ARCHIVED - Guide to successful IT Projects

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An Enhanced Framework for the Management of Information Technology Projects

Guide to successful IT Projects

June 2001
Chief Information Officer Branch
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

The Project Planning Phase

This questionnaire is a tool or checklist to evaluate an IT project proposal and to ensure that all factors influencing the success of a project have been taken into consideration in the planning of it.

Section I

Intuitively, how do I feel about this project?

Dangerous

Might succeed

Likely to succeed

Why?

Section II - Support for the Business

Ask yourself:	Yes	No	Not sure
TOTALS	____	____	____
1. Is the project well aligned with the business plans and the Information Management Plans (IMP)?
2. Has an adequate business case analysis been performed and the results well-documented and available?
3. Is the business case based on the full cost of the system from initiation through implementation and estimated annual cost of operation?
4. Has the Project Sponsor, representing the users taken accountability and responsibility for project scope and definition?
5. Have the requirements been reviewed and approved by the Project Sponsor?
6. Are there formal, documented plans in place to involve appropriate levels of users throughout the project (from requirements definition, through evaluation and acceptance of deliverables, product and integration testing to final acceptance and sign-off)?
7. Has the Project Sponsor ensured user commitment and support?
8. Is the project justification based on an ROI with an attractive projected return?
9. Are the project specifications precisely defined?
10. Is there agreement from all executives that the project is essential (either to support something else you are doing or for future positioning)?

Section III - Accountability

Ask yourself:	Yes	No	Not sure
TOTALS	____	____	____
1. Are the positions of project sponsor, project leader and project manager filled?
2. Are there clearly defined, documented and understood responsibilities, accountabilities and authorities for each of these positions?
3. Is the matrix defining the accountabilities, responsibilities and authorities appropriate for this project?
4. If there is a need for a project manager representing a contractor, are there clearly defined, documented (beyond the contract) and understood responsibilities, accountabilities and authorities for this position?
5. Has the project manager identified adequate resources to allocate to the scheduled tasks at the scheduled time?
6. Does the staff have sufficient expertise in the project domain?
7. Is the project sponsor at the correct level in the organization? Will this executive be held accountable for delivering the benefits outlined in the proposal?
8. Has the project team and the organization successfully implemented a project of similar size, scope, cost or duration?
9. Is the project within the demonstrated capability of the department and contractors?

Section IV - Corporate Project Manager Discipline

Ask yourself:	Yes	No	Not sure
TOTALS	____	____	____
1. Have the project manager and project sponsor managed a project of this size, scope and complexity previously?
2. Does the project manager (Crown's and/or contractor's side) have sufficient control over appropriate project resources?
3. Does the project manager (Crown's and/or contractor's side) have the freedom and ability to act when warranted?
4. Is the Project Manager prepared to escalate issues when warranted, based on pre-determined criteria?
5. Is the escalation path clear and documented?
6. Is the necessary information available to support decisive action?
7. In the event of serious problems, are required decisions apt to be taken?
8. Is the project independent of other projects which are presently underway (i.e., not relying on the successful completion of other projects)?

Section V - Risk Management

Ask yourself:	Yes	No	Not sure
TOTALS	____	____	____
1. Was a formal process used to break down the work and estimate task duration?
2. Are formal mechanism or tools in place to monitor the project schedule?
3. Are costs allocated in accordance with work breakdown structures?
4. Do team leaders sign off on cost & schedule estimates and are they held to budgetary constraints?
5. Have all known management and technical risks been assessed and are mitigation strategies in place for all identified risks?
6. Does the project approach pass reasonable checks for what is to be accomplished?
7. Are all external interfaces that are not under your control?
8. Can the project manager and sponsor list the current top 10 project risks?
9. Is the technology being used well tested and has project staff sufficient experience in using it and knowledge of it?
10. Is it reasonable to expect financial stability for the duration of the project?
11. Does the project approach pass reasonableness checks in terms of what is to be accomplished in the project?

