COIT Project Management Methodology

Committee on Information Technology

Performance Sub-Committee

Project Management Methodology Guidelines

Version 1.2

Monday, September 29, 2008

Project Management Methodology

Acknowledgements

In preparing this methodology, we have borrowed heavily from a

number of sources, including:

City and County of San Francisco

Department of Technology Guidelines, Information Technology Project Standards

City and County of San Francisco,

Department of Telecommunications and Information Services Enterprise Projects Service Improvements Initiative

Michigan State University

Administrative Information Services Project Management Process

Project Management Institute A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge,

State of Minnesota Office of Technology State of Minnesota Project Management Methodology

State of Oregon, Department of Administrative Services, Information Resources Management Division,

Project Management Office Methodology Document


Committee on Information Technology Page 1 COIT_PM_Methodology

Performance Subcommittee 4/01/2008

Table of Contents

COMMITTEE ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

PERFORMANCE SUB-COMMITTEE

INTRODUCTION

Purpose ............................................................................................5

OBJECTIVE

Project Management Methodology Maintenance .....................................6

What is a Project?..............................................................................6

What is Project Management? .............................................................7

COIT PROJECT MANAGEMENT METHODOLOGY

Introduction ......................................................................................7

When Should COIT’s Project Management Methodology be Used? ............7

What are Stakeholders?......................................................................7

PROJECT ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Project Sponsor .................................................................................8

Clients............................................................................................10

Service Manager..............................................................................10

Project Manager ..............................................................................10

Project Team...................................................................................11

Steering Committee .........................................................................13

PROCESS OVERVIEW

INITIATE the Project ........................................................................15

PLAN the Project..............................................................................16

EXECUTE the Project ........................................................................16

CONTROL the Project .......................................................................16

CLOSE the Project............................................................................16

INITIATE THE PROJECT

Process Flow ...................................................................................18

Initiate Phase Critical Success Factors ................................................19

Initiate Phase Activities..................................................................20

1. Define the Business Need/Opportunity......................................20




2. Assign a Project Manager ........................................................21

3. Identify a Project Sponsor.......................................................21

4. Identify and Engage Key Stakeholders......................................21

5. Identify Business Objectives and Benefits .................................21

6. Define the Project Scope.........................................................22

7. Describe the Project ...............................................................22

Risk Assessment....................................................................... 22

Constraints.............................................................................. 23

Dependency Linkages................................................................ 23

Impacts .................................................................................. 23

Measures of Project Success....................................................... 23

Assumptions ............................................................................ 23

Critical Success Factors ............................................................. 23

8. Ensure Alignment with Strategic Direction and Architecture.........23

9. Determine Resource Requirements...........................................24

10. Prepare Estimated Costs and an Estimated Schedule.................24

11. Assemble the Proposal ..........................................................25

12. Review the Proposal..............................................................25

Initiate Phase Deliverables................................................................25

Project Proposal............................................................................25

PLAN THE PROJECT

Process Flow ...................................................................................27

Plan Phase Critical Success Factors ....................................................28

Plan Phase Activities ........................................................................29

1. Assemble the Steering Committee............................................29

2. Confirm the Project Scope and Objectives .................................29

3. Determine the Procurement and Sourcing Strategy ....................29

Decide What to Procure ............................................................. 29

Decide When to Procure ............................................................ 29

Decide How to Procure (Contract Types) ...................................... 30

Decide How Much to Procure ...................................................... 30

Develop a Framework for Contract Administration/Vendor Management............................................................................ 31

4. Define the Project Organization................................................31

Identify Required Skill Sets by Role............................................. 31

Develop Project Organization ..................................................... 31

Assign Project Team Members .................................................... 32

Backfill Roles for Assigned Team Members (Depending on Resource Requirements)............................................................ 32

5. Identify Other Resource Requirements......................................32

Determine Facility Needs ........................................................... 32

Determine Infrastructure, Equipment, and Material Needs .............. 32

6. Refine Project Risk Mitigation Strategies ...................................33

7. Detail Project Administration ...................................................33




Change Control ........................................................................ 33

Issue Management ................................................................... 33

Communications with Stakeholders ............................................. 33

Training .................................................................................. 34

Project Metrics ......................................................................... 34

Rollout/Implementation............................................................. 34

Post -Project Evaluation............................................................. 34

8. Prepare the Project Schedule and Budget..................................35

Schedule Considerations............................................................ 35

Milestone Descriptions............................................................... 35

Project Schedule....................................................................... 35

Project Budget ......................................................................... 38

9. Develop a Project Quality Assurance Plan..................................39

Reference to Appropriate Standards ............................................ 39

Walkthroughs and Reviews ........................................................ 39

Testing ................................................................................... 40

Configuration Management ........................................................ 40

Quality Control Metrics .............................................................. 40

10. Assemble the Plan ................................................................40

11. Review the Plan....................................................................41

Plan Phase Deliverables ....................................................................41

Project Plan..................................................................................41

EXECUTE THE PROJECT

Process Flow ...................................................................................43

Execute Phase Critical Success Factors ...............................................45

Execute Phase Activities ...................................................................46

1. Build and Train the Project Team .............................................46

2. Manage the Project Team........................................................46

Execute the Procurement Plan .................................................... 46

Administer Contracts................................................................. 46

3. Manage Stakeholder Relationships ...........................................47

4. Manage Risk..........................................................................47

5. Manage Quality......................................................................48

6. Manage Issues.......................................................................48

7. Communicate Information.......................................................49

Conduct Status Review Meetings ................................................ 49

Update the Department’s Project Portfolio .................................... 51

8. Document the Work Results ....................................................51

Execute Phase Deliverables...............................................................52

CONTROL THE PROJECT

Process Flow ...................................................................................52

Control Phase Critical Success Factors ................................................54




Control Phase Activities ....................................................................54

1. Collect Information on Project Status........................................55

2. Assess Project Status and Performance.....................................55

Milestones ............................................................................... 55

Final Acceptance....................................................................... 55

3. Control Project Scope .............................................................56

4. Control Project Costs ..............................................................57

5. Control Project Schedule .........................................................58

6. Modify/Update Project Plan and Status .....................................59

Control Phase Deliverables................................................................59

Project Status Reports ...................................................................59

Updated Planning Documents .........................................................60

Final Acceptance Document............................................................60

CLOSE THE PROJECT

Process Flow ...................................................................................61

Close Phase Critical Success Factors...................................................62

Close Phase Activities.......................................................................62

1. Conduct the Final Knowledge Transfer ......................................62

2. Conduct a Final Contract Review ..............................................62

3. Conduct the Post-Project Review..............................................63

4. Document “Lessons Learned” ..................................................63

5. Report Completed Status and Metrics .......................................64

6. Dispose of Project Inventory....................................................64

7. Archive Project Records ..........................................................64

8. Disband or Redeploy Project Team Members .............................64

Close Phase Deliverables ..................................................................65

Post Project Evaluation ..................................................................65

Final Status Report........................................................................65

SCALING THE METHODOLOGY

Project Portfolio Reporting ................................................................66

Project Approval ..............................................................................66

Program Management ......................................................................66

“Bare bones projects”.......................................................................66

Project Characteristics Matrix .........................................................66

Instructions/Guidance for Evaluating Characteristics...................... 67

“Bare Bones Project” Deliverables ...................................................68




Introduction

Purpose This document describes a framework for initiating, planning,

executing, controlling, and closing projects. It describes the methodology we will be using and references other documents that

support the methodology.

This project management methodology provides a common reference

point for talking and writing about the practice of project management for projects managed by City Departments. Our goal in providing this

common basis is to increase the awareness and professionalism of those of you who are charged with the responsibilities defined in this

methodology.

COIT has adopted this standard project management methodology as a framework to guide City Project Managers in providing quality

deliverables to clients in a timely and efficient manner. By utilizing a standard methodology, project managers will have a common method

for managing scope, schedule, and budget. Departments who already have Project Methodology Standards in place may use those standards.

Regardless of the project management methodology utilized, the

following minimum project management elements are required:

• Project Proposal/Charter • Project Plan (including Scope, Resource, Cost, Schedule)

• Project Execution/Control • Project Acceptance

Depending on the scale of the project, additional project management deliverables may be required.

Should the department not agree with the COIT Performance

Committee’s determination, the department may ask that the methodology be referred to COIT for final resolution.

Those departments who do not currently have a methodology in place may adopt the standards in this document or implement some other

industry accepted methodology.

Objective

The objectives for the methodology are that it must: o Accommodate all types of City projects

o Standardize communication related to projects o Establish common deliverables for project management




o Facilitate adjustments in scale for projects of different sizes

To help you understand the proposed methodology, we will introduce

and define the key terms used in the project management process. This introduction will address these

questions: o What is a project?

o What is project management? o When should COIT’s project management methodology be used?

o What are stakeholders?

Project Management Methodology Maintenance

The COIT Performance Subcommittee is responsible for implementing

and maintaining this methodology. The COIT Performance Subcommittee will also develop, implement, and maintain templates

and other tools in support of the methodology.

The COIT Performance Subcommittee will continuously monitor project management best practices. It will also elicit feedback from the City’s

working project managers to ascertain which areas of the methodology or tools need enhancement or change. The COIT Performance

Subcommittee will issue a new version of the methodology whenever

changes are made. The most current version of this methodology, along with all supporting templates and tools, is located on the COIT

website.

What is a Project?

According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), “a project is a

temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. Temporary means that every project has a definite beginning and a

definite end. Unique means that the product or service is different in some distinguishing ways from all other products or services.”

Examples of projects include: o Developing a new product or service o Developing or acquiring a new computer application o Constructing a building or facility

Projects that meet the following criteria may be subject to COIT

review: o Projects that require multi-year contracts

o Projects that require collaboration between Multiple departments o Projects of approximately $1M in scope

o Projects with a professional services ratio of approximately 50%




What is Project Management?

PMI’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, 2000 Edition, defines project management as “the application of knowledge,

skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements... It is important to note that many of the processes within

project management are iterative in nature. ” Project management involves balancing competing demands, such as:

o Scope, time, cost and quality o Stakeholders with differing needs and expectations o Identified requirements (needs) and unidentified requirements

(expectations)

COIT Project Management Methodology

Introduction

The project management process is different from a product/service-oriented process, such as a software development lifecycle process.

Product/service-oriented processes specify how to create a product or service; they generally define what technical work should be done in

each phase and who should be involved in each phase. By contrast, the project management process defines the activities to be

undertaken to manage the project itself.

When Should COIT’s Project Management Methodology be Used? You must apply the methodology for all projects that meet one of the

following minimum criteria: o The work requires more than one month of effort to accomplish; or

o The requestor has asked that you manage the work as a project.

In addition, if the work does not meet the above criteria but has a

beginning and an end, you should evaluate the following two items to determine if you should manage it as a project anyway:

o Impact to the customer organization o Number of organizations/groups involved in performing the work.

