1. Project Management Tips
Top 10
Maine Digital Government Summit
October 18, 2007
Kelly Hokkanen, InforME

2. Real World Project Management

3. 1. Document Everything You are the project expert What to document:
Standard project documentation
Important discussions and decisions made
Dates of deliverables, decisions, milestones
Meetings, s and phone calls
If a new project manager were to take over tomorrow, would they have the complete project history and status?
Quality of documentation
Where and how is the information stored?

4. 2. Establish Clear Roles Who has decision making authority?
Who are the project team members and what is each person’s role?
Have team members been given the time they will need to complete their responsibilities related to the project?
Avoid: Decision by Committee!

5. 3. Follow a Standard Process
Make a template or guide of common steps for a given type of project
Checklist for each phase or at completion
Documentation templates with standard language that can be re-used/customized
Benefits:
You won’t miss important steps
Documentation is faster and easier to write

6. 4. Manage the Project Scope
Take time for good requirements gathering
Understand stakeholder goals, needs, and constraints
Document the project scope (level of detail will vary) and get approval of all parties involved
Keep the project within scope (nearly impossible) OR manage changes carefully
Analyze change requests and consider alternate solutions
Consider pushing changes to future project phases – the initial project does not need to include everything or it may never get done

7. 5. Communicate
Coordination and leadership of your project team – keep everyone on track
Make sure tasks and timelines are clear to all
Provide frequent status reports
Respond to questions and requests
Manage expectations – don’t promise what you can’t deliver

8. 6. Run Effective Meetings
Provide an agenda for each meeting
It’s your job to facilitate the meeting – follow the agenda
Encourage side conversations to move “offline”
Keep meetings under 2 hours
Close meeting with re-cap
Follow meeting with minutes or an summarizing decisions and next steps
Don’t hold unnecessary meetings

9. 7. Have a Plan Develop a project plan with milestones and a timeline
Balance detail with practicality (depending on project size/complexity)
The plan is a tool
Be flexible and accept that your timeline will change – keep everyone informed

10. 8. Save Time to Test For any project, testing is very important
Internal & external testing
Quality assurance
Standards compliance
Functionality (meets specifications)
User interface(s)
Technical/back-end
Security
Usability

11. 9. Be Smart Be aware of state policies, standards, and security issues
Don’t assume – when in doubt, find out
Examples:
Don’t use , AutoForms, or What’s New tool for sensitive information
Establish where databases and applications will be hosted early in project
Build to state standards

12. 10. Know Your Resources Available Tools, such as:
AutoForms
What’s New Tool
WebShop, Payment Engine
InforME as a resource
Web design
Web application & database development
eCommerce application development
Payment engine – over-the-counter & online credit card and e-check processing

13. Questions?
Contact: Kelly Hokkanen Director of eGovernment Solutions InforME x28