IT Project Management Foundations

IT Project Management

Foundations

 This 4-hour workshop describes the fundamentals

of IT project management at Harvard

 Designed for all IT staff, regardless of experience

with projects

 Sets a ‘One-Harvard’ language and definition for

what it means to manage IT projects at Harvard

Welcome to Project Management Foundations!

…because project management affects

everyone in IT sooner or later!

 Breaks and End time

 Electronics – Please mute

 Restrooms and Fire Exits

Administrative notes

 Name

 Where you work

 Your experience with projects

…as a manager, team member, scrum master,

support desk, infrastructure engineer, business

analyst, developer, architect, other stakeholder…

Introductions

 Understand the value and benefits of IT project

management at Harvard

 Describe the concepts, roles and responsibilities, and

phases of IT project management

 Understand the essential elements of IT project

management at Harvard

 Know the project management tools used, and

resources available at Harvard.

Course Objectives

What do you hope to get out of this course?

Project Management & the T Shaped Professional

T-shaped

Professional

 The T Shaped model is about depth

& breadth of expertise

₋ Keeping up with changing technologies

and their impact on higher education

₋ Maintaining a service mindset and

trusted advisor relationships

 Project Management is a T Shape

core practice

₋ Cuts across all disciplines – Impacts

the “what and the how” of providing IT

services

 Project Management Fundamentals

₋ What is a Project?

₋ What is Project Management?

₋ Why IT Project Management?

₋ Roles

₋ Phases

 6 Essentials for Success

₋ Vision, Objectives, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

₋ Estimating & Planning

₋ Risks

₋ Governance

₋ Communications

₋ Change Management

Agenda

Perspectives on IT Project

Management

You and your spouse/partner are considering a major remodel to expand

and modernize the kitchen in your 115 year old home. You are thinking

about opening up the space, upgrading all appliances, and adding state-

of-the-art wi-fi and surround-sound that ties into the existing systems --

all without disrupting the character of the historic home.

What must you do to determine:

a. whether or not to go ahead with the remodel idea?

b. a plan for the remodel, if you decide to proceed?

c. how to live in the house, while the remodel is underway?

d. how to ensure completion in time for Thanksgiving, just 3 months away, when

you will host 50 guests?

In answering each of the questions above, you should also answer:

1. who is involved or affected by this project? In what way?

2. What constraints (listed or not listed) must be considered?

3. what additional concerns (listed or not listed) must be addressed?

The Kitchen Remodel

Break

IT Project Management

Fundamentals

A project is a temporary endeavor to deliver a unique

product or service.

₋ Temporary: has a start and an end

₋ Unique: a different, never-seen-before-thing, a change

₋ Projects are the means by which we bring new products and

services to users at Harvard – projects involve change

What is a Project?

We essentially do two things in IT: operate & maintain existing

capabilities and bring in new products and services. Projects are the

way we bring new capability into the environment.

Is this a Project?

Yes

No?

Develop a new software application

Fix a bug

Implement a system enhancement

Build

a new website

Perform weekly

backups

Install a network in a building

Select a software application

Construct a new

building

Host

a wedding

Upgrade servers

in a data center

Increase storage

capacity

Is this a Project?

Yes

No?

Develop a new software application

Fix a bug

Implement a system enhancement

Build

a new website Y

Perform weekly

backups N

Install a network in a building

Select a software

application Y

Construct a new

building Y

Host

a wedding Y

Upgrade servers

in a data center Y

Increase storage

capacity N

What is Project Management?

Project Management is a disciplined approach to plan,

schedule and coordinate the work to successfully achieve

a project’s objectives.

 Involves various roles and responsibilities for the project

activities

 Carried out across a set of phases over a project

lifecycle.

Yes

No?

Develop a new software application

Implement a system enhancement

Build

a new website

Install a network in a building

Select a software application

Construct a new

building

Host a wedding

Upgrade servers

in a data center

Does Project Management Apply in

every Project?

Yes

No?

Develop a new software application

Implement a system enhancement

Build

a new website Y

Install a network in a building

Select a software application

Construct a new

building Y

Host a wedding

Upgrade servers

in a data center Y

Does Project Management Apply in

every project?

Why is project management so important?



The United States economy loses $50-$150 billion per

year due to failed IT projects. (2012 Gallup Business Review)



1 in 6 IT projects have an average cost overrun of

200% and a schedule overrun of 70%.

(2013 Harvard Business Review)



61% of IT projects were challenged or failed (cancelled

or never implemented). (2012 Chaos Report)

Why IT Project Management?

The more complex the project, the greater the need for an

experienced, skilled project manager.