What are Stakeholders?

PMI’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, 2000 Edition, defines stakeholders as:

Individuals and organizations who are actively involved in the project, or whose interest may be positively or negatively affected as a result of

project execution or successful project completion. The project management team must identify the stakeholders, determine their needs and expectations, and then manage and influence those expectations to ensure a successful project.




Please see Section 2, Project Roles and Responsibilities, for a detailed

discussion of the various project stakeholders.

Project Roles and Responsibilities

A successful project requires participation by the entire project

community, including both client interests and the departmental staff responsible for the project. Client interests include the project sponsor,

who serves as the executive level proponent of the project, and the clients, who will be the staff level users of the project deliverables.

Typically, departmental staff includes the project manager and project team directly responsible for executing the project as well as service

managers and senior management responsible for supporting the project.

The steering committee is the formal instrument for ensuring

cooperation among all stakeholders. Participation by the various

parties requires that all members of the project community understand their respective roles and responsibilities. This section will discuss the

roles and responsibilities of each of the key constituents of the project community. These are the:

o Project sponsor o Clients o Service managers o Project manager

o Project team o Steering committee

o Professional service providers

Project Sponsor

The sponsor is the executive of a client department responsible for the

strategic direction of a project. A project sponsor should have the authority to define project objectives, secure resources, and resolve

organizational and priority conflicts. Multiple studies indicate a direct correlation between the lack of project sponsorship and project failure.

Well-meaning but costly mistakes include substituting a steering committee for a sponsor and assuming that a big-budget and highly

visible project does not need a formal sponsor.

The project sponsor is usually a member of the client department’s

management team, which will ultimately be the recipient of the project’s end result. The sponsor is an important stakeholder, usually

head of a program area and not normally a day-to-day staff person. This is the person who makes the business argument for the project to

exist and usually controls the overall funding of the project. The




project sponsor is also responsible for ensuring that client department

staff (aka clients) are fully informed and encouraged to contribute to the project.

The project sponsor’s general functions are to:

o Articulate requirements

o Ensure that requirements are met o Provide necessary funding and resources o Champion the project to provide exposure and buy-in from City

government and officials

o Communicate the sponsor’s views on project progress and success factors to the project team and other stakeholders

Project Phase The Project Sponsor’s Responsibilities

INITIATE the Project Phase

� Provide strategic plans and guidance to correctly identify the relevance and value of the project both today and in the future.

� Define the sponsor’s needs. � Obtain funding for the project. � Assign sponsorship personnel as points of contact. � Review and approve the project proposal.

PLAN the Project Phase

� Participate in planning sessions. � Approve funding along with steering committee.

� Review and approve the project plan. EXECUTE the Project and CONTROL the Project Phases

� Attend requirement reviews.

� Help resolve requirements problems.

� Provide written agreement to requirements and qualifying criteria.

� Help resolve issues, as appropriate. � Attend and participate as needed at project status reviews and steering committee meetings.

� Attend the final acceptance meeting.

CLOSE the Project Phase

� Provide representatives to attend the post project review.

� Sign off on project completion. Clients are the staff in a client department who will use the product or service being provided by the project. Clients are responsible for being actively involved in the project to help ensure its success.




Clients

Clients are the staff in a client department who will use the product or service being provided by the project. Clients are responsible for being

actively involved in the project to help ensure its success.

Service Manager

The service manager is the individual within COIT responsible for

providing a particular service. Some examples of service managers include:

o LAN Services Manager. o Wireless Services Manager. o Citizen Services Manager. o Client Technology Services Manager.

The service manager is responsible for assigning a project manager to the project. In addition, the service manager should be a member of

the project steering committee.

Project Manager

The project manager has total responsibility for the overall project and

its successful completion. To succeed in this responsibility, the project manager must work closely with the sponsor to ensure that adequate

resources are applied. The project manager is also responsible for planning and ensuring that the project is successfully completed on

time, within budget, and at an acceptable level of quality.

The project manager’s general functions are to:

o Implement project policies and procedures o Acquire resources required to perform work

o Identify and procure tools to be used on the project o Maintain staff technical proficiency and productivity and provide

training where required o Establish and maintain quality in the project

Project Phase The Project Manager’s Responsibilities


� Ensure that key stakeholders are identified and engaged.

� Develop the project proposal.




Project Phase The Project Manager’s Responsibilities


� Develop a detailed project plan with the assistance of the project team, tailoring the methodology to reflect the project needs.

� Ensure that all stakeholders agree to project commitments.

� Ensure that the project plan is approved and baselined. EXECUTE the Project Phase

� Manage day-to-day tasks and provide direction to team members performing work on the project.

� Manage relationships among all the project stakeholders.

� Review project risks and establish mitigation procedures.

� Review the results of quality assurance reviews. � Manage issues that arise. Before the CLOSE the Project phase, develop an action plan for any open issues.

� Report project related information to the various stakeholders.

� Record the actual resource utilization. CONTROL the Project Phase

� Review project status regularly, comparing budget to actual costs.

� Review project networks regularly, comparing baseline schedules to actual work completed.

� Participate in the change control process to approve product/project changes.

� Make changes to budgets and schedules and make recommendations as needed.

� Ensure that the project plan is updated as needed. � Obtain steering committee approval of the completed project once the project objectives have been met.


� Conduct a post-project review. � Create a “lessons learned” document.

� Assist contract administrator(s) in contract closeout.

� Close out any financial accounts or charge codes. � Report completed status and project metrics.

� Archive all project records. � Dispose of project inventory, if appropriate.

Project Team

A successful project requires the project team to participate (at some

level) in the planning process, buy into the project plan, and be responsible for completion of assignments. It is important to have a

defined formal structure for the project and for the project staff. This provides each individual with a clear understanding of the authority

given and responsibility necessary for the successful accomplishment




of project activities. Project team members must be accountable for

the effective performance of their assignments.

Project organizations come in many forms. On a large project, individual role assignments may require full-time attention to the

function. On smaller projects, role assignments may be performed part-time, with staff sharing in the execution of multiple functions. The

project team members are responsible for performing the work to accomplish the project objectives. The team members may be drawn

from any and all departmental organizational units, from client resources, from other City departments, and from outside vendors.

Team membership may vary over the duration of the project or, more typically, the level of team member involvement and project

contributions may change during the project.

The project team’s general functions are to:

o Identify technical solution alternatives o Implement the solution within budgeted cost and schedule

o Coordinate with the Quality Assurance Manager. o Support project planning and tracking.

Project Phase The Project Team’s Responsibilities


� Provide estimates for developing products.

� Ensure that business objectives are feasible and appropriate for available resources.

� Analyze business objectives for completeness, consistency and clarity.


� Develop the technical approach. � Assist in the development of the work breakdown structure, work effort estimates, and schedules.

� Assist in the development of the quality assurance plan.

� Identify tools needed for the project. � Identify staff training needs.

EXECUTE the Project Phase

� Create deliverables. � Execute assigned project tasks. � Identify problems and schedule fixes.

� Coordinate with the COIT Quality Assurance Manager, review quality assurance results, and correct any deviations.

� Identify and react to risks as they are found. � Participate in change reviews.




Project Phase The Project Team’s Responsibilities

CONTROL the Project Phase

� Performance against plan

� Whether corrective action is needed

� Risk analysis and management

� Status reporting � Providing forecasts � Monitoring approved changes


� Participate in post-project review. � Turn over all project-related documentation to the

project manager for archiving.

Steering Committee

The project steering committee consists of individuals who represent the project sponsor, the final users of the system being implemented,

and the Technology Project and/or department. The steering committee acts as the principal decision-making authority on the

strategic direction of the entire project. The steering committee also provides executive project oversight and conducts regular decision-

making on critical project issues as they pertain to project scope, schedule, budget, methodology, and resources.

The steering committee’s general functions are to:

o Monitor project status o Help resolve issues o Ensure resources are available

Project Phase The Steering Committee’s Responsibilities


� Review and approve the project Charter. � Ensure project staff availability � Review and approve project scope


� Review and approve the project plan. � Ensure project staff availability. � Ensure that funding is available.




Project Phase The Steering Committee’s Responsibilities

EXECUTE the Project and CONTROL the Project Phases

� Participate regularly in steering committee meetings.

� Review and approve changes in project scope. � Approve changes to the project plan. � Review risk mitigation plans and act on project manager’s recommendations.

� Review and approve changes in contract commitments.

� Review and approve project deliverables. � Approve milestone completion.

� Ensure customer and sponsor acceptance


[No responsibility in this phase for this group.]

Process Overview

The Process Overview identifies the phases of project management and the key activities associated with each phase.




Process Overview

Initiate

Plan

Control Execute

Close

INITIATE the Project

The INITIATE the Project phase marks the beginning of the project. It includes the following activities:

o Preparation of a request for service or a problem/opportunity statement

o Identification of the project sponsor and the project manager o Identification of key stakeholders o Development of the project proposal o Inclusion of the project in the Project Portfolio o Review of the project proposal o Decision about whether to proceed with the project.




PLAN the Project

The PLAN the Project phase involves creating a workable plan to accomplish the project ’s objectives. This phase includes the following

activities: o Development of the project organization

o Definition of processes related to project administration o Preparation of a project schedule and budget o Development of a project quality assurance plan o Review of the project plan o Decision about whether to proceed with the project

EXECUTE the Project

The EXECUTE the Project phase is the actual performance of the

project plan, in order to accomplish the project objectives. From a project management perspective, it includes the following activities:

o Building and training (if necessary) of the project team o Execution of the project plan o Recording of actual resource utilization

During this phase, the project manager manages the project team, manages stakeholder relationships, manages risk, manages quality,

manages issues, and reports project-related information.

CONTROL the Project The CONTROL the Project phase runs concurrently with the EXECUTE

the Project phase. Its purpose is to ensure that the project proceeds according to plan and that it achieves the stated goals. It includes the

following activities:

o Collection of information about project status o Assessment of project status and performance

o Controlling the project scope, costs, and schedule o Modification to and update of the project plan and status reports

CLOSE the Project

The CLOSE the Project phase of the project involves bringing the project to an end. This phase includes the following activities:

o Conducting final knowledge transfer o Conducting final contract review(s) o Conducting the post-project review o Documentation of “lessons learned”

o Reporting of completed status and project metrics o Disposing of project inventory o Archiving of project records o Disbanding the project team




Please see Sections 4 through 7 for a detailed discussion of each

project phase. Each of these sections of the document is organized into:

o Project phase critical success factors o Project phase activities o Project phase deliverables




Initiate the Project

Process Flow

Define businessneed / opportunity

Assign projectmanager

Identify projectsponsor

Identify keystakeholders

Identify businessobjectives and

benefits

Define projectscope

Describe project

Ensure alignmentwith strategic

direction &architecture

Determineresource

requirements

Prepareestimated costs &

schedule

Assemble projectproposal

Initiate PLAN

Review proposal

Modify proposalas necessary

Update proposalto indicate cancel

/ hold status

Redefineproject?

