Is there a person whose role is to coordinate the actions of the development team, to fit the user? A person whose job is to make sure that needs of the customer are met? Well, this representative of both the development team and the user is called the Development Liaison. This role is defined in many development teams’ methodologies. But usually he/she coordinates with the user, gathers requirements, asks for specifics, reports this information back to the team, and the team starts to develop the product. The liaison is the main contact between a development team and a customer. This liaison understands the limitations of his or her team, and tries to get the best for the consumer and the producer.

During the project the liaison reports the updated needs of the customer, and whether the developers are ahead or behind schedule. They also report which stage of the specific methodology that they are on. They have to keep their consumer on board with the project, to verify that the requirements that the consumer asks for are within reach, and that questions raised by the development team are answered in a satisfactory and timely manner. Without a development liaison, it would be a challenge to maintain unbiased contact between the Developers and the Consumers.

In summary, the development liaison helps to fill a communications gap between the clients and the developers, who understands both the business world and the development world. He or she can explain the needs of one party to the other, and is capable of keeping both sides content. Do you have a strong development liaison person in your technology team?

By Akash Deo