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ARCHIVED - An Enhanced Framework for the Management of Information Technology Projects - Part II Solutions: Putting the Principles to Work


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2. An Overview of the Enhanced Framework

The government is committed to delivering its programs and services more efficiently and effectively through the use of information technology. The Project Management Office (PMO) was formed under the auspices of the Treasury Board to provide guidance to departments such that government IT projects:

  • satisfy the requirements of the program functions or services they are designed to support;
  • deliver all the expected benefits; and
  • are completed on time and within budget.

2.1 Principles of the Enhanced Framework

The PMO, in conjunction with other federal departments, published The Enhanced Framework for the Management of Information Technology Projects in May 1996. While remaining within the existing Treasury Board policy framework, it provides guidance for future improvements to the IT project management regimes currently found within departments.

This document defined four principles that set the broad parameters within which information technology projects are to be managed.

Principle #1: Projects are aligned with and support the business directions.

Information technology projects are undertaken to achieve successful and economical support of a business function. The Project Sponsor(2), Project Leader(3), and Project Manager(4), together with the management and major users of the business function, must ensure that the project achieves these goals and delivers the expected benefits.

Principle #2: Clear accountabilities are established

Information technology projects can be complex undertakings. The responsibilities of all parties must be clearly defined and their delegated authority specified. Problems must be resolved in a timely manner to prevent them from threatening the success of the project and the achievement of the expected benefits.

Principle #3: Project managers are developed in, and work within, a corporate discipline

The project manager is the key for the successful completion of the project and the achievement of the expected benefits. The project manager, therefore, should have the appropriate training, skills and experience to manage the scope and risks of the stated project. A corporate approach to the development or acquisition of project managers based on government-wide practices, common tools and methodologies is required.

Principle #4: Project management decisions are based on risk management

Typically the government has emphasized meeting the target date of projects, with the result departments have pressed ahead to meet commitments, despite indications of serious problems or risks. Risk management provides a disciplined environment for proactive decision making to:

  • continually assess what could go wrong;
  • determine which risks must be dealt with; and
  • implement strategies to deal with those risks

Projects must be planned, organized and structured to ensure success from their initial organization and planning through design, development and implementation.

Too often attention has been focused on the visible project with its attendant issues, while the root causes of the problems have remained hidden within the organization surrounding the project environment. Thus the order and wording of the Principles was chosen with great care. Each forms a part of the foundation for project success upon which the next is built. All are crucial in creating the environment within which a project can be expected to succeed.

The figure below illustrates this idea of foundation and supporting structure and shows the four principles in relation to one another.

Figure 1: The Enhancement Framework Pyramid

Figure 1: The Enhanced Framework Pyramid

2.2 Practices of the Enhanced Framework

In the past, project success has relied on the heroic efforts of the project team. Often the team has had to work in isolation, unsupported or misunderstood by the larger IT or Business organizations. Project success has been dependent upon the creativity, determination and relentless hard work of the project team. The Enhanced Framework Pyramid illustrates that several layers of support must be in place for a project to be successful. Implementation of all layers of the Pyramid will ensure that projects are created within and treated as an integral part of organizational processes.

Each layer has a number of associated supporting management practices.

The Business Directions (Principle 1) of a department provide the foundation for project success. This layer includes such practices as:

  • projects being compatible with both business and information management plans of a department;
  • full business-case analyses being performed; and
  • full and complete involvement of the client in all phases of the project.

Once a project has been defined that meets the Business Directions of a department, then the Accountabilities (Principle 2) for the project must be established. This layer ensures that the following practices are defined and communicated:

  • the accountability of departments for projects;
  • the role of TBS for the project framework;
  • the contracting role of PWGSC;
  • the specific and explicit accountabilities and responsibilities of the multiple stakeholders;
  • the degree of organization readiness;
  • the explicit roles, responsibilities and authorities of the Project Sponsor, Project Leader and Project Manager;
  • the required competencies of the project team; and
  • the assignment internally of core responsibilities and functions.

The third layer, Corporate Discipline (Principle 3), refers to the development of project managers (PMs) across government to ensure they have the requisite knowledge, skills and experience to manage the project's scope, complexity and risk profile. This layer consists of such practices as:

  • a consistent project manager discipline;
  • government-wide PM development;
  • a continuous learning culture; and
  • a PM support network.

These three layers: Business Directions, Accountabilities and Project Management Discipline are the organizational practices that must be in place better ensure project success. Within the project itself, Project Management Decisions (Principle 4) have the following practices associated with it:

  • decisions are based on risk and projects are structured for manageable risk;
  • project off-ramps are linked to a gating process;
  • methodologies and tools are defined and used that allow for risk assessment, determination of project complexity, early product delivery, change management, measurement and metrics; and
  • a complement of staff exist who are trained in the use of common methodologies and tools.

2.3 Expected Benefits of Framework Implementation

The Treasury Board has directed departments to apply this framework to existing information technology projects as applicable, as well as to all future IT/IM projects and to so attest when seeking Treasury Board project approvals. Departments are expected to apply elements of the framework in an intelligent fashion appropriate to the risk and size of each project. The anticipated benefits resulting from the effort of implementation are many.

Publicly declared and recorded benefits(5) include:

  • A more open and cooperative development environment between IT staff and client staff;
  • A greater understanding and appreciation of the risks involved in software development projects and the necessity of managing these risks. Continuous risk management provides a disciplined environment for proactive decision making, for assessing continually what could go wrong, for determining which risks are important to deal with and for implementing strategies to deal with those risks.
  • Increases in productivity, thus allowing more development with same staff complement;
  • Decreases in the costs to deliver a project thus allowing development budgets to go further;
  • Improved client satisfaction as a result of quality improvements and a reduction in calendar time to deliver projects;
  • Reductions in defect and error rates;
  • Schedule improvements, including a significant reduction in late projects; and
  • Reductions in rework as a result of reduced root causes of errors.

Implementation of the Enhanced Framework will allow departments to accrue similar benefits and leverage their IT investments to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of government programs and services.