Proceedwith projectas defined?

YesNoYes

No

Every project starts with an idea. That idea may be the result of a unique concept or design; it may be a response to a regulatory

mandate; it may answer a call for operational maintenance; or it may be as simple as providing scheduled upgrades to hardware or software.




Projects are generated for many different reasons. Each warrants special

consideration for uniqueness, importance, cost, priority, and duration of effort. Accordingly, potential projects need to be subjected to an

assessment process that will allow the sponsor, stakeholders, project team, and other interested parties to validate the project benefits and

timing. This project assessment occurs during the INITIATE the Project phase. During this phase, the project manager conceptualizes and

justifies the project and then seeks authorization and funding by the appropriate governing bodies.

The purpose of the INITIATE the Project phase and the resulting

deliverable, the project proposal, is to facilitate the success of projects by encouraging the project manager to evaluate and articulate key

aspects of the proposed project. The process of creating the project proposal provides a basis for communication, understanding, and

agreement among the project community regarding proposed projects.

The proposal documents the business case and other key facts and evaluates a proposed solution to a business problem or opportunity to

help ensure that the solution is: o Realistic o A good investment o Likely to improve operations

o Consistent with departmental and City strategies

While projects vary in terms of complexity, all projects should have a project proposal. You will scale your proposal according to the size and

complexity of your project, among other factors. (See Section 9, Scaling the Methodology, for details.) For some projects, you may only

need to spend a few hours or days to complete the proposal; for others, it could take months. In all cases, the project proposal is

critical for obtaining buy-in on your project. Strive to develop a project

proposal that is robust, informative, and realistic, because your decision makers will use it to determine whether or not to proceed. If

they accept your proposal, the next step is to initiate the project and carry it into the PLAN the Project phase.

Initiate Phase Critical Success Factors

o The sponsor’s formal acceptance of responsibility for the project, including agreement to do all he/she can to achieve the benefits and

costs described in the project proposal o The sponsor’s acceptance of the project proposal o Identification and engagement of key stakeholders o Alignment of the project with business/IT strategic

plans/directions and architecture




Initiate Phase Activities

The key activities you’ll follow to successfully initiate a project are:

1.Define the business need/opportunity 2.Identify a project sponsor

3.Assign a project manager

4.Identify and engage key stakeholders 5.Identify business objectives and benefits

6.Define the project scope 7.Describe the project

8.Ensure alignment with strategic direction and architecture 9.Determine resource requirements

10. Prepare estimated costs and an estimated schedule 11. Assemble the proposal

12. Review the proposal

These activities are detailed below.

1. Define the Business Need/Opportunity

The need/opportunity statement should provide a general discussion of

the needs or opportunities that are to be addressed. Typically, a need or opportunity would be one of the following:

o Provide necessary services more efficiently or effectively o Provide new services o Provide services mandated by law o Obtain needed information that is not currently available

o Reduce the costs of operations o Generate more revenue

o Avoid unnecessary increases in a department’s budget

For example, a client might inform you: “Our department is required to

disburse benefit checks by the fifth working day of each month. With our current system, we are able to meet that deadline only 70 percent

of the time.”

State your discussion of the need/opportunity in business terms and provide an understanding of:

o What created the need or how the opportunity was recognized o The magnitude of the need/opportunity

o Contributing factors, such as workload increases or staff reductions, and fiscal constraints

o An understanding of the extent to which the need/opportunity would be addressed if an appropriate alternative was

implemented o The consequences for the department and its customers if the

need or opportunity is not addressed




By helping your client(s) understand the magnitude of the need or

opportunity, you enable them to accurately estimate the resources they’ll need to respond to it as well as the extent to which a response

will resolve the underlying problem.

2. Assign a Project Manager

As soon as the business problem/opportunity has been defined or a request for service has been received, the appropriate service

manager assigns a project manager. During this phase, the project manager defines the project purpose, establishes the critical success

factors, gathers strategic and background information, determines

high-level planning data, and develops estimated budgets and schedules for the life of the project. The project manager will

coordinate resources and activities to develop the project proposal.

3. Identify a Project Sponsor

As discussed in Roles and Responsibilities (Section 2), the sponsor is an executive responsible for the strategic direction of a project. During

the INITIATE the Project phase, the sponsor’s primary role is to: o Champion the project

o Participate in the development and selling of the project business

case o Present an overall vision and priorities for the project o Assist in determining final funding and project direction o Serve as executive liaison to key stakeholders o Serve as a member of the project steering committee

4. Identify and Engage Key Stakeholders

Stakeholders are individuals and organizations that have a vested interest in the success of the project. The identification and input of

stakeholders helps to define, clarify, drive, change, and contribute to

the scope and, ultimately, the success of the project.

To ensure project success, the project manager and project sponsor must identify stakeholders early in the project, determine their needs

and expectations, and manage and influence those expectations over the course of the project. This group of stakeholders may form the

basis of the steering committee during subsequent phases after it has been approved.

5. Identify Business Objectives and Benefits

Business objectives define the results that must be achieved for a proposed solution to effectively respond to the need/opportunity.

Objectives are the “success factors” against which the department can measure how well the proposed solution addresses the business need

or opportunity. Each objective should: o Relate to the problem/opportunity statement




o Be stated in business and observable/measurable terms

o Be realistically achievable

In establishing objectives, decide whether the proposed solution will impact costs, department operations, or both. Determine whether

costs will be reduced or avoided and if timeliness or service quality will increase. If possible, the department should translate operational

improvements into reduced costs. For example, a business objective could be to “reduce the average amount of overtime worked by 100

hours per month, thereby improving productivity by X% per year.”

Objectives should also identify: o Cost savings and quality of service improvements

o Business process improvement opportunities

6. Define the Project Scope

Provide a concise, measurable statement of what the project will

accomplish and, if appropriate, what it will not attempt to accomplish. Discuss the proposed solution and the business processes you will use

and describe their characteristics.

Be careful to avoid scope creep—adding work without corresponding updates to cost, schedule, and quality—because it may render your

original plans unachievable. Early and precise clarification of scope, and adherence to it throughout the project, are of the utmost

importance.

Identify the project deliverables. Deliverables are tangible products or

items that the project will produce. In other words, they describe what the clients will get when the project is completed.

7. Describe the Project

The project description should include the following elements:

Risk Assessment

Identify, quantify, and establish mitigation strategies for key risk events that could alter or disrupt the outcome of the project. A risk is

any factor that may potentially interfere with successful completion of the project. A risk is not a problem since a problem has already

occurred. Instead, a risk is the recognition that a problem might occur.

By recognizing potential problems, the project manager can take action to avoid or minimize them.

Assess the probability of risks occurring and the potential impact of

risks. Establish mitigation strategies for all identified risks.




Constraints

Define all project constraints. Projects have resource limits in terms of people, money,

time, and equipment. While these may be adjusted up or down, they

are considered fixed resources by the project manager. These constraints form the basis for managing the project.

Dependency Linkages

Identify any areas where the project may depend on another project’s deliverables or on information from outside sources. In addition to

identifying the linkage, show how progress will be monitored.

Impacts

Identify impacts of the project on stakeholders. For example, you may

need to retrain staff or reduce operating budgets.

Measures of Project Success

Describe the metrics that the project team will use to determine the

success of the project.

Assumptions

Define any assumptions being made.

Critical Success Factors

Describe those factors that will ensure the success or failure of the project.

8. Ensure Alignment with Strategic Direction and Architecture

Occasionally, projects may be proposed that are inconsistent with the

City’s strategic direction or architecture. To avoid this, you should compare project proposals to the organization’s business strategy and

strategic objectives. This could save time and effort later.

Review the alignment of the proposed project with supporting

documents such as: o Strategic plan o Telecommunications plan o IT strategic plan o Enterprise IT architecture o Organizational IT architecture o Applications portfolio o Current business and technical environment

o Legal and political mandates




9. Determine Resource Requirements

Identify both personnel and other resources required to complete the

project.

10. Prepare Estimated Costs and an Estimated Schedule

Estimate the one -time development and acquisition costs and the

ongoing maintenance and operations costs that you expect to be associated with the project. Articulate the anticipated benefits of the

project, including tangible and intangible operational benefits, cost savings, cost avoidance, and other benefits.

Explain how the proposed alternative is to be funded by fiscal year. If

the project will be funded from multiple sources, indicate the percentage from each source and whether funds have been budgeted

for this purpose. If you submit a request for budget augmentation,

identify the fiscal year.

Identify the high-level tasks for the project. Provide a schedule that includes the duration of critical tasks, major management decision

points, and milestones. Milestones should be products or major events that may be readily identified as completed or not completed on a

specified due date.

When you plan for phased project implementation, make sure specific phases produce an independent and substantial benefit, even if no

additional components are acquired.

Describe the phases planned for this project and what each phase will deliver or explain why phasing is not appropriate.

Many late or over-budget projects deemed “failures” are actually only estimating failures. We recommend that you re-estimate prior to

starting each major project phase. Unless your estimates are relatively accurate, time and cost tracking is only useful for historical purposes.

When an estimate is expected to be 35 percent off, variances from it seem a minor concern.

Estimating from flawed requirements increases the risk of scope creep

or delivery of an ill- fitting system needing major rework. Even with accurate requirements, though, estimating duration without a

reasonable knowledge of the team’s productivity is a known risk. Finally, even on projects that mainly incur labor expenses, you should

include the costs of any additional servers, middleware, tools, and temporary staff.




11. Assemble the Proposal

Assemble the deliverables from all the activities in the INITIATE the

Plan phase, using the COIT project proposal template. Be sure to update the project to the Project Portfolio .

12. Review the Proposal

The project proposal is a point-in-time document that provides the sponsor with adequate information to determine if the proposed

project has enough merit to continue to the next stage. If the proposed project lacks sufficient merit to continue, the sponsor does

not approve the project proposal. If the sponsor approves the project proposal, the project advances to the PLAN the Project phase.

Once the proposal review has occurred, update the COIT Project

Portfolio to indicate that the proposal has been accepted and to

provide the approved budget, work effort, and schedule information. If the proposal has been modified, replace the version in the portfolio

with the revised proposal.

Depending upon the size and nature of the project, approvals beyond that of the project sponsor may be required. Please see Section 9,

Instructions for Scaling the Methodology, for more details.

