Organizing for Success:Planning and Project

Management Best Practices

Tom ClarkeTerry Schnure

Dale GoodMonday March 22, 2004

What We Hear• The technology we bought doesn’t:

– Work!– Do what we want it to do– Integrate with other systems properly

• “The users hate the new system.”• “We’ve been planning for more than a year and are nowhere near

purchasing a system.”• “The vendor us”:

– Didn’t deliver a system– Didn’t meet their promises– We paid them, but we still don’t have a system

• “Our Chief/Sheriff didn’t support the project.”• “This is a national role model, alright…”• “Managing this project is like steering alligators by the tail!

Standish Group Findings• The Standish

Group surveyed hundreds of public and private organizations (of various sizes) regarding information technology initiatives

• Purpose:– Document

success/failure rates

– Determine best practices

– Identify critical success factors

Organization of Presentation

• Project Management Overview (Dale Good)

• Enterprise Architecture and Project Management (Tom Clarke)

• Structure, Vision, Governance and Project Management (Terry Schnure)

Sample Project Structure

Executive Sponsor

Steering Committee

Project Manager

Technical Operational

Middleware and Web Services Portal Design Business Requirements Policy and Procedures

Users Users Users Users

Project ManagementKeys to Success

• Full time Project Manager• Clearly defined roles• A formal plan that is kept current• Controls• Transparency• Constant status reporting and communication• Business and technical – enterprise –

architecture• Performance measures

Role (across)Responsibility (down)

Funding Body Policy Board ExecutivesSponsors

PM Business Stakeholders

IT/CIO

Business Case Review Review/approve

Develop Facilitate Participate Observe

Strategic Plan Review Review/approve

Develop Facilitate Participate Participate

Performance Measures Review Review/Approve

Develop Facilitate Participate Participate

Tactical Plan Review/approve

Develop Participate Participate

Lifecycle funding & resources

Approve Approve &request

Develop/Assign to project

FacilitateAssign to project teams

Participate Participate

Risk ManagementAnd Controls

Review Approve Develop Participate Participate

Business process change Approve and “sell”

Approve Facilitate Participate Observe

Planning• Strategic

– Project Charter and Project Definition– Defined Project Goals, Objectives, Scope and

Performance Measures

• Tactical– Work Plan, Schedule and Budget– Identified Business and Technical Teams and

Resources

Controls

• Performance measures• Constant risk assessment and mitigation

– Probability of occurrence– Impact– Mitigation strategies

• Change control• Checkpoints and go/no-go milestones• Vendor and contract management• Issue management

Transparency and Communication

• Transparency builds trust• Involve business and technical

stakeholders in project teams• Regular status reporting

– “Down” to the project teams– “Up” to the Executive Sponsors– “Out” to Stakeholders

• Communicate, communicate, communicate!

Project Management Best Practices

AndEnterprise Architecture

Tom Clarke

CIO Washington Judicial Branch

Interconnecting Pieces

• Enterprise Architecture

• Software Development Process

• Project Management Process

• Organizational Structure

Enterprise Architecture

• Guidelines and standards for making decisions

• Should start with business goals and business processes

• Should align technology with business

Sample Project Structure

Executive Sponsor

Steering Committee

Project Manager

Technical Operational

Middleware and Web Services Portal Design Business Requirements Policy and Procedures

Users Users Users Users

Some Best Practices

• Separate development organization into Client side (what to build) and Development side (how to build it)

• The “PM” concentrates on the Client side– High-level requirements– High-level release schedules– Marketing to affected user groups– Business risk mitigations

EA Implications

• Client side when deciding how integrated an organization should be

• Client side when identifying business process best practices

• Development side when deciding how to implement requirements

• Development side when deciding how standard the EA needs to be

EA Concerns

• Traditional PM’s are tempted to take architectural shortcuts to stay on schedule.