The Project Manager (PM) -- leads the planning,

management and execution of all aspects of a project

to ensure achievement of the project’s objectives

 Sets expectations on what benefits can be delivered within

established timeframe and budget

 Ensures the project operates within the approved budget

 Identifies and manages project risks, dependencies, constraints

 Reports on activities, status and results to sponsors, steering

committees, and other affected stakeholders

 Acts as the Chief Communicator and Change Agent

Project Manager

Project Manager Reflection

 How often do the people running projects at Harvard

do not have the job title “project manager”?

 How often are they informally assigned?

 What are the benefits and dangers of either case?

 What is risk of having no project manager, or having

project management split among multiple roles?

Other Key Roles

Sponsor

Steering

Committee

Stakeholders

Project Team

Member

• Defines the benefits desired from the project.

• Provides funding and resources to the project

• Guides the project through its phases.

• Makes decisions on significant changes (time, scope, budget)

• Eliminates any obstacles to success

• Affected by the project in some way

• Use the products or services the project delivers

• Support/operate the products or services of the project

• May be in a job that will change as a result of the project

• Can slow down or derail a project

• Performs the work of the project

All need to be champions of the project’s success

Project Phase Activities

Project Lifecycle

More in-depth

analysis and planning;

vendor selection; high

level design.

Should we

implement?

Do the actual work

of the project;

build & release

products / services.

What factors must

be addressed in

implementation?

What is the

meaning of

“done”?

Transition to

operations. What

will determine

project’s success

in operations?

Clarify the

feasibility of a

potential project.

Should we invest

in full planning?

Plan Close Implement Discover

• Form teams of 4-5 persons.

• Each team is assigned an IT project.

• What activities must the team accomplish in each phase?

• What information must the team gather in each phase?

• Who should the team engage with in each phase?

Break

6 Essentials of IT Project

Management

 Vision, Objectives, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

 Planning/Estimating

 Risk

 Governance

 Communications

 Change Management

6 Essentials of IT Project Management

A well formed vision is

a clear, concrete statement of

what the future will look like

 Vision statements are aspirational. They inspire action

and change. They define why.

₋ What are some of the benefits of having a well defined vision?

₋ Who writes the vision? Who “owns” the vision?

₋ Do all projects need a vision?

Vision

Project Objectives

Project Objectives are

the goals that will be

accomplished to achieve the vision.

 They are the foundation for product and release

planning; they define the What.

 Good objectives are SMART objectives

₋ Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-

bound

KPIs are

measurements to confirm that the project

has achieved the objectives

 If you can’t write a KPI to measure that you’ve

achieved the objective, then there is something

wrong with the objective.

 “If you can’t measure the benefits of a project,

there probably aren’t any.” - Tom DeMarco

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Match Objectives and KPIs

Objectives

Key Performance Indicators

A comprehensive professional development program of courses and activities that provides

Harvard’s IT employees with the competencies to excel as “T Shaped Professionals” to the

schools/units they support.

IT Academy Vision

1. Design and implement a T Shaped

Professional competency-based curriculum

and course catalog that staff are motivated to

participate in, starting in FY15.

2. Reinforce formal training with coaching, &

on-the-job (OJT) skills enhancement, starting

in FY16.

3. Integrate course catalog into an enterprise-

wide learning management system (LMS) that

supports individual development plans, course

registration, and badging by FY17.

1. 70% of staff complete the common, competency

based curriculum within 3 years; no open seats per

class within 60 days of program rollout.

2. All IT Academy courses receive top ratings (above

4.5 on a 5.0 scale) for meaningful, relevant content

within 3 months of each course rollout

3. 50% of all managers are leading OJT skills

enhancement to their staff within 2 years of rollout.

4. Course catalog is integrated into a corporate LMS

within 6 months of LMS implementation.

This should be a succinct statement of what the future state will look like after the project

is delivered.

The Vision for <Project Name>

Objectives Key Performance Indicators

1. List 3 – 5 objectives that will drive

towards achieving the vision

2. Start with an action verb

1.For each objective describe how you

will measure success? What metrics or

KPIs will be used to confirm that the

objective has been met?

2.Every objective should have a KPI.

Vision, Objectives, KPI Template

Refer to http://projectstandards.huit.harvard.edu/

 Why is planning and estimating important to a

project’s success?

 What dimensions affect how we plan and estimate

projects?

 What tools are used to facilitate planning and

estimating?