Initiate Phase Deliverables

Project Proposal

The project proposal is a high-level business evaluation of the planned project. Since projects of different levels of complexity and risk require

different levels of evaluation, you should prepare the project proposal at a level of detail appropriate for the scope and complexity of the

proposed technical solution. A template (and instructions, along with

samples) for the project proposal is on the COIT Performance Subcommittee website

http://www.sfgov.org/site/coit_page.asp?id=63217

The project proposal includes the following elements: o Business need or opportunity o Business objectives o Project scope—scope and deliverables

o Risk assessment o Constraints o Dependencies o Impacts

o Measures of project success o Assumptions

o Critical success factors




o Project stakeholders o Resource requirements o Cost/benefit analysis—costs and benefits

o Estimated schedule




Plan the Project

Process Flow

Define businessneed / opportunity

Identify projectsponsor

Identify keystakeholders

Identify businessobjectives and

benefits

Define projectscope

Describe project

Ensure alignmentwith strategicdirection &architecture

Determineresource

requirements

Prepareestimated costs &

schedule

Assemble plan

Baseline plan andinitiate EXECUTE

Review plan

Modify projectplan as necessary

Update proposalto indicate cancel

/ hold status

Modify plan?Proceed

with plan aspresented?

YesNoYes

No




In the PLAN the Project phase, you create and maintain a workable

scheme to accomplish your project objectives. This is the most important phase in project management. Project planning is not a

single activity or task, but a process that takes time and attention. Many high-profile, important projects fail because of inadequate and

incomplete project planning.

In project planning, you define your project activities and describe how you will accomplish them. The time you spend identifying the proper

requirements and structure for organizing and managing your project will save you hours of confusion and revisions in the EXECUTE the

Project and CONTROL the Project phases of your project.

Without planning, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for your project to succeed. Risks include the possibility that team members won’t

understand project expectations and that project activities and/or

resource requirements may be too vague. Even if you finish the project, the criteria for success may not have been defined. Project

planning helps you determine project needs by identifying and documenting scope, deliverables, tasks, schedules, risk, quality, and

staffing needs. Typically, you’ll need to perform several iterations of the planning process before a plan is actually completed.

The deliverable of the PLAN the Project phase is the project plan; the

phase concludes when the plan has been reviewed and approved. If the plan is approved, it is baselined and the project proceeds to the

EXECUTE the Project phase.

According to PMI’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, 2000 Edition, baseline means “the original approved plan

(for a project, a work package, or an activity), plus or minus approved

scope changes. Usually used with a modifier (e.g., cost baseline, schedule baseline, performance measurement baseline).” The purpose

of baselining the plan is to provide a basis for monitoring the project.

Plan Phase Critical Success Factors

o Establishment of a project steering committee

o Availability of key resources, as required by the project plan o Arrival of major functional deliverables in six-month to twelve-

month intervals o Establishment of milestones

o Acceptance of the project plan by the project sponsor and project steering committee




Plan Phase Activities

Development of a project plan requires several activities, each with its own deliverables. Together these deliverables constitute the project

plan. The major activities in developing the plan are:

1. Assemble the steering committee 2. Confirm the project scope and objectives

3. Determine the procurement and sourcing strategy 4. Define the project organization 5. Identify other resource requirements 6. Refine project risk mitigation strategies

7. Detail project administration 8. Prepare the project schedule and budget 9. Develop a project quality assurance plan 10. Assemble the plan

11. Review the plan These activities are detailed below.

1. Assemble the Steering Committee

The steering committee should include the project manager, the

project sponsor, department management, and any other stakeholders who will make strategic decisions and provide oversight for the project.

2. Confirm the Project Scope and Objectives

Confirm the project scope and objectives that were developed in the INITIATE the Plan phase and documented in the project proposal.

3. Determine the Procurement and Sourcing Strategy

Identify project needs that can only be met by purchasing products

and/or services from outside the department/City. In this stage you

decide what, when, how, and how much to procure and then develop a framework for contract administration/vendor management.

Decide What to Procure

o How does this product serve the needs of the project and the department as a whole?

o Does the product or something similar already exist somewhere else within the department?

o Is there a service provider available in the marketplace for this product?

o Does the department have the means (staff, money, contract, etc.) to produce or to acquire the product?

Decide When to Procure

NOTE: DISCUSSION – Borrow option




• Build or Buy Analysis: You can use this method to determine the cost-effectiveness of creating a product in-house compared to

the cost of buying the product or having it produced outside the department. Consider all costs, both direct and indirect, when

performing a build or buy analysis. Compare the costs with each other and consider any compelling argument on either side by

the project team. Also consider whether it’s best to lease or purchase. This could save money for the department if cost is

applied correctly against the useful life of the product or service

supplied. Many decisions will be based on how long you will need the item or service as well as the overall cost.

• Expert Judgment: In this process, you use the assistance of experts to determine what steps should be taken. These

individuals can come from within the department and/or from the

outside. They review project needs and costs and deliver their opinion for consideration in the procurement decision.

Decide How to Procure (Contract Types)

Discussion Point – Fixed price, T&M, cost-plus (‘not to exceed’)

• Fixed-Price/Lump-Sum Contract: With this type of contract, you pay a fixed, agreed-upon price for a well-defined product or service. Give special consideration to these contracts to ensure

that the product is well defined in order to reduce risk to both the project and the contractor.

• Cost Reimbursement Contract: This contract is a reimbursement to the contractor for the actual cost of producing the product or service. Within the contract, costs are classified as direct (e.g.,

salaries of contractor staff) and indirect (e.g., salaries of corporate executives for the contractor). Indirect costs are

normally based on a percentage of direct costs.

• Unit Price Contract: With this type of contract, you pay the contractor a preset amount for each unit (e.g., $10 per widget

produced) or unit of service (e.g., $50 per hour of service) produced. The contract equals the total value of all the units

produced.

Decide How Much to Procure

Factors that you should consider include:

o Will we continue to need this product after the immediate project has been completed?




o How much of the budget have we allocated for this product?

o Does the department know exactly how much of the product will be needed?

Develop a Framework for Contract Administration/Vendor Management

Once a contract has been negotiated and executed, the project manager will need to administer it. To facilitate your success in this

endeavor, the contract must establish appropriate mechanisms to manage the vendor(s) and ensure satisfactory performance.

4. Define the Project Organization

Identify project team “players” as early as possible, to obtain their

expertise and input to the plan and to ensure that necessary resources are in place to execute the plan. Your deliverables from this activity

should include two items: a project organization chart and

documentation of team member responsibilities.

Every agency has a limited number of resources. A project manager’s primary role is to find a way to successfully execute a project within

these resource constraints. Resource planning consists of establishing a team possessing the skills required to perform the work (labor

resources) as well as scheduling the tools, equipment, and processes (non-labor resources) that enable completion of the project.

Identify Required Skill Sets by Role

It is helpful in the planning process to develop a list of skills required for execution of the project. Use this list to determine the type of

personnel you’ll need for each task.

Develop Project Organization

Project organization is how you organize team members in order to

coordinate the activity of the team and define the roles and responsibilities of team members. Every project needs a project

organization. The project manager must always be identified.

The optimal size of the project team is driven by the number of tasks

to be performed, the effort needed to perform the tasks, and the timeframe for the project’s completion.

The larger the project, the more critical the organization becomes. A

single team member might be responsible for several tasks on a small project; whereas, on a large project, each task might require full-time

attention. The largest projects may even require a deputy project manager. On the other hand, one project manager may manage a

number of small projects at a time.




Assign Project Team Members

As the project manager you must establish a pool of available resources. The resource pool typically specifies the type, level (e.g.,

skill and experience), and time period that the resource is available.

The project manager’s duty is to realistically assess the project team, taking into account actual skill levels.

Where staff with the necessary skills is largely unavailable for the

project, the project manager may hire the necessary talent or contract services to perform the work.

Backfill Roles for Assigned Team Members (Depending on Resource Requirements)

If necessary, backfill staff assigned full-time to the project or reassign their workloads to existing staff. It is unrealistic to expect full-time

team members to continue to perform their existing functions. If you assign them full-time to the project, you must relieve them of their

former responsibilities.

5. Identify Other Resource Requirements

All project teams require tools to successfully perform the tasks

assigned. When scheduling resources, the project manager must ensure that both people and the equipment necessary to support those

people are available simultaneously. The project manager will:

Determine Facility Needs

The need for adequate workspace is often overlooked when planning a

project. If, for example, you assemble a 15-member project team, you must find a facility to house them. Ideally, you should situate the team

in contiguous space (co-located) to facilitate interaction and communication. Having everyone close together will enhance team

spirit and synergy and increase your chances for project success. While this may not always be feasible, you should strive towards this

goal.

Determine Infrastructure, Equipment, and Material Needs

In addition to workspace, you should include equipment for the team

in the resource plan. Ensuring the availability of essential equipment at critical points in the project is vital in planning a successful project. If

equipment needed to perform a task is unavailable, you can expect

efficiency and morale to be negatively affected. When considering equipment, remember to give each team member the correct tools

they need to do the job (computer software, for example). Also, be sure to provide information exchange and communications tools for

project team members and project stakeholders.




6. Refine Project Risk Mitigation Strategies

During the PLAN the Project phase, you should develop and refine the

risk mitigation strategies identified in the INITIATE the Project phase. Define the approach, tools, and data sources that you will use to

perform risk management on the project. Different types of

assessments may be appropriate, depending on the project stage and the amount of information available.

In addition to key risks identified during the INITIATE the Project

phase, the project team should identify any other potential risks that may have surfaced in the planning stage. For each identified risk, the

team should: o Assess the impact and probability of the risk occurring.

o Determine a risk response approach, including any contingency plans.

7. Detail Project Administration

Project administration deals with administrative details related to managing the project and performing the work. It should include the

following:

Change Control

Project scope management can be just as important to scope planning

as the scope statement itself. This effort describes how the project scope will be managed and how scope changes will be integrated into

the project. The change control process will: o Define the process for identifying and documenting potential

changes to scope. o Define the process for review and approval of scope change. o Describe which planning documents need to be revised due to scope change.

Issue Management

The purpose of the issue management process is to provide a mechanism for organizing, maintaining, and tracking the resolution of

issues that cannot be resolved by individual team members. The approach consists of issue control mechanisms and a well-defined

process that the project team can use to identify, address, and

prioritize problems and issues.

Communications with Stakeholders

Communications planning involves defining the information needs of

project stakeholders: identifying which people need what information, when they will need it, and how they will get it. Communication is the

cornerstone of getting work done among all parties working on the




project. Communications planning overlays all other aspects of project

planning, as well as the other project management phases. It addresses the way in which we transfer/share information about what

needs to be done, how it will be done, when it needs to be done, who will do it, status reporting, issues management, problem resolution,

etc.

Training

Projects frequently require a training component—both team member

training and /or user training. Planning for this training involves identifying what training will be needed, which individuals will need it,

and how it will be provided.

Project Metrics

Determine which metrics you will collect and report for the project.

This may be based upon department mandates or on the needs of the project management team. In addition, determine how you will collect

those metrics and when you will report them. Some examples of metrics that might be appropriate or required are:

o Estimating variances such as budget variance, schedule variance, and work effort variance.

o Quality metrics such as defect density. o Productivity metrics such as function point delivery rate.

