Establishing IT Project Priorities
Dr. Sharon BlantonCIO, Portland State University
Mr. Kirk KellyVice Chancellor and CIOPima Community College
Mr. Barry GillaspieDir. Of Development ServicesPima Community College
Establishing IT Project Priorities
Agenda • Introductions• Issues, Observations• A Tale of Two Institutions
• Pima• PSU
• Demo• Wrap Up, Discussion, Q&A
Establishing IT Project Priorities
Issues/Challenges• Overwhelming Project List• Increasing Expectations • Perceptions• Culture
Establishing IT Project Priorities
Project Submission Scenarios 1
Back Door Executive Mandate
Request Deny Mandate
Mad Scramble 80% Completion
Eternal Tweaking
Establishing IT Project Priorities
Project Submission Scenarios 2
Persistent Requesting
Request Deny Ask Someone Else
Deny Bribe Someone
Person Granting has no authority
Project is never fully supported
Grant
Establishing IT Project Priorities
Project Submission Scenarios 3
Community Decision
Request Queue Community Decision
Project Process Everyone gets a Priority A listing
Can’t leave anyone out.
Does anything ever get completed?
Establishing IT Project Priorities
Project Submission Scenarios 4
Project Portfolio Management
Request PPM Grant/Deny
Prioritize Communicate
Injects objectivity into the process.
Schedule
Establishing IT Project Priorities
What is PPM?A Somewhat Official Definition
Project Portfolio Management (PPM) is a term used by software companies and consulting firms to describe various approaches characterized by treating project management (PM) projects as part of an overall project investment portfolio. PPM advocates see it as a shift away from one-off, ad hoc approaches to project management. Most PPM tools and methods attempt to establish a set of values, techniques and technologies that enable visibility, standardization, measurement and process improvement. PPM tools attempt to enable organizations to manage the continuous flow of projects from concept to completion.
Treating a set of projects as a portfolio would be, in most cases, an improvement on the ad hoc, one-off analysis of individual project proposals.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_portfolio_management)
Establishing IT Project Priorities
What is PPM?A Completely Unofficial Definition
A method of injecting objectivity and transparency into the project acceptance and prioritization process while considering organizational culture, goals, and governance structures.
(Sharon Blanton)
Establishing IT Project Priorities
Getting Started “End-user organizations seeking improved project and portfolio management (PPM) should primarily spend effort identifying needed changes in roles, skills and processes before exploring which tools can best support — and enhance — PPM capabilities. They should then carefully scope PPM implementations to ensure that they are neither too narrow nor too broad, but "just right" — and insist on modular, progressive implementations that will fit immediate, then evolving, requirements. Technology providers should pursue broader markets with solutions tuned to various capability levels that feature more-flexible packaging and pricing.”
"What You Need To Know" from the Magic Quadrant for IT Project and Portfolio Management, 2007
Establishing IT Project Priorities
PPM GoalsC
ust
om
er/
Co
mm
unity
Inp
ut
Customer/Community Satisfaction
Establishing IT Project Priorities
Do The Hard Work• Software? – avoid the temptation• Catalog your projects• Determine your goals• Learn about organizational priorities• Gather existing academic, administrative plans• Discuss culture
Establishing IT Project Priorities
Pima Community College District• Serves ~75,000 students annually. • Services provided at a district office, six
campuses, and dozens of satellite locations. • ~40 IT staff - Network Services, Technical
Services, Development Services, and Client Services.
PimaCommunityCollege
Establishing IT Project Priorities
Pima - Statement of Problem• Central IT department did not have a
methodology for accepting and prioritizing projects.
• Users were not sure of the process.
• IT staff did not have clear direction.
Establishing IT Project Priorities
Pima Goals• Improve communication throughout the District• Improve project level visibility and overall
productivity• Improve efficiency through elimination of
redundant efforts• Prioritize projects, drive more projects to
completion• Allocate resources to highest priority projects
Establishing IT Project Priorities
Pima Scope and Approach
Stabilize• Create Project Portfolio• Documented Priorities• Review “As-IS” PMO process/tools• Define and Communicate new PMO process/tools• Define tactical plan for addressing Project
Portfolio
Establishing IT Project Priorities
Pima Scope and Approach cont.
Re-align• Define Governance Model for PMO function• Start using PMO process/tools• Initiate PMO Governance Model• Define long term plan for PMO (staffing,
maintenance, etc.)• Assess Project Portfolio, re-allocate resources to
priority projects• Develop “To Be” Organization Structure• Define Metrics
Establishing IT Project Priorities
Building the Tool• Pima Planning Docs
• Project List
• To Be PMO Process
• Functional Specs
Establishing IT Project PrioritiesConceptual Design - Business Analyst: Project Submission Form
LogoutReports HomeProject Submission FormPMO Tracking Tool
Project Title:
Project Description:
Project Category:
External Mandate? Yes: No:
College / Capital Plan? Yes: No:
Desired Delivery Date? MM/DD/YYYY
Project Requestor: Requestor Dept:
Primary Contact Phone:
Primary Contact Email:
Cabinet Sponsor:
User currently logged in
Type: Compliance Date: MM/DD/YYYY
Strategy / Line #: Plan Delivery Date: MM/DD/YYYY
(520) 206-XXXX
Submit Cancel
Primary Contact: User currently logged in
Establishing IT Project Priorities
Pima Scope and Approach cont.
Deploy• Fully deploy PMO tools• Incorporate processes into daily operations• Pilot Project Portfolio Dashboard• Communication of priorities and project schedule
Establishing IT Project Priorities
Portland State University• Serves ~40,000 students annually. • Enterprise IT services provided by Office of
Information Technologies & departmental support is provided via local IT support staff (~40).
• OIT consists of ~ 80 staff and 200 students including User Support Services, Instructional Technology Services, Research Computing, Network and Telecom Services, Information Systems, and Client/Enterprise Computing.
Establishing IT Project Priorities
PSU – Statement of Problem• 3 high profile projects
• IDM – 5 years overdue• Portal – 2 years overdue• E-portfolio – under supported, unused
• Recent layoffs and restructuring• Historically under funded
Establishing IT Project Priorities
PSU – Statement of Problem...combines involvement and expertise in all things urban with a passion for cultivating all things "green."
...embodies and contributes to the vision and character that make Portland a progressive, entrepreneurial city with growing international connections.
Establishing IT Project Priorities
PSU Goals• Improve communication to users• Improve project level visibility and overall
productivity• Improve internal efficiency and communication• Prioritize projects, drive more projects to
completion• Allocate resources to highest priority projects
Establishing IT Project Priorities
PSU Process• Modeled after Pima• Develop Project Catalog (203 items)• Collect existing plans
• Administrative Priorities Committee• Advisory Committee on Academic Information
Technologies• Capital Plan• Student Tech Fee
• Understand Culture
Establishing IT Project Priorities
Demo
Establishing IT Project Priorities
Wrap Up and Discussion
Key Takeaways• Understand culture• Understand institutional plans and priorities• Develop matrix• The tool is less important than the process• Communicate – tell the IT story
Establishing IT Project Priorities
Thank You
Questions?
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