Acronyms
IT – Information Technology – in the context of this document, IT was used at times to speak generally about the function, but is synonymous with Information Technology Services (ITS)
ITSM – Information Technology Service Management
PM – Project Manager / Project Management
PMBOK – Project Management Body of Knowledge
PMI – Project Management Institute
PMO – Project/Program Management Office
PPM – Project/Program Portfolio Management
SaaS – Software-as-a-Service
SME – Subject Matter Expert
TDX – TeamDynamix
PMI’s PMBOK defines a project as a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. Building off the textbook definition of a project, ITS has defined a project is warranted if one or more of the following is true:
- Unique endeavor that has a defined scope of work to be completed within a specific timeline
- Planning and coordination that involves ITS, other department, or third-party resources
- A need for temporary working group to achieve the defined objectives
- Sponsorship from a Director, Dean, AVP, VP or head of a department
When work meets this definition of a project, as determined by a joint review by the project management group and the designated service and process manager for IT project and portfolio management (Marsha Bryan, Director of Enterprise Application Services), it must be entered into the centralized IT project management system within TeamDynamix by someone within ITS following the processes outlined in this methodology. Project requests cannot be entered directly into TeamDynamix by anyone outside of ITS.
Once a project is defined, not all projects are treated equally. Due to nature of the work, different tactics and/or oversight may be applied to sanction and complete it. Therefore, the following project types have been identified.
- Compliance – Performed to achieve or maintain compliance with applicable internal or external mandates
- Operational – Supports improvements and enhancements to current day-to-day operations within ITS, an academic department or administrative office.
- Strategic – Instrumental to advancing one or more strategic objectives of the University
These types are used in providing guidance on how each respective project type should be managed as well as the governance process required to sanction the project.
One additional descriptor has been identified to help understand the type of work being performed. This aids in reporting to segregate or filter the portfolio.
- IT Infrastructure
- Cloud Computing Services*
- Process Redesign
- Education Technology
- Security and Compliance
*Cloud Computing Services refers to projects that involve selection of vendors, implementations, or major upgrades to infrastructure, platforms, software and other services that are provided by a third party via the Internet. These are typically software-as-a-service platforms and are not part of the University’s core IT infrastructure, which is covered by its own specific project classification (IT Infrastructure).
All projects managed by ITS methodology are aligned with a common project life cycle. Regardless of the size, complexity, and nature of the project, applying the same approach allows for stakeholders to understand where it is at in the process. The life cycle also helps establish the activities expected to be performed during each stage, and identifies expected deliverables or outcomes from those activities.
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Stage
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Activities
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Deliverables
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Gate
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Definition
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- Describe the unmet or anticipated need to be addressed as a result of the project
- Associate one or more strategic goals to the project as justification
- Define the objectives and high-level scope
- Identify a project sponsor and project manager
- Identify the key stakeholders who will be impacted, informed, and involved
- Identify dependencies (based on a feasibility review if warranted)
- Estimate timelines including when the project will begin and end along with major milestones along the way
- List constraints (e.g. time, budget, personnel, facilities, management issues, business cycles, academic calendar)
- Create a pro forma budget for the project
- Determine whether or not additional funding needs to be requested
- Identify the required approvals need for authorization to move forward
- Submit the project request thru TeamDynamix
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A Project Proposal is then developed by the assigned project manager, based on the initial (and more limited) information provided within the Project Request submitted thru TDX. The Project Proposal is then documented using the standard Microsoft Word template and circulated outside of TDX for review, modification, and approval(s). If approved, the final version serves as the Project Charter.
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If the Project Proposal is approved, it then serves as the Project Charter (subject to change) and the basis for subsequent project planning.
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Planning
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Develop a project plan within TeamDynamix that incorporates the input and involvement of the Project Initiator, Project Team Members and Representative Key Stakeholders and includes the following:
- Major milestones and timelines (initial estimates)
- Dependencies – which tasks depend on the start or completion of another task
- A detailed task list. Each task should contain:
- Estimated Effort
- Estimated Duration
- Resources – who will do the work and estimated time they need to dedicate to the project and when
- Schedule – the dates the work will be done based on resource availability and
- Major milestones and timelines (final commitment)
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- Project Plan Developed within TeamDynamix
- Finalized Project Charter based on any necessary revisions following the development of the Project Plan
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The Project Plan and Project Charter must be reviewed and approved by ITS personnel as part of the monthly Project and Portfolio Management meetings prior to holding the “kick-off” meeting that formally begins the “execution” phase.
