The Central IT of the University is committed to continuously improving the delivery of information technology (IT) solutions within budget and schedule, and in such a way as to best contribute to accomplishing the University’s strategic mission. We further that goal by establishing the common and consistent application of project management best practices in the management of IT projects. A uniform project management framework promotes consistency and better control of IT projects, thereby reducing risks and increasing project successes.
Information technology projects will be managed in accordance with best practices promoted by the widely recognized Project Management Institute (PMI), the standards proposed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), as well as other relevant standards, such as the IEEE standard of software management plan, appropriately tailored to the specific circumstances of the Central IT of the University. For example, project managers shall possess an appropriate level of project management training or experience, and/or professional credentials. Projects that engage leading IT consulting or software development firms to assist with project management may apply additional best practices provided by these firms.
Every company has its own enterprise culture, environment, and practice, the University’s Central IT organization has no exception. The project management methodology is not a direct process to follow the international standards, because the international guidelines and standards are objectively designed to be suitable for large projects and applicable for any industry. Comparatively, Central IT has many small and quick projects that will usually last for less than six months. Thus, our project management methodology tools and templates are designed to accommodate our special needs by balancing the complexity, efficiency, and effectiveness of project management.
We establish the Project Management Steering Committee for the Central IT to evaluate all project proposals, approve project charters, and prioritize resource allocation according to the factors of feasibility, strategic fit, and risks.
The PM methodology is developed to provide the guidance for IT projects of Central IT to have a standardized, consistent, and progressively improved operation and control that can align with the best practice of international standards and guidelines.
In the PM methodology, all projects of Central IT should issue a project charter and get approved by a project sponsor, a group of relevant project sponsors, or called as a project steering committee before project planning and project execution. If any resource is required for taking the preliminary study of the feasibility and justification of a project, it is necessary to have an approved preliminary project proposal in order to get resource for the study.
For approving resource assigned for a project, project sponsors should sign off the following documents:
For each project closure, a formal Post-Project Review will be conducted with stakeholders to assess:
