The ISPMO process
The ISPMO introduced a projects process to standardise the approach to project management in Information Services. The process incorporating the PMI methodology, in house templates, tools and a project lifecycle will promote best practises in the delivery of new and enhanced services to DIT. The project lifecycle commences with a call for projects by the Programme Management Office.
Approvals process (Initiating)
Timescales: Sept - Mar (subject to change)
Key Activities:
- Project sponsors are requested to submit a completed Project proposal form to the ISPMO
- Preliminary assessments are conducted to separate projects requests from BAU requests
- Proposals are assessed and aligned to the DIT Strategic plans and Risk Register
- The Executive Resources Committee (ERC) preliminary approves key projects to proceed to planning
Note: Preliminary approval to planning does not guarantee the project will proceed.
Planning process
Timescales: April - March each year.
Key Activities:
- Project manager completes a Project charter
- Project manager completes a series of management plans to determine how the project will be done, how much it will cost and who will be allocated. ISPMO have a number of mandatory planning templates that must be completed during the planning of the lifecycle.
- Project budget \ Expenditure plan
- Risk management plan - RAID log
- Time management plan
- The project board must approve the project plans in order for the project to commence.
Execution phase
Timescales: April - March each year.
Key Activities:
- Project managers must complete regular Progress report to monitor the progress of the project against the baseline.
- Project progress will be reported to the Executive Resources Committee (ERC)
- Should the project deviate significantly from the project plan the project managers is required to submit a Change control form for both the project board and ISPMO to approve.
Closure phase
Timescales: April - March each year. Some projects will be approved on a multi year basis therefore the project may close after the project year ends.
Key Activities:
- Project sponsor\manager must complete a and submit it to ISPMO
- Project manager with the consulation of the project team may submit a Lessons learned template to ISPMO to record what went right and what did not go right. This information will be stored in a lessons learned repository where future project managers can benefit from the lessons learned in past project.
- Project managers may complete a handover document to agree handover criteria with the support unit supporting the service on an ongoing basis
- The project is formally closed by the project board and ISPMO
Post project review
Timescales: 6, 9 or 12 months after a project goes operational
Key Activities:
- Project sponsor completes a Post project review document to determine if all the objectives set out in the project Charter were achieved.
- A review is conducted by the ERC or DIT Technology Committee