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Execution
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- Hold kickoff meeting
- Complete project work
- Oversee the project
- Status updates
- Issue/Risk management
- Change control (scope, schedule, budget)
- Communications
- Transfer to operations
- Transfer of knowledge
- Service desk training / awareness
- Service catalog changes, etc.
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- Interim deliverables associated with major milestones
- Monthly Status updates
- Transfer to Operations Checklist
- Documentation such as knowledge articles, etc.
- Communications Plan
- Service Management
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The planning and coordination of active IT projects must be reviewed as part of the monthly Project and Portfolio Management meetings until there is consensus to move to the next phase – “closing”.
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Closing
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- Assess initial client impact/satisfaction
- Identify lessons learned
- Hold closing meeting
- Conduct celebration / recognition
- Determine follow up meeting date
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Sponsor’s agreement to close (or end) the project
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The Project Closing meeting must take place to inform a Post Review.
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Post Review
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- Assess project impact – quantitative and qualitative benefits
- Summarize related incidents, service requests and changes since project completion
- Review roadmap / next steps for related service
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- Summary of impact
- Summary of service activity
- Service roadmap
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ITS Project Review
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Project Roles & Responsibilities
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Role
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Description
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Responsibilities
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Project Manager
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The person assigned by the Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer and empowered to take the initiative to ensure that the Project Team fulfills the objectives of the project within the specified timeline as described within the approved project proposal
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- Developing the project plan that includes scheduling assigned activities, timelines and deliverables with the input and involvement of the Project Initiator, Project Team Members and Key Stakeholders
- Establishing clearly defined and well understood individual roles and responsibilities for Project Team Members in consultation with them as well as the Project Sponsor and Project Initiator
- Management of the planning and coordination of all project related tasks including convening meetings as needed while communicating to and receiving feedback from the Project Team throughout the duration of the project
- Tracking progress relative to the approved timeline for reaching milestone deliverables and final completion of the project as described within the approved project proposal
- Updating the project management system with information that is needed to manage the project
- Communicating the status of the project to the Project Sponsor(s), Project Initiator, Key Stakeholders and Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer at least monthly
- Escalate and resolve issues as needed before they cause the project to fail to meet expectations as described within the approved project proposal
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Project Sponsor
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The person (or people) ultimately accountable for the results of the project with a vested interest in the outcome, and the person (or people) ultimately responsible for securing spending authority and resources for the undertaking.
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- Championing the project to provide exposure and buy-in from senior management and key stakeholders
- Ensuring that the project is adequately supported by securing the necessary funding, and making sure that personnel from their area with the appropriate knowledge and skills are able to commit their time to the project as needed
- Providing input to the development of the project proposal
- Signing-off on the final deliverables from the project at its conclusion
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Project Team Members
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Members of the project team are the people who will need to do the work necessary to complete all of the project related activities. The members of the Project Team should all have clearly defined and well understood individual roles and responsibilities associated with the project as part of the development of the project plan with the Project Manager. The Project Team may include a technical lead, a functional lead, one or more subject matter experts and other personnel from within Framingham State University. The Project Team may also include third parties such as suppliers of hardware or software and consultants as well.
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- Provides expertise
- Performs work to create deliverables
- Creates documentation
- Assists in identifying risks and issues
- Testing
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Business Process Owner
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Typically, in the line of reporting to the Project Sponsor, serves as the person accountable for the business process related to the project deliverable
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- Makes decisions for business process and end users
- Determines desired outcomes and if/how they are to be met
- Has responsibility for the impact of the project to the end user community
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Business Process Manager
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Typically, also in a reporting line to the sponsor, acting as a liaison with between the PM and the end users, coordinating activity
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- Works with the project manager coordinating business end user activities and identifying and resolving issues
- Coordinates across business users
- Facilitates training of end users
- Facilitates end user testing
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Stakeholders
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The persons or organizations that are actively involved in the project, or whose interests may be positively or negatively impacted by the project, or who might exert influence over the project.
