Tools

Concept Development and Readiness Assessment

This template helps the project team determine (1) if an appropriate and complete business case has been developed, (2) if the associated project impacts have been identified, and (3) if the project should be undertaken.
The template will also help to identify the business drivers, problems, opportunities, and objectives the project is intended to address. The written description of these factors outline the information so that it is clear how the project concept aligns with the strategic direction of the organization.
The assessment also provides a determination of the sponsoring organization’s readiness for undertaking and accepting the project results, and an analysis of possible organizational impacts.
Some of the information for the assessment can be leveraged from the Stage 1 Business Analysis (S1BA).

High-Level Risk Assessment

A review of the outcomes of the Concept Development and Readiness Assessment produces a high-level risk assessment for the project.

Stage 1 Business Analysis (S1BA) (PAL)

Part of the PAL, the S1BA provides a basis for project management, program management, executive management, and state-level control agencies to understand and agree on business problems or opportunities, and the objectives to address them.
Additional information on the S1BA can be found in the: Statewide Information Management Manual (SIMM) Section 19A.

Concept Process Phase Checklist

Identifies the key activities that are to be completed during the Concept Process Phase.

Project Priorities Template

An assessment tool to be completed for key Stakeholders. The assessment serves to identify the priorities of the project.

Project Charter*

Formally authorizes a project. It describes the business need for the project and the anticipated project results. It formalizes the existence of the project and provides the project with the authority to expend organizational resources to support project activities.

Stakeholder Register

Identifies the organizations and individuals with a role in the project. The Register provides important input for the planning of governance and communication for the project.

RACI Matrix*

Identifies the level of responsibility held by each owner in the creation, review, and approval of project products or documents during each project phase.

Stage 1 Business Analysis (S1BA) (PAL)

Part of the PAL, the S1BA provides a basis for project management, program management, executive management, and state-level control agencies to understand and agree on business problems or opportunities, and the objectives to address them.
Additional information on the S1BA can be found in the Statewide Information Management Manual (SIMM) Section 19A. (link)

Complexity Assessments (Oversight)

A self-assessment tool to be completed by the project team. The assessment serves to discover and characterize the business and technical complexities of the proposed project.

Project Status Reports (Oversight)

Includes status reports that communicate the current overall status of a project. It should be distributed to appropriate team members, Stakeholders, and sponsors on a regular basis.

Project Document Approval

This document can be used to circulate documents for review and approval. Attach to those plans and documents that need to be reviewed or signed off. Use is dependent on the project size and scope and the needs of the project team.

Initiating Process Phase Checklist

Identifies the key activities that are to be completed during the Initiating Process Phase.

Complexity Assessment (Oversight)

A self-assessment tool used iteratively throughout the project by Project Managers to help accurately determine a project’s complexity based on known project information at the time of the assessment.

Project Management Plan (PMP)*

Documented processes and procedures for how the project will be managed. For smaller projects, the PMP may be a single integrated plan with sections that address each applicable project management topic. Larger and more complex projects may require development of individual subordinate plans, in addition to the PMP.

Plans Subordinate to the PMP

Individual subordinate plans documenting the processes and procedures for how the project will be managed, typically created for larger and more complex projects. These include:

• Change Control Management Plan
• Communication Management Plan
• Contract Management Plan
• Cost Management Plan
• Governance Management Plan
• Implementation Management Plan
• Issue Management Plan
• Maintenance & Operations (M&O) Transition Management Plan
• Procurement Management Plan
• Quality Management Plan
• Requirements Management Plan
• Resource Management Plan
• Risk Management Plan
• Schedule Management Plan
• Scope Management Plan
• Stakeholder Management Plan

Change Control Management Plan

Describes how changes will be identified, submitted, monitored, and controlled. Provides direction for managing the change control process, including a formal Change Control Board (CCB).
Supporting documentation includes:

• Change Request Form
• Change Request Log

Change Request Form

Documents and ensures that information captured relating to change is consistent throughout the project. Consistent information enables change approvers to make better, more informed decisions project-wide.

The change request form includes an analysis report that is tied to a particular change request. This uses information from the change request form to begin populating the analysis.

Change Request Log

Provides an at-a-glance view of the number and types of changes currently being considered by the project.

Communication Management Plan

Identifies project communication needs and expectations based on Stakeholder requirements. Describes how this information will be communicated, when and where each communication will be made, and who is responsible for providing each type of communication.
Supporting documentation includes:

• Project Status Reports (Oversight)

Corrective Action Plan

Documents processes to investigate the root cause of unanticipated problems and process issues encountered during the project lifecycle to prevent the causes from recurring during the project.

Cost Management Plan

Describes how costs will be planned, structured, and controlled.
Supporting documentation includes:

• Cost Baseline

Cost Baseline

Documents the approved version of the project budget for all project phases. The budget can be changed only through formal change control procedures.

Governance Management Plan

Describes the process for making project decisions. Provides the Project Manager and project team with the structure, processes, decision-making models, and tools for managing a project.

Implementation Management Plan

Describes how the system developed by the project will be implemented in the target environment. In the event of statewide implementations, the plan addresses how the system will be implemented into each site and location.

Issue Management Plan

Describes how issue management activities will be structured and performed.
Supporting documentation includes:

• Issue Log

Issue Log

Documents project issues so that they may be managed to reduce negative impacts on the project.

Maintenance & Operations (M&O) Transition Management Plan

Describes how project deliverables such as products or services are transferred to the operational environment and integrated into ongoing operations.

