MARQUES 1
Roy Marques Project Management Final Eugene Spiegel
PART 1: SEE PROJECT REQUREIMENTS FOR LIST OF NOTED PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS(REFER TO PAGE 5) PART 2 : THE FOLLOWING PAGES IN LENGTH ARE ALL DEVOTED TO PROCURES AND RELATED IMPEMENTATION OF IBM’S NEW PROJECT TEAM GOALS(PAGE 1-13) PART 3: REFER TO LAST PAGE CONCLUDING STATEMENT (PAGE 14) Project Definition Summary PROJECT OBJECTIVE SUMMARY: IBM’s Project team will work collaboratively with DIR, in the process of migrating and consolidating consolidating the data of 27 agencies, into 2 data centers. IBM will complete this task while upholding all accompanying tasks such as backup and the creation of reports, among other things. PROJECT OVERVIEW: The previous project undertaken by IBM, created some serious faults, not only in their day-to-day operations but as a late project overall. This new project is going to refresh the areas that IBM’s previous project sought to cover while maintaining a structure and framework that is acceptable acceptable by the standards of DIR specification. This new framework, along with the new project team, will maintain the day -to-day activities that are already implemented while aligning those activities with that of the main goal, in our case the consolidation of data. PROJECT OBJECTIVES (DELIVERABLES): This project will develop the framework of the I T system that is the soul and breadth of DIR. With that being said, I would like to announce announce that I will be implementing a regimen whereby my project team explicitly documents there activities to ensure that they are achieving targeted projections. projections. I have assigned a modest portion of my project team to that of forecasting because I want to provide my tea m with realistic targets. These targets will act as checkpoints, being given certain anticipated completion milestones. PROJECT SCOPE: The project team will be working on the transformation of data from DIR’s current 27 agencies (as specified by them). They will be migrating this data towards two synchronized data centers. centers. IBM assumes the responsibility responsibility of security, backup, planning, efficiency, and all related forecasting and reporting activities that have a relation to this project.
MARQUES 2
DELIVERABLES PRODUCED: It is difficult when dealing with IT, to show something physical for a project that is done mostly on a digital platform. With that being said, I will explicitly enforce the reporting of critical service levels along with any other reports that DIR would like to be informed on. It has come to my attention that IBM’s previous team lacked in the area of reporting though I want to assure DIR that that we are a completely new team. Some of these reports include CPU utilization, asset management, and project planning and future achievements relating to proposed milestones. PROJECT APPROACH: To approach this project will require significant strategy and clarity due to the breadth of activities being undertaken undertaken by IBM. I would ultimately like to start start by identifying the specific team of DIR that my project team will be working with. Along with this, I would like to mention that my main responsibility on this team would be that of aligning each department with each other. The next step that seems most crucial to me would be to maintain communication between myself and the functional managers managers of each agency. I would also require these functional managers to maintain the creation of a project report that gives me an i dea of what my team is dealing dealing with. This goes along with the required required reports requested requested by DIR. I want this project to flow seamlessly toward completion and to get this, my team will need to communicate frequently. Starting from phase 0, with a list of concrete objectives, will better allow are team to complete each requirement successfully. successfully. I would also like to increase employee compensation if permitted by DIR because I feel as if the previous team was undercompensated. If we create an incentive system that rewards on the quality of work performed, we will have motivated and intuitive employees. Another factor which which I plan to implement would be that of allowing freedom of ideas. In a sense, this will allow the the entire project team, even even the little guy, to have at least a say in any potential areas for improvement. The workers at the bottom are more hands-on and may have something to contribute. FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AFFECTED AND PARTICIPATE IN PROJECT (ORGANIZATION ON FIRST LINE AND HOW THEY ARE AFFECTED ON SECOND LINE):
IBM Phased Approach Guideline
Phase 0 – Me and Project team will ask DIR to meet with us to discuss the activities and the scope of the new project that we plan to undertake. o I will provide them with my project definition statement at that time o My team will collaborate and come to an agreement on how are project will fit with their future plans o I will announce myself as the project manager and I will issue to them the list of needed personnel, along with my suggestions on who would fit well
MARQUES 3
o
o
e rrors that IBM’s Both sides will go over a list of alternative solutions to the errors previous team had encountered such as absence of reporting or the failure of a service level With that being said and our scope and goals are made clear, I will then release an announcement of the refreshed project team and project overall