Section VI - 'Success Barometer' Rating

Totals Calculation	Green	Red	Yellow
Colour Totals	____	____	____
Totals from Section II:	____	____	____
Totals from Section III:	____	____	____
Totals from Section IV:	____	____	____
Totals from Section V:	____	____	____

Project total

Green total _____ x 15 = ______ ______

+ Red Total ______ x (-10) = ______ ______

+ Yellow Total _____ x (-5) = ______

PROJECT TOTAL = ______

Plot the project total on the viability/success scale:

Red Zone

Yellow Zone

Green Zone

|--------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|--------|---------|---------|---------|

-400                                  0                        300                              600

Dangerous

Might succeed

Likely to succeed

How does this rating compare to the one from Section I based strictly on your gut?

What does this tell you?

Recommendation

Approved (GREEN ZONE)

Approval withheld pending the following (YELLOW ZONE):

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Approval denied because (RED ZONE):

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The Project Implementation/Execution Phase

  This questionnaire is a tool or checklist to evaluate the progress of an IT project and to ensure that all factors influencing its success are being closely monitored during its execution

Section I

Intuitively, how do I feel about how this project is progressing?

Should be halted

Continue with caution

Proceed with confidence

Why?

Section II - Support for the Business

Ask yourself:	Yes	No	Not sure
TOTALS	____	____	____
1. Has the Project Sponsor, representing the users, taken accountability and responsibility for keeping the project within scope?
2. Has the Project Sponsor ensured user commitment throughout the project (from evaluation and acceptance of deliverables, product and integration testing to final acceptance and sign-off)?
3. Have the business goals for the organization changed and if so, is the new system still aligned with the goals of the organization?
4. Has the business case been reviewed and revalidated at each scheduled gate?
5. Has the business case been reviewed and revalidated whenever there was significant change to the project or business function?
6. If the business case has changed, has the proper project re-approval by the department been sought?
7. If project specifications have changed significantly, have these changes been well documented and approved by the appropriate stakeholders?

Section III - Accountability

Ask yourself:	Yes	No	Not sure
TOTALS	____	____	____
1. Do status/progress meetings occur regularly?
2. Are issues raised and dealt with?
3. Is this project on time and on budget?
4. Are changes in scope being managed?
5. Are adequate staff allocated to the scheduled tasks at the scheduled time?
6. Is the matrix defining the accountabilities, responsibilities and authorities still appropriate for this project?
7. Have all key players lived up to their accountabilities and responsibilities? If not, has this been addressed
8. Are the contractor's project management activities reviewed by the Crown's project manager periodically?

Section IV - Corporate Project Manager Discipline

Ask yourself:	Yes	No	Not sure
TOTALS	____	____	____
1. In the event of serious problems, has the necessary information been available to support decisive action?
2. In the event of serious problems, have required decisions been taken promptly?
3. Are the procurement, contracting and security issues being dealt with?
4. Is the project maintaining a positive image (i.e., there are no rumours that the project is in trouble)?
5. Is the project manager avoiding premature, inordinate and inappropriate use of contingency funding?
6. Is the project manager maintaining sufficient control over appropriate project resources?
7. Is the contractor providing complete information on project performance and progress?
8. Are project managers going to others in the organization for relevant knowledge, skills and experience for advice and support?

Section V - Risk Management

Ask yourself:	Yes	No	Not sure
TOTALS	____	____	____
1. Have any new risks surfaced and are they being addressed properly?
2. Is it still reasonable to expect financial stability for the remainder of the project?
3. Have there been minimal changes to the organization or the business since project initiation?
4. Are the formal mechanism and tools used to monitor the project schedule adequate?
5. Are the team leaders being held to budgetary constraints?
6. Does the management approach continue to ensure coordination of all sub-projects, ensure communication among different sub-project teams and address shared horizontal issues?
7. Are internal/external peer reviews being held as scheduled?
8. Are oversight reviews by a senior steering committee being carried out at each gate?
9. Are regular review sessions held to review the continued relevance of the project, project performance, and to raise concerns about actual/potential problems?

Section VI - 'Success Barometer' Rating

Totals Calculation	Green	Red	Yellow
Colour Totals	____	____	____
Totals from Section II:	____	____	____
Totals from Section III:	____	____	____
Totals from Section IV:	____	____	____
Totals from Section V:	____	____	____

Project total

Green total _____ x 15 = ______ ______

+ Red Total ______ x (-10) = ______ ______

+ Yellow Total _____ x (-5) = ______

PROJECT TOTAL = ______

Plot the project total on the viability/success scale:

Red Zone

Yellow Zone

Green Zone

|--------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|--------|---------|--------|---------|

-400 0                                                       300                                600

Should be halted

Continue with caution

Proceed with confidence

How does this rating compare to the one from Section I based strictly on your gut?

