Project Management
Professional Services are provided by a team of Project Consultants, all vastly experienced in implementing Pro-8 solutions. The team is led by a Senior Projects Manager, who is highly experienced in implementing Pro solutions into a not-for-profit organisation.
The Project Consultants are involved in a wide range of activities for prospects and clients which include requirements analysis, process reengineering, software configuration, software testing, documentation, user training, and user acceptance test support.
The framework under which a project is controlled is of vital importance. In all cases, the first level of control is an agreed project plan produced in consultation with the client and their users. The plan identifies the relevant activities, resources, responsibilities, time scales and milestones.
Detailed project planning meetings are scheduled throughout the life of the project to ensure the plan is navigated correctly and any issues are resolved promptly. ProTech uses the PRINCE-2 Project Management methodology as a means of managing and controlling projects to ensure a successful, timely implementation.
ProTech will prepare a detailed project plan covering all aspects of the implementation and training, from project commencement through to system hand over and acceptance.
Methodology
A Pro-8 implementation is managed using a PRINCE-2 based method, utilising some of the key features of this well established project management method.
The key document in this method is the Project Initiation Document (PID). This document is created by the ProTech Project Manager following the project scoping and defines the project, giving the what, why, who, how and when of the project to be undertaken. This document is reviewed, updated as necessary and finally authorised by ProTech and the client. This ensures the project has a sound basis, and acts as a base document for constant reference when managing the project.
In addition to containing details on scope, requirements and cost, the PID includes the following information related to how the project will be managed, which collectively is referred to by ProTech as the Project Engagement Control Structure (PECS):
- Project Organisation Structure, which identifies who is assigned to each project role, and defines roles and responsibilities.
- Project Approach, which covers the planning and tracking of progress by the ProTech Project Manager, and project reporting and project review meetings as deemed appropriate for the implementation.
- Risk Management, which outlines how project risks will be managed.
- Change Control Process, which defines how changes are accommodated within the implementation.
- Acceptance Process, which defines how a client accepts software deliverables in advance of them being put live.
- Project Completion Criteria, which defines how completion is achieved.
Process & Procedures
The project will be divided into stages to ensure that focus is maintained at each key stage of the project and that the project does not proceed to the next stage until the client is satisfied that ProTech has met their expectations in terms of quality and validity of deliverables.
The following are the stages that ProTech recommends the project be divided into:
- Initiation
- Project Scoping and Definition
- Sign off of Scoping and Contractual Agreements
- Technical and solution design
- Configuration (including unit and integration testing)
- Data migration (can be undertaken as a parallel activity)
- System testing
- User acceptance testing
- Business readiness
- Training
- Pilot implementation
- Production implementation
- Post implementation review
In addition to regular project review meetings, at each end stage the client will be asked to provide formal confirmation that the project can proceed to the next stage. ProTech will provide an end stage report which will form the basis for approval.
Project Planning
It is essential that a detailed, robust project plan is developed to support the overall project and each project stage. The ProTech Project Manager will develop high level and detailed project plans that will require approval from the client before the project commences. ProTech uses Microsoft© Project as the project planning and management tool. Following approval from the client the project plan will be baselined and progress measured against this baseline. Project plans will be provided in Gantt chart format.
Meeting Schedule and Agenda
Progress meetings will be held between the client and ProTech throughout the life of the project. The project progress meetings will take place at agreed regular intervals with an agenda.
Progress Reporting
Progress will be monitored against the baseline project plan providing early warnings of any deviations from planned cost and timescale. Project team members will liaise with the Project Manager on progress. The ProTech Project Manager will liaise with the client Project Manager to report progress.
Quality Assurance
All project deliverables will be subject to ProTech quality assurance procedures.
The Project Engagement Control Structure (PECS)
We are keen to reinforce our experience for delivering projects on time, to budget, to the required specification in a well managed, disciplined fashion. Given the profile, application scope and business significance of the project engagement to us both, we recommend adopting a formal project control structure to ensure that the project is managed and controlled to the satisfaction of both parties.
PECS, the Project Engagement Control Structure, is a best practice discipline and is primarily based on the PRINCE-2, project management methodology. This is a proven project management tool for application on projects of this scope. PECS defines roles and responsibilities including resource involvement.
The objectives of the Project Engagement Control Structure are as follows:
- To ensure that the project has the correct level of sponsorship and focus within the client organisation (this person has the ultimate responsibility for the delivery of the project)
- To ensure that project management controls exist both within ProTech and the client to ensure that activities are carried out to the satisfaction of both parties
- To ensure that there is an appropriate level of user involvement from the clients user community, this ensures commitment and buy-in to the project and that requirements and functionality represent the true needs of the users. With a high degree of user involvement it is also possible to set realistic expectations on deliverables
- The support of a project co-ordinator/administrator to perform day-to-day administrative duties (such as updating documentation) allows the Project Manager to focus on delivering the project
- Rapid access to skilled consultancy resource ensures that issues are resolved in a timely manner
- Focus on training and implementation ensures that the project takes account of the business issues related to an implementation of this scale. The implementation consultant and training manager will work directly with the users to ensure that user testing is performed to an appropriate level, training plans are implemented and delivered and that all relevant aspects of 'business readiness' are taken account of
- The ProTech project team will maintain close working relationships with ProTech's highly skilled, user-focused development team. This will ensure that requirements are clearly translated, issues are resolved in a timely manner and focus on delivery is consistently maintained.
Project Timeline
ProTech recommend that an implementation is broken down into a number of phases, in which each phase implements some new functionality live. The number of phases and the content of each phase are established during project scoping.