Phase 1 – I will conduct another session where we collaborate on the perimeters of our proposed project and breakdown the work and flow that needs to be set in motion o We will create a work breakdown structure that will assist us in identifying the roles of each member of the team. o In the case of IBM, we will review what is actually wrong with the current state of the transformation. We will identify the risks at this point so that we can ensure that they won’t happen again, as they are the reason we are here o After understanding the needs of DIR, we will create the requirements document that will establish a basic overview of what needs to be accomplished for this project to be deemed successful o One important point for this phase would be to properly divide the tasks among each segment of the team while ENSURING the project has a smooth flow and is structured in a way that produces zero conflict throughout the cycle
Phase 2 o
o
o
This is one of the most important phases because what we do here will be the basis for our correction of the previous project team’s faults I will establish an adequate set of mandatory meetings with a proposed basic agenda for each, among any other issues that may arise, with a required amount of specific members of the entire project team The major problem with the previous project was that of measuring progress or data overall and being able to verify what the team was actually doing. This is where my team will be trained most highly IBM team will work collaboratively alongside DIR to make sure that what reports we provide are acceptable along their standards to maintain clarity Being that IBM has delayed the operations of DIR, we are making the transformation of these data centers a number one priority for us We will estimate how much this newly proposed project will cost. The previous project didn’t mention anything of being over budget though it seems that with all things, less resources means less work getting done which m eans that this area may need a thorough analysis We will prepare a RACI chart in this phase to breakdown the roles of each member along with that tasks that are involved within the project(SEE BELOW)
o
o
o
MARQUES 4
o
o
Time isn’t on our side but with our updated timing schedule, we can better
budget time for certain certain activities. This was one of the major major problems with the previous team. To combat this problem problem we will establish alternative alternative measures in the case of time delays. By this part of the project, IBM will have coordinated the new project team with the basic activities that coincide with that of the breadth of work that comes with consolidating the actual data. At this point we can hit the ground in terms of what our roles are to make this project a success This is the phase where I would like to have caught my new team up with the reporting and forecasting forecasting practices that are required by DIR. With that being said, I would like to have these newly proposed plans already being implemented at this this stage. This will help to better assist the the consolidation of the data, or the main implementation of the project
Phase 3 – Due to the complex situation that we are dealing with, I leave the breadth of the actual project activity for this phase. phase. I have reserved the reporting implementation for Phase 2 because the steps required to implement and execute reporting, are simil ar. o IBM will carry out the larger tasks at hand within this implementation stage o IBM will continue to consolidate and migrate the data within the remaining 22 agencies o My project team will work closely with the team that DIR provides us to ensure that we minimize risks and further guarantee guarantee the chance of acceptance. The failure of many key aspects of the previous project has to be minimized to allow the success of this project o Throughout this phase, meetings and increased team communication will ensure that we are successfully successfully monitoring for any risks and delays that may arise. arise. We have appointed the breadth of risk management, to the forecasting manager. o Instead of abandoning the plan as was the case with the previous project team, I would like to allow more more freedom in being able to modify modify the plan. There will be certain authorization that needs to be met though we will allocate a certain amount of time, at each each weekly meeting, for the discussion of any any problems or discrepancies that may arise
Phase 4 – In this stage of the project, my team will be done with the majority of the actual migration activity. o We will be comparing our final reports to that of the acceptable standard by DIR and we will request their acceptance of this final stage in report creation. o A lot of this stage will revolve around making sure that the two databases are running in synchronization, synchronization, without any discrepancies o Another factor that hasn’t been mentioned is based on requesting the customer to acknowledge that all data has been successfully migrated over
MARQUES 5
Phase 5 – This is the final phase in our project and centers around customer acceptance o We will provide the customer with a summary of work completed o We will provide easy access to reporting that was completed throughout throughout the project o We will provide a copy of the disaster report they requested, as well as any other final reports that may have been an issue prior to project initiation o This is the stage that we close out our project though there will need to be maintenance and repair from our team as time goes on. This will either be done with one of our staff on call, assigned to them as a full-time employee, or by a separate department at DIR that is trained by us in maintaining this complex infrastructure.