What does this tell you?

Recommendation

Project should continue (GREEN ZONE

Project should halt until the following have been addressed to my satisfaction(YELLOW ZONE):

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The project should be halted because(RED ZONE):

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

The Project Completion and Review Phase

This questionnaire is a tool or checklist to evaluate the success of a completed IT project and to ensure that all the factors have been evaluated and that any lessons learned are documented and fed to the continuous learning loop. It can provide valuable information during the project wrap-up session

Section I

Intuitively, how do I feel about how this project completed?

Bombed

Moderate success

Great success

Why?

Section III - Support for the Business

Ask yourself:	Yes	No	Not sure
TOTALS	____	____	____
1. Were the clients involved throughout the project from evaluation and acceptance of deliverables, product and integration testing to final acceptance and sign-off?
2. Were all types of clients represented in the project?
3. Did the clients carry through on their commitment to the level of effort required of them?
4. Was the client satisfied with the final deliverable?
5. Was the final product aligned with the goals of the organization?
6. Did the project remain within the predefined scope?
7. Were any changes to project specifications documented and approved by stakeholders?
8. Was the project consistent and compatible with the department's information and technology direction, strategies, architectures and infrastructures?
9. Was the business case reviewed and revalidated at each scheduled gate?
10. Was the business case reviewed and whenever there was significant change to the project or business function?

Section III - Accountability

Ask yourself:	Yes	No	Not sure
TOTALS	____	____	____
1. Were all issues resolved in a timely fashion and to everyone's satisfaction?
2. Did the project finish on time and within budget?
3. Was the project adequately staffed during all phases?
4. Were issues with respect to weak or poorly performing personnel quickly and adequately addressed?
5. Was a project wrap-up session held to document 'lessons learned'?
6. Did the project sponsor assume the responsibility for realizing the benefits predicted for the project?
7. Did the project leader assume the responsibility and accountability for all aspects of the project (internal and external)?
8. Did the project achieve all its defined objectives?

Section IV - Corporate Project Manager Discipline

Ask yourself:	Yes	No	Not sure
TOTALS	____	____	____
1. In the event there were serious problems, was the necessary information available to support decisive action?
2. Were required decisions taken promptly?
3. Did the project maintain a positive image throughout?
4. Did project managers avoid premature, inordinate and inappropriate use of contingency funding?
5. Did the project manager maintain sufficient control over project resources?
6. Did the department make use of an apprenticeship program to provide valuable experience to junior project managers?

Section V - Risk Management

Ask yourself:	Yes	No	Not sure
TOTALS	____	____	____
1. Were all risks identified and managed properly?
2. Were the mechanisms and tools used to monitor the project schedule adequate?
3. Were team leaders held to budgetary constraints?
4. Was there adequate communication to all involved personnel throughout the project?
5. Did the contractor provide necessary information on project performance and progress?
6. Did the project reviews (including internal/external peer reviews) occur as scheduled?
7. Was there enough time, money and resources to get the job done right?
8. Were there adequate contingency plans for potential problems (i.e., no problems arose for which there were no contingency plans)?
9. Had the project complexity been accurately determined before start-up?
10. Were all changes analyzed quickly and brought to management's attention in a timely fashion?

Section VI

Totals Calculation	Green	Red	Yellow
Colour Totals	____	____	____
Totals from Section II:	____	____	____
Totals from Section III:	____	____	____
Totals from Section IV:	____	____	____
Totals from Section V:	____	____	____

Project total

Green total _____ x 15 = ______ ______

+ Red Total ______ x (-10) = ______ ______

+ Yellow Total _____ x (-5) = ______

PROJECT TOTAL = ______

Plot the project total on the success scale:

Red Zone

Yellow Zone

Green Zone

|--------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|--------|---------|--------|--------|

-400                          0                            300                                600

Bombed

Moderate success

Great success

How does this rating compare to the one from Section I based strictly on your gut?

What does this tell you?

Recommendations for Similar Future Projects

(based on lessons learned from current project)

1.

2.

3.