[mitigate by restricting PM to client side]

• Traditional PM’s are tempted to favor short-term over long-term

[mitigate by focusing EA on flexibility]

Structure, Vision and

GovernanceIn the context of - - -

Project Planning

Project Management

Measuring Progress: Key Milestones in Support of Justice Integration

Initiate the Process and Institutionalize a Governance StructureContinue PlanningDevelop and Use Performance MeasuresAnalyze Information ExchangeAdopt or Develop StandardsCreate a Sound Integration ArchitectureDevelop the Infrastructure Improve Agency and Organization ApplicationsEstablish Interfaces

Source: SEARCH Justice IT Brief, Issue 1, August 2003

Structure

Inclusiveness ------State Government

Legislative BranchJudicial Branch

Court System Type

Executive Branch Correction Type

County GovernmentMunicipal Government

Large, Urban Police DepartmentsRural, Contracted (State) Police Services

Structure

• Connecticut Justice Information System (CJIS) Agencies Department of Correction (with Parole Functions) Department of Public Safety Department of Motor Vehicles Department of Information Technology Division of Public Defender Services Judicial Branch

o Judicial Information Systemso Court Support Services Divisiono Superior Court Operations

Local Law Enforcement Office of Policy and Management Office of the Victim Advocate Office of the Division of Criminal Justice, Chief State’s Attorney

Vision

Applicable to All Participants• Improve public safety/administration of justice

• Facilitate information sharing

• Facilitate resource sharing

• Enable agencies to take advantage of new technology

• Recognize the need for adaptive solutions

Vision

Develop Scaled Objectives --- Higher Level (Enterprise)• Capture Criminal Justice Data At The Source Event

• Build Upon Existing Agency Criminal Justice Information Systems

• Transform Agency Criminal Justice Business Processes into an Enterprise-wide Business Process

• Integrate Criminal Justice Data

• Provide for Interoperability among Law Enforcement and Justice Agency Programs and Associated Information

• Provide Succinct And Comprehensive Offender-case Data

• Enhance Criminal Justice Data Accessibility

• Implement Enterprise Event Management

• Implement Connecticut’s CJIS Architectural Standards

Vision

Develop Scaled Objectives --- Lower Level (Project) • Provide a single source repository of offender-case data that is accurate,

verifiable, timely and available to criminal justice agencies as authorized • Provide a vehicle to exchange information between existing criminal

justice information systems• Facilitate and reinforce agency cooperation and interagency information

sharing solutions• Provide a mechanism to inform appropriate criminal justice agencies of

the occurrence of significant criminal justice “events”• Provide a scalable, adaptable, and maintainable architecture to

accommodate future criminal justice enterprise and operational requirements

Governance

Organizational Structure ---Ad Hoc

ExpedientFlexible Host Agency, Empowered

Established StatutorilyAuthority / AdvisoryFunded / Fund ManagementParticipants Component Responsibility Assigned

Governance

Management Structure - - - System IntegrationApplication DevelopmentSystem Operations

Responsibilities may vary by phaseInformation Technology provided

centrally or distributedCoordinating Authority Agency,

often driven by budget development

Governance

Management Scope - - -

Executive and Judicial Line Agencies

Policy and Technology Agencies

(for all CJIS Business Practices)

Users in the Framework of

Executives

Managers

Technicians

GovernanceSystem Integration and Interoperability Issues --- • Integration Scope

Juvenile and /or Adult Offenders Crime Types

• Non-Criminal Justice Agency Roles• Operational and Maintenance Responsibility• Cost Allocation / Distribution• Data and System Security• Data Quality and Timeliness• System Architecture (Repository / Index / Data Exchange)• Data Population or Conversion Requirements• Data Retention / Archival / Expungement / Erasure Requirements• Infrastructure Capacities

Networks Agency Systems and Staff

• Accommodation of Future Technologies

Governance

Validation ---• Focus on the Fundamental Principles for Successful Implementation of an

Integrated Justice System Importance of Strategic Planning A Unified Vision for Integration

o Specific, Measurable and Attainable Objectives Creation of a Mandated Governance Structure

o Management Organization and Committees Incorporation of Standards

o Information Exchange Pointso Technology Standards

Establishing Manageable Project(s) Scope to Demonstrate Progress Funding for Integration Project Management

o Issue and Risk Management On-Going Communications

Governance

Justice Information Integration’s

Balancing ActNeed to

Share InformationAgency

Responsibility

Conclusion 10 Critical

Success Factors• User Involvement• Executive Management Support• Clear Statement of Requirements• Proper Planning, Including Architecture• Realistic Expectations• Controls and Interim Project Milestones• Communication• Ownership• Clear Vision and Objectives• Competent Hard-working, Focused Staff

Resources• Project Management Institute

http://www.pmi.org

• NASCIO Enterprise Architecture https://www.nascio.org/

• Federal Enterprise Architecture http://www.feapmo.gov/fea.asp

• SEARCH http://www.search.org/

• Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) http://www.itil-toolkit.com/itil-guide.htm