1 The Discovery Phase Why it’s the most important phase of any project A TUSC PMO Presentation

2 Discovery Phase  What is it?  When does it occur?  How does it compare with PMI’s Project Initiation and Planning phases?  What are the deliverables from this phase?

3 What does the Discovery Phase Focus on? 1. Project Objective 2. Critical Success Factors 3. Scope Definition 4. Risk Definition 5. Assumptions 6. Compliance Evaluation 7. Best Practices Process Validation 8. Deployment Requirements 9. Organizational Readiness 10. Project Plans

4 Focus Area 1: Project Objective  Defines business need and organizational goals  Indicates controlling factor(s) Time factor – meeting critical date Budget – cannot exceed $$ Corporate goal – streamline manufacturing by 10%  Indicates criticality factor mission critical to  Sales Force  HR & Payroll  Entire organization

5 Focus Area 2: Critical Success Factors Explore and Document key project Critical Success Factors (CSFs) in the following areas:  Business Process Level CSFs  Reduce cycle time  Increase customer base  Reduce service-call duration  Streamline order processing  Application / End User CSFs  Types of browsers supported  Types of interfaces supported  Standards that must be met  Security and user access levels  Performance Metrics that must be met

6 Focus Area 2: Critical Success Factors Success factors must be stated in a manner that is measurable! Not measurable if stated: “Must be able to collect / store customer data” It IS measurable if stated: “Must be able to collect customer data via: single intranet screen within order process two screens within customer maintenance data loader, within 1 sec per record speed

7 Focus Area 3: Scope Definition  What is in scope  What is NOT in scope  How will scope be managed  How will scope be measured

8 Focus Area 4: Risk Definition  Evaluate all areas: Hardware  Dev/Test/Prod Environments  New or Existing?  Performance? Technology  Bleeding Edge or Stable  Support / Maintenance  Knowledge base Resources  Turn over, Availability, Travel Business Processes  Change Aware  Qualify How likely is this risk?  Quantify What’s the cost if risk is realized?

9 Focus Area 5: Assumptions Communication Validation Identification

10 Focus Area 5: Assumptions - Infrastructure  Technology upgrades Infrastructure Networks Scanning Equipment  Hardware Development Test (QA/Stress) Production End User / Workstations Printers Disk Storage  Software Development tools Migration Tools Version Control Performance Monitoring

11 Focus Area 5: Assumptions - Change  Business Process Changes Will the project include business process re-engineering?  Validate timelines for “As is” vs “To be”  Define guide lines for BPR Inclusion and the “buy in” approach Acceptance of the “new world” How will process changes be communicated Consider using a BPR Marketing team  Town Hall Meetings  News Letters  blasts  Posters  T-shirts, Mugs, Stress Balls  Build Excitement

12 Focus Area 5: Assumptions - Project Team  Team Members, Roles and Authority Resource Availability Business Users Management Team Decision Making Authority Technical Team  Team Housing Where will the team work Is there Teaming space Dynamics of location  Team Building Create Trust Define Roles Find Common Thread to Unite

13 Focus Area 6: Compliance  Government Compliance Areas Sarbanes Oxley ACT  Separation of Duties  Data Access Levels  Business Process Analysis HIPAA Act  Data Security  Customer Data Security  Process Validations PCI Compliance  Data Encryption  Document Controls FDA Validation Requirements  Process definitions  Design, Dev, Test  Operational Support

14 Focus Area 6: Compliance  Application Security Requirements Document the type of security that will be needed.  Application Level Security Rqmnts  User Level Security Rqmnts  Screen Level Security Rqmnts  Field Level Security Rqmnts

15 Focus Area 7: Best Practices  Conflict Resolution Process  Risk Management Process  Scope Management Process  Escalation Processes defined and effective

16 Focus Area 8: Deployment Factors  Definition of user community Quantity of users or  Access levels Intranet Internet Dedicated or Leased Lines  User Access Plan User ID creation Access Approval process Phased roll-0ut Plan  Deployment Plan

17 Focus Area 9: Organizational Readiness  Infrastructure  Clear Understanding of Business Needs  Strong Upper Management Support  Project Team Strength & Weaknesses

18 Focus Area 10: Project Plans  Resource Plan  Communication Plan  Scope Management Plan  Change Management Plan  Risk Management Plan  Issue Management Plan  Quality Management Plan  Training Plan  Deployment Plan  Support Plan

19 Discovery Team Members  Executive Management Government compliance, Corporate Infrastructure, Budget  IT Management Validation of infrastructure, IT governance and compliance, resource availability, organizational readiness  Project Manager Plans: scope, risk, communication, resource  Business Managers Business objectives, critical success factors, deployment requirements, compliance, security, resource availability  IT Support Staff Standards, interfaces, resources, design review  Business Representatives / End-User Committee Validation of design and business objectives, data accessibility, organizational readiness for business level, application success factors  Business Systems Analyst Process analysis

20 Recap 1. Project Objective 2. Critical Success Factors 3. Scope Definition 4. Risk Definition 5. Assumptions 6. Compliance Evaluation 7. Best Practices & Process Validation 8. Deployment Requirements 9. Organizational Readiness 10. Project Plans

21 The Discovery Phase Why it’s the most important phase of any project A TUSC PMO Presentation References: Project Management Institute, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, (PMBOK Guide). 3rd Edition, Project Management Institute, Pennsylvania, USA, Nov 2004 Neal Whitten, Neal Whitten’s No-Nonsense Advise for Successful Projects. USA, Management Concepts, Sept 2004.

22 Thank You