Project Management @ New York State Department Of Transportation

1. Project Management @ New York State Department Of Transportation SiteManager PM Team: Mike Arthur, NYSDOT Russ Barron, InfoTech Cheryl Falcone, NYSDOT 2005 Trns•Port User Group Conference November 9, 2005 Daytona Beach, Florida

2. Agenda • Project Management (PM) methodology background • How is the SiteManager project different? • The project team • PM lifecycle phases • Key documents/processes • Key concepts • Managing communication • Managing issues & risks • Managing the team • Managing the schedule

4. Background • 2001 NYS Office for Technology developed the NYS Project Management Methodology and Guidebook • 2002 NYSDOT Office of Information Services (OIS) established the Project Management Office (PMO) • By 2005 approximately 25 projects are using or have used the NYSDOT OIS PM Methodology • NYSDOT OIS PM Methodology is scaleable to various project sizes and types

5. Scope Cost Time Quality How is the NY SiteManager Project Different? • Replacing very functional applications – proceed with caution! • Construction and Materials simultaneously • Two agencies – NYSDOT & NYSTA • Then add LIMS

6. Typical NYSDOT Project Organization

7. Add Construction and Materials Project Leads

8. Add New York State Thruway Authority

9. “Joint Implementation”

10. Add Teams

11. The “Big 70”

12. The Project ManagementLifecycle Phases • Project Initiation • Getting Started (assigning the PM) • Developing the Project Charter • Holding the Project Kickoff Meeting • Project Planning • Begin status and PM planning meetings and communicating • Developing the Project Plan • Developing the Project Schedule • Project Execution & Control (Implementation) • Managing the project processes • Providing the project deliverables • Project Closeout • Team, Administrative Closeout • Lessons Learned

13. The Key Documents / Processes • Project Charter • It’s acceptance defines the formal project “start” • It provides a high level project definition of goals and critical success factors • It establishes the initial project resource requirements & commitments • 11 page document • Background • Objectives • Critical Success Factors • Constraints • Project Authority

14. The Key Documents / Processes • Project Plan • It completely details the project’s scope, approach, processes, roles and responsibilities, assumptions, budget and schedule • 76 page document referencing two preliminary analysis documents which totals 444 pages!

15. The Key Documents / Processes • Project Schedule • It details the project’s activities to the task / resource assignment level, and provides a continuous and current perspective with respect to project cost, schedule and effort, both actual to date and forecast, as well as variance to baseline (original + accepted changes) • Includes Info Tech, NYSDOT, and NYSTA tasks • Maintained in Info Tech’s PlanView system • Exported to MS Project for NYSDOT & NYSTA

16. The Key Documents / Processes • The Project Management Process … which consists of defining, implementing and managing the following: • Acceptance Process • Issue Resolution Process • Issue Escalation Process • Scope Management Process • Risk Management Process • Communication Process • Schedule Management Process • Quality Process • Team & Vendor Management Process • Financial Reconciliation Process • Change Management Process

17. The Key Documents / Processes • Key Forms and Templates • Project Charter Template • Project Plan Template • Weekly Project Status Report Template • Monthly Project Status Report Template • Meeting Agenda and Minutes Form • Approval Request Form • Change Request Form • Risk Assessment Spreadsheet • Other • Project “Notebook” on network share drive • Project “Spotlight” • OIS “Short Form” rollup report (for CIO)

19. More Key Concepts for Project Management • Project Management is a shared responsibility • The IT Project Manager, Program Area Project Manager, and Vendor Project Manager are a Project Management Team • Project Management means taking proactive ownership of all aspects of the project • Consider the issues are yours, risks are yours, delays are yours, etc … but an on-time, on-budget delivery is the teams (and yours, too)! • Project Management is not just about the forms and reports and templates and project schedule (although it may seem so at times) • These are merely tools to help define, manage and communicate various aspects of the project

20. Project Execution and ControlManaging CommunicationThe Communication Plan • The Project Plan includes a Communication Plan Section • The Communication Plan Section identifies all communication events for the project, in terms of: • What the event is (weekly meeting) • Who is responsible to initiate it (PM) • Who is involved in it (Team) • Who is a recipient of it (meeting minutes … ) • Typical events might include: • Weekly Team Meeting • Weekly Status Meeting • Weekly Status Report • Monthly Risk review meeting • Monthly Status Report (Short and Long Forms) • Quarterly Executive Sponsor Meeting