Rollout/Implementation

Identify how implementation will occur, i.e., will there be a pilot followed by a staged rollout or will the product be provided to all users

at once (“big bang”). Discuss the pros and cons of each approach you

consider and provide a reason for the implementation method you have selected.

Post -Project Evaluation

All projects should include a post-project evaluation, typically performed 30 days after implementation. Usually all members of the

project team participate. The purpose of the evaluation is to assess project policies, procedures, and standards to determine how to

improve performance in the future. After the review the project manager prepares a “lessons learned” document, intended to be

shared with other project managers.

You may want to include other areas of concern, depending upon the nature of the




project. For example, for an applications development project, it would

be appropriate to discuss the application development methodology that was used.

8. Prepare the Project Schedule and Budget

Schedule Considerations

It’s important that you identify and discuss all items that affect project

scheduling.

Milestone Descriptions

Identify all milestones and build them into the schedule. Milestones are

points in the project at which some clearly defined work will have been completed. You use them as checkpoints to ensure that the project is

both on schedule and on track to achieve project objectives. At major milestones, you review the project, deciding whether to proceed with

the project as planned, revise the project, or cancel the project.

Project Schedule

Prepare a project schedule using project scheduling software. Your

schedule should be as detailed as possible. For lengthy projects, it is

recognized that early stages will be defined in detail, with later stages being defined at a higher-level of detail initially.

Steps you must follow to develop a schedule are: determine project

phasing, develop a work breakdown structure (WBS), determine task dependencies,

estimate work effort and resource requirements, and assign resources to the tasks.

Determine project phasing

In general, if you cannot complete the entire project within one

year you should divide it into phases. When planning such phased project implementation, make sure specific phases have

independent and substantial benefits, even if no additional components are acquired. Describe the phases planned for this

project and what each phase will deliver or explain why phasing is not appropriate.

Develop a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Work breakdown structure is a tool for scope definition. It is

defined by PMI’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, 2000 Edition, as “a deliverable -oriented grouping of

project elements that organizes and defines the total work scope of the project; work not in the WBS is outside the scope of the




project. Each descending level represents an increasingly

detailed definition of the project work.” In other words, a WBS is a hierarchical representation of the tasks required to deliver

products and services on a project. The WBS is a visual expression of the scope of your project, and is a valuable planning

tool that can help ensure project success.

Developing the WBS forces you to break the scope into manageable activities and assign responsibility (to deliver

products and services within the project scope). Elements of scope are decomposed to a level that provides a clear

understanding of what is to be delivered for purposes of planning, controlling, and managing project scope. In its

entirety, a WBS represents the total scope of a project.

A WBS is neither a schedule, nor the way your project is

organized. Instead, it is a definition of what is to be delivered. Once the scope is clearly understood, the project manager must

determine who will deliver it and how it will be delivered.

The WBS reflects activities associated with overall project management, requirements, design, construction, testing,

training, installation, transition management, and maintenance. The project manager is responsible for defining all top- level

activities associated with a project and then further decomposing them as planning continues.

You develop a WBS by determining what activities need to be

completed to accomplish the project objective. As levels of the WBS become lower, the scope, complexity, and cost of each task

become smaller and more accurate. The lowest level tasks, or

work packages, are independent, manageable units that are planned, budgeted, scheduled, and controlled individually.

Defining the activities that will be undertaken as part of the

project is one of the most important aspects of the project planning process. Activity sequencing involves dividing the

project into smaller, more manageable components (activities) and then specifying the order of completion. Much of this has

already been done within the process of creating the WBS. No matter how the WBS has been broken down, by the time the

project manager gets to the task level, the tasks should represent the same level of effort or duration. There is no simple formula to

define how detailed a work breakdown needs to be. There are, however, some helpful guidelines:




o Break down the work until accurate estimates of cost and resources needed to perform the task can be provided.

o Ensure that clearly defined starting and ending events are

identified for the task. These may be the production of a deliverable or the occurrence of an event.

o Verify that the lowest level tasks can be performed within a

reasonable period of time. Each project will have a different definition of “reasonable.” If the time period to

complete a task is too long, you may not be able to obtain an accurate project status in the EXECUTE the Plan and

CONTROL the Plan phases. An industry-standard rule of thumb is to make work packages that can be completed

within two -week timeframes (80 hours of effort). This may

be too long if the project is of a short duration. In those cases, it may be more appropriate to try and develop work

packages that can be completed within one week.

Determine task dependencies

Once you have identified all tasks, determine the dependencies

between them. There are four different types of dependencies:

o Start-to-start: The first task must start before the second can

start. o Finish-to-finish: The first task must finish before the second

can finish. o Finish-to-start: The first task must finish before the second can

start. o Start-to-finish: The first task must start before the second can

finish.

The WBS denotes a hierarchy of task relationships: Task completion eventually rolls up into activity completion, which

ultimately results in project completion. There can also be relationships between tasks that are not within the outlined

hierarchy (perhaps from other projects). Note these relationships. If you don’t organize the tasks efficiently, you may find it difficult

to schedule and allocate resources to the tasks.

Estimate work effort and resource requirements

The project manager obtains work effort estimates from the individuals responsible for managing specific tasks. These

individuals supply the expertise required to make the estimate




and provide buy-in and accountability during the actual

performance of the task. They also identify people or labor categories required to perform the work and estimate how much

effort will be required to perform each task.

Assign resources to the tasks

Assign resources to complete the project tasks. Ensure that each

task is assigned to a responsible individual and that he/she will have all the necessary resources to do the job.

Develop the project schedule

After you have defined the project tasks, create a project

schedule by associating each task with estimated time required. When preparing the schedule be sure to factor in vacation time,

sick leave, breaks, meetings, and other day-to-day activities. Excluding any of these factors can jeopardize the schedule.

You should also factor some float and its associated lag and lead

times into the schedule. This float, also known as contingency, is

critical if the project is to be completed on schedule. The longer and/or more complex the project, the more float you should add.

The project schedule provides a graphical representation of

predicted tasks, milestones, dependencies, resource requirements, task duration, and deadlines. The project schedule

links all tasks on a common time scale. It should be detailed enough to show each WBS task to be performed, the name of

the person responsible for completing the task, the start and end dates of each task, and the expected work effort of each task.

Project Budget

Prepare a project budget that includes all costs, including projected maintenance after implementation.

Budget planning parallels development of the project schedule.

Performed at the initial stages of project planning, budgeting is defined as the determination of costs associated with the defined activities.

The steps associated with budgeting are highly dependent on both the

estimated lengths of tasks and the resources assigned to the project.

Initial budgetary estimates are often based on the availability of funds or dictated by legislation. These parameters may or may not coincide

with the actual funds needed to perform the project. For this reason, budget estimates are refined in the PLAN the Project phase until they

are baselined.




Budgeting serves as a control mechanism that you can use to compare and measure actual costs against the budget. The budget is often a

firmly set parameter in the execution of the project. To develop the budget, identify the applicable cost factors associated with project

tasks. The development of costs for each task should be simple and direct and consist of labor, material, and other direct costs. The cost of

performing a task is directly related to the personnel assigned to the task, the duration of the task, and the cost of any non-labor items

required by the task. Determining the effort required to complete a task is the single most

difficult aspect of deriving a cost estimate. Non-labor charges include such items as material costs, reproduction, travel, cost of capital (if

leasing equipment), computer center charges, and equipment costs.

9. Develop a Project Quality Assurance Plan

The project quality assurance plan outlines project policies and

procedures related to assuring quality of the project deliverables. It should include the following items:

o Reference to appropriate standards. o Walkthroughs and reviews.

o Testing. o Configuration management.

o Quality control metrics.

Reference to Appropriate Standards

The quality assurance plan should identify standards that project team

members will follow in performing their work. These may be departmental standards or industry standards.

Walkthroughs and Reviews

Walkthroughs and reviews are both early forms of testing; they should be used as appropriate during the design and development of

deliverables. Walkthroughs are typically held before a deliverable is

completed and usually deal with how to create the deliverable. The purpose of the walkthrough is to test ideas; the participants “walk

through” the proposed solution, trying to pinpoint flaws.

Reviews, on the other hand, are typically held after a deliverable is completed. The purpose of a review is to ensure that the deliverable is

acceptable. Milestones are typically associated with reviews and sign-off, either formal or informal, is obtained.

The quality assurance plan must document when walkthroughs will be

used and which deliverables will be reviewed.




Testing

The quality assurance plan documents the types of testing that will be performed (such as unit testing, different types of system testing, and

acceptance testing) and who will be responsible for the testing. This

does not take the place of a test plan or other testing deliverables developed during the EXECUTE the Project phase of the project.

Configuration Management

Configuration management (sometimes called version control) processes are use to keep track of multiple copies of objects, both

project deliverables and project planning documents.

You should implement configuration management processes on all projects. It’s especially critical on large or complex ones. In short,

configuration management is a necessity. The complexity or size of the configuration system is less important than its functionality and intent.

Configuration management functions include: o Defining who will be responsible for and have authority over configuration management. o Setting standards, procedures, and guidelines for the full project team to follow. o Defining tools, resources, and facilities to be used for configuration management.

The configuration management document could range from a few

pages to hundreds of pages for very large software development activities with extensive procedures and control items. The size

depends on the complexity of the project and the need for detailed control.

Quality Control Metrics

Document which quality control metrics, if any, the project will collect and report.

10. Assemble the Plan

Discussion point: File copies on network drive?

Assemble the deliverables from all the activities in the PLAN the

Project phase, using the COIT project plan template. [At this time, you must upload the project plan to the Project Portfolio located at the

COIT Performance Subcommittee website. http://www.sfgov.org/site/coit_page.asp?id=63217]




11. Review the Plan

As a general rule, the steering committee reviews and approves the

project plan. However, other approvals may be necessary. Please see Section 9, Instructions for Scaling the Methodology, for more detailed

information about approvals required for various projects. The review

process will result in one of three outcomes for the project plan: approval, cancellation, or modification, as described below.

o The plan is approved, in which case the project manager is given the authority to baseline the plan and initiate the EXECUTE

the Plan phase. o The plan is canceled or put on hold. In this event, you should update the plan to reflect this decision. o The project manager is instructed to modify the project plan

and resubmit it for review.

After the plan review, update the Department’s Project Portfolio with the results of the review, and, if applicable, update approved budget,

work effort, and schedule information. If you have changed the project plan, replace the version in the project portfolio with the new version.

