1. Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level
James Williams
June 29, 2010

2. Outline Project Governance – what is it?
Why do we need Project Governance?
How did we implement IT Project Governance at NASA Ames?
Lessons learned
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —2— June 29, 2010

3. IT Project Governance – what is it?
The leadership, structures and processes to ensure that IT sustains and extends the organization's strategy and objectives
In other words – playing an active role in IT Projects success
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —3— June 29, 2010

4. IT Project Governance – what is it?
Playing an active role in project success includes:
Framework
Processes
Systems and tools
Transparency
Accountability
Stakeholders involvement in decisions
Expectations, control, performance
Risk management
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —4— June 29, 2010

5. IT Project Governance – what is it?
The organizational structure to support Project Governance entails:
Oversight
Project review board
Decision making body - voting
Financial transparency and control
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —5— June 29, 2010

6. Yes, governance can and does bring the RED TAPE that may slow an organization and its projects down to a halt. Our resources are constrained already! So why did we need it?!
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7. Why did we need Project Governance?
Without a governance structure:
Management had no visibility of all projects
Projects objectives were not defined
Projects progress was not measured
Projects Costs were not controlled
Resources were not managed efficiently
Dependencies caused projects delays
Projects risks were not managed
Projects were managed inconsistently
Projects failed!
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —7— June 29, 2010

8. It was time for a CHANGE!
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —8— June 29, 2010

9. How did we implement IT Project Governance at NASA Ames?
A PMO was established to lead the effort
The following components were included to ensure the successful organizational change:
Processes
People
Tools
Processes
People
Tools
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —9— June 29, 2010

10. Processes
Processes
Used the NPR project lifecycle to create a scaled framework that efficiently fits any project size (Lite, Medium, Full)
Core Project Management value-add concepts were implemented:
Project planning and scheduling
Project communication
Risks and issues management
Project performance management
Project resource management
Project change management
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —10— June 29, 2010

11. People
People
Code I ITPMB was established as the governance body for all Code I projects. Members include all the Directorate senior management who meet monthly to vote and decide on projects KDPs, review projects status, cost, schedule, and risks
PMO core and PM staff are all professional project managers, trained and mentored
PM working group includes representatives from across the organization who provide feedback on PM processes before rollout
PM community forum consists of all project managers to discuss relevant topics
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —11— June 29, 2010

12. Tools
Tools
An extensive toolset was developed and implemented using Project Server and SharePoint:
ITPMB website with meeting workspaces (members, schedule, agenda, presentations, decisions, RFAs log)
PMO Dashboard and scorecard (performance metrics) with drill down to Project sites
Roadmaps for each project classification with all needed templates (documents, plans, checklists, presentations)
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —12— June 29, 2010

13. Tools – ITPMB Site Code I ITPMB details Upcoming and previous meetings
Code I ITPMB members
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —13— June 29, 2010

14. Tools – ITPMB Calendar Links to meeting workspace Agenda items Tools
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15. Tools – ITPMB Meeting Workspace
RFAs:
Decisions
Presentations and Documents
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —15— June 29, 2010
Attendance sheet
Agenda and Voting

16. Tools – ITPMB RFAs log RFAs log for all meetings and projects Tools
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —16— June 29, 2010

17. Tools – PMO Dashboard Project health indicators
Monthly scorecard results
Projects risks
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —17— June 29, 2010
Projects issues

18. Tools – Project Site Risks, issues, cost, organization information
Project key activities and timeline
Project information and monthly status
Project documents repository
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —18— June 29, 2010

19. Tools – Project Risks Risks, 5x5 matrix
Project top 5 risks details and trend
All project risks summary
Legend
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —19— June 29, 2010
All risks log

20. Tools – PMO Framework and Templates Library
Project roadmaps: Lite, Medium, Full
Lifecycle templates library
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21. Lessons Learned – Governance Board
Make sure the Governance Board meetings are efficient and effective. The objective is to make decisions or provide direction in solving problems.
Include periodic project status presentations in addition to phase approvals (KDPs) to make the Governance Board familiar with active projects.
Have project closure reviews to assess the compliance of the completed project to its original objectives, and go over lessons learned.
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —21— June 29, 2010

22. Lessons Learned – Processes and Tools
Create clear and efficient processes and develop simple tools to accompany them.
Have all the process and tools related materials accessible in one on-line location, easy to find and use.
Have the PMO team available to help, train and mentor project managers and team members as needed.
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —22— June 29, 2010

23. Lessons Learned – Visibility and Accuracy
Be prepared for increased projects visibility and transparency. Since governance entails knowing to a greater extent what is going on in the organization, more people become “interested” in the projects.
Ensure the reported information is as accurate as possible. When details are viewed by senior management and governance board members , any inconsistent, incomplete, or inaccurate data will be questioned.
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —23— June 29, 2010

24. Lessons Learned – Metrics
Adopt a Stoplight project health reporting format so the PMO and Governance Board will be able to look at a dashboard quickly and tell whether or not a project is on target or in jeopardy (cost, schedule, technology, etc.)
Track the metrics over time to check for trends. PMs should be prepared to justify the reported stoplight rating.
Use scorecard to rank project management deliverables. This approach is useful to ensure processes and tools have been effectively adopted by the organization.
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —24— June 29, 2010

25. Lessons Learned – Financial Control
Include a Finance representative in the Governance Board.
Although financial reporting is usually sensitive, make sure it is included. Involve the Finance people in project cost tools development and implementation to ensure the financial definitions are clear, and reporting conforms to a standard format
Accuracy is paramount, and plan vs. actual cost control is important
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —25— June 29, 2010

26. Lessons Learned – Risk Management
Establish a process and tools for Risk Management. Make sure risks are continuously identified, monitored, and managed.
Mitigation planning is very important. Include it in the project scorecard.
Making project risks visible to the Governance Board will encourage the teams to keep them updated.
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —26— June 29, 2010

27. Questions?

28. Take away – useful elements of IT project governance
A compelling business case, stating the objects of the project and specifying the in-scope and out-of-scope aspects
A mechanism to assess the compliance of the completed project to its original objectives
Identifying all stakeholders with an interest in the project
A defined method of communication to each stakeholder
A set of business-level requirements as agreed by all stakeholders
An agreed specification for the project deliverables
The appointment of a project manager
Clear assignment of project roles and responsibilities
A current, published project plan that spans all project stages from project initiation through development to the transition to operations.
A system of accurate upward status- and progress-reporting including time records.
A central document repository for the project
A centrally-held glossary of project terms
A process for the management and resolution of issues that arise during the project
A process for the recording and communication of risks identified during the project
A standard for quality review of the key governance documents and of the project deliverables.
Implementation of Project Governance at the Center Level —28— June 29, 2010