Project Management Information and Tracking System Basics

1
Project Management Information and Tracking
System Basics

• Office of Technology Services
• Project Management Office

2
PMIT Basics

• Since July 1, 2008, VCU has operated as a Tier 3
  institution under the Restructured Higher
  Education Financial and Administrative Operations
  Act
• Greater autonomy and control in
• Capitol outlay and acquisition and disposition of
  real property
• Leasing
• Procurement and surplus property
• Finance and accounting
• HR
• Information Technology

3
PMIT Basics

• To meet provisions of our agreement with the
  Commonwealth, VCU has to develop and follow our
  own policies, standards and procedures in four
  areas of IT management
• Security
• Infrastructure, Architecture, Operations
• Accessibility
• Project Management and Auditing

4
PMIT Basics

• Project Management and Auditing components
• Strategic planning
• Project Portfolio Management
• Project Management
• Auditing

5
PMIT Basics

• Technology Services Strategic Plan
• Led by Mark Willis
• Supports VCU-2020 Strategic Plan and
  Presidential priorities
• Outlines goals and objectives for next three
  years with yearly updates
• Currently being reviewed by University
  constituencies
• Submitted to COVA by September 1

6
PMIT Basics

• PPM and Information Technology Governance
• Portfolio Management - IT assets and projects
  should be managed to maximize the return from all
  
• Requires decisions on what investments to make
  and what projects to undertake
• Decisions should be made by the University, not
  by Technology Services
• Forum for that decision-making is in development

7
PMIT Basics

• VCUs Project Management Methodology
• Visited University PMOs
• UVa, WM, GMU, UNCs
• Researched best practices
• VITA, PMI, PMBOK
• Formed PM Task Force
• Representatives from every unit in Technology
  Services

8
PMIT Basics

• Task Force started in July, 2008
• Held bi-monthly meetings where the best practices
  in a project management subject area were
  presented and evaluated
• Recommendation on how to adopt and apply those
  practices at VCU was agreed upon
• Each representative was expected to share those
  recommendations with colleagues for input
• Task Force decisions established principles of
  VCUs PM methodology and the requirements for a
  project information system

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PMIT Basics

• VCU Project Management Methodology Components
• Policy
• Developed and in review
• Standard
• Nearing approval by Provost and VP for Finance
  and Administration
• Practices and Procedures
• Documentation of how OTS projects are initiated,
  approved, prioritized, managed, budgeted, and
  completed is in progress

10
PMIT Basics

• PM Standard Overview
• Project Definition
• Any temporary endeavor with an established
  beginning and end time that has a set of defined
  tasks and assigned resources, undertaken to
  deliver a unique information technology product,
  service or result.
• Project Sponsor
• Individual who makes the case for the project
• Define project goals, secure resources, establish
  internal project priorities, and resolve intra-
  and inter-organizational issues and conflicts

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PMIT Basics

• PM Standard
• Project Manager
• Every project will have a named PM
• Qualifications escalate with project complexity
• Responsible for developing the Project Plan,
  entering and maintaining project information in
  PMIT
• Execute control measures when required
• Managing projects means managing people

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PMIT Basics

• Auditing
• Coordinate with VCUs Office of Assurance
  Services to perform IT audits
• Some projects will require an Independent
  Verification and Validation review
• Answerable to APA and subject to COVA reviews

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PMIT Basics

• VCUs Project Management Office (PMO) role
• Insure best practices are being followed in
  Project Management
• Provide for improved governance of project
  submission, selection, and prioritization
• Facilitate more effective communications between
  project stakeholders and Technology Services
• Establish a consolidated repository of project
  information
• Provide the services necessary to insure Tier 3
  requirements are met

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PMIT Basics

• Project Information System
• Requirements
• Lean and agile with minimal overhead on Project
  Managers
• Web-accessible
• Relational database
• The amount of documentation and required project
  management activities scales with the level of
  the project
• Data input workflows for that documentation
• Reporting and data analysis capabilities for
  operational, managerial, and strategic purposes

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PMIT Basics

• Project Information System
• Solution
• Lack of funds meant a COTS system was not
  feasible
• Wanted to avoid form-based solution
• Limited shareability
• Linear communications
• Paper-oriented
• Only viable choice was to build one ourselves

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PMIT Basics

• Project Management Information and Tracking
  (PMIT) System
• System consists of two components
• Data entry
• Modeled on the Change Management System
  applications Web-based architecture
• SQL/Server database, ASP.Net application
• Reporting and analysis
• SAS Enterprise Business Intelligence tool
• Both use Central Authentication Services eID

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PMIT Basics

• PMIT continued
• Access is (currently) restricted to Technology
  Services staff
• Project Managers can enter and update their
  projects ONLY
• Everyone in OTS can view any and all projects
• Strategic, managerial, and operational reports
  and data analyses will be available to all

