Developing Collaborative Project Managers in IT Presented by: Jane Bachand, PMO Analyst University of Connecticut Amy Baker, Chief Technology Officer West Virginia University Debbie Lauriano, Director IT App Devel University of California Davis

Overview Welcome, purpose, format & introductions The UConn Way– Jane Bachand They UC Davis Way – Debbie Lauriano The West Virginia University Way– Amy Baker Open Forum (Your questions and/or your experiences)

University of Connecticut History Jim Lewis, outside PM consultant, trained key people in IT in 2002 on project management Created a project management methodology implemented in 2004 Began the Project Management Office (PMO) in UITS in 2005 PMO Responsibilities – Establish & deploy consistent PMM – Build PM skills & competencies within UITS – Provide common, consolidated project reporting & metrics on executed projects

University of Connecticut Perfect Profile: Technical, Analytical & Interpersonal PMO does not provide PMs nor do we have full-time PMs PMs are IT Directors, functional managers & technical staff, and maintain other workload Many PMs are highly technical & thus great technical leads Many PMs lack strong communication and organizational skills and have not had the opportunity to develop the necessary administrative and interpersonal skills needed in project management Many projects fail due to inability to assess & document user requirements which we believe are a result of PMs with inadequate analytical skills as well as interpersonal skills

University of Connecticut Perfect Profile: Technical, Analytical & Interpersonal continued February, 2006, PMO developed 3-tier training plan for Project Managers Outcomes are 6 training modules Piloted basic level and will continue to train basic this fall & develop training for proficient level

University of Connecticut Future 4-part model: Training, Modeling/mentoring, Supervision, & Experience Monthly brown bag discussions with proficient and expert PMs Utilization of our more successful PMs in the PMO (assist with training, planning, managing IT projects)

University of Connecticut Additional Resources – Charter template – Five phases of PMM – PM roles and responsibilities – Process for facilitating a Post Implementation Review – Kick-off meetings – Project plan template

University of California, Davis History Failure of IT implementation drove us to Project Management in early 1990’s PM Unit built based on increase in cross unit and cross functional projects & success of project management Have 8 Project Managers in PM Unit Because of our history, team members expect to work with Project Managers Mature organization which shifts between program management & project management

University of California Davis Perfect Profile: Technical, Analytical & Interpersonal Historically, looked for technical skills Project Manager seen as a career path for technical staff & administrative support staff Re-staffed the unit when had to increase by four positions Did not promote from within as looking for seasoned PM’s for mission critical projects, with emphasis on analytical skills and change management Perfect PM: technical background, excellent logic & analytical skills, & excellent interpersonal skills to work with clients, team & management

University of California Davis Perfect Profile continued Pair the project manager with a strong technical lead or architect PMs are resources for one another Monthly meetings of PMs

University of California Davis Future Philosophy: can’t run projects with strict templates. Have expectations but allow PM to be creative Work with Data Center resulted in adding new steps to encourage collaboration Don’t assign any PM to any project. What to consider: technology, team members, culture, political environment, stake-holders & complexity of process

University of California Davis Summary Recruit for staff with perfect qualities Set up a structure for PMs to learn from one another Match PMs to projects based on strengths Monitor from management level to ensure following a methodology that encourages collaboration

University of California, Davis Additional Resources – Project Manager job description – Project Management Methodology – Budget template – Project Kickoff sample – Project Risk Assessment template – Project Scope Check-off list

West Virginia University History Past Project Management was done by IT staff (4-5 years ago) very technically oriented resulting in – All communication to community was from OIT – Had limited input from functional unit – Decisions made were technical, not business based – Standards set by OIT with little functional input With Staff & faculty perceiving software/systems were forced on them by OIT Had a pilot project to change the way we did PM (data warehouse project) – Emphasized inclusion of functional staff – Champion was functional unit/process owner – Had high communication, project still managed by OIT staff – Priorities were established by functional unit Resulting in well thought out system and project plan with technical aspects, communication, training and other needs being included in development This proof of concept led to the formation of PMO in OIT to define standard and process with correct staff selected from existing staff

University of West Virginia Perfect Profile: Technical, Analytical & Interpersonal In PMO, do not provide PM for all IT projects but do have 2 Project Consultants. Currently assigned PMs are the people suggesting the project and may not be best PM. Most are not trained PMs and lacking planning and communications The Project Consultant is a good alternative for us because hiring dedicated PMs at this point in time is not plausible What is looked for in Project Consultants – Communication and interpersonal skills – Broad technical knowledge – Strong customer service background

University of West Virginia Future PMO still in early development with focus on tracking project plans and resource management at higher level Past year focus has been on portfolio management tool First year for project consulting role, thinking of student interns Goal is to establish policies, procedures, support and documentation Do not have a single project methodology but do plan to develop standards Working to identify long term goals of PMO

West Virginia University Additional Resources – Project concept document – PMO roles and responsibilities – Project Consultants roles and responsibilities – Strategic Oversight Committee Information (charter, members, prioritization criteria) – Currently developing: Project score card & standard definitions for daily support and effort projections & reporting

Contact List Jane Bachand, PMO Analyst, University of Connecticut, Amy Baker, Chief Technology Office, West Virginia University, Debbie Lauriano, Director IET Application Development, University of California Davis, For a copy of this PowerPoint: pamela.heath-

Your Questions &/or Experiences