Meeting Agenda and Minutes

Helps to document who will attend and what the planned items of discussion are to be. Once the meeting has concluded the minutes document what has been decided or agreed to and tracks action items including who is responsible and when the items that they are assigned are to be completed by.

Procurement Management Plan

Describes how a project team will acquire goods. Describes how the procurement processes will be managed, from the development of procurement documents through contract closure.

Project Organization Chart

Diagram that shows the structure of the project including relationships and a command hierarchy.

Quality Management Plan

Describes how an organization's quality policies will be implemented.
Supporting documentation includes:

• Process Improvement Plan

Requirements Management Plan

Describes how requirements will be gathered, defined, analyzed, documented, and managed. Requirements Management is traditionally a component of Scope Management, but it is elevated in the CA-PMF, because lessons learned indicate this is a particularly difficult area for many project teams.
Supporting documentation includes:

• Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM)

Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM)

Reusable tool for collecting and establishing requirements. It links each requirement to business needs and goals as well as project objectives.

Describes how the project resources will be structured. Includes equipment, hardware, software, services, staffing, facilities, etc., along with the project roles, responsibilities, reporting relationships, and staff management. Describes agreements on resources required to do the project work, when work commences, and for how long. This may include both state and contractor staff.

Supporting documentation includes:

• Project Organization Chart
• Skills Assessment

Risk Management Plan

Describes how risk management activities will be structured and performed.
Supporting documentation includes:

• Risk Register
• Risk Assessment (Oversight)

Risk Register

Documents and manages known risks in accordance with the Risk Management Plan (may be incorporated within the PMP). This includes tracking information such as probability, impact, triggers, mitigation plans, and contingency plans.

Schedule Management Plan

Describes the criteria and the activities for developing, monitoring, and controlling the schedule.
Supporting documentation includes:

• Schedule Baseline

Schedule Baseline

Documents the approved baseline version of the project schedule, which can be changed only through formal change control procedures.

Scope Management Plan

Describes how the scope will be defined, developed, monitored, and controlled.
Supporting documentation includes:

• Scope Baseline
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Scope Baseline

Documents the approved version of a Scope Statement, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), and WBS dictionary, which can be changed only through formal change control procedures.

Skills Assessment

Assesses project team members’ skills and identifies how those skills align with the project needs.

Stakeholder Management Plan

Describes the processes, procedures, tools, and techniques to effectively engage Stakeholders in project decisions based on Stakeholder needs, interests, and requirements. For smaller projects, may be incorporated into the Communication Management Plan.
Supporting documentation includes:

• Stakeholder Register

Stakeholder Register

Documents the quantitative and qualitative analyses of people whose interests should be considered.

Project Management Supporting Documents

Documentation supporting the various project management plans.

Project Status Reports (Oversight)

Informs and engages Stakeholders with information about project progress and performance.

Risk Assessment (Oversight)

Assesses the risk associated with your project activities.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Decomposition (break down) of a project into smaller components in order to organize the project work into manageable work packages.

Planning Process Phase Checklist

Lists specific milestones used to confirm completion of project process phases as part of the acceptance process.

Project Status Reports (Oversight)

Includes status reports that communicate the current overall status of a project. It should be distributed to appropriate team members, Stakeholders, and sponsors on a regular basis.

Deliverable Expectation Document (DED)

DEDs provide a basis for the development and submission of deliverables. It is a tool to avoid miscommunication, to ensure that the state and contractor possess a mutual understanding about deliverable content and scope.

Work Authorization

Used to authorize the contractor to complete work that is not specifically outlined in the contract, but is aligned with the overall scope of the contract. This work is unanticipated and discovered during the course of the contract, and funds must be available in the contract.

Process Improvement Plan

Identifies quality management-specific standards and practices, assessment, monitoring, and correction of the core Project Management processes followed by the project.

Operational Readiness Assessment (ORA)

Is part of the transition of the project’s software release or other end product to Maintenance & Operations and the production environment. The assessment provides and documents a comprehensive analysis of all facets of readiness, including organizational readiness and contingency planning, prior to the implementation.

Formal Product Acceptance

Used by project teams to document formal acceptance of a major deliverable, phase, or completion of the project.

Sponsorship Commitment Survey

Used by project teams to assess the involvement and support provided by the Project Sponsor.

Team Effectiveness Survey

Used by project teams to assess the effectiveness of how the project team works together.

Executing Process Phase Checklist

Identifies the key activities that are to be completed during the Executing Process Phase.

Lessons Learned

The lessons learned documentation represents knowledge and experience gained during the project. It documents how project events were addressed, and how they should be addressed in the future, with the purpose of improving future performance.

Project Status Reports (Oversight)

The final Project Status Report communicates an appraisal of project closing activities to the Project Sponsor(s) and key Stakeholders identified in the Communication Management Plan. This also concludes the reporting of project status and tasks and makes note of issues or items that will be handled once the project has been closed.

Project Closeout Report

The project closeout report documents the final and remaining activities of the project.

Post Implementation Evaluation Report (PIER) (Oversight)

The PIER must be submitted to the Department of Technology (CDT) within the Department’s required time frame.  It contains six sections:

1. Background and Summary of Results
2. Attainment of Objectives
3. Lessons Learned
4. Corrective Actions
5. Project Management Schedule
6. Economic Summary

Closing Process Phase Checklist

Identifies the key activities that are to be completed during the Closing Process Phase.