Guide to Using the Project Complexity and Risk Assessment Tool
6. Conducting the Assessment
Departments and agencies are encouraged to consider a number of good practices when completing and updating a PCRA.
6.1 Completing the PCRA: Considerations and Best Practices
- Timely Project Assessment
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Under the Policy on the Management of Projects, the deputy head is responsible for ensuring that an accurate assessment of each project is conducted in accordance with the Standard for Project Complexity and Risk.
The determination of which activities are deemed projects and for which a PCRA is required is to be made in consultation with TBS. Although the definition of a “project” applies to a great number of departmental activities, it is at the discretion of the deputy head and ultimately Treasury Board ministers to determine which of those activities will benefit from a project management approach and for which a PCRA is relevant.
Assessments should be completed in a timely manner once a project has been identified and the project is considered for funding. Although at this stage of the project life cycle not all aspects of the project may have been fully defined and costed, departments are required to complete a PCRA based on the information available at that point and before project funds are expended. As the project matures and as more information becomes available, the PCRA should be updated to reflect the most current level (and knowledge) of risk and complexity. This practice reflects the policy requirement to ensure current and accurate assessments of organizational projects.
- Establishment of Business Processes
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The completion of a PCRA is expected to conform to the established methodology for documenting and having available supporting project documents for each assessment criteria. This approach seeks to ensure consistent and comparable results across projects and to facilitate updates and audits of the assessment.
A good practice is to establish business processes dedicated to the completion, review and approval of PCRAs. These processes are expected to provide the necessary rigour and discipline needed to ensure that PCRAs are completed in a timely and accurate manner and are supported by key project documents and updated appropriately.
In addition, each department should have in place a protocol agreement with TBS for the review of PCRAs. The protocol agreement should identify the relevant project documents expected to be made available along with each PCRA in order to support the TBS review. The protocol should also include timelines for submitting information once requested and the expected duration of TBS reviews.
- Creating an Organization-Specific Guide and Glossary
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Organizations may also wish to consider developing an organizational glossary to define any terms in the PCRA that may have a particular context or meaning within the organization to ensure consistency and a common understanding.
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