IT Project Management Software & Efficiency Solutions

July 2011 - Posts

• Preaching to the Choir - Part III

  (the last of the Preaching to the Choir series...) IT Methodology – Corporate Interfaces In some organizations the following operational infrastructure (bodies) may exist. They interface with the IT Methodology - Organizational Audiences to contribute to the delivery and support of an IT methodology. Process/Project Management Office (PMO) In some organizations a group of experts in the fields of industry recognize standards, methodologies, best practices, quality frameworks are assembled for the purpose of guiding organizational process improvement, change management and quality initiatives. They normally report to Senior Management and are accountable for defining and implementing organizational IT methodologies, policies, processes, guidelines and “best practices”. The PMO are traditionally deemed as the “organizational owners” of all IT methodologies and are responsible for the creation, institutionalization, training and support of these methodologies. Corporate Training Staff In some organizations a group of resources are dedicated to delivering overall training (including IT methodologies) to organizational staff. They are responsible for ensuring corporate training standards exist and are applied (including IT methodology training) to the delivery of all corporate training. The training staff collaborate with the PMO to guide the development and delivery of the IT methodology training needs. Communications Staff In some organizations a number of resources are dedicated to developing and overseeing all internal and external communications – including the status and progress of PMO initiatives. These resources are accountable for developing and applying communication strategies and plans to ensure the “proper” message is consistently being delivered. These resources work with the PMO to ensure all organizational staff remain up to date and informed on the progress of the IT methodology implementation. Corporate Quality Assurance/Governance Resources In some organizations a team is assembled to monitor how the organizationally approved processes, standards, and IT methodologies are being applied. These resources work with IT staff and project team members to support the implementation of the approved corporate processes, standards, and IT methodologies – they usually have an independent reporting structure direct to organizational Senior Management. These resources use an IT methodology as the basis for performing process audits and reviews with the project teams. The audits consist of checking to see if and how the pre-defined deliverables of the IT methodology are being applied by the project teams. The underlying principle is that “quality” will be incorporated into the end product or system/application if the IT methodology has been effectively applied. Wrap Up An IT Methodology is a mechanism that can be used to consistently deliver quality applications on time and within budget. It provides benefits and support to a number of organizational roles that are responsible for delivering IT efficiency and ROI. Cameron Watson Cameron Watson is the President of QAIassist. QAIassist helps organizations increase and optimze their IT delivery and support efficiency. QAIassist's Integrated Methodology incorporates the disciplines and deliverables required for organizations to consistently deliver quality applications on time and within budget. Posted Jul 11 2011, 07:42 AM by CameronWatson with 1 comment(s) Filed under: methodology, IT, project management, training

• Preaching to the Choir - Part II

  (continuing from the previous post...) IT Methodology - Project Audiences This audience traditionally views a methodology as a tool they can utilize to ensure they can deliver and support IT projects.  As a tool, a methodology affords this audience access to a pre-defined structure, lifecycles, work products and deliverables that can be applied to ensure the project is properly planned, resourced, and executed. Business Resources (Analysts) Business staff are the individuals responsible for understanding the organizational products and services being delivered through day to day operations. They are the “business experts” that are responsible for ensuring all the required business functionality is available in the products and systems/applications being delivered and maintained by the IT resources. An IT methodology provides the business resources the mechanism to articulate and contribute their business knowledge into the requirements that will be used to develop the product or system/application. An IT methodology also provides the Business Analysts an understanding of how the system/application will be built (deliverable wise) and establishes the necessary documentation to ensure the product they are receiving can be tested and maintained to reflect the business requirements they have defined. IT Project Managers IT Project Managers are responsible for delivering products and systems/applications to the business stakeholders and user community. They plan, lead and manage a project from project startup through implementation. They are accountable for ensuring the product or system/application adheres to the schedule, cost and quality demands of the project stakeholders. An IT methodology is the tool they leverage to ensure the proper resources and skills are available to complete the project, the business requirements are incorporated into the final product, the final product serves the business need, and the project is completed on time and within budget. IT Application Development & Support/Maintenance Teams The IT application/system delivery and support resources are accountable for designing, delivering and maintaining the functionality of products and applications/systems. These resources are responsible for delivering and maintaining business systems/applications that provide operational staff the necessary functionality to deliver products and services to the client. Examples of these roles can include system architects, functional architects, database administrators, team leaders, systems analysts, system programmers, system testers. These resources rely on an IT methodology to pre-define the deliverables (specific work products) the project team will be completing to deliver the project.    IT Application Testing Teams The IT Application Testing Teams are accountable for ensuring the product or system/applications being delivered by the IT Application Development & Support/Maintenance teams align with the authorized business requirements and that the business requirements address the business need. These teams are frequently sub-divided into addressing Unit Testing, Integration Testing and User Acceptance Testing. These resources rely on an IT methodology to establish the necessary documentation and pre-defined testing criteria that will be used to validate the functionality being delivered in the product or system/application.    Until next time... Cameron Watson Cameron Watson is the President of QAIassist. QAIassist helps organizations increase and optimze their IT delivery and support efficiency. QAIassist's Integrated Methodology incorporates the disciplines and deliverables required for organizations to consistently deliver quality applications on time and within budget. Posted Jul 05 2011, 09:02 AM by CameronWatson with 1 comment(s) Filed under: methodology, IT, project management, IT project managers, project audiences