Ownership - Delivery Manager
Delivery Managers ensure the successful execution of projects by overseeing delivery processes, maintaining client relationships, and enabling operational efficiency. They act as a bridge between high-level management, project teams, and support functions, aligning business goals with technical execution.
The organizational approach of a Delivery Manager may vary depending on the area they oversee. Those managing maintenance activities may adopt pull approches better suited for emergent workflows, whereas those handling project delivery may operate as project managers, utilizing milestone- or goal-driven iteration frameworks.
As part of the low-level management structure, Delivery Managers have a vertical focus on specific areas or macro-teams, ensuring that projects within their scope are well-organized, delivered with quality, and meet contractual obligations. They proactively identify risks, dependencies, and process inefficiencies, ensuring smooth workflows across different operational units. While collaborating closely with Staff Engineers, their focus remains on the operational dimension rather than technical decisions.
They are also responsible for periodic reporting to the board and high-level management, keeping them informed about project health, client satisfaction, and potential business opportunities.
Ownership
- Delivery content, quality (as perceived by the client), and contractual obligations
- Workflows, key meetings, and cross-unit dependencies
- Keeping an eye on client relationships (focus on mood and insights)
- Commercial opportunities and client requests
- Monitoring client and company expectations
- Managing risks and critical issues in the operational domain
Practical tasks
- Monitors teams output to ensure alignment with contractual agreements and quality standards
- Oversees key events and meetings to ensure process adherence and operational effectiveness
- Ensures that dependencies between teams and units are managed proactively to guarantee a flawless delivery
- Gathers and reports insights from client interactions, monitoring satisfaction and identifying improvement areas
- Collaborates with Sales and Business Development to identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities
- Reports periodically to the board and high-level management on project status, risks, and strategic insights
- Supports risk management by identifying and mitigating delivery-related challenges
- Aligns with HR, Finance, and Administration to ensure smooth operations across delivery activities
Concrete outputs
- Well-structured, high-quality delivery plans
- Coordinated workflows and dependency management across teams
- Periodic reporting to board and high-level management
- Documentation and tracking of client interactions, insights, and requests
- Operational decisions and escalations logged for future reference
Interactions
Please, visit the Interactions between project roles section.