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- Receive and review project communications
- Provide input and feedback where applicable
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Portfolio Management Roles & Responsibilities
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Role
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Description
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Responsibilities
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Portfolio Manager
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The Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer oversees the portfolio of projects that are managed by Information Technology Services
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- Performs portfolio planning for projects
- Identifies project effort / facilitating estimation
- Oversees governance and project processes
- Supports use of project management techniques
- Ensures adherence to project methodology
- Facilitates intake process for respective portfolio
- Facilitates project prioritization
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Business Relationship Manager
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An IT leader or analyst that serves as a subject matter expert for a business area and is an IT liaison for project and service needs
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- Serves as subject matter expert for business area
- Helps with situations where something is not addressed
- Brings IT functional knowledge to serve as liaison with IT and the business group
- Pulls in additional resources as needed
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Request Manager / Project Manager
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The person who facilitates the project request through the intake process and may become the project manager
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- Engages with the client to ensure the request understood
- Works the request through the intake process
- Leads the project from Definition through Closing
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Subject Matter Experts
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Others knowledgeable about either or both the needs of the end users, or the technical aspects of a solution
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- Provides solution expertise
- Provides insights on resources and costs
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Functional (Resource) Managers
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The managers who supervise resources and manage their commitments to work
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Business Process Owners / Sponsors
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The champion of project and/or those who represent the business needs of a project
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- Initiates the project
- Provides details on the need
- Makes the business case
- Assists in obtaining funding
- Ensures necessary resources are available
- Provides input on project prioritization
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Oversight Committees
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Groups of key stakeholders who review project portfolios and provide input on project needs and prioritization.
Examples: ITS Project and Portfolio Review, Planning and Coordination, Executive Staff, Admin and Student Management Team
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- Manages the pipeline
- Provides input on project prioritization
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Approving & Determining Priority of Projects
ITS has identified several fields that will aid in decision making for projects.
The following information will be captured on project requests and be used for approvals and determining the priority of the project in relation to others:
- Description
- Project Manager
- Sponsor
- Key Stakeholders
- Objective
- Deliverables
- Related Strategic Goals
Project Decision Support Criteria
- Dependencies – what is this project dependent upon, what is depending on this project?
- Constraints – what are any concerns around limitations?
- Timeline
- Budget – broken out into expense types for better understanding of costs: Hardware, software, services, training, maintenance and other (travel) expenditures
- Project team roles and level of effort
- Justification – a narrative of why the project is necessary and the benefits gained
- Benefit Type – per the table below
- Benefit Impact – per the table below
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Additional revenue or cost reduction
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Paramount to achievement of strategic objectives and impact
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Small contribution and breadth
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Moderate contribution or breadth
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Transformational or broad reaching
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Transformational and broad reaching
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Severity of risk being mitigated and benefit of mitigation
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Critically significant to university
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Client Satisfaction & Experience
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Scale of community members affected
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Small contribution and breadth
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Moderate contribution or breadth
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Transformational or broad reaching
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Transformational and broad reaching
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Contribution to building and/or maintaining foundational services
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Small contribution and breadth
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Moderate contribution or breadth
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Transformational or broad reaching
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Transformational and broad reaching
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Portfolio Oversight & Planning
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Directorate Project Reviews
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Director and all project related staff
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Bi-weekly or at the Directors’ discretion
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Status, issues, risks, milestones achieved
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Actionable items and important updates
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Project changes – budget, schedule, scope
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New request review
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Execution start
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Transition to operations
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Project closing
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ITS Project and Portfolio Management Reviews
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Members of the ITS Leadership and Management Teams
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Monthly as scheduled and facilitated by the Director of Enterprise Application Services
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Status, issues, risks, milestones achieved
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Actionable items and important updates
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Project changes – budget, schedule, scope
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New request review
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Execution start
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Transition to operations
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Project closing
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Budgetary / Fiscal Planning
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Members of the ITS Leadership and Management Teams
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Monthly and included as Budget Management meetings as scheduled and facilitated by the Coordinator of Business Operations
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