Specialized PM Software is the primary method of providing the Project Manager performance measurement data. The data will be used to develop the inputs to the monthly performance reviews, Milestone briefings and Exhibit special projects. The Project Manager accomplishes this by entering the project WBS into the software system. The WBS becomes the framework for a time-phased project budget and detailed project schedule. By comparing the budget with actual expenditures over time (schedule) the system can calculate earned value variances, estimates to complete and other performance measures. This data can produce project level reports and be rolled up to produce enterprise metrics such as those required for monthly performance reviews and milestone decision briefings.

While not utilized entirely for managing projects, the Capital Asset Management System (CAMS) is used by the 300-level Project Managers to input project data including project scope, schedule, cost performance, and risks as part of the annual budget submission internal to the organization and as a future output to governing bodies in the form of an Exhibit 300.

In general CAMS is used to establish, analyze, monitor, and manage organization’s portfolio of capital assets (major programs). And because the portfolio is made up of projects managed individually by software system, the two systems are used in conjunction to manage to organizational investments.

 Review Process

The project management process is structured into discrete, logical steps separated by major decision points (called milestones). These milestones provide the basis for comprehensive management, progressive decision-making, and authorization of funding for each step in the process. These are to be used by projects in the regular or IT  Portfolio, for new projects, and those identified as high priority by the organizational leadership. The milestones require both written documentation and a briefing. The milestones include:

▲    Milestone 0 – Project Initiation Approval

▲    Milestone 1 – Prototype Development Approval

▲    Milestone 2 – System Development Approval

▲    Milestone 3 – System Deployment Approval

▲    Milestone 4 – Post Implementation Review

Each milestone builds upon the information provided in the previous milestone and increases in detail. The number, sequence, and timing of milestone decision points shall be tailored to meet the specific needs of individual programs. For example, some milestones can be combined (e.g., I and II), especially for projects that are not systems development efforts, but rather are efforts to establish an IT service. In addition the time between milestones can be shortened and the milestones (and the SDLC steps between milestones) can be iterated (e.g., IIa, IIIa and then IIb, IIIb, etc.), especially for iterative or spiral system development efforts.

An organization’s Enterprise Architecture (EA) must be linked with the milestone review process in order to ensure projects remain aligned and synchronized with the EA throughout their life cycle rather than just at the outset when an investment decision is initially justified. Several of the milestones refer to documenting specific parts of the framework. A specialized framework is the tool your organization may use to build its EA, an explicit description and documentation of the current and desired relationships among program/business and management processes and IT. The framework describes the data, functions, network, people, time, and motivation for the project, from different perspectives. Information on the Zachman framework can be obtained online: www.zifa.com

All IT project milestone reviews that are to be provided to the Enterprise Information Board are scheduled by OI&T’s IT Oversight and Review Services (005P3). After the Project Manager has received their Administration’s or Executive Office’s approval to schedule a briefing, the Project Manager submits a request to the Project Oversight Department or other related office, which will provide the Project Manager with a template for creating the project milestone package. The Project Manager returns the completed package for review and briefing scheduling.