21. Project Execution and ControlManaging CommunicationThe Weekly Project Status Meeting • What it is … • A forum to confirm and communicate project status • A forum to ensure progress in being made • A forum to make sure issues are being addressed • A forum to consider project risks • A forum to be facilitated (& controlled) by the PM • What it should not be … • A forum to resolve issues • A forum to surprise or embarrass participants • A forum to force difficult / political discussions • A forum for a team member (including the PM) to vent

22. Project Execution and ControlManaging CommunicationWeekly Project Status Meeting • Suggestions for effective meetings • Start on time, end on time • Invite representatives, not the entire team • Follow the meeting agenda … do NOT jump to the issues first! • Publish meeting minutes to the entire project team afterwards • Make sure minutes are accurate • Don’t get bogged down in minutia or in trying to resolve issues • Make sure every issue / action item has an owner, expected action, and due date • In general, it is bad form to assign owners or action items to people not present at the meeting – do so with caution, and with someone at the meeting taking ownership in the “delegation”

23. Project Execution and ControlManaging CommunicationOther Status Reporting • Short form (IT Director’s report) • Due COB the 5th business day of the month • Update key date / staffing information • Summarizes monthly status summary on Schedule and Budget; and key (top 3 or 4) Issues, actions, and/or risks • Project Console (Dashboard) • Reports CPI and SPI weekly & Monthly • Reports qualitative data (cost, scope, quality, risk, staffing, customer satisfaction) as red/yellow/green indicators “periodically” (as changed) • Must be updated by COB the 3rd business day of the month

24. Project Execution and Control Managing Issues • Definition of an Issue … • Something not planned, that IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW that is having a NEGATIVE impact on some aspect of your project • If it isn’t happening yet, it is not an issue … it is a risk • Issue Process • Anyone involved in the project can (and should) raise an issue to the PM • PM should thank the person for bringing the issue to his/her attention • PM should look to team members for input / resolution to the issue • PM should log / track the issue to closure • PM should escalate the issue if not able to gain closure in a reasonable time • Close the issue ONLY when the originator agrees that the issue is resolved

25. We Have Issues! • Currently tracking 284 issues! • 261 Analysis issues • 86 High Priority/Urgency • 130 Medium Priority/Urgency • 45 Low Priority/Urgency • 23 Project issues • 17 High Priority/Urgency • 3 Medium Priority/Urgency • 3 Low Priority/Urgency • Reviewed Monthly

26. Project Execution and Control Managing Risks • Definition of a Risk … • Something that COULD happen sometime in the FUTURE that has a NEGATIVE impact on some aspect of your project • If it is happening now it is not a risk – it is an ISSUE • Risk Process • Initial project risks should have been identified in the Project Plan • PM should facilitate a risk review session MONTHLY • Risk log should be maintained • Strategies should be developed in dealing with the various risk elements • Current risk information is reported monthly as part of the project status report

27. We have Risks! • Currently tracking 93 risks! • 21 High Probability / High Impact • 6 Medium Probability / High Impact • 15 High Probability / Medium Impact • Mitigation Plans for above categories • Monitor remainder • Reviewed Monthly

28. Project Execution and ControlManaging the Team • Get the “right” team – and use the team you have “rightly” • What skills and competencies does your project need? • Which skills and competencies does your team have? • What’s missing? • How will you get it? • What is the impact if you don’t get it? • How will you negotiate for it? • Who should be assigned to which tasks? • How do you balance the load? • Should you re-assign work or mentor a team-member?

29. Project Execution and ControlManaging the Team • Foster a Team Environment • Establish the project’s goals, get the team to buy into them • Empower team members, encourage the team • Get the facts and recognize and reward openly, course-correct privately • Enforce Accountability • As a PM, be accountable to the team • Support the team in their needs • Hold the team accountable with assignments & deadlines • Include them in the decision making activities which impact them whenever possible

30. Project Execution and ControlManaging the Project Schedule • The starting point is the baseline schedule that was accepted as part of the Project Plan. • Any and all changes to the Project Schedule baseline must be done only as a result of an accepted Change Request • The entire Project Team needs to be continuously aware of the overall project schedule, the various tasks assigned to them by the PM, and the criticality of those tasks • Each team member needs to validate the assumptions for the tasks assigned to them (e.g., their ability to perform, dependencies, effort estimates, duration estimates) and communicate back to the PM if there are issues with those assumptions – BEFORE they begin the tasks

34. Stayed Tuned for the Rest of the Story Questions?