Small IT Project Management Methodology Reference Guide

Information Services

Small IT Project Management Methodology Reference Guide

Revised: 9/14/10

Project Methodology Reference

The steps outlined provide a methodology for managing projects through all five stages project management.

Project Checklist

F O ~ T E C H R E S E A R C H G R O U P

Project Initiation Phase

The Project Initiation Phase is the conceptual element of project management. The purpose of the Initiation Phase is to specify what the project should accomplish and to gain management support.

Project Initiation Phase Processes

·  Project Sponsor Identified – The sponsor is an executive responsible for the strategic direction of a project. It is generally the sponsor’s responsibility to prepare the Project Charter document.

·  Business Need Identified – The need/opportunity statement should provide a general discussion, in business terms, of the needs or opportunities that are to be addressed.

·  Project Scope Identified – The scope should provide a concise, measurable statement of what the project will accomplish, and, if appropriate, what it will not try to accomplish.

·  Stakeholders Identified – The Stakeholders are individuals and organizations that have a vested interest in the success of the project. They may exist both within and outside the organization.

·  Project Risks Identified – It is advisable to perform and document an initial risk assessment to identify, quantify and establish mitigation strategies for high-level risk events that could adversely affect the outcome of the project.

Project Initiation Phase Deliverables

·  Project Charter – The Project Charter is created to formally communicate the existence of the project. The Project Charter is issued at the end of the Initiation Phase or the beginning of the Planning Phase of a project and is used as the basis to create the Project Plan.

Project Manager Roles and Responsibilities (or Project Sponsor if a project manager has yet to be selected)

·  Develop Project Charter

Project Planning Phase

The purpose of the Project Planning Phase is to identify and document scope, business requirements, tasks, schedules, costs, risk, quality, and staffing needs. This process should continue until all relevant areas of the chartered project have been addressed.

Project Planning Phase Processes

·  Project Manager Assigned – A project manager’s skills and actions are a direct reflection of the organization’s commitment and competence in project management.

·  Project Schedule Formalized – The project manager will identify activities and activity sequences based on project scope and deliverables.

·  Resource Requirements Identified – All facility, infrastructure, equipment, material and human resource requirements of the project need to be identified and documented.

Project Planning Phase Deliverables

·  Project Plan – A Project Plan is a formal, consolidation of Project Planning documents that is used to manage and control a project. It should be as accurate and complete as possible without being several volumes in length. The Project Plan documents the pertinent information associated with the project.

·  Work Breakdown Structure – The Work Breakdown Structure is a deliverable-oriented document that is used to break down the work to be done within the project to a manageable level.

·  Quality Plan – Quality Planning is the process of identifying which quality standards are relevant to the project and determines how to satisfy them. The result of this process is a document called the Quality Plan.

·  Communications Plan – Communications Planning involves defining the information needs of project stakeholders as well as which people need what information, when it will be needed and how they will get it. A Communications Plan will be drafted as a result of this effort.

·  Budget Estimate – Budget Planning is the determination of costs associated with the defined activities. The steps associated with budgeting are highly dependent upon both the estimated lengths of tasks and the resources assigned to the project. This process results in a documented budget estimate.

Project Manager Roles and Responsibilities

·  Develop brief Project Plan

·  Creation of a Work Breakdown Structure E C H R E S E A R C H G R O U P

·  Develop or assist in the development of a Budget Estimate, Communications Plan, and Quality Plan

·  Ensure that management, customers, affected departments and contractors agree to project commitments

·  Assign resources to project and assign work packages.

Project Execution Phase

The Execution Phase is when the actual work is done to create the product of the project. During Project Execution, the project effort focuses on participating in, observing, and analyzing the work being done.

Project Execution Phase Processes

·  Project Work Documented – A central repository for all project deliverables and work products should be created for tracking purposes.

Project Execution Phase Deliverables

·  Project Status Report – Status Reports are the means by which the project team, the contractors, and executive management stay informed about the progress and key activities required to successfully complete the project.

Project Manager Roles and Responsibilities

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

·  Regularly review project status (executive status reports do not usually require detail information) comparing budgeted to actual values.

·  Ensure that Project Plan is updated and signed off as needed.

Project Control Phase

Project Control involves managing the processes that compare actual project performance with planned performance and taking corrective action to yield the desired outcome when significant differences exist.

Project Control Phase Processes

·  Project Deliverables Managed – Provide an assessment of existing project deliverables, indicating whether there are no issues, potential issues or existing issues.

·  Project Schedule Managed – Provide an assessment of existing project schedule, indicating whether there are no issues, potential issues or existing issues.

·  Project Resources Managed – Provide an assessment of existing project resources (generally only refers to staffing in a small project), indicating whether there are no issues, potential issues or existing issues.

·  Project Quality Managed – Provide an assessment of existing project quality, indicating whether there are no issues, potential issues or existing issues.

Project Control Phase Deliverables

·  There are no associated deliverables with small project control.

Project Manager Roles and Responsibilities

·  Make changes and recommendations to budgets and schedules as needed.

·  Review project risks and establish mitigation procedures.

Project Closure Phase

The Project Closure Phase involves the administrative and financial efforts needed to close out a project after the work has been completed. Also during the Closeout Phase, the product is transferred to the customer

Project Closure Phase Processes

·  Project Closure Formalized – Upon completion all small projects must be formally closed, and accepted by the sponsor.

Project Control Phase Deliverables

·  Project Closure Report – A Project Closure Report documents the successes and failures of the project. It provides a historical record of the planned and actual budget and schedule. Other selected metrics on the project can also be collected, based upon organizational procedures.

Project Manager Roles and Responsibilities

·  Obtain customer and management sign-off.

·  Close out any open action items.

·  Develop Project Closure Report.

·  Close out any financial accounts or charge codes.

·  Archive all project data.

·  Assist as needed with any post-project delivery audits.

·  Assist Contract Administrator(s) in contract closeout.

·  Assist in resource transition from the project.

·  Celebrate success.