Project Management Process and Templates

The Project Management Office follows the industry standards of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the Information Technology Infrastructure Language (ITIL) to provide project and service management. Project management methodology consists of five iterative processes to ensure a successful definition of project intent and management of resources, scope, time, quality, and stakeholder expectations.

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Initiation (CHARTERING)

The project charter defines the strategic intent and high-level scope, requirements, timeline, resources, and financial requirements of the project. The charter is the formal request made to the executive sponsor to authorize the project manager to plan and execute the project and utilize human and financial resources.

• Charter template

1. Define strategic Intent -  Describe what will be done, when, where, and most importantly why
2. Define high-level requirements and measurable objectives - Define the measurable objectives that will satisfy the strategic intent and the expectations of stakeholders. 
3. Establish preliminary schedule and milestones
4. Identify personnel requirements and high-level cost estimate (if known)
5. Propose a  project manager - The project manager is the individual who will manage the planning, execution, change control, and closing processes of the project. The project manager ensures appropriate scope, communication, documentation, risk, procurement, cost, quality, and stakeholder management plans are created and followed to ensure project success.
6. Sponsor authorization - The sponsor(s),  who provides funding and resources, signs the project charter and grants authority to the project manager to manage the project and the assigned human, financial and other resources required.

Planning

The project plan is performed before any work is performed. It describes the full scope of the project, major deliverables, how it will be managed, the full timeline, and who will perform what tasks to ensure all requirements are met.

1. Establish oversight Team - The functional and technical people who will provide governance and change control to ensure the intent of the project is satisfies the needs of stakeholders, business processes requirements, and the goals of the university.
   1. Stakeholder list
2. Establish project management team - The group of individuals who will develop the project plan and manage its execution. Often comprised of technical, functional, and other subject-matter leads
3. Define Requirements – Specific, detailed measurable objectives that are prioritized and weighted, directly applicable to an RFI or RFP.
   • Requirements matrix
4. Select product, vendor, or course of action - define, evaluate, and select the course of action or product that will meet the project requirements.
   • Follow University Purchasing Processes
   • Utilize Guidelines for IT RFP and RFIs
   • Follow the Technology Compliance Review process for information technology before to acquisition and implementation
   • Course of Action (COA) assessment
5. Define Scope - Define specifically who will do what, when, where, and how including deliverables, work breakdown, and tasks.
   • Scope
   • Work Breakdown Diagram (WBS)
   • Marketing and communication plan
   • Cost and procurement plan
   • Risk register
   • Risk contingency plan
   • Testing and quality control plan
6. Implementation and long-term support staff requirements – Determine what short-term long-term support will be required to implement the project maintain the system and/or operations after the project is completed
7. Develop the project schedule
   • High-level schedule tool
   • Multi-project (program) roadmap template (Microsoft Visio)
   • Purchase Microsoft Project Pro

Execution & Controlling

The execution process is when project work is performed per the project plan and deliverables are accepted by stakeholders. During this process the project manager and the oversight team monitor and control project work, making adjustments to the project plan as necessary. The Office of Information Technology utilizes Service Hub to track project schedules and work tasks during the execution process.

Closure - Transition to Long-Term Support and Governance

Upon the completion of all project work the project manager gains formal acceptance of all deliverables from the project sponsor(s) and provides the closure report and lessons learned to the governing body who will manage the IT system or administrative function long-term.

1. Gain formal acceptance of project deliverables from stakeholders
   • Closing Report
2. Document lessons learned
3. Hand over the resulting project processes, functions, and product(s) to a long-term governance and support team. Charter a new governance team if none exists
   • Governance team charter (coming soon)