Plan Phase Deliverables

Project Plan

The project plan is a formal, approved document that will be used to manage and control project execution. It consists of both text and

stand -alone deliverables created during the INITIATE the Project and PLAN the Project phases. The level of detail should be appropriate for

the scope, complexity, and risk of the project. The following is a list of key components usually included in a project plan:

o Project description. o Project background.

o Project scope—scope and deliverables. o Project objectives—business and technical.

o Resource plan. o Project procurement and sourcing strategy.

o Project organization—organization chart and roles and

responsibilities. o Project risk management.

o Approach. o Change control.

o Issue management. o Communications with stakeholders.

o Training. o Measurement and metrics.

o Rollout/implementation. o Post project evaluation.




o Schedule considerations.

o Milestone descriptions. o Budget.

o Project schedule. o Quality assurance plan.

A template for a project plan, along with instructions and samples, is

located on the COIT Performance Subcommittee website on the City’s intranet.




Execute the Project

Process Flow

Managestakeholderrelationships

Manage risk

Manage projectteam

Build and trainproject team

Manage quality

Execute projectplan

Manage issues

Communicateinformation

Document workresults

CONTROL(see next page)




A project moves into the EXECUTE the Project phase once the project

plan has been completed, approved, and baselined. Both the project manager and project team now shift their focus from planning the

project to participating in, observing, and analyzing the work as it is being performed.

During the EXECUTE the Project phase, the project manager’s role is

to ensure that the project team carries out planned project activities effectively and efficiently. It is important to note that project execution

relies heavily on the plans developed in the PLAN the Project phase. There is already enough work to do; reinventing methods of dealing

with risk, training, resource issues, and other such obstacles to progress would be both impractical and undesirable at this stage.

The project manager should pay particular attention to:

o Updating interested parties with project status information.

o Dealing with procurement and contract administration issues. o Helping manage quality control.

o Monitoring project risk.

Execute Phase Critical Success Factors

o Major functional deliverables are implemented in six-month to

twelve-month intervals (e.g., immediate business value is achieved).

o Incremental deliverables occur in biweekly or monthly intervals. o Project risks are documented (according to the risk management

approach) and addressed. o Project team members accept responsibility for quality.

o Issues are identified and resolved. o A sense of partnership is created and maintained among all team

members, including clients and vendors. o Stakeholder communication:

o Project progress and status are documented and communicated to the stakeholders.

o The project manager informs the sponsor of project status and key issues.

o The project manager informs the steering committee of project

status and key issues. o Proactive project governance:

o The sponsor provides direction and support for resolving key issues.

o The steering committee sets project direction and supports the issue resolution process.

o The steering committee sets project priorities. o Stakeholders buy into key deliverables and milestones.




Execute Phase Activities

The key project management activities of the EXECUTE the Plan phase are to:

1. Build and train the project team.

2. Manage the project team. 3. Manage stakeholder relationships. 4. Manage risk. 5. Manage quality. 6. Manage issues. 7. Communicate information.

8. Document the work results.


1. Build and Train the Project Team

Work with executive management to secure the project team and the

necessary resources to carry out the project according to the resource plan developed during the PLAN the Project phase. Although key

project team members will have been engaged in the project planning, the remainder of the team must be identified, acquired, and trained (if

necessary) during the EXECUTE the Project phase. Care must be taken to ensure that you acquire resources in a timely manner so that the

schedule is not negatively impacted by the unavailability of staff.

2. Manage the Project Team

You may or may not directly supervise project team members.

However, you are responsible for ensuring that the project team completes its work according to the project plan.

Execute the Procurement Plan

As indicated in the PLAN the Project phase of this methodology, during the EXECUTE the Project phase, the department may have to purchase

products or services from outside its resource pool. When this happens, you must implement the project procurement plan. Although

someone else may manage the solicitation and contracting responsibilities, it is important that you have a fundamental

understanding of the City’s contracting and procurement policies.

Administer Contracts

Contract administration is the process of ensuring that the vendor’s

performance meets contractual requirements. You accomplish this through the use and monitoring of a project plan from the vendor,

periodic progress reports, and the completion of the deliverables

detailed in the contract’s statement of work.




As the project manager, you are responsible for ensuring that vendors

meet their contractual obligations. You are also responsible for tracking, reviewing, and analyzing the performance of contractors on a

project. This performance reporting will be the basis for any contractual changes that need to be made during the life of the

contract. Finally, you will play an important role in oversight and review of any contract changes that will affect the project.

Setting up procedures for contract control and contract change is vital

to dealing with unexpected situations during project development, testing, and implementation. Without these procedures, contract

issues could go unresolved or they could delay your project. It is important to have on-going, two-way communications with the

vendors (partnership). [All changes to contracts must be reviewed and approved by the steering committee.]?

3. Manage Stakeholder Relationships

Projects have a multitude of stakeholders: the project sponsor, members of the steering committee, clients, vendors, and project

team members. It is your responsibility to balance their needs and ensure that everyone stays focused on achieving the project’s

objectives. To do this, you must set and manage expectations across all the different stakeholder groups and facilitate conflict resolution as

needed.

4. Manage Risk

Risk identification, monitoring, and resolution are key tools for

successfully completing a project. When managing a project during the EXECUTE the Project phase, use the risk management process

developed in the PLAN the Project phase. This is a vital aspect of project planning and must be kept current until project closeout.

Information technology project managers face several types of risks,

including: o Projects sometimes require working with undeveloped, or

unproven, technologies

o Equipment and software may become obsolete very quickly.

Risk is increased when implementing high-dollar or homegrown technology systems. To alleviate this risk, make sure that the project

team’s efforts are aligned with the agency’s technology and business strategy. Researching the product’s future needs, capabilities, and

integration requirements will be helpful.

To manage risk effectively, you should:




o Create a central repository for risk information and associated

documentation of risk items and resolution strategies. o Include a risk summary in the regular status meetings.

o Provide a consistent and ongoing evaluation of risk items and development of risk strategies.

o Identify new risks. o Evaluate new and existing risks.

o Define/refine risk response strategies. o Select and obtain approval from the steering committee for

selected risk response strategies. o Implement approved risk response strategies.

o Revise any related or impacted planning documents. o Conduct regular follow-up risk assessments based on the

magnitude of the project.

5. Manage Quality

In the quality assurance process, you evaluate overall project

performance on a regular basis, providing confidence that the project will satisfy the relevant quality standards. While team members must

be responsible for the quality of their own tasks, a quality assurance team is typically included in the project team and plays an integral role

in the execution of quality throughout the project. This team ensures that the quality plan is executed.

Discussion Point: Reports to COIT Performance?

The quality team reports functionally to the project manager, [but also may report to the department’s Technology Manager Quality

Assurance Manager] to facilitate problem escalation. Problem escalation is the process of moving a problem to a higher management

level if sufficient attention is not given it by the project manager. This independent reporting chain provides a check and balance on the

project.

Quality control involves monitoring specific project results to determine if they comply with relevant quality standards and

identifying ways to eliminate causes of unsatisfactory results. Quality control should be performed throughout the project.

6. Manage Issues

The issue management process that you developed during the PLAN the Project phase should give everyone involved with or affected by

the project a way to report issues or problems. During the EXECUTE the Project phase, any member of the project community may submit

information on the issues to be considered. These reports should be submitted in writing, either on paper or electronically, and the report




should provide fields for documenting the problem, assessing the

impact of the problem, making recommendations, and determining the cost (people and assets) and time required for resolving the problem.

Review all issues on a regular basis. Project status meetings are a

good place to do this since the project team will typically meet on a weekly or biweekly basis.

Once an issue or problem has been resolved and verified, you can

usually close it by recording the date the problem was resolved and the approval authority. Occasionally you will encounter an issue that

requires executive management approval.

7. Communicate Information

The project communications plan is an important factor in the

EXECUTE the Project phase. Keeping stakeholders informed about project status is a large part of your responsibility during this stage of

the project. Steering committee meetings and joint project reviews bring visibility to all areas of the project. They provide an opportunity

to discuss important issues and make management decisions on the project with input from several sources. Depending on the issues being

discussed, joint project reviews can involve the project manager, project team members, project stakeholders, and department

management. Both the frequency of these meetings and the topics to be covered should be outlined in the communications plan.

Conduct Status Review Meetings

The project team is expected to report status to the project manager; the project manager is responsible for relaying project status to

parties outside the project team. This includes communicating

information on both a formal and informal basis. Formal mechanisms include status reports, status meetings, and action item reviews.

Informal processes, such as hallway conversations, can be very helpful as well.

A standard requirement of all projects is to provide reports to

executive management and the project team and this is the project manager’s responsibility. The frequency of the reports will vary. You

might time them to correspond with executive meetings or prepare them as necessary. Typically you will complete executive management

reports on a monthly basis and upon completion of a major project lifecycle phase or milestone. Keep the report due dates consistent

(e.g., every Monday by 1:00 PM). This will make it easier for team members to complete their reporting.




Status reporting is an integral part of the project management

process. The purpose of the status report is to provide a standard format for the formal exchange of information on the progress of the

project. It is the means by which the project team and executive management stay informed about the progress of the project and key

activities required to successfully complete it.

The information shared in the status report should be in a consistent format throughout the project. The project team should prepare status

reports detailing activities, accomplishments, milestones, identified issues, and problems. You should prepare some level of recovery plans

for activities that are not on schedule and prepare mitigation strategies for anticipated problems.

Conduct regular status meetings to discuss project status and set

direction and priorities for the project. The objective of status reports

and status meetings and the level of detail required will vary based on the project’s size and impact, the audience, and the associated risk.

The three primary audiences for status reports and status meetings are:

• Project: The project status report and status meeting is a forum for the project manager to discuss project progress and status

with the team and to implement project direction and priorities

set by the sponsor and steering committee. It includes the lowest level of detail. Large projects that are divided into

multiple teams will develop team status reports and conduct team status meetings. Typically, you will conduct project status

meetings every week.

• Project Sponsor: The project sponsor status meeting serves as a venue for the project manager to discuss key project issues.

Here the sponsor will assist the project manager in resolving key issues and help set project direction and priorities. The project

status report is also provided to the sponsor. At a minimum, project sponsor meetings should be conducted once a month.

Typically, these meetings will occur more frequently for large and/or complex projects with high risks.

• Steering Committee: The steering committee status meeting

functions as a forum to help the committee evaluate the overall progress of the project. In addition, the steering committee can

use it to set strategic direction and project priorities. Provide an executive status report to the steering committee that discusses

high-level status, issues and risks, and serves as the basis for




the meeting discussion. Steering committee status meetings are

typically held once a month.

Update the Department’s Project Portfolio

In addition to holding status meetings and to providing stakeholders

with status reports, the project manager must update the Project Portfolio at regular intervals. (These intervals should roughly correlate

to the times status reports are prepared.) The updates to the portfolio will include budget, work effort, schedule, and status data.

8. Document the Work Results

Results are defined as the outcomes of the activities performed to accomplish a project. Information on work results provides input on

which deliverables have been completed and which have not, the

extent to which quality standards are being met, the extent to which contractual obligations are being met, and the costs that have been

incurred or committed. This valuable data needs to be collected and recorded.

