2004 Innovations Awards Program
Application Form
(INSTRUCTIONS: Please complete and submit this document electronically if possible, e.g. a Word document. The application form is available online at our web site, www.csg.org, in the Programs section. Please determine the appropriate Program Category from the enclosed Program Categories sheet,
and list the category under the Category section below on the right.)
ID #: 04-E-37NY
Category: Government Operations
State: New York State
1. Program Name
Project Management Office
2. Administering Agency
New York State Office of the State Comptroller (OSC)
3. Contact Person (Name and Title)
Kirk Schanzenbach, Director
4. Address
110 State Street, Albany NY 12236
5. Telephone Number
518-408-2021
6. FAX Number
518-408-3155
7. E-mail Address
8. Web site Address
http://www.osc.state.ny.us/
9. Please provide a two-sentence description of the program.
To help facilitate and improve the rate of successfully completed projects, the Project Management Office (PMO) was created to provide guidance, resources, services, and a standardized method for project accomplishment. Specifically, the PMO has developed a standard method for completion of projects that is based on Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) guidelines (Project Management Institute) entitled OSC SMART Projects, and offers services in consulting and technical assistance, and provides OSC SMART Start training to facilitate project management in OSC.
10. How long has this program been operational (month and year)? Note: the program must be between 9 months and 5 years old on May 1, 2004 to be considered.
The Project Management Office became operational on January 1, 2002.
11. Why was the program created? (What problem[s] or issue[s] was it designed to address?) Previously, all projects were using different, if any, methodologies and were forced to hire outside consultants to seek project management assistance. The Office was designed to increase the success rate of agency projects, improve employee knowledge of project management, provide a standardized methodology utilizing a common language, and increase efficiency in the completion of projects. The Office also addressed the problem of vendor management in regard to controlling OSC's interaction with vendors and clearly defining vendor roles and responsibilities.
12. Describe the specific activities and operations of the program in chronological order.
January 2002:
a. Project Management Consulting Service - consulting services available to Project Managers and Sponsors.
b. Project Manager Assistance – as needed, project assistance provided by the office staff.
c. Release of OSC SMART Projects methodology - included Initiation, Planning, Execution & Control and Closeout Phase guidelines and templates; also included a Glossary, Information Security and Team Development appendices.
February 2002:
a. Launch of Office Intranet web page to the agency – included the methodology with sample templates, references and tools, project articles and descriptions of current agency projects.
March 2002:
a. First Project Management Community of Practice meeting held - includes project managers, sponsors and team members in the agency joining together to share project information, best practices and lessons learned. This meeting has become a quarterly event and their Lotus TeamRoom database currently has over 120 members.
April 2002:
a. Development and release of Project SMART Start 2 ½ day training sessions – for beginning projects, provides teams with an understanding of the OSC SMART Projects method, helps promote team effectiveness, and gets teams headed on the SMART track by producing the following deliverables: a finalized charter, a work breakdown structure and a high-level risk plan.
b. Development and release of Project Reporting System – monthly summary reports submitted to senior management by the Office, utilizing status reports provided by the project manager.
July 2002:
a. Release of Steering Committee Organization Package - contains draft documents that will help a committee get started, ensure participants understand how the committee will function, and its roles and responsibilities.
August 2002:
a. Development and release of Project Management electronic Library - a Lotus Notes library of books, articles, magazines, and newsletters relevant to project management available to entire agency.
b. Development and release of Best Practices/Lessons Learned electronic database – a Lotus Notes discussion database containing filled-in templates, Post Implementation Evaluation Reports of OSC projects and other articles, links and references that provide project management related best practices and lessons learned.
September 2002:
a. Development and implementation of Awards Program – four awards and recognition programs were developed to promote and encourage the recognition of project management achievements throughout the agency.
October 2002:
a. Creation and release of OSC SMART Projects Visualization and Checklist – developed visualization techniques to help conceptualize sequential and situational elements of a project.
January 2003:
a. Creation and release of SMART Sponsor training and book - a guidebook to give Project Sponsors ideas for maximizing their contribution to successful projects. The sponsor training is designed to provide high-level managers with the information they need to act as a project sponsor at OSC.
b. Intranet redesign – New features included a new look, navigation features and provided more detail on office services.
c. Creation and distribution of OSC project team annual calendar – the calendar recognized project teams at OSC and provided best practices and lessons learned.
April 2003:
a. Developed Project Management Welcome Kit – given to new project managers providing information about PMO services and best practices/lessons learned.
June 2003:
a. Development and release of Project Managers' Training Series classes – seven-part training series to develop project managers' methods for handling daily project management challenges, improve skills for managing projects of any size, and promote an understanding of how and when to apply tools and techniques.
August 2003:
a. Development and release of Project Toolkit - an application to assist project managers and project team members with project information tracking. Provides a centralized place to store project data and makes it easy to analyze and distribute project information.