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PMIT Basics

• Creating a Project in PMIT
• Pre-requisite is the Project Manager has done the
  necessary project planning to finalize
• Total Cost
• Time to Complete
• Required Resources
• Risk Analysis
• PMs use the above in the classification worksheet
  to determine their projects complexity level

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PMIT Basics

• Project Classification
• Projects are classified by
• Budget
• Time
• Resources
• Classification is adjusted for Risk

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PMIT Basics

• Fast Track
• 80 hours or less
• Two or less personnel from within one OTS unit
• Below 10,000 total cost
• Low Complexity
• Greater than 80 and less than 240 hours
• Greater than two and less than 10 personnel
• Greater than 10,000 and less than 100,000

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PMIT Basics

• Medium Complexity
• Greater than six weeks and less than one year
• Greater than 10 and less than 25 personnel
• Greater than 100,000 and less than 500,000
• High Complexity
• Greater than one year
• Greater than 25 personnel
• Greater than 500,000

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PMIT Basics

• Complexity determines what project plan
  components are required in PMIT
• Fast Track
• Fast Track Project Worksheet
• Low Complexity
• Project Information
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS)
• Schedule
• Communications Plan
• Quality Management Test Plan
• Budget Plan
• Spending Plan

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PMIT Basics

• Medium Complexity
• Project Information
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS)
• Schedule
• Communications Plan
• Quality Management Test Plan
• Quality Management IVV Plan
• Budget Plan
• Spending Plan
• Risk Plan

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PMIT Basics

• High Complexity
• Project Information
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS)
• Schedule
• Communications Plan
• Quality Management Test Plan
• Quality Management IVV Plan
• Budget Plan
• Spending Plan
• Risk Plan
• Procurement Plan
• Change and Configuration Management Plan
• Performance Plan

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PMIT Basics

• Worksheet provides classification guidelines
• Templates provide guidance for required plans -
  available on the PMO Web site
• Knowing the required forms for their project, the
  Project Manager conducts planning sessions with
  the projects sponsor and project team to develop
  them
• PMIT is NOT a project planning system, it is an
  information and tracking system
• PMs can use the planning/scheduling tools of
  their choice

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PMIT Basics

• PMIT has data input workflows for each project
  complexity level to automatically guide PMs
  through the data entry of all required forms
• If interrupted, PMIT records where the workflow
  stopped
• Once all forms are completed, the status of the
  project is set to Active

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PMIT Basics

• All project information can be edited/deleted
  until the project is Closed
• Three aspects of OTS projects performance will be
  monitored by the management dashboard
• Scope
• Budget
• Schedule
• PM must update status of all three at least every
  two weeks in PMIT
• DEMO

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PMIT Basics

• SAS Enterprise Business Intelligence
• Identified in the Portal as the Banner Reporting
  Center
• Folder for Project Management in every Technology
  Services staff user profile
• Operational, managerial, and strategic reports
• OTS staff can run any and all reports
• Get information on your project assignments,
  schedule, milestones, role and requirements
• PMs can determine resource availability and
  prevent scheduling conflicts
• DEMO

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PMIT Basics

• VCU Project Management Overview
• Project proposal
• Business case of why, what, how
• Requirements analysis
• Budget, Time, Resources
• Review, approve, prioritize according to
• Contribution to IT Strategic Plan
• Contribution to University Strategic Plan
• Return On Investment (ROI)

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PMIT Basics

• VCU Project Management Overview
• Assign Project Manager
• OTS Management with sponsor input
• Develop Project Plan and enter project
  information into PMIT
• Plans, updates, reports and analyses
• All OTS staff are expected to know and follow
  current PM processes and procedures
• Documented on the PMO Web site

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PMIT Basics

• Project Management after July 15, 2009
• Proposal to Technology Services
• Does it qualify as a project?
• Project proposals (except Fast Track) to PMO
• PMO coordinates requirements analysis
• OTS management reviews request, approves, assigns
  priority (unless High Complexity)

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PMIT Basics

• OTS Unit and Project Manager is assigned
• Project Manager develops project plan with input
  from stakeholders
• PM enters and updates their project information
  in PMIT system
• SAS is used for status reports, communications to
  stakeholders, staff assignments, etc.
• Perform tasks, monitor performance, update plan
• Obtain user acceptance, close the project

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PMIT Basics

• Course Take-Aways
• VCU Project Management methodology is a Tier
  III management agreement requirement
• Task Force defined that methodology
• Project management duties and PMIT requirements
  scale with project complexity
• Project complexity is determined by budget, time,
  resources and risk
• PMIT system has two components
• ASP.Net application/SQL-Server database
• SAS Business Intelligence reporting and analysis

34
PMIT Basics

• PMO Web site is source for information on Project
  Management methodology and PMIT
• New project management methodology and PMIT go
  into effect on July 15th
• IT Strategic Plan and IT Governance are coming
• Anything that doesnt work, we will change

35
PMIT Basics

• Questions/Comments
• James C. Thomas
• Project Management Office
• 8-9954
• jcthomas_at_vcu.edu