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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:
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:
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 Enhanced Framework Pyramid
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:
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 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:
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:
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:
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.