The PMO provides a variety of templates to professionally manage any project. These templates will assist you throughout the life cycle of a project. Please reference the templates below:
Business Case
A BUSINESS CASE CAPTURES THE REASONS FOR STARTING A PROJECT, TASK OR IDEA. IT IS SOMETIMES CALLED THE DISCOVERY PHASE OF A PROJECT. IT IS USED TO OUTLINE THE BENEFITS OF THE PROJECT, TASK OR IDEA TO THE ORGANIZATION. IT CAN BE PRESENTED IN A WELL-STRUCTURED WRITTEN DOCUMENT, BUT MAY ALSO COME IN THE FORM OF A SHORT VERBAL AGREEMENT OR PRESENTATION. THE OUTCOME OF A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS CASE IS APPROVAL TO INITIATE A PROJECT.
Stakeholder Register
THE STAKEHOLDER REGISTER IS A DOCUMENT THAT LISTS ALL PROJECT STAKEHOLDERS AND THEIR ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTES. IT HELPS THE TEAM KEEP TRACK OF ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE A STAKE IN THE PROJECT AND MANAGE THEIR EXPECTATIONS. IT IS USUALLY DEVELOPED IN THE INITIATION PHASE OF A PROJECT.
Project Plan
A PROJECT PLAN IS THE FORMAL DOCUMENT THAT IS USED TO GUIDE THE PROJECT THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE. IT IS USUALLY A DETAILED DOCUMENT THAT IS DEVELOPED BY THE PROJECT TEAM AND OUTLINES THE APPROACH TO DELIVER THE SCOPE OUTLINED IN THE PROJECT CHARTER. THE PRIMARY USES OF THE PROJECT PLAN ARE TO DOCUMENT PLANNING ASSUMPTIONS AND DECISIONS, FACILITATE COMMUNICATION AMONG PROJECT STAKEHOLDERS, AND DOCUMENT APPROVED SCOPE, COST, AND SCHEDULE BASELINES. THE OUTCOME OF A SUCCESSFUL PROJECT PLAN IS APPROVAL TO IMPLEMENT A PROJECT.
Meeting Agenda
A MEETING AGENDA IS A DOCUMENT THAT OUTLINES THE TOPICS, ITEMS, AND ACTIVITIES THAT WILL BE DISCUSSED OR ADDRESSED DURING A MEETING. IT SERVES AS A GUIDE AND A ROADMAP FOR THE MEETING, ENSURING THAT PARTICIPANTS STAY FOCUSED AND PRODUCTIVE. A WELL-STRUCTURED MEETING AGENDA HELPS ENSURE THAT MEETINGS ARE PRODUCTIVE, EFFICIENT AND FOCUSED ON ACHIEVING THE DESIRED OUTCOME. IT PROVIDES A CLEAR ROADMAP FOR PARTICIPANTS, HELPING THEM PREPARE IN ADVNACE AND CONTRIBUTE MEANINGFULLY TO THE DISCUSSIONS.
Status Report
THE STATUS REPORT IS USED THROUGHOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE AND IS USED TO PERIODICALLY UPDATE THE RELEVANT PROJECT STAKEHOLDER ON THE PROGRESS OF THE PROJECT AS IT RELATES TO THE SCHEDULE OUTLINED IN THE PROJECT PLAN.
Project Closeout
THE CLOSE OUT REPORT IS USED TO ASSESS THE PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION, DOCUMENT LESSONS LEARNED AND ENSURE OVERALL COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT. IT IS A CONFIRMATION THAT WHAT WAS DELIVERED MEETS ALL SPONSOR, CUSTOMER AND STAKEHOLDER REQUIREMENTS. THE OUTCOME OF A SUCCESSFUL CLOSEOUT REPORT IS FORMAL RECOGNITION OF THE COMPLETION OF A PROJECT.
Service Review
THE SERVICE REVIEW REPORT IS A COMPREHENSIVE DOCUMENT GENERATED BY THE SERVICE PROVIDER ONCE A DECISION HAS BEEN MADE TO EVALUATE A PARTICULAR SERVICE. THIS REPORT OFFERS AN OVERVIEW OF THE SERVICE, ENCOMPASSING ITS HISTORY, SERVICES PROVIDED, AND OTHER RELEVANT DETAILS. ADDITIONALLY, IT INCLUDES RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE APPROPRIATE COURSE OF ACTION FOR THE SERVICE. THE REVIEW PROCESS CAN YIELD ONE OF THREE POSSIBLE OUTCOMES:
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IF A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IS REQUIRED, IT TRIGGERS THE INITIATION OF A 'SERVICE UPGRADE PROJECT' THAT INTEGRATES THE SERVICE INTO THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK.
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OPTING FOR 'MINOR OR NO CHANGES' ALLOWS THE SERVICE TO CONTINUE, WITH ANY NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS BEING MADE DURING ONGOING SERVICE MAINTENANCE.
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IF THE DECISION IS MADE TO DISCONTINUE THE SERVICE, IT INITIATES A 'SERVICE PHASE OUT' PROJECT, WHICH, ONCE AGAIN, IS INCORPORATED INTO THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK.
Software for managing projects
Depending on the project's size, scope or complexity, different applications can be utilized to track of tasks and schedule. Below are some applications utilized by the ITPMO.
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Microsoft Excel - a basic application used to keep track of project tasks and schedules. Generally used on simple projects that need basic functionality to keep track of tasks and schedules.
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Microsoft Teams - Is a free program offered to faculty and staff that can be used for project management. It the project manager a one stop shop for task, issue and risk tracking, project collaboration, and a document repository.
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Microsoft Planner - Is a free program offered to faculty and staff that can be used for light weight project management. This program is an add-on for Office 365. Planner enables users to assign tasks and track each from To-Do, In Progress, and Done. Allows the project manager to track in a more agile manner using a Kanban board.
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Smartsheet - A full featured project management application being piloted within the IT PMO. It offers a robust feature set including granular task tracking, and the ability to seamlessly create project dashboards and reports. The project manager is able to manage their project utilizing either the agile or waterfall methodology. This is a cloud based application that does require a license to be purchased to be able to use the full feature set of the application.