Project Requirements Guideline Project Problems and Solutions What is the problem? 22 of 27 agencies have not been completely transformed to new system Frequent failure to perform scheduled backup & failure to verify backup completion/error Failed to provide adequate final disaster recovery plan- Failed b/c of bad reporting Failed to provide adequate process for D0/D1 agency applications Failed to provide qualified personnel and failed to provide enough personnel with increasing rate of turnover Lack of intrusion control and failure to implement anti-virus software and patches. IBM also fails to release release staff correctly Fail to attain adequate service levels on a number of different fronts. Failure to abide by rules set forth by MSA relating to SL’s Failure to complete implantation of
Measurable?
How can we improve?
Partially b/c there is exact # of agencies
We can finish the consolidation of these agencies and guarantee staffing
YES – Measure # of backups and time to respond (within 24H window) YES – Monitor reporting procedures
Creation of clear scheduling practices for backups and emphasis on importance of verification and reporting within a timely manner too Increase the standard for better reporting and documentation
YES- By tracking through a process
Ensure that these agencies receive adequate oversight
YES- Track turnover rate and refer to staff standards of conduct
Hire qualified personnel that may also be specialized in their role for project. Increase staff motivation and moral
YES - Set acceptable rate of implementation and maintenance
Implement intrusion controls and enforce policy of adding and maintaining security security software. Update PMG to reflect safe release of staff
YES - # of optimal service levels
Completely restructure reporting procedure to that which provides acceptable service levels
N/A
Set priority to this task at the appropriate milestone since it may be
MARQUES 6
chargeback system as per required by DIR Failure to monitor and manage systems specifically failure to record properly General failure to uncover and announce opportunities to increase efficiency and improve advantage Failure to provide customers with request equipment
been overlooked previously YES – Set up report reviews at different intervals
Emphasize the importance of adequate monitoring and totality of scope in which team must report on
YES – Through SPCM tactics to realize efficiency
Create certain incentives for staff to proactively search for opportunities that customers can benefit from.
Yes – By number of completed requests
Increase reply rate with knowledgeable staff.
It appears that IBM has some significant significant fragments in their operating structure. This holds true for the overall management of this project as well. o I would like to point out that communication seems to be heavily impaired, either by each subunit of the project team, or by the actual leader in accordance with communicating to each of his sub units o Accountability – IBM doesn’t seem to mention a basis for applying accountability which leads me to believe the project manager or IBM as a whole is being targeted which not only makes it frustrating to narrow down the source of the problem but it makes it extremely difficult to know where to start in our revamp. o Roles – There seems to be significant error in assigning roles to each one of the resources working on this project. project. Some agencies are without managers managers while some are absent of any people all together. Part of me suggests that the roles and requirements of this project were incorrectly assigned or were unclear/ambiguous o Measurability and Verifiability – Most of the errors that took place in this project pertained to lack of judgment when measuring the minimal rate of acceptance, specifically because this is a data management project and this type of work has a great level of measures for productivity, productivity, load, and efficiency. efficiency. The second correlating correlating part to this would be that or verification, verif ication, something that IBM has a problem with. Their verification process is significantly impaired as well because without weekly, monthly, and quarterly verification intervals, IBM cannot measure their progress and DIR isn’t able to keep up with the management of this service. o Problems with initial analysis – It seems that IBM wasn’t prepared when stepping up to the plate for this project being that it appeared to be too much for them to handle. There must have been problems with speculation in in the phase 0/1 stages of of this project to have come to where we are now in terms of lack of communication and the amount of backlogs that have been created.
Role and Task Assignment
MARQUES 7
The following chart is large in length due to the perceived amount of ob ligations required by IBM. I have assumed that IBM will be assigning a functional manager manager to each of the 27 agencies. I have also made made separate managers for the the following: Security, backup, reporting, asset management, forecasting, and procurement. I will also be requiring that DIR assign us an associate associate to act as as an intermediary throughout the process. process. This person or team will help us to better inform and consult with DIR on our progress.