Planning and Estimating

- Time

- Funding

- Manpower

- Expertise

- Technical maturity

- Impact of the change

- Schedule, budget, task map, work breakdown structure … prototype

- Understand cost and schedule implications

- Manage scope; clarify what’s achievable; identify constraints

 Minimize management by crisis

 Minimize surprises and problems

 Increase probability of project success

 Prevent problems from occurring, or if occur, from

escalating

Project Risk Management

Risks must be communicated to all Project

Team Members and Stakeholders

The process of risk management planning,

identification, analysis, responses, and monitoring and

control on a project.

Benefits:

A risk is something that

might

happen to jeopardize the

project’s success.

Project Risk

• Risk Management is a result of

assessing the impact of the risk against

the probability of occurrence

• Risk Management starts at the

beginning of the project and follows the

entire life of the project

“Suspenders and a

belt? You must be

the guy from risk

management.”

 Contractor bill rates are higher than planned …

 The PM leaves the project before completion ...

 The software vendor does not release the upgrade as scheduled ...

 At least 20% of the data does not convert without error …

 The Security project we were depending on does not deliver its

User Authentication software when planned ….

 More users hit the site in the first 10 days than expected….

 A flu pandemic prevents the team from travelling to the planned

locations to install and test the system…

What if…

What is the Probability and Impact for each of these events . . .

Probability

(Low, Med, High)

Impact

(Low, Med, High)

Risk Score

The lead technical developer leaves the project

team resulting in delays in delivery of critical

functionality

Increased volume of users and transactions than

expected resulting in higher help desk call

volumes

Contractor billing is higher than planned

resulting in potential budget overruns

Probability * Impact = Risk Score

OVERALL PROJECT RISK SCORE:

6.5

Risk Category

Risk

Number

Risk

Name/Descriptio

Probability (1-

Impact (1-

Risk Score

Action Plan

(what to do if

risk happens)

Action By

Action When

1 5 1 5

2 2 5 10

3 5 2 10

4 1 1 1

5 0

6 0

7 0

8 0

9 0

10 0

11 0

Risk Log Template

Refer to http://projectstandards.huit.harvard.edu/

Break

 Key project decisions that often need to be made

include:

 When does governance start? When does it end?

Project Governance

• Scope

• Priority

• Budget

• Schedule

• Resources

• Acceptance/Completion

A management framework within which project

decisions are made



What are some

benefits and pitfalls

of project

governance?

Project Governance Examples

Executive

Sponsor

UCIO/

DCIO

Functional

Acad/Admin

Dean

Executive Committee

Large

• Provides accountability

-“The buck stops here”

• Streamlines decision-

making, or slows it down

• Champion change

• Can lose impact if

driven by representation

-“Governance is not

government”

Project

Manager

Project

Manager

Program

Manager

School/Center

Director

IT Managing

Director

Functional

Director

Steering Committee

Medium

Small

Project

Manager

Sponsor

Project Lifecycle

Project Governance across the Phases

Request

Discovery Implement

A new project

entry

Short effort to

clarify the

“foundation” of the

project, sufficiently

for the planning

phase

In-depth analysis of

scope, resources,

schedule and budget

needs

Traditional

implementation

phase where

project is

executed

Gate

Are we ready to Close

the project and release

resources?

Gate

Should we invest in a

scoping, budgeting,

planning exercise? Are

resources available?

Gate

Are we prepared to

move forward with

implementation?

Resources? Budget?

Gate

Is this project

prepared for go-live?

Is the Service Owner

ready to support

operations?

Tasks that

transition the

project work to

operational

teams for

ongoing support

Project reviewed by

IT PM Governance

Board

Plan |

Scope |

Design

Governance

On Hold

Cancelled

Projects requiring or

currently under

governance review

Go Live

* The duration of each lifecycle phase, the nature of the PM review, and the extent of project artifacts

required will vary based upon the project type, size, and risk-level

Project close-out/

de-brief



90%

of a project manager’s job is communication

 Effective communication with all the stakeholders is

critical

throughout the project lifecycle

 Project communications are key for helping the

affected people

adapt to the changes

from the project

 Projects should have a

communications plan

that

details the timing, content and audience

Project Communications

Information/Report or

Document

Purpose of message Audience

Author

Format/Media/Transmittal

Method/Channel

When/Frequency/Dis

tribution Frequency

Discovery Phase

Results Review

Communicate results of discovery

phase, recommend next steps, gain

approval to proceed or halt

Project

executive

committee and

sponsor(s)

project

manager

Powerpoint, face to face

at end of Discovery

phase

Project Kickoff

Meeting

Orient project team to project; review

project mechanics, roles and resp,

project goals

Project team

members

project

manager

Powerpoint, face to face

1x when project

starts

Project team status

meetings

Update project status

Project team

members

project

manager

PowerPoint, issue log, face to

face with virtual presence

enabled

weekly

Executive Committee

Meetings

Update executive committee on status,

escalate issues, alert to risks, get

decisions

Project

executive

committee and

sponsor(s)

