare change requests
• Good writing skills
• Abstraction and simplification ability
• Ability to work in a team, to communicate, and to resolve conflicts
• Visionary thinking
• Assertiveness
• Natural authority