The procedures you use to update the work schedule are key to

ensuring that your team maintains accurate schedules. If you don’t follow these procedures your data may be invalid, resulting in

inaccurate schedule performance reporting. Data collection and validation involve the following steps:

o Collecting and validating schedule status, such as data that reflects start dates, finish dates, and estimates to complete work.

o Validating data attributes and associations used to report schedule information such as task relationship to the work

breakdown structure, project lifecycle phase, functional organization, or integrated master schedule.

o Validating work efforts to ensure that schedules accurately depict the way your team is accomplishing and reporting their work.

The validation techniques can improve management control by

improving the quality of the information reported. Implementing specific techniques should provide this benefit without burdening the

project team.




Execute Phase Deliverables

The deliverables of the EXECUTE the Project phase are project-specific and depend on the nature of the project and —for software

development projects, the selected software development lifecycle (e.g., waterfall, spiral, etc.). These deliverables should have been

identified during the PLAN the Project phase and identified in the project plan. Examples of these project-specific deliverables include functional

design documents, test plans, training plans, a requirements traceability matrix, computer application modules, and installed

telecommunications equipment.

Control the Project

Process Flow




Collectinformation onproject status

Assess projectstatus and

performance

Control projectscope

Control projectcosts

Control projectschedule

Modify / updateproject plan &

statusRevisit PLAN

Return toEXECUTE

Majorchanges?

Objectiveachieved?

Yes

No

Yes No

Initiate CLOSE




The CONTROL the Project phase ensures that measurements against

project plans, specifications, and the original project feasibility concept continue to be analyzed and acted upon throughout the project lifecycle.

During the CONTROL the Project phase, you regularly review metrics

and status in order to identify variances from the planned project baseline. You determine the variances by comparing the actual

performance metrics from the EXECUTE the Project phase against the baseline metrics assigned during the PLAN the Project phase. Next,

you evaluate these variances. If you observe significant variances (i.e., variances that jeopardize the completion of the project objectives),

you adjust the plan by altering the appropriate project planning strategies and documents. A significant variance from the plan does

not explicitly require a change, but you should review it to see if preventive action is warranted. For example, a missed activity finish

date may require adjustments to the current staffing plan, reliance on

overtime, or a trade-off between budget and schedule objectives. Project control also includes taking preventative action in anticipation

of possible problems.

Control Phase Critical Success Factors

To ensure project success during the CONTROL the Project phase, the

project manager and senior management must: o Evaluate project checkpoints. o Stop or correct “failing” projects. o Authorize “on track” projects to continue. o Identify and address scope changes. o Minimize “scope creep”.

o Understand and control project costs. o Track schedule tasks for timely completion.

o Identify and address schedule problems. o Revise project planning documents to reflect the current

status of the project.

Control Phase Activities

Project CONTROL consists of the following activities:

1. Collect information on project status. 2. Assess project status and performance.

3. Control project scope. 4. Control project costs. 5. Control project schedule. 6. Modify/update project plan and status.





1. Collect Information on Project Status

Project members should track their time against the tasks assigned to

them in the project schedule, including both time spent and estimates of time remaining. This will enable the project manager to identify

potential changes to schedule and/or budget. In addition, the project

manager will collect information from team status meetings, status and activity reports, the project issues log, the project change control

log, financial reports, and informal conversations.

2. Assess Project Status and Performance

The project manager continuously assesses the project status and performance to determine the reasons for discrepancies between the

project plan and actual performance and takes corrective action as necessary to ensure the project meets established objectives.

Milestones

According to PMI’s A Guide to the Project Management Book of Knowledge, 2000 Edition, a milestone is defined as “a significant event

in the project, usually completion of a major deliverable.” The steering

committee ensures that the project is progressing satisfactorily by reviewing checkpoints (project milestones ). The committee uses them to

approve the completion of a phase or deliverable and as go/no -go decision points to proceed with the project. Depending on the size and

complexity of the project, the milestone review may be linked to project funding. Milestones ensure that the products and services

delivered meet the project objectives in the time frame established by senior management.

Final Acceptance

Final acceptance of the product by the customer is critically important. The best way to ensure acceptance is to convene a final meeting with

all necessary stakeholders and review the product delivered against the final acceptance criteria (developed and agreed to either in the

PLAN the Project phase or early in the EXECUTE the Project phase). Although deviations from the established criteria will have been

documented and approved by this time, it is still good policy to inform stakeholders of the deviations, justifications, and future action plans.

Furthermore, any open action items or program level issues can be

officially closed or reassigned to the support organization. By drawing all of the stakeholders together in one meeting, you can resolve open

issues with buy-in from all concerned.

The final deliverable of this meeting should be a statement describing the project’s final deliverables and comparing them to the authorized

final acceptance criteria. It is the responsibility of the project manager




to develop this final acceptance statement. Verify approval via

signature of the final acceptance document by all of the stakeholders who signed the original project plan. Customize this document to the

particular project. It should include pertinent deliverables, key features, and final product delivery information. You must provide a

copy of this final acceptance document to the Project Portfolio. As a project manager, you must work with the project steering committee

to ensure that the customer and sponsor accept the project deliverables.

Final acceptance signifies that the project has met all of its objectives

satisfactorily and the project can move to the CLOSE the Project phase. Otherwise, continue to control scope, costs, and schedule.

3. Control Project Scope

Scope control is a straightforward concept. During the scope control process you identify and manage all elements (e.g., people and

requirements) inside and outside of the project that might alter the original, agreed-upon project scope. Scope control is extremely

important in all projects. When team members are doing their development testing or implementation work, it is not uncommon for

them to try to get creative or give the customer something other than, or in addition to, the original stated requirements. Any work that is

outside or beyond the stated scope, as defined in the original requirements, is considered “scope creep” or “expansion of scope. ”

Expansion of scope is much more subtle within IT projects because adding additional features (e.g., adding an extra icon or function to an

application) does not appear to have as much impact as expanding other types of projects would. For example, on a highway construction

project it would be hard to sneak in an additional mile of road.

In both cases, the additional scope of work has a tremendous impact on other control mechanisms within the project. The scope creep

(unapproved additions or changes to the project from the agreed-upon requirements or specifications that increase the scope of the project)

will most likely not be budgeted or scheduled, which means that any small scope change could have a large cost and schedule effect. Scope

control includes: o Determining that a scope change has occurred.

o Managing the actual changes when and if they occur. Scope changes will come from the perceived need for a change in a

project deliverable that may affect its functionality and, in most cases, the corresponding amount of work required to perform the project. A

scope change is a crucial occurrence and will probably require




additional project funds, resources, and time. Therefore, the steering

committee must approve changes to scope. Any changes they agree to must be documented and signed as a matter of formal scope control.

The impact of scope change will be felt throughout the PLAN the

Project phase processes and documents. Re-evaluate documents such as the WBS and project schedule and update them to include the

scope change impacts. Communicate scope changes clearly and effectively to the project team. Team members will need to understand

how the scope change affects their area of responsibility.

4. Control Project Costs

Project managers may fail to control costs and go over budget for

many reasons. Often it is not a single problem but a series of small problems that, combined, sacrifice cost control and prevent the project

from being completed successfully. Cost control consists of: o Determining that the project budget estimate has changed.

o Managing the actual changes when and as they occur.

Cost control includes the following: o Monitoring cost performance to detect variances from the project

plan. o Ensuring that all appropriate changes are recorded accurately in

the project budget estimate. o Excluding incorrect, inappropriate, or unauthorized changes from

the project budget estimate.

o Informing appropriate stakeholders of authorized changes.

Cost control is not simply a reporting process. It includes examining and explaining the cause of any variances — positive or negative —

between the estimated and actual costs. Cost control must be thoroughly integrated with the other control processes, such as scope

change control and schedule control. If not, you can expect problems. For example, inappropriate responses to cost variances can lead to

quality or schedule problems or produce an unacceptable level of risk later in the project.

Cost control is highly valued by all project stakeholders. As a project

manager, you must be able to monitor and compare the actual labor and resource budgets against the baselines established in the project

budget estimate. This is especially true of new technology areas,

where the cost of labor or resources can be high. The longer and more complex a project is, the higher the risk that it will go over budget.

It’s important that you set budget limits and monitor budget variances

early and often. If left unattended, budget problems tend to compound.




If you don’t address them, you could spend more money trying to fix

budget, scope, or schedule issues near the end of a project than should have been spent on the entire project. In cases where the budget is a

fixed amount, if other actions fail to bring the project’s costs into alignment (with the budget), you will have to reduce the scope.

5. Control Project Schedule

Schedule control is one of the most difficult, but important, project

control activities. Your ability to manage a project’s schedule and deliver the project on time is highly visible to customers. The project

schedule can be affected by any number of issues, ranging from

resources to funding, vendors, weather, and anything in between.

Schedule control includes: o Determining that the schedule has changed.

o Managing the actual changes when and as they occur.

While schedule issues emerge from a variety of sources, you should follow a single, focused method for dealing with them. If you discover

a potential schedule problem, investigate it and find the cause as soon as possible. Once you discover a problem, create a plan for correcting

the problem in the shortest allowable time with the least impact. It is also advisable to bring forward alternatives and associated costs.

While you will typically manage the schedule at the project level, it is very important that you alert the customer when a schedule change

has occurred. Furthermore, you must let the customer know what you

are doing to fix the issue(s) and the impact these actions will have on the project’s performance and deliverables. Schedule control is an

important aspect of project management that is often overlooked. Projects may have several different dependencies or factors that can

influence product delivery dates, and ultimately, customer satisfaction. These factors and dependencies may include the following:

o Availability of staff or resources. o Delivery of equipment or software.

o Unexpected events. o Deliverables from other projects or personnel.

Because meeting the schedule is often vitally important to your

customers, you should hold regular project schedule reviews. On large or complex projects, you may be simultaneously managing several

schedules at a deliverable or functional level. Therefore, having the

“owners” of these schedules meet at regular intervals is of great benefit. As a project manager, you are responsible for integrating

these project schedules and clarifying them to the project’s stakeholders.




6. Modify/Update Project Plan and Status

If major changes have occurred in the plan, you may need to revisit

the PLAN the Project phase. In most cases, this will only be necessary if there have been significant, extensive changes in the project scope.

Otherwise, modify the project plan as necessary during the CONTROL

the Project phase.

Project plan modifications may result from a variety of factors, including:

o New estimates of work still to be done (generated as more detailed information is known about outstanding work).

o Changes in scope/functionality of end product(s). o Resource changes. o Unforeseen circumstances.

Prepare project status reports on a regular basis. See Communicate Information in the EXECUTE the Plan section of this document for a

further discussion of project status reports.

