Project Mercury

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Project Mercury
PROJECT
MERCURY

• Project Commercial Management
• Certification Process

How project deliverables / products are reviewed
for quality, approved and recommended to the
Project Board for acceptance (so suppliers can be
paid against milestones)
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Contents

• Introduction
• Role of the Project Assurance Team (PAT)
• The Mercury Quality System
• Pre-Stage Initiation
• Stage Initiation
• Stage In-flight
• End-Stage
• Project Board PAT Report

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Role of the PAT
Support from PAT lead Support to PAT, Project
Managers

• Advise on the applicability/interpretation of ABC
  Co standards
• Monitor ongoing project viability
• Advise the right resources are being involved in
  the Project
• Advise the project of suitable deliverable
  signatories
• Ensure mechanisms are in place to monitor and
  control risks to the Project
• Ensure mechanisms are in place to monitor and
  control expenditure
• Ensure an appropriate methodology is in place to
  deliver a solution that meets business
  requirements.
• Ensure user expectations are being managed
• Ensure specialist interests are being taken in to
  account
• At the request of the project, review
  deliverables to ensure reviewers comments have
  been addressed
• Ensure Project does not suffer from 'Scope
  Creep'.
• Ensure adherence to Business Case / value targets
• Attend all Quality Review meetings and produce
  agreed comment/action lists
• Ensure maintenance of thorough liaison throughout
  the Project between the Supplier and the Customer

Advise
Assure
4

• The Mercury
• Quality System

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Pre-Stage Initiation Quality Steps

• Governance procedures (all minuted)
• The Project Board (re)appoints a Project
  Assurance Lead (PAL)
• The PAL proposes the PAT team members
• The Project Board approve the membership proposed
• Delegated Authority (all minuted)
• The Project Board review all proposed stage
  products / deliverables
• The default assumption is that the Board will
  review all deliverables
• The Board chooses which products it wishes to
  delegate to the PAT
• The PAL formally accepts the delegated products
• note that the PAT will not do any work on
  products which have been reserved for review
  and approval by the Project Board (as it has not
  delegated authority so to do)

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Stage Initiation
Deliverables List (in appendix to Phase x Work
Contract (defines responsibilities on ABC Co and
Supplier)
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Stage Initiation Quality Steps

• Audit the Product List, Product Breakdown
  Structure Product Flow Diagram to ensure that
• The Statement of Release Requirements will be met
• The Product List corresponds exactly to the Work
  Contract
• There is a Product Description for each Product
  on the list
• Audit the list of available reviewers to ensure
  that
• Specialist interests are being observed
• The right resources are being involved in the
  project
• Audit the Work Contract to ensure that
• Responsibilities are clearly defined and are
  appropriate
• Audit the Product Descriptions to ensure that
• Ownership corresponds to Work Contract
  responsibilities
• Descriptions adequately define quality acceptance
  criteria
• Appropriate available reviewer resources are
  being utilised

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Stage In-flight

• KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE PAT
• Updates to Management Plan
• Updates to Project Plans
• Project Progress Reports
• Detailed Finance Reports / Expenditure
• Project Risk Register
• Project Issues Log
• Project Change Requests / Scope Creep
• Ongoing Project Viability
• Adherence to Business Case
• Right resources and interests engaged
• User needs being met
• Relationships are being managed

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Stage In-flight Quality Steps

• Periodic Review of Project Updates to ensure
  that
• Systems to control Project Risks Issues are
  indeed operating
• Review all level 9 risks open for gt 2 months
• Review all level 3 issues open for gt 2 months
• The Project remains viable
• Review Project Performance Report (orange red
  items by exception)
• Confirm Project Performance is within Tolerance
  levels for time cost
• Periodic Review of Work-in-Progress to ensure
  that
• An acceptable solution is being developed for
  requirements
• Review of DRM (orange red items by exception)
• Ensure sufficient time for Informal Quality
  Review (see overleaf)
• Project adheres to original business case
• Review Summary of Change Requests in progress
• Review Benefits Tracking Log

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End-Stage

• The Informal Quality Review
• Mercury is fast paced project where agility is
  required
• As such, Informal Quality Review (IQR) has been
  deemed an appropriate method to sign-off products
  against their product description
• The Formal Quality Review
• Mercury is also, however, a large and complex
  project, involving a third party system
  integrator
• As such, Formal Quality Reviews are to be used to
  ensure that (a) the IQR is being operated
  correctly and (b) to approve products on
  delegated authority from the Project Board

Informal Quality Review (IQR)
Formal Quality Review (FQR)
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End-Stage FQR Steps

• Audit the DRM baseline and actual dates to ensure
  that
• Sufficient time set aside for reviewers to do a
  quality job
• Audit the Product Sign-off evidence (emails etc.)
  to ensure
• A quorum of reviewers (gt75) have signed-off the
  product
• Any no shows do not undermine the legitimacy of
  the review
• Where they do, can this be made up for in the
  FQR process
• Audit the Product Review Forms to ensure
• All comments were rated Serious, Cautionary
  or Other
• No Cautionary or Other items are in fact
  Serious after all
• No Serious (i.e. material) items remain
  un-addressed
• Assign each product an approval status (clearly
  minuted)
• (1) Approved on behalf of the Project Board
• (2) Approved, subject to minor changes/actions
• (3) Not Approved to be reviewed again
• i.e. after (material) issues have been addressed

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Project Board PAT Report

• Once the FQR has been completed
• The agenda for the next available Project Board
  should include The End-Stage Report of the PAT
• Preparatory Materials for this slot should be
  available to the Board no later than any other
  materials
• The PAT Report
• Will outline Review metrics (e.g. numbers of
  reviewers engaged reviews conducted numbers of
  issues raised and cleared)
• Will thank the QR participants for their efforts
  and the project for its co-operation
• Will cover any general themes (both positive and
  negative) drawn from the QR process
• Will recommend that the Board accept the status
  of all approved products (once this is done, the
  report and the Boards recognition of its
  validity will be entered into the Board Minutes
  and any milestones for supplier payments linked
  to acceptance are deemed met)