不良研究所

IT Projects

鈥淎ll projects are a temporary effort to create value through a unique product, service or result. All projects have a beginning and an end. They have a team, a budget, a schedule, and a set of expectations the team needs to meet. Each project is unique and differs from routine operations鈥攖he ongoing activities of an organization鈥攂ecause projects reach a conclusion once the goal is achieved.鈥� - Project Management Institute (PMI)

An IT project may be one or more of the following:

• Implementation of a new solution to support new, current, or revised services
• Large-scale enhancement or upgrade of an existing application or system
• Infrastructure upgrade
• Information security initiative

IT PMO will manage projects when their overall capital budget is over $100K. As per IT PMO processes,听a Business Opportunity (Dossier d'Opportunit茅, DO) and Business Case (Dossier d'Affaire, DA) deliverable will be required. To understand what is capitalizable on projects, contact your finance department.

不良研究所 IT projects benefit the entire community, which includes the University鈥檚 Student, Research, Academic and Staff populations. 不良研究所 IT Services has published and regularly updates the鈥�IT Dashboard, which includes descriptions of ongoing and planned IT鈥痯rojects鈥痶hat鈥痵erve the needs of the 不良研究所 community.

Note that any project must comply with the Policy on the Governance of Personal information.

IT Project process听

Each project phase addresses a specific aspect of project management, from opportunity to completion. 听Although these phases are described sequentially, in practice many of these phases may overlap or occur in parallel during the lifetime of a project.听

IT project lifecycle

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*Refer to Government regulations/guidelines for projects for more details on these deliverables.听

IT Project lifecycle

1. Pre-project activities: Each initiative听begins with a 鈥楤usiness Needs Statement鈥�(BNS) outlining justification, deliverables, expected results and benefits for 不良研究所. This is reviewed by the IT Prioritization Committee, which includes the CIO & IT Directors, for approval. Once prioritized, a Business Opportunity (Dossier d鈥檕pportunit茅) document is submitted for approval to advance to the next phase.
2. Project activities:听
   • 2.1 Preliminary Analysis-Solution Architecture (PA-SA)
     The Preliminary Analysis-Solution Architecture (PA-SA) phase allows the project team to gain a detailed understanding of clients鈥� needs. The core project team gathers business requirements, proposes possible solutions, and defines the approach, timeline, and budget to implement the chosen solution.
     Depending on the project, PA-SA activities may also include working with Procurement Services as required, for example during the Request for Information (RFI) or Call for Tender (CFT) process.
     A Business Case (Dossier d鈥橝ffaire) document is submitted for approval to advance to the Design-Construction-Implement phase.
   • 2.2 Design-Construct-Implement (D-C-I)
     The development and/or implementation of the solution starts here. Depending on the project, this step may include solution configuration, software development, infrastructure, product upgrade, end-user training, etc. The project team (more details provided below) engages IT and Business stakeholders through deliverables and activities such as configurations, demos, and testing activities, until the client approves the solution, and the final product is delivered.
     The Project Manager oversees the project鈥檚 execution and tracks its progress according to the schedule, costs and scope established during the planning stage to ensure the project鈥檚 success.
   • 2.3 Closure
     The Closure phase concludes all project activities and confirms completion of project deliverables to the satisfaction of the clients and project sponsors.
3. Post-project activities:听Operation and Support involves transferring project deliverables to the operational environment, shifting responsibility from the Project Manager to the Operational Manager or owner/client. A reasonable 鈥榤oment of handover鈥� is agreed upon to ensure the smoothest possible transition.听听

Core roles and responsibilities

For a successful project, the project team must engage in planning, actively support the project plan, and fulfill assignments. Progress depends on clear roles and responsibilities for each team member. Main project team members are highlighted below:听

Project Manager: 听

• Oversees the entire project听
• Manages the delivery of a solution in accordance with the established scope,鈥痓udget, timeline, and guidelines to achieve the intended business benefits. 听
• Represents the interests of the project鈥檚 client and sponsors within the project, 听and guides the work towards the project goal. 听
• Collects, integrates, and presents information to stakeholders, 听and thus facilitates听informed and timely decisions. IT听Project Management Office (PMO)

Portfolio Manager / IT Solution Manager:听

• Collaborates closely with the business and provides oversight on the project to ensure the project is a success. The portfolio manager will often play the role of the IT Solution Manager within the project, where they will be accountable for ensuring that 不良研究所 IT will be able to support the solution delivered by the project. The IT Solution Manager will collaborate with the Project Manager regarding planning, resource capacity, managing risks/issues, and reporting. The IT Solution Manager will play a leadership role in the functional/technical aspects of the solution.

