Aligning feasible technical requirements to research objectives and steering collaboration: role and responsibilities of the Research Software Analyst in RSE teams

This talk will focus on the role institutionalised at King’s Digital Lab of the Research Software Analyst as key member of the RSE team acting as first point of contact with project partners throughout a project / product lifecycle from collaborative requirements definition (including contribution to funding applications) to project management during evolutionary development (including negotiations around prioritisation of requirements / increments), testing of the solution components and negotiations around acceptance at release phase, to reporting and decommissioning at post-project phase. 

The competences of this role are relevant for RSEs typically involved in complex research projects which require at minimum an agreed understanding of technical requirements with at least one other individual (e.g. project lead, other researcher / RSE / colleague, funder / sponsor, project partner). The role is particularly relevant for RSE groups and team operating at scale, delivering on complex projects with multiple stakeholders, running in parallel and often requiring concept design if not a full funding application with estimate of effort prior to starting.

Building on Agile DSDM roles definitions (https://www.agilebusiness.org/dsdm-project-framework/roles-and-responsibilities.html) and business analysis good practices, the role has evolved based on the specificity of the institutional context and research domains (mainly arts, humanities and social sciences) within which KDL operates; however, the talk will generalise the role profile and functions to enable the audience to identify potential alignment with other contexts and roles across disciplines.

The talk will focus on: 

• RSA role description (standard, senior and principal levels) building on the document authored by KDL founding Director; 
• walkthrough project feasibility assessment phase aligned with research objectives and to inform funding applications with associated example/s compliant with KDL project templates; 
• outline of the activities led by the RSA during evolutionary development to monitor progress, steer collaboration with a variety of stakeholders and facilitate the solution development team work.