Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level James Williams June 29, 2010

Implementation of Project Governance

at the Center Level

James Williams

June 29, 2010

Outline

Project Governance – what is it? Why do we need Project Governance? How did we implement IT Project Governance

at NASA Ames? Lessons learned

Implementation of Project Governanceat the Center Level—2—June 29, 2010

IT Project Governance – what is it?

The leadership, structures and processes to ensure that IT sustains and extends the organization's strategy and objectives

In other words – playing an active role in IT Projects success



Playing an active role in project success includes:»Framework»Processes»Systems and tools»Transparency»Accountability»Stakeholders involvement in decisions»Expectations, control, performance»Risk management



The organizational structure to support Project Governance entails:»Oversight»Project review board»Decision making body - voting»Financial transparency and control


Yes, governance can and does bring the RED TAPE that may slow an organization and its projects down to a halt.

Our resources are constrained already!So why did we need it?!


Why did we need Project Governance?

Without a governance structure:»Management had no visibility of all projects»Projects objectives were not defined»Projects progress was not measured»Projects Costs were not controlled»Resources were not managed efficiently»Dependencies caused projects delays»Projects risks were not managed»Projects were managed inconsistently»Projects failed! Implementation of Project

Governanceat the Center Level—7—June 29, 2010

It was time for a CHANGE!


How did we implement IT Project Governance at NASA Ames?

A PMO was established to lead the effort The following components were included to

ensure the successful organizational change:»Processes»People»Tools


Processes

Used the NPR 7120.7 project lifecycle to create a scaled framework that efficiently fits any project size (Lite, Medium, Full)

Core Project Management value-add concepts were implemented:»Project planning and scheduling»Project communication»Risks and issues management»Project performance management»Project resource management»Project change management


People

Code I ITPMB was established as the governance body for all Code I projects. Members include all the Directorate senior management who meet monthly to vote and decide on projects KDPs, review projects status, cost, schedule, and risks

PMO core and PM staff are all professional project managers, trained and mentored

PM working group includes representatives from across the organization who provide feedback on PM processes before rollout

PM community forum consists of all project managers to discuss relevant topics


Tools

An extensive toolset was developed and implemented using Project Server and SharePoint:» ITPMB website with meeting workspaces

(members, schedule, agenda, presentations, decisions, RFAs log)

»PMO Dashboard and scorecard (performance metrics) with drill down to Project sites

»Roadmaps for each project classification with all needed templates (documents, plans, checklists, presentations)


Tools – ITPMB Site

Upcoming and previous meetings

Code I ITPMB details

Code I ITPMB members


Tools – ITPMB Calendar


Agenda items

Links to meeting workspace

Tools – ITPMB Meeting Workspace

Presentations and Documents

Decisions

Agenda and Voting


Attendance sheet

RFAs:

Tools – ITPMB RFAs log

RFAs log for all meetings and projects


Tools – PMO Dashboard

Project health indicators

Monthly scorecard results

Projects risks

Projects issues


Tools – Project Site

Risks, issues, cost, organization information

Project key activities and timeline

Project information and monthly status

Project documents repository


Tools – Project Risks

Risks, 5x5 matrix

Project top 5 risks details and trend

All project risks summary

Legend


All risks log

Tools – PMO Framework and Templates Library

Project roadmaps: Lite, Medium, Full

Lifecycle templates library


Lessons Learned – Governance Board

Make sure the Governance Board meetings are efficient and effective. The objective is to make decisions or provide direction in solving problems.

Include periodic project status presentations in addition to phase approvals (KDPs) to make the Governance Board familiar with active projects.

Have project closure reviews to assess the compliance of the completed project to its original objectives, and go over lessons learned. Implementation of Project


Lessons Learned – Processes and Tools

Create clear and efficient processes and develop simple tools to accompany them.

Have all the process and tools related materials accessible in one on-line location, easy to find and use.

Have the PMO team available to help, train and mentor project managers and team members as needed.


Lessons Learned – Visibility and Accuracy

Be prepared for increased projects visibility and transparency. Since governance entails knowing to a greater extent what is going on in the organization, more people become “interested” in the projects.

Ensure the reported information is as accurate as possible. When details are viewed by senior management and governance board members , any inconsistent, incomplete, or inaccurate data will be questioned.


Lessons Learned – Metrics

Adopt a Stoplight project health reporting format so the PMO and Governance Board will be able to look at a dashboard quickly and tell whether or not a project is on target or in jeopardy (cost, schedule, technology, etc.)

Track the metrics over time to check for trends. PMs should be prepared to justify the reported stoplight rating.

Use scorecard to rank project management deliverables. This approach is useful to ensure processes and tools have been effectively adopted by the organization.Implementation of Project


Lessons Learned – Financial Control

Include a Finance representative in the Governance Board.

Although financial reporting is usually sensitive, make sure it is included. Involve the Finance people in project cost tools development and implementation to ensure the financial definitions are clear, and reporting conforms to a standard format

Accuracy is paramount, and plan vs. actual cost control is important


Lessons Learned – Risk Management

Establish a process and tools for Risk Management. Make sure risks are continuously identified, monitored, and managed.

Mitigation planning is very important. Include it in the project scorecard.

Making project risks visible to the Governance Board will encourage the teams to keep them updated.


Questions?

Take away – useful elements of IT project governance

A compelling business case, stating the objects of the project and specifying the in-scope and out-of-scope aspects

A mechanism to assess the compliance of the completed project to its original objectives Identifying all stakeholders with an interest in the project A defined method of communication to each stakeholder A set of business-level requirements as agreed by all stakeholders An agreed specification for the project deliverables The appointment of a project manager Clear assignment of project roles and responsibilities A current, published project plan that spans all project stages from project initiation through

development to the transition to operations. A system of accurate upward status- and progress-reporting including time records. A central document repository for the project A centrally-held glossary of project terms A process for the management and resolution of issues that arise during the project A process for the recording and communication of risks identified during the project A standard for quality review of the key governance documents and of the project

deliverables.