project

manager

PowerPoint, issue log, face to

face with virtual presence

enabled

monthly

30 second speech on

benefits of project, 1-

2 page Powerpoint

Benefits message for each stakeholder

to convince them to endorse and

support project

key stakeholders

project

manager

face to face

Stage Gate review

Review results of current phase, gain

approval to proceed

Project

executive

committee and

sponsor(s)

project

manager

PowerPoint, issue log, face to

face with virtual presence

enabled

As each phase nears

completion

UAT Test Results

Summary

Update stakeholders on testing results

Project

executive

committee and

sponsor(s)

testing

manager

email to all with summary of

critical defects and link to

testing log

daily

Sample Communications Plan

Refer to http://projectstandards.huit.harvard.edu/

 Think about a past project you were involved in ...

₋ What communications efforts were established?

₋ In what ways was the communications helpful to the

project?

₋ In what ways did lack of communications derail the

project?

Project Communications Reflection

Change Management

Project

Change

Management

Service

Change

Management

Organizational

Change

Management

Process and procedures

by which changes to

project scope are

formally introduced

and approved

Standardized methods &

procedures for efficient

handling of all changes

to the IT environment

to minimize the impact

on service quality

Process, tools and

techniques to manage the

people-side of change to

ensure realization of

change in order to achieve

the business outcome

Governance ITIL

Leading Change

“Projects with excellent Change Management are 6x more likely to

meet their objectives.“ (2009 PROSCI benchmark report)

 Build Awareness of the need to change

• Clarify the value and benefits in partnership with sponsors and

stakeholders (guiding coalition)

 Encourage Desire to change

₋ Recognize and address the impact of the change on the

organization and individual comfort-level

 Establish Knowledge of how to change

₋ Iterative releases, “quick wins”

 Ensure Ability to implement the change

₋ Training, resources, additional support needed to implement the

change; integrate into IT Service Management**

 Foster Reinforcement to sustain the change

₋ Tie into existing systems, processes, cultural norms

Organizational Change Management Factors

*Adapted from ADKAR model for change management, PROSCI,

Inc. 2015

**IT Service Management addressed in

the ITIL Foundations class.

 Go back to your IT project management exercise

₋ What changes will the project introduce into the IT

environment or the organization overall?

₋ What can the project team do to ensure the individuals or

organization successfully adapt to the changes?

₋ Consider the 5 factors of organizational change

management

Change Management reflection

Tools, Templates and Resources

 Tools

₋ Microsoft Project, Excel, Word

₋ SharePoint - http://huit.harvard.edu/services/sharepoint-harvard

₋ ServiceNow Project Management - https://harvard.service-now.com/navpage.do

http://wiki.servicenow.com/index.php?title=Project_Management#gsc.tab=0

₋ Harvard Google: http://g.harvard.edu/

₋ Basecamp - https://basecamp.com/

₋ JIRA - https://jira.huit.harvard.edu/secure/Dashboard.jspa

₋ Pivotal Tracker - http://www.pivotaltracker.com/

 CWD courses

₋ Project Management, Building Commitment for Change, Microsoft Project, Embracing

Change and Innovation, and Putting Strategy into Action

 Harvard Extension School Project Management

https://www.extension.harvard.edu/academics/courses/project-management/14770

 On-line learning: Lynda.com, Harvard ManageMentor, Skillsoft.com



HUIT PM website, workshops, & templates -

http://projectstandards.huit.harvard.edu/

 Harvard Risk Management & Audit Services -http://rmas.fad.harvard.edu/audit-services

 Project Management Institute (PMI) - http://www.pmi.org/

 The Change Management Pocket Guide - http://www.changeguidesllc.com/

Summary

 IT project management affects everyone in IT.

 Projects are the way we introduce change new products and

services into the organization.

 Project management is a disciplined approach to plan, schedule

and coordinate the work to achieve a project’s objectives.

 The more complex the project, the greater the need for an

experienced, skilled project manager.

 All projects involve common phases and roles.

 Projects should start with a clear concise vision, SMART

objectives and measurable KPIs to assess a project’s success.

Workshop Summary

 Project planning and estimating help clarify schedule, cost,

scope, and constraints before a project begins.

 Project risks can jeopardize the success of a project; risk must

be assessed and managed continuously.

 Project governance provides a means for decision-making to

guide the project toward its objectives.

 Project communication is 90% of a Project Manager’s job.

 Successful project management must include change

management across the project lifecycle.

 Numerous tools, templates & resources are available to support

IT project management at Harvard.

Workshop Summary

53 53

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