Business Solution Manager:听

• An advocate for the business representative on the project team.
• Accountable for the success of the project, deliverables, and benefits.

IT Sponsors and Business Sponsor:听

• Members of senior management, who are听the drivers and in-house champions of the project.听
• 听Approve听the strategies related to change management, communication, and solution deployment. 听
• Co-Chair the steering committee to act as the project ambassadors for all stakeholders. 听
• The IT Sponsor is part of 不良研究所 IT;听the Business Sponsor is linked to the client.

IT Architect:

• An IT Architect can be involved in these key areas: Solution, Security, Infrastructure, Integration, Software, etc.听
• Identifies solutions/design/recommendations/requirements, etc. and oversees the end-to-end solution.听听
• Ensures solutions align with 不良研究所 Standards & Policies.

Change Management Advisors, Communications and Training Specialists:听

• Facilitate听adoption and smooth transition to the new solution for business end users. Activities include business impact analysis, communications, and end user training.听

Business Analyst (BA):

• Works with Business to develop a strong understanding of the business requirements and processes related to the project, and to assist with the development of project requirements, scope and user acceptance criteria for the target solution.
• The BA may also recommend improvements to the existing business processes,听collaborate with developers and subject matter experts to establish the technical vision and analyze trade-offs between usability and performance needs, while acting as the liaison between the听business units and the technology teams.
• Once the scope and high-level solution design is complete, the BA ensures a seamless handover to the Functional Analyst (FA).

Functional Analyst (FA):

• Converts the business requirements and high-level solution design into functional and technical requirements to be consumed by the project team during the build of the solution.
• The FA works closely with the Project team and Subject Matter Experts听throughout the build of the solution, to ensure requirements are understood and solution is built as specified.
• The FA also works with the business to establish test scenarios and test cases to be used during unit and User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and assists Business during the UAT phase, if required.听

Subject Matter Expert (SME):

• Provides the knowledge and expertise in a specific subject, business area, or technical area.听
• Includes roles such as technical lead, system admin, developer, etc.听

Project Governance

Project governance helps ensure that a project is executed according to the standards of the organization performing the project. It is the model on which critical decisions of the project are made and escalated, and it determines how accountability is assigned to the decision-makers. 听

Project governance is dependent on the project's size, complexity and stakeholders. It should be established with project sponsors at the start of the project to help define a reporting structure, roles, and responsibilities while outlining a clear escalation path for issue resolutions.听

Typical governance committees:听

Steering Committee:听

• Members: IT and Business sponsors (co-chairs) and members of the Coordination Committee
• Function: The governing body of the project with overall responsibility on the success of the project. Members provide leadership support and guidance to the project team.鈥�鈥�鈥�
• Responsibilities:听
  • Ensure accountability for the realization of project benefits.鈥�鈥�听
  • Approve key project decisions & deliverables.鈥�鈥�听
  • Oversee and support risk mitigation strategy and issue resolution action plan raised by the project manager and project team.鈥�鈥�听

Coordination Committee:听 听

• Members: Project Manager (chair), IT and Business Solution Managers, Change Management Advisors, and other pertinent stakeholders听
• Function: The Coordination Committee is responsible for the delivery of the project. The Coordination Committee can make recommendations to the project Steering Committee.
• Responsibilities: 听
  • Be responsible for the quality of the solution deliverables (requirements, strategies, architecture, test cases and execution, etc.).
  • Provide updates to sponsors on project鈥檚 progress of project (IT/Business).
  • Identify benefits and ensure their realization. 听
  • Identify resource requirements. 听
  • Collaborate to address issues and risks and remove obstacles. 听

Steering and Coordination committees

Project reporting

Project reporting is an essential component for the PMO and project management success. The report types below each target a specific audience and provide the overall status of the project or specific aspects of the project鈥檚 progress or performance. They help manage the expectations of stakeholders, communicate the progress to other members of the team, and help identify potential issues or risks, and provide a record of the project's progress for future reference.听

PMO Tools

The PMO uses project management tools designed to assist an individual, team, or PMO members in managing their projects and tasks effectively. Below is a short list of these tools.听

To contact us:听gcp.pmo [at] mcgill.ca