Project Management

Projects under $100,000

• Project Charter/Plan COMBINED Template

Projects between $100,000 and $499,999

• Project Charter Template $100K-$499K
• Project Plan Template $100K-$499K

Projects over $500,000

• Project Charter Template $500K
• Project Plan Template $500K
• Project Plan INTEGRATED Template $500K
• Project Startup Report Template
• Project Closeout Report Template
• Iterative Startup/Closeout Report Template

Project Plan Appendix A ($500K)

• Project Plan Appendix A v.07.24.2024
• Project Plan Appendix A v.05.08.2023
• Project Plan Appendix A v.08.16.2022
• Project Plan Appendix A v.01.31.2022 
• Project Plan Appendix A v.07.26.2021

Programs

• Program Charter Template
• Program Plan Template
• Project Appendix to Program Plan Template

All Projects

• Agenda/Minutes Template - General Meeting
• Agenda/Minutes Template - Project Kickoff Meeting
• Change Request Form
• Deliverable Acceptance Form
• Implementation Checklist
• Implementation and Transition Plan Template
• Team Operating Agreement Template
• Post Implementation Report Template

A comprehensive list of project management acronyms, resources, tips, and other useful tools compiled by the PMO - strongly recommended for all project managers and others involved with ensuring successful projects.

• Project Management Checklist

Project Management Lite is intended to help state employees and contractors who need to manage a state-based IT initiative, using a sensible, scalable, and standardized State of ND approach.

• Project Management Quick Start Guide

For small projects, there is an even more pared-down guide.

• Project Management Standard - The Bare Minimum for Small Projects

The following is a one-page document that describes the sponsor role and responsibilities during a project:

• I'm an IT Project Sponsor... Now What?

The NDIT PMO has put together all of its required steps and best practices for scheduling projects in a one page, easy to use guide.

• ND PMO Scheduling Best Practices

The Agile Reference Manual provides examples and options for managing an agile project in state government, utilizing concepts presented in the Project Management Institute's Agile Practice Guide.

• Agile Reference Manual

The Methodology Selection Tool (courtesy of the University of Notre Dame’s Project Management Office) is intended to help teams assess and discuss whether projects should be undertaken using predictive, iterative, agile, or blended approaches. Use it with the Agile Methodology Blends Matrix (also from the University of Notre Dame) to help guide project approach decisions.​

• Methodology Selection Tool
• Agile Methodology Blends Matrix

Organizational Change Management refers to the management of the stakeholders' adoption of the change the project will produce. The intent is for the project to incorporate activities to help those affected by the project adapt and thrive in the new post-project environment.

• Org Change Management for Large Projects
• Rubric for Scoring Change Management Effectiveness
• Change Management Post Implementation and Closeout Report

The NDIT PMO uses an enterprise project portfolio management (PPM) tool to manage and report on all of its projects. It is a Microsoft Project Online system that integrates with other Office 365 tools used throughout the state. State entities can gain access to the management system and related reports. Contact the PMO for more details, or to request access.

• ND VIEW

Project Management as a contracted service provides customers with qualified project managers that will lead agency projects using customized project management tools and templates.

Features

NDIT's Project Managers utilize a consistent approach for project management that is based upon the methods, techniques, and best practices defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI). They have experience managing projects related to application development, commercial software implementations, and infrastructure deployment. NDIT's Project Managers provide:

• Detailed knowledge of North Dakota Century Code and Enterprise Architecture standards
• Utilization of the Project Management Checklist and the customized project management tools and templates as a consistent, repeatable, and successful project management process
• Specific business and technical expertise for agency projects
• Project status reporting, including various project performance metrics
• Effective management of resources to complete a project on-time and within budget to meet its strategic objectives
• Standardized project repository utilizing Microsoft Teams and NDVIEW (the state's enterprise project online system)

Benefits

• Effective and result-driven project management by skilled, disciplined leaders
• Services provided to state agency customers on-demand with no procurement, supplemental staffing or other technical services RFP needed
• Cost avoidance for customers who do not have to maintain and provide their own in-house project management resources and skills for performing this type of work on a full-time basis when a full-time resource is not required
• Rates that are competitive; below commercially available alternatives
• Projects managed using methods, techniques and processes that can be launched quickly and efficiently
• Management practices that are already aligned to state standards
• Well defined project management disciplines that increase the ability to achieve the expected results by monitoring project performance on a regular basis while measuring progress in terms of technical, financial and scheduled events
• Centralized project status dashboard for viewing all of the agency's projects managed by the NDIT PMO

Purpose

This document outlines the characteristics and responsibilities of North Dakota Information Technology’s (NDIT) Project Management service. It communicates expectations between NDIT and all agencies that use the Project Management service.

Service Description

For the purpose of this agreement, “project management” refers to a contracted service in which NDIT’s Project Management Office (PMO) provides its customers with experienced professionals to plan, organize, secure, and manage resources needed to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives. This Statement of Work does not include project management services that may be received by those outside of the PMO acting in the project management role.