RACI Chart Task(V) Roles(H)
Func. Security Managers Managers
Manage successful transformation of agency Nightly Backups/ Respond when backup fails Complete Disaster Recovery plan Staff project adequately
AR
Backup Managers
Reporting Asset Forecast Manager Manager Manager
Proc DIR Manager Assoc. C
AR
I
I
IC
CI
AR
AR
I
De-Brief exiting staff Update AntiVirus program & Patches Implement Intrusion Controls Uphold Service levels
I
R
ICA
I
AR
I
AR
I
Moving actual data and implementation Monitor systems Resource efficiency Procurement of resources Management of
R
R
IC
I
RC
I
I
I
AR
I
CI
C
R
I
AR
C
IC
C
RA
C
C
AR
C
R I
IC
I
AR R
R
I
IC
AR
C
I
MARQUES 8
Capacity Report and analyze project and forecasts Observe for risk and issues
R R
R
C
AR
C
R
R
I
A
C
C C
Each functional manager will be assuming the duties that involve staffing of their respective agency Each Security manager will assume the duties relating to disaster reporting and technology refresh Each Reporting manager manager will assume the duties duties relating to project analysis. They will also be preparing reports and forecasts for DIR use. Each Asset manager will assume the duty of implementation and maintenance of chargeback system. system. They will also monitor the efficient efficient use of resources. Each procurement manager manager will also assume the duty of resource management.
Resource Utilization and Motivation In this stage of the project, we are already dealing with some turmoil in relation to DIR’s
employees that require our services. They are going to refer back to the way things used to be in relation to nothing getting done and lack of communication of our previous project team. If we want to enhance cooperation cooperation from the start, there are some measures and tactics that I would like to bring to the table:
Assure DIR that we are a new team and I am the new project manager Assure DIR that we are ready to commit ourselves if they are and that through synchronized efforts, we will be able to surpass even our previous goals I will make sure that every member on my team is i s proficient in their assigned tasks and roles. I will establish clear and usable usable guidelines and requirements requirements for each of my team members so that we have an optimal level of accountability and responsibility throughout throughout the project team. I would like to use a reward or achievement system as well to motivate my employees to meet goals and requirements as they come along, before the designated milestone I want my team to grow as a group while we implement this new information i nformation technology infrastructure. As we get closer, it will help with with employee retention and it will will enhance our communication which will allow for better reporting ultimately to DIR.
Role Enforcement
MARQUES 9
The following section will contain tactics that I will implement from Day 0(before we start) The previous project may have based worker roles through a verbal format I plan to enforce the use of written agreements in terms of task completion and accountability I would like to incorporate incorporate a project objective statement statement of some sorts. This will provide my team with a concrete set of objectives that need to be maintained and worked on With measurability comes success which is why I would like to create milestones at certain intervals which will enforce certain project targets or it will at least give us u s an idea of how far we are off(forward or behind schedule)
Scheduling
We are dealing with a project that is being created because because of a previous one. This leads me to mention that many areas of the project were created and managed poorly. With that being said, the previous project team has put in significant effort before us which leaves us with a decent template to complete our project and the overall implementation for DIR. Each manager and department department has a role and tasks to accomplish. accomplish. This is great but without a structure, this project project could start to look like the previous one. This stage of our project will center on that activity of coming up with a smooth and detailed process in which work flow will be seamless. Proper implementation of contingency plans will assist us, in the e vent that something gets delayed or we are the bearer of an unforeseen circumstance. Specific attention will be assigned to assessment of the trade-offs relating to the frequency and interval that we report on. o This is especially important because it may uncover hidden factors as to why the reporting of the previous project team was sub-par. To make the best out of a bad situation, IBM is actualldy in a favorable position. The previous project team has already determined scheduling estimates and they have obtained more-or-less, actual actual results. These results may be off, as as they are the reason why IBM is in breach of so many activities but they do establish a basis for our forecasting managers to work off of. Another point that we need to explore is the fact of who will be doing the estimates. We will be able to discuss and come to a conclusion during one of our preliminary meetings. o The person that provides the estimates should have prior knowledge or experience of the task
MARQUES 10
o
o
o
o
Team members should be consulted if they’re going to have hand-on experience
with the task in which we should estimate. Estimates will include the required time it takes for each task to be completed, such as backing up the system and reporting on it Estimates will include how often each task needs to be completed such as backing up the system every night which includes reporting on it every night Estimates will include, if detailed, how much each task will cost to accomplish
The WBS will help us estimate resource resource utilization. This is important because because I assume that the previous team was being overworked which led to the overall breakdown of the entire project. o Seeing as how the previous project was plagued by the under-assignment of staff, I would like to express the importance of specifics when it comes to the amount of human resources that each role or task will require We will utilize a pert analysis because this will allow us to include DIR within the actual estimation of scheduling. o I would like to obtain estimates, ranging from pessimistic to optimistic, which come from managers, front-line workers, and DIR associates.
