Establishing IT Project Priorities Dr. Sharon Blanton CIO, Portland State University Mr. Kirk Kelly Vice Chancellor and CIO Pima Community College Mr

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


Agenda • Introductions• Issues, Observations• A Tale of Two Institutions

• Pima• PSU

• Demo• Wrap Up, Discussion, Q&A


Issues/Challenges• Overwhelming Project List• Increasing Expectations • Perceptions• Culture


Project Submission Scenarios 1

Back Door Executive Mandate

Request Deny Mandate

Mad Scramble 80% Completion

Eternal Tweaking



Persistent Requesting

Request Deny Ask Someone Else

Deny Bribe Someone

Person Granting has no authority

Project is never fully supported

Grant



Community Decision

Request Queue Community Decision

Project Process Everyone gets a Priority A listing

Can’t leave anyone out.

Does anything ever get completed?



Project Portfolio Management

Request PPM Grant/Deny

Prioritize Communicate

Injects objectivity into the process.

Schedule


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)


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)


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


PPM GoalsC

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unity

Inp

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Customer/Community Satisfaction


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


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


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.


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


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


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


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

[email protected]

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


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


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.


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


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.


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


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


Demo


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


Thank You

Questions?

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Documents

Establishing IT Project Priorities Dr. Sharon Blanton CIO, Portland State University Mr. Kirk Kelly Vice Chancellor and CIO Pima Community College Mr