January 2004:
a. Development and release of OSC SMART Projects Update – methodology was rewritten and designed in web format to encourage an easier-to-access, learning environment which also included tools such as a quality checklist.
b. Development and release of OSC Project Notebook - Lotus Notes TeamRoom with additional project management functionality, including all of the OSC SMART Projects Templates as Lotus Notes forms, links to the SMART Projects Methodology, and Project Management references and help tools.
c. Creation and distribution of OSC project team annual calendar – recognizing OSC project teams, while increasing project awareness throughout the agency.
d. Coordinated Business Process Consulting training – organized ESI training available to all State employees; provided training to 29 people at an average savings of $1,095 per person.
February 2004:
a. Project Management Office Open House – event held promoting project management awareness and services available to the agency.
b. Coordinated How to Gather and Document User Requirements training – organized ESI training available to all State employees; provided training to 26 people at an average savings of $495 per person.
March 2004:
a. Development and release of Project Management Skills Self-Assessment Tool - Microsoft Excel tool to help employees determine their goals for different project management areas, self-assess their current project management skills and identify any areas where improvement is needed to reach their goals.
b. Availability of Business Process Consulting Service – business process experts available to assist business units with Business Process Improvement (BPI) projects.
c. Development and release of Business Process Consulting Toolkit - a resource for business process improvement tools and techniques.
d. Coordinated Rapid Assessment and Recovery of Troubled Projects training – organized ESI training available to all State employees; provided training to 23 people at an average savings of $1,045 per person.
April 2004:
a. Development and release of Project Newcomer Guidebook – a resource for new project team members to acquaint them with their project's organization and general procedures; also contains OSC project management policies and procedures.
13. Why is the program a new and creative approach or method?
The OSC Project Management Office supports projects at all levels with interactive training, consulting, technical and tools assistance, team member development and change management. Many new methods are used to encourage learning, including electronic Lotus Notes TeamRooms, our Intranet web page, one-on-one support, in-house-developed publications, and open houses. Another reason why the program is new and creative is all services are developed and maintained in-house by Office staff members. We have designed and developed our own computer application, which further supports our methodology.
14. What were the program’s start-up costs? (Provide details about specific purchases for this program, staffing needs and other financial expenditures, as well as existing materials, technology and staff already in place.)
Four existing OSC staff members were consolidated into one unit (these staff were already performing these duties, but within separate divisions), so no additional costs were incurred for the start up other than approximately $20,000 for consultants
15. What are the program’s annual operational costs?
Over the last fiscal year, the PMO office incurred only $24,000 in other than personal service.
16. How is the program funded?
OSC budget.
17. Did this program require the passage of legislation, executive order or regulations? If YES, please indicate the citation number.
No.
18. What equipment, technology and software are used to operate and administer this program?
Microsoft Office, Lotus Notes, Dreamweaver, Adobe Photoshop, Laptop Computer, Projector, 7 desktop computers, fax machine, 3 printers
19. To the best of your knowledge, did this program originate in your state? If YES, please indicate the innovator’s name, present address, telephone number and e-mail address.
No.
20. Are you aware of similar programs in other states? If YES, which ones and how does this program differ?
Yes, the original design of the Office was based on a similar office in the State of Michigan. However, the NYS Office has added a training program which enables agency employees to begin projects with completed deliverables: a project Charter, a project Work Breakdown Structure and a Project Risk Plan, upon completion of the 2 ½ day training session. We have also incorporated an organizational change component that prepares customers to accept, use and maintain project products.
21. Has the program been fully implemented? If NO, what actions remain to be taken?
No. Future actions will include developing standards for project management software, implementation of earned value project reporting, implementation of enterprise resource management for critical resources, project manager development and mentoring program and others.
22. Briefly evaluate (pro and con) the program’s effectiveness in addressing the defined problem[s] or issue[s]. Provide tangible examples.
Pros: Steady increase in successful projects
Significant elevation of project management knowledge and awareness
Common language makes it much easier for communication
Coordinated and planned training
Enabling portfolio management of OSC projects
General increase in accuracy of project projections
Less frazzled project managers
Cons: It takes a long time and LOTS of steady work to produce tangible results
MUST have strong Executive support because there is organizational resistance
23. How has the program grown and/or changed since its inception?
The original office staff consisted of four OSC employees with specialized skills. We have, each summer, utilized the services of an intern in addition to adding a Technical Specialist to create and support project tools. We have also added two Business Process Consultants. The Office has grown in the number of services offered since its inception. We have been accepted by other divisions in the agency and are recognized as an innovative and forward-thinking office, providing excellent support and a learning environment for the State of New York.
24. What limitations or obstacles might other states expect to encounter if they attempt to adopt this program?
Lack of executive knowledge and support,
Low organizational maturity levels,
Lack of resources,
Lack of expertise,
Unwillingness to adhere to a consistent and repeatable approach to managing projects
Insufficient time to properly plan the creation of such an office
Add space as appropriate to this form. When complete, return to:
CSG Innovations Awards 2004
The Council of State Governments
2760 Research Park Drive, P.O. Box 11910
Lexington, KY 40578-1910
DEADLINE: All original applications must be received by April 20, 2004, to be considered for an Innovations Award for 2004.
ApplicationForm04.doc
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