Project management can be contracted two ways through the PMO:

1. Indirectly as part of a project where NDIT is hired to undertake the design, development, and implementation of a solution
2. Directly for a variety of other initiatives

Expectations of Project Manager

All Project Phases

Responsibilities of the project manager during all phases of the project include:

1. Ensures requirements of NDCC § 54-59-32 are met
2. Ensures requirements of STD009-06 are met
3. Reviews and provides guidance and direction on project documentation and processes related to cost, schedule, scope, and quality
4. Participates in Executive Steering Committee (ESC) meetings for major projects as a non-voting member
5. Participates in procurement activities, including any Procurement Collaboration group
6. Acts as primary contact between project team and project sponsor or ESC
7. Acts as primary contact between vendors and project sponsor or ESC
8. If another change manager is assigned, works with change manager to ensure coordination between change management activities and project activities
9. Provides status to project leadership and project team
10. Creates and maintains the project in ND VIEW (PMO project management tool)
11. Creates and maintains the project’s Microsoft Teams site (project document repository)
12. Works with project team to identify and monitor project risks, issues, and action items
13. Works with the project oversight analyst, if required, to ensure accurate reporting to the Legislative Information Technology Committee (LITC)

Project Initiating Phase

Responsibilities of the project manager during the project’s Initiation Phase include:

1. Reviews sponsor’s role and project tools with the sponsor, if necessary
2. Provides information on Microsoft Teams and ND VIEW to project team, if necessary
3. Authors Project Charter document in partnership with project sponsor and project team, and obtains formal approval

Project Planning Phase

Responsibilities of the project manager during the project’s Planning Phase include:

1. Coordinates planning activities
2. Facilitates appropriate planning meetings
3. Identifies necessary resource roles and requests resources
4. Creates project schedule in partnership with project sponsor, project team, and vendor(s), and obtains formal approval
5. Authors Project Plan document in partnership with project sponsor, project team, and vendor(s), and obtains formal approval
6. Creates Startup Report document for major projects

Project Executing Phase

Responsibilities of the project manager during the project’s Execution Phase include:

1. Facilitates project status meetings
2. Monitors and controls project activities and resources
3. Executes the project plan, including:
   • Manages and controls project scope, budget, and schedule
   • Manages integrated change control
   • Manages deliverable acceptance process
   • Executes Project Communications Plan
4. Manages Project Implementation and Transition plans
5. Monitors and ensures vendor(s) comply with terms of the contract(s) in cooperation with procurement officer
6. Oversees objective measurements happening during the project timeframe

Project Closing Phase

Responsibilities of the project manager during the project’s Closing Phase include:

1. Verifies all project tasks have been completed to the satisfaction of the sponsor and project team, contract obligations fulfilled, and risks, issues, and action items have been closed out
2. Oversees any remaining objective measurements and verifies agency plan to perform any measurements scheduled for post-project
3. Solicits feedback from project sponsor, project team members, and appropriate stakeholders regarding success of the product and project
4. Solicits lessons learned and success stories from project sponsor, project team, and appropriate vendors and stakeholders
5. Creates Post Implementation Report document and obtains formal approval
6. Schedules and facilitates closeout meeting
7. Creates Closeout Report document for major projects
8. Verifies all project documents are in the Microsoft Teams site and archives as necessary
9. Verifies ND VIEW has correct closeout information and archives as necessary

Additional Services

Change Practitioner

Responsibilities of the change practitioner include:

1. Ensures the State’s change management methodology is followed
2. Provides direction and guidance to change team
3. Works with project manager to ensure coordination between change management activities and project activities
4. Facilitates meetings to perform initial and subsequent change assessments
5. Provides status to project manager, project leadership, and agency leadership on change activities
6. Authors change management documents in partnership with change team
7. Coaches sponsor and change management team

Procurement Officer

On major projects, this service is usually provided by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in collaboration with the agency’s procurement officer. Responsibilities of the procurement officer include:

1. Ensures State’s procurement laws, requirements, and best practices are followed, and works with OMB as necessary
2. Facilitates review by NDIT procurement staff of any information technology procurement over $25,000
3. Involves other NDIT subject matter experts as needed (e.g., enterprise architecture)
4. Determines appropriate procurement channel (Request for Information, Request for Proposal, Request for Quote, Alternate Procurement, etc.)
5. Schedules and facilitates procurement meetings
6. Authors procurement documentation in partnership with project team and agency fiscal staff
7. Facilitates negotiation
8. Manages vendor contracts
9. Provides status to project manager and project leadership on procurement activities

Expectation of Agency

Responsibilities of the agency during the project include:

1. Provides an active and visible sponsor
   • Chairs ESC for major projects (approves agendas, runs the meeting, calls for motions and votes where appropriate, introduces agenda items and presenters, etc.)
   • Provides project information and status to agency leadership as requested
   • Makes requested decisions on the project (on major projects, these decisions may be within thresholds allotted by the ESC)
   • Responsible for vision and general direction of the project
   • Communicates and supports business need(s) for the project, identifies project objectives, and verifies the project is providing the desired value
   • Leads change team and champions project change adoption
   • Stays educated on the project
   • Attends and actively participates in appropriate project meetings and events
   • Approves invoices and deliverable payments in partnership with project manager and project team
   • Supports project management processes
2. Ensures business area(s) that will benefit from the project are represented and empowered
3. Ensures agency resources are available
4. Secures project funding
5. Creates any federal funding or grant reporting documentation
6. Facilitates communication, including any reporting and testing, with federal government entities
7. Reviews and approves deliverables in the designated timeframe
8. Actively supports and participates in project activities
9. Posts public meetings with the Secretary of State’s Office