Quality Assurance Team

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What Floats the Quality Assurance Team's Boat?

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Richard Corbell Legislative Budget Board
QAT Crew and Wheelhouse
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Quality Assurance Team
Who is the crew?

The crew is comprised of three representatives
from the LBB, SAO, and DIR. QAT email address is
qat_at_lbb.state.tx.us
Primary Contact Secondary Contacts
Richard CorbellLegislative Budget BoardREJ Building, 5th Floor1501 N. Congress Austin, TX 78701512-463-1200 Ralph McClendon State Auditors OfficeREJ Building, 4th Floor1501 N. Congress Austin, TX 78701 512-936-9500 Rose WheelerDepartment of Information Resources300 W. 15th, Ste. 1300 Austin, TX 78701512-936-5900
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Quality Assurance Team
We hear hollerin from atop the crow's nest of
your vessels. What purpose does the QAT serve?

Review the status of major information resources
projects (Texas Government Code 2054.003), and
make recommendations to the legislature to reduce
risk of project overruns and failures
Risk for the purposes of the QAT is defined as
the likelihood that a project will not deliver a
quality solution based on the timeline, budget,
and scope commitments made to legislature when
submitting the Legislative Appropriations Request
(LAR)
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Quality Assurance Team
We hear hollerin from atop the crow's nest of
your vessels. Which technology projects are
addressed?

(A) any information resources technology project
identified in a state agency's biennial operating
plan whose development costs exceed 1 million
and that
(i) requires one year or longer to reach
operations status (ii) involves more than one
state agency or (iii) substantially alters
work methods of state agency personnel or the
delivery of services to clients and
(B) any information resources technology project
designated by the legislature in the General
Appropriations Act as a major information
resources project
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Quality Assurance Team
What is in the QATs wheelhouse?

Perform project oversight activities which
includes reviewing major information resources
projects and approving projects before
expenditure of appropriated funds based on
analysis of project risks
Report to state leadership the status of major
information resources projects
Review list of projects that meet the criteria of
a major information resources project, including
determining which projects should be monitored
and the frequency of monitoring
Perform approval of contract amendments that
change the total value of the contract or any
element of the contract by more than ten percent
for contracts that have a total value in excess
of 1 million
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Quality Assurance Team
What responsibilities lay outside the QATs
wheelhouse?

Contract review
Solicitation review these reviews are performed
by the Contract Advisory Team (CAT)
Project management all agencies are responsible
and accountable for project management practices
and outcomes
Technical assistance
Note The Department of Information Resources
(DIR) provides consultation services to agencies,
while recognizing that agencies are ultimately
accountable for project outcomes
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Ralph McClendon State Auditors Office
QAT Cargo Area
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Quality Assurance Team

What is in the QATs cargo area?

• 53 Projects in State Portfolio 407,066,940
  millions
• 9 Projects Complete FY 08 84,257,437 millions
• 40 Projects Monitored 317,779,503 millions
• 4 Other Projects
• In Review, Canceled or Waived
• Note Does not include HHSCs Enhanced
  Eligibility System

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Quality Assurance Team
What is in the QATs cargo area that is listing?

• 16 projects are at least 10 over budget
• Total initial estimated costs 76,511,785
  millions
• Total current estimated costs 115,182,992
  millions
• 27 projects are past their end date by at least
  10
• End date increased by an average of 127 or with
  a schedule shift of approximately 20 months!

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Quality Assurance Team
What is a cargo area without navigational
processes?

• Adopted a Charter which represents a common
  understanding of the authority and
  responsibilities of the Quality Assurance Team
• establishes basis for determining and fulfilling
  all actions executed by the QAT
• Established a Policy and Procedures Manual that
  presents the entire scope of QAT processes
• represents the structure by which QAT currently
  conducts project oversight
• Information www.qat.state.tx.us

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Rose Wheeler Department of Information Resources
Agency Barnacles
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Quality Assurance Team
What types of barnacles live in the bay?

During initial establishment of a major
information resources project, planning an
inordinately long time frame for completion and
an extremely wide project scope
Initiating a major information resource project
in a non-prescribed manner
Confusing QAT responsibilities with agency
responsibilities for project activities or
outcomes and decisions
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Quality Assurance Team
What do these barnacles eat?

Utilizing the Texas Project Delivery Framework as
the end-solution for project management
Framework does not equal project management
Failing to satisfy the statewide requirements for
project management practices as defined in Texas
Administrative Code 216
Omitting development and use of contract
management practices AND project management
practices
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Framework Alignment with QAT and Agency Practices
LEVELS
QAT Project Scorecard
Project
Project Review and Monitoring
QAT
Approval
Project Planning
,
Solicitation and Contracting
,
Project
Benefits
Framework
Business Justification
Implementation
Realization
Project Management Dashboard
Initiation
Plan
Execute
Control
Closeout
PMM
STANDARD
Initiation
Plan
Execute
Control
Closeout
PMI Model
PROCESSES
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Quality Assurance Team
How do barnacles grow?

Misinterpreting QAT actions which are

• - Make legislative recommendations
• Make project recommendations
• Request project information
• Request Corrective Action Plan
• Request project audit or assistance
• Take no action

Attempting to exceed project scope and quality
expectations
Failing to communicate vendor performance issues
that affect project outcomes
Posting solicitations without effective project
planning
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Thank You, Mates!

Questions?