Control Phase Deliverables

Project Status Reports

Use the COIT project status report template (located on the COIT

Performance Subcommittee website http://www.sfgov.org/site/coit_page.asp?id=63217 to communicate

the following key information: o Outstanding issues, concerns, and/or risks. o Significant accomplishments for the current reporting period. o Planned activities for the next reporting period. o Current activity status (schedule). o Financial status.

Along with the status, you may want to attach the following:

o Updated Gantt charts. o Recovery plans for activities not on schedule—defined by the

project team as being late (e.g., slippage in the critical path

activities). o Corrective action plans for expected problems.

o Resolution to assigned action items (including the issues and action process).

o Issues log. Instructions for the template, to include samples, are also located on

the COIT Performance Subcommittee website.




Updated Planning Documents

Deliverables in this phase include consistent and updated planning

documents, such as the project schedule, work plan, communication approach, etc. The steering committee should have a formal review

and approval process for updated planning documents.

Final Acceptance Document

This document should list all of the final acceptance criteria and

indicate whether each was met or not. For any not fully met, an action plan should be attached. A template, as well as instructions and

samples, is located on the COIT Performance Subcommittee website http://www.sfgov.org/site/coit_page.asp?id=63217




Close the Project

Process Flow

Document"lessons learned"

Report completedstatus and

metrics

Dispose of projectinventory

Archive projectrecords

Disband orredeploy project

team

Conduct finalcontract review

Condict post-project review

Conduct finalknowledge

transfer




The last major phase of a project’s lifecycle is the CLOSE the Project

phase. This phase occurs once the project team has finished all defined project tasks, all milestones have been completed, and the

project sponsor and clients have accepted the project’s deliverables. At this point, the project’s objectives will have been achieved.

Close Phase Critical Success Factors

o End-users and the operations and maintenance organizations have been adequately trained.

o All contractual obligations have been met or formally waived. o “Lessons learned” are identified and used to improve processes

for future projects. o Project documentation is complete and has been transferred to

the operations and maintenance organizations and/or has been archived.

o Project completion and metrics are reported.

Close Phase Activities

Project CLOSE includes the following key activities:

1. Conduct the final knowledge transfer. 2. Conduct the final contract review. 3. Conduct the post-project review. 4. Document “lessons learned.” 5. Report completed status and metrics.

6. Dispose of project inventory. 7. Complete, collect, and archive project records.

8. Disband or redeploy project team members.

These activities are particularly important on large projects with

extensive records and resources.

1. Conduct the Final Knowledge Transfer

During the CLOSE the Project phase, you should complete and turn over to the operations and maintenance organizations all

documentation that has anything to do with the product itself, including design documents, schematics, and technical manuals.

Before disbanding the project team, make certain that operations and

maintenance personnel have all the information they need to maintain the product.

2. Conduct a Final Contract Review

Contract closure is the process of terminating contracts that the

department made with outside organizations or businesses in order to deliver the project. These contracts provided technical support,

consulting, or other services during the project that the department decided not to perform itself. You can bring contracts to closure for a




variety of reasons, including contract completion, early termination, or

failure to perform. Contract closure is an important part of project management because of possible City liability.

During final contract review you should:

o Review contract and related documents. o Validate that the contractor has met all of its contractual

requirements. o Document any contractor variances.

o Resolve contractor variances and issues. o Validate that department/project has met all of its contractual

requirements. o Document any variances and issues.

o Resolve variances. o Ensure that all vendor responsibilities have been transferred to the department.

o Terminate the current contract (s).

3. Conduct the Post-Project Review

Use the post-project review as a forum to analyze the completed project and discuss successes, problems, issues, and “lessons learned,

” and make recommendations for future process improvement. Questions you might try to answer during this meeting include:

o To what extent did the delivered product meet the specified requirements and goals of the project?

o Was the customer satisfied with the end product?

o Were budgets met? o Was the schedule met?

o Were risks identified and mitigated? o Did the project management methodology work?

o What could be done to improve the process?

The post-project review typically is attended by: o The project team.

o Stakeholder representation. o Executive management.

o Maintenance and operations staff.

4. Document “Lessons Learned”

In the post project evaluation you document information related to both

successes and failures in the project. Your objective is to provide information that can be used on future projects to improve efficiency

and enhance the chances for success. Try to include any successful new ideas from the project and make recommendations on how these

processes might be adapted for other projects. Just as problem identification can lead to improvements, by sharing your successes,




they can be repeated. Wherever possible, translate successes into

procedures that can be used on future projects. You should also include recommendations for future projects of similar size and scope.

Be sure to provide a copy of the post project evaluation report to the COIT Project Portfolio (located at the COIT Performance Subcommittee

website http://www.sfgov.org/site/coit_page.asp?id=63217.

5. Report Completed Status and Metrics

Complete a final executive status report, conveying final acceptance of the product by the appropriate stakeholders and including final project

metrics. You must also provide completed status and metrics to the

Project Portfolio.

6. Dispose of Project Inventory

Return computer hardware and software no longer needed to its former use or to LAN Services for use elsewhere in the organization.

Release cubicles or other workspace requisitioned for contractors, test

labs, etc. that are not required for follow-on maintenance to the Business Resources Division for reassignment.

Return any other inventory not consumed by the project activities to the appropriate inventory stores for use on future projects.

7. Archive Project Records

Following preparation of the lessons learned report, archive the project

information. Historical project data is an important source of information to help improve future projects. Typically, you should

archive the following project data: o Project proposal. o Project plan, including amendments.

o Change control log, with supporting documents. o Issues log, with supporting documents.

o Financial records. o Correspondence. o Status reports. o Contract file.

Store all records following standard departmental record retention

guidelines. The project archive includes a description of the files being submitted, the application (including version) used to create the

archived materials, and a point of contact if further information is needed.

8. Disband or Redeploy Project Team Members

Once the other CLOSE the Project phase activities have occurred, redeploy project team members to other projects.




Close Phase Deliverables

Post Project Evaluation

The post project evaluation documents the successes and failures of

the project. It contains recommendations for future projects of similar size and scope. It also may point out areas in the Project Management

Methodology or supporting templates for possible improvement. It should include the following:

o Summary of the project—its purpose and background information.

o Key learnings, including recommendations for process

improvement and/or template modifications. o Information about the post project review—when it was held,

what topics were discussed, who attended. o Summary of the discussion at the post project review,

including identification of and causes for project successes and identification of and causes for project failures.

A template, as well as instructions and samples, is located on the COIT

Performance Subcommittee website http://www.sfgov.org/site/coit_page.asp?id=63217.

Final Status Report

The final status report should be on department letterhead and should follow the template located on the COIT Performance Subcommittee

website. It should include descriptions of the following: o Final acceptance: A statement of who acknowledged final

acceptance of the project deliverables and the date they did so. o Major discrepancies and associated action plans, if any. o Project metrics, as outlined in the project plan.

Instructions for the template and samples are also located on the COIT Performance Subcommittee website.

Scaling the Methodology The methodology described in this document can be used for a project

of any size or type. However, we recognize that some small projects

with little risk can be managed with a scaled-down version of the deliverables required by this methodology. This section describes the

project management deliverables required for projects which meet those criteria and includes a tool for helping you determine if a given

project falls below the threshold requiring the complete set of deliverables defined in the methodology.




It also provides some information about project portfolio reporting,

approval requirements, and program management.

Project Portfolio Reporting

You must report projects of all sizes and types to the department’s Project Portfolio, including “bare bones projects” as described here.

Report your project as soon as the client has been provided a

proposal. Update the project information as appropriate. If your project’s duration will exceed one month, once the work has begun

you should update the project at least monthly. This update should include information about the project budget, work effort, and

schedule as well as status reporting. At project closing, enter the final project data and mark the project as closed.

Project Approval

Normally, projects will be approved by the executive sponsor, or for small projects, a client representative. However, in some instances,

other approvals may be required. For instance, department wide projects must be approved by the senior management team. In

addition, all projects (except telecommunications projects) with an estimated budget of $100,000 must be approved by the City’s

Committee on Information Technology.

Program Management

This document does not address program management. However, if

there are multiple interrelated projects, it is necessary to appoint a program manager to ensure that the entire program of related projects

are coordinated and integrated.

“Bare bones projects”

Discussion Point: Criteria?

RACI? >$100K

>1 person? >1 month?

Project Characteristics Matrix

For these purposes, a “bare bones project” is defined as a project that

is small, performed by a limited number of people, and has little risk associated with it. To determine if a given project meets these criteria,

you can evaluate it using the project characteristics matrix below. If the total points are less than 20, you can consider the project a “bare

bones project” and provide the minimum deliverables described in this section. If the total points equal or exceed 20, you are required to

create the complete set of deliverables described in this methodology.




Project Characteristics Points

Rate the following characteristics with 1 as the lowest number

of points and 10 as the highest

Number of organizational units performing work

Number of individuals performing work

Reliance on outside (non-department) resources (0 points if no outside resources) Project duration

Logistical complexity

Size of budget

Political risk

Rate the following characteristics inversely, that is,

1 as the highest number of points and 10 as the lowest

Scope is clearly defined

Degree of familiarity with client business function Familiarity with the technology

Maturity of the technology

Requestor’s relationship with IT Department is good

Total Points

Instructions/Guidance for Evaluating Characteristics

Many of the project characteristics cannot be easily quantified. You will

need to evaluate and rate those subjectively. However, some of the characteristics are easily quantifiable; for these, use the following

guidelines:

Characteristics Points

Number of organizational units performing work 1

2

3

4

= 5

1

4

6

8

10

Number of individuals performing work = 5

10

= 25

1

5

10




Characteristics Points

Project duration < 1 month

6 months

9 months

1 year

= 2 years

1

3

5

8

10

Project budget = $25,000

$250,000

$500,000

$2,000,000

= $5,000,000

1

3

5

7

10

“Bare Bones Project” Deliverables

If your project meets the criteria defining it as a “bare bones project,”

you may scale down the project management deliverables required by

the methodology to the elements described in the table below. Please keep in mind that this is the minimum required. You can, and should,

include any other elements appropriate to the specific project.

Deliverable Required Elements

PROJECT PROPOSAL

Statement of Purpose/Project Objectives

Project Scope

Constraints

Dependencies

Assumptions

Budget Estimate

Estimated Schedule




Deliverable Required Elements

PROJECT PLAN Statement of Purpose/Project Objectives

Project Scope

Resource Plan

Procurement and Sourcing Strategy**

Budget

Schedule

Reference Documents (standards and procedures being followed)

**Required only if a specific contract is being executed or if the contractual arrangements differ from those detailed in any blanket contracts under which resources are being procured.

STATUS REPORTS

FINAL

Formal status reports are not required.

ACCEPTANCE Final acceptance must be in writing but it may be as informal as an e-mail from the responsible client accepting the work.

POST PROJECT EVALUATION

Not required

COIT Project Management Methodology

Business

Transcript of COIT Project Management Methodology