Project Review & Control
Our new project management design will be based on increased communication between both parties and ourselves in general
I have considered weekly meetings that will include an assigned assigned associate from DIR. These meetings will be a haven for us to analyze our performance, discuss issues, and allow communication between each sector of our project team
Based on the letter that describes the breaches that IBM’s previous project team created, I
would like to emphasize our pre-determined meeting dates with ourselves and the representatives of DIR. This meeting will go over our progress progress that pertains to our completion of the project. This will also be a great location that we can review and modify our reports and procedures with what DIR deems appropriate. o
Being that some of our performance reviews will judge whether or not we breach contract again, I would like to take these measures into account prior to these reviews, perhaps at a meeting scheduled beforehand
We will be updating the measurability and verifiability of the previous project. o
I would like metrics and performance levels to be increased so that we can better monitor our changes of the DIR system
o
We will acknowledge the fact that some activities may vary f rom our initial estimates and I would like to account for these with some type of safety measure
MARQUES 11
My team will announce tasks that should be completed by days end or within a certain time period which can help to keep us on track if we abide by one of these tasks that may be fixed
As mentioned before, increased worker communication may foster collaborative ways in which we can modify our current guidelines for the better.
I would like to allow enough control of the project to maintain that we don’t stray too far
from our determined objectives but I would like to allow some slack in that my team is act somewhat autonomously within their role
Risk Management
Risk will be something that is given great consideration within our project team. We will manage these risks with an emphasis on delay or failure o These delays relate to reporting of backup status o These failures relate to activities that may have failed in the past such as achieving an unsatisfactory level of proficiency or an unacceptable rate of error within our reporting. Through our kick-off meeting, risk management will be a major topic that we revi ew, and will continuously review until project completion, our project objectives and decide which of the previous discrepancies warrant warrant the future management of risk. We will also maintain management of risk in relation to the activities that IBM’s project team had done correctly. Our forecasting team will work on planning and scheduling in a way that allows us to analyze key activities and spot where and when perceived risks may happen. Being as how DIR has a bad taste in their mouths from working with IBM, we need to show their council that we are truly different in our approaches and we will go above and beyond on any other projects I am assuming that these projects are going to need upkeep, being as they are highly tech related. We will implement a procedure procedure whereby we work work closely with DIR during the close-out stage. We will educate them on what needs to be completed and and what will need to be completed in the future such as maintenance or updates.
Risk Identification Analysis STEP 1 – Define and State Task – While applying the activities that come with transformation of the agencies into data centers, IBM may run into several problems that will increase the delay or project completion but also damage the process that DIR personnel have become accustomed to in their day-to-day activities STEP 2(Letter A) & 3(letter B) – Identify the Probability of Occurrence & Impact (Letter B)
MARQUES 12
1. The probability of transformation delays is very high because, not only of the uncertainty that comes with data migration, but also because many of the surrounding activities have a direct impact on the timeliness of this task. a. Probability is very high b. This task is tied to the general objective of the project therefore the delay of this task will result in the delay of the entire project 2. IBM is required to back up the system every night and report on their status of said backup. Problems with this include failure of backup backup and failure to report on status a. Probability is very high b. This is an easy talk to accomplish and report on though if not done so, will result in discrepancies among among the reports issued by IBM to DIR. This may also fuel the error of other activities if not reported on in an efficient manner 3. IBM is required to create a disaster recovery plan and has previously failed to complete on in relation to the minimum minimum acceptable levels deemed deemed by DIR. Several factors rest on the completion of this report as this is also necessary for the management of risk after our project is complete. a. Probability is medium b. If this report isn’t complete, the project will not be satisfactory. satisfactory. Our team needs needs to stay on top of this, as well as any mutual areas that are required to complete this plan. This is the basis for where where DIR will refer if they run into future future problems 4. The dismissal of staff has been a major factor in the previous project and will be monitored highly during this one because it will increase the lead ti mes on all fronts , resulting in significant delays for the project a. Probability is medium b. Previous projects show that a decrease in staff leads to a decrease in the effiencies and completion of of work on all fronts of this project. If staff aren’t qualified, are team will run into serious errors down the line, some of which we may not pick up on due to the possibility of inexperience staff. 5. IBM staff that aren’t properly dismissed from the location may pose a threat to the security of the data being migrated. a. Probability is high b. If we don’t dismiss the staff correctly every day from their duty, we are leaving a serious gap in the security of our day-to-day day -to-day operations, while working under DIR 6. If IBM doesn’t properly apply antivirus software and the appropriate patches to said software, they are directly leaving the door open for intruders which is problematic. a. Probability is medium b. Having an intruder in the system is extremely detrimental and may have been one of the leading factors in why IBM incurred so many breaches during the previous project. Not applying so simple as software software will have a huge impact
MARQUES 13
throughout the structure, not only by itself in causing delays of project completion, but also in that the entire data structure may be threatened. 7. IBM has significant duties where they are required to report on asset management, monitoring, and efficiency. a. Probability is very high b. The impact of these tasks would be detrimental to the project if not completed correctly. We will see breaches breaches every, as we did with with the previous project. We need to implement a significant framework that promotes clear and detailed reporting in all areas that are requested. 8. IBM has the duty of procuring certain certain equipment for the customers of DIR. Doing this incorrectly will result in unsatisfied customers and delays a. Probability is medium but may escalate quickly b. The impact of this is strong because if our procurement managers don’t stay on top of this, we will experience delays and backlogs which is something that IBM has experience before.
STEP 4 – Identify and List Possible Preventative Plans 1. IBM will need to create several plans that prevent the delay and error of our proposed activities 2. We will need to come up with several collaborative plans in the event that something may go wrong 3. Things may not fail as we anticipate which is why this step is dedicated to identifying several different points that we can piece together in the next step
STEP 5 – List Appropriate Contingency Plans
We need to create several flexible f lexible contingency plans that will account for various flaws that may result from the failure or delay of individual activities within this project We need to emphasize the importance of reporting within this project because some of our top activities rely on the verification of certain reporting Activities that are measured, need to be completed accurately as we want this measures to be clear when implementing their data and for the possibility that we need to refer to them if a risk surfaces
STEP 6 – Specify Trigger Points or Milestones for Risk
This project may be flexible when it comes to scheduling and planning the execution of certain activities though the activities themselves will be very concrete and clear.
MARQUES 14
With that being said I would like l ike to implement certain points where, if need be, we implement parts of our our contingency plans. plans. I see this as different roads roads to take at each milestone that we reach. We don’t necessarily have to take different roads within this project, though it
would be beneficial to have them in the event of a discrepancy in our original plan. PART 3: PROBLEM IMPACT I believe the most significant challenge within the duration of this project implementation would be that of employee qualification, qualification, motivation, and retention. retention. From the start, the previous project team was unable to source qualified personnel for migrating the data over to the new centers. The second point on personnel would be be that of motivation. I would like to establish rules and procedures that facilitate communication and learning among project team members. If implemented correctly and from the start, I believe we can truthfully accomplish anything that is required of us as a team. The third point that we need to watch out for for would be that of employee retention. We need to implement proper procedures and work conditions, including compensation, which will minimize employee turnover. To have this many problems just with employee retention retention is absurd and it will not happen with my team.
