Project Management Office

SIS PMO - TAC 216 Guide

Vision  

The Shared Information Services Project Management Office (SIS PMO) is responsible for ensuring that all projects supporting the University of Texas System's Shared Information Services initiatives comply with the standards and guidelines outlined in TAC 216, Chapter 217, Subchapter B, Rule §217.10, et seq, while promoting collaboration, innovation, and efficiency across institutions.

Mission

The SIS PMO is committed to delivering project management services that support the University of Texas System's initiatives, ensuring compliance with TAC 216 requirements for IT project management, and fostering a culture of transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement.  

Goals

The goal of the Project Management Office (PMO) at our large state university system is to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of IT-related projects across the university. By establishing and maintaining standardized project management processes, procedures, and tools, the PMO aims to ensure the successful delivery of projects that support the university's strategic objectives. Our commitment is to provide administrative support, foster cross-functional collaboration, and uphold best practices in project management to drive continuous improvement and innovation within the university system. 

  1. Standardization: Implement and uphold standardized project management methodologies to ensure consistency and quality across all IT projects.
  2. Support: Provide administrative and technical support to project managers and teams, facilitating smooth project execution and delivery.
  3. Collaboration: Foster a collaborative environment that encourages cross-functional teamwork and knowledge sharing among departments.
  4. Best Practices: Promote and enforce best practices in project management to enhance project outcomes and align with the university's strategic goals.
  5. Continuous Improvement: Conduct periodic audits and reviews to identify areas for improvement and implement changes that drive efficiency and innovation. 

Objectives 

To ensure effective IT project management, we will develop a comprehensive framework that complies with TAC 216 standards, covering risk management, quality control, and continuous improvement. This framework will be supported by a governance structure that promotes transparency, accountability, and open communication among stakeholders. To achieve this, we will do the following: 

  1. Develop a project management framework that complies with TAC 216 standards for IT project management.
  2. Establish a governance structure that promotes transparency, accountability, and effective communication among stakeholders.
  3. Provide training and support to Program and Project Managers on best practices in project management. 

TAC 216 

TAC 216 requirements

TAC 216 outlines the requirements and standards for the management of information technology projects within state agencies in Texas. It requires each state agency to institute, approve, and publish a methodology for project management practices, and to include a description of the extent to which the agency uses these practices in its agency strategic plan.

UTSIS Governance

Shared Information Services (SIS) operates independently from the institutions it supports but is guided by two governing bodies and several functional committees:

Executive Committee (EC): Comprised of one senior level member from each of the participating campuses. The EC meets monthly with senior members of SIS to receive updates, provide feedback from their respective institutions, and discuss current and future strategic initiatives. They also provide guidance and general direction to the Operating Committee. 

Operating Committee (OC): Comprised of up to three members from each participating institution. Meetings are held monthly via video conference with an in-person meeting that takes place once per quarter. The OC ensures effective operation and utilization of the PeopleSoft ERP system (Finance and Human Resources) through two primary responsibilities:

  1. Evaluate proposals and make decisions or recommendations regarding enhancements or modifications to the PeopleSoft ERP system.

  2. Establish programming priorities and maintain an active list of on-going and planned development to the ERP System.  

Functional Committee (FC): Made up of business area subject matter experts from each of the institutions. The FCs advise the OC on matters specific to their subject area and make recommendations on application enhancements. 

SIS Organizational Structure

The