Engaging Upper Engaging Upper Management in Management in Programming Programming Project Project PrioritizationPrioritization

Dr. K.B. Massingill, CIODr. K.B. Massingill, CIO

Jim Trietsch, Associate Jim Trietsch, Associate CIOCIO

Copyright Dr. K.B.Massingill and James W. Trietsch 2003. This work is the Copyright Dr. K.B.Massingill and James W. Trietsch 2003. This work is the intellectual property of the authors. Permission is granted for this material to be intellectual property of the authors. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.requires written permission from the author.

NamesNames

• Change ManagementChange Management• Strategic AlignmentStrategic Alignment• Program ManagementProgram Management

– (Project Selection)(Project Selection)

How did we get How did we get here?here?

• Banner conversionBanner conversion• Irregular meetings of Irregular meetings of

VPsVPs• Sr. Systems analyst – Sr. Systems analyst –

good at sorting projects good at sorting projects and saying “No!”and saying “No!”

• ““Yes” projects may not Yes” projects may not be strategicbe strategic

ProposalProposal

• Executive teamExecutive team• Quarterly meetingQuarterly meeting• Schedule work six Schedule work six

months outmonths out• Strategic decisionsStrategic decisions• Ongoing planningOngoing planning

Primary Team Primary Team MembersMembers• Executive VPExecutive VP• ProvostProvost• VP, DevelopmentVP, Development• VP, FinanceVP, Finance• CIOCIO• Associate CIOAssociate CIO• Director, Computing & Director, Computing &

Networking ServicesNetworking Services• Director, Web Integration & Director, Web Integration &

ProgrammingProgramming• Sr. Systems AnalystSr. Systems Analyst• Director, Re-engineeringDirector, Re-engineering

Process GoalsProcess Goals

• Increase # of prioritized Increase # of prioritized projectsprojects

• Create culture of pre-planningCreate culture of pre-planning• Reduce # of ad hoc projectsReduce # of ad hoc projects• Prioritize necessary ad hoc Prioritize necessary ad hoc

projectsprojects• Train staff in project Train staff in project

management and time analysismanagement and time analysis

First Meeting GoalsFirst Meeting Goals

• Review projects of last 12 Review projects of last 12 monthsmonths

• Review and tune projects list Review and tune projects list for next six monthsfor next six months

• Set preliminary goals for Set preliminary goals for months 7-9.months 7-9.

• Approve annual meeting Approve annual meeting calendarcalendar

• Approve procedure and Approve procedure and submission form for projectssubmission form for projects

First MeetingFirst Meeting

• LOTS of confusionLOTS of confusion• What do executives What do executives

want???want???• VP Signatures???VP Signatures???• Electronic copies???Electronic copies???• Lots of background Lots of background

needed for existing needed for existing proposalsproposals

Meeting Meeting PresentationsPresentations

• Gantt charts galoreGantt charts galore• Excel spreadsheetsExcel spreadsheets• Lots of info or minimal Lots of info or minimal

infoinfo• Do they really care?Do they really care?

Second “First Second “First Meeting”Meeting”

• Two hours was NOT enoughTwo hours was NOT enough• How ARE we going to track How ARE we going to track

this stuff?this stuff?• New format of available New format of available

hours, people, resourceshours, people, resources• Need consistency within Need consistency within

Information Services groupsInformation Services groups• What do we need from What do we need from

users?users?

Business Process Business Process AnalysisAnalysis

• User-defined User-defined requirements not good requirements not good enoughenough

• Business needs hard to Business needs hard to describedescribe

• Is this really a technical Is this really a technical need and how badly do need and how badly do they need it?they need it?

User User RequirementsRequirements

DILBERT reprinted by permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

Technical AnalysisTechnical Analysis

• Time for good analysisTime for good analysis• Wait for work to be Wait for work to be

tentatively approved tentatively approved before technical analysisbefore technical analysis

• Hours and hours for Hours and hours for good analysisgood analysis

Time for ProjectsTime for Projects

DILBERT reprinted by permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

First Scheduled First Scheduled MeetingMeeting

• Refined report processRefined report process• Need for triage of Need for triage of

programming requestsprogramming requests• Can we ever really say Can we ever really say

No?No?• Planning six months Planning six months

away really realistic?away really realistic?

Intended ProcessIntended Process

VICE PRESIDENTS - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT

ULTIMATE GOAL – PORTFOLIO CONTROL AND REPORTING

Request for Programming

Services

FeasibilityReview

Committee Review

Project Initiation / Execution

BenefitsRealization

ApprovedY

•Table•Request More Info•Decline

N

Time for ProjectsTime for Projects

DILBERT reprinted by permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

Preparing for next Preparing for next meetingmeeting

• New requestsNew requests• Update on scheduled requestsUpdate on scheduled requests• Successful?Successful?

– On timeOn time– Within budgetWithin budget– Meets user requirementsMeets user requirements

• Reminder of cancelled/denied Reminder of cancelled/denied requestsrequests

Ultimate project goal Ultimate project goal is to avoidis to avoid

at all costs …at all costs …

Time spent in Time spent in between meetings …between meetings …

• Surviving after the Surviving after the meetingmeeting

• Business process Business process analysisanalysis

• Technical analysisTechnical analysis• Receiving new requestsReceiving new requests• Dealing with users!Dealing with users!

Technology DemoTechnology Demo

DILBERT reprinted by permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

EDUCAUSE Review – EDUCAUSE Review – May/June 2003May/June 2003

““It is important for the president, as well as It is important for the president, as well as members of the executive team, to understand members of the executive team, to understand and own IT issues, rather than assume that these and own IT issues, rather than assume that these are exclusively the purview of the CIO or are exclusively the purview of the CIO or technology officer. It is no longer possible for a technology officer. It is no longer possible for a college or university president to safely delegate college or university president to safely delegate all technology-related decisions to the CIO. The all technology-related decisions to the CIO. The costs are too high, the risks are too great, and costs are too high, the risks are too great, and the opportunities are too significant for the the opportunities are too significant for the president not to be personally aware or involved.”president not to be personally aware or involved.”

John Hitt, President, University of Central FloridaJohn Hitt, President, University of Central Florida

So What?So What?

• Executive buy-in crucialExecutive buy-in crucial• Be fair, but realistic with Be fair, but realistic with

analysis about projectsanalysis about projects• Don’t commit too muchDon’t commit too much• If I do this project, which If I do this project, which

one gets delayed?one gets delayed?• Keep on, keep on, keep on Keep on, keep on, keep on

……

ACU Executive ACU Executive PerspectivePerspective

““The prioritization process has allowed ACU to The prioritization process has allowed ACU to focus scarce resources on strategic focus scarce resources on strategic priorities. Our CIO and staff no longer are priorities. Our CIO and staff no longer are placed in a position of having to determine placed in a position of having to determine the priority of projects from different areas. the priority of projects from different areas. Since each executive officer is involved in Since each executive officer is involved in the decisions making process, there is the decisions making process, there is greater awareness of the overall needs of greater awareness of the overall needs of the university and how they match up with the university and how they match up with our programming and network resources.”our programming and network resources.”

Jack Rich, Executive VP, ACUJack Rich, Executive VP, ACU

Management Management ApprovalsApprovals

DILBERT reprinted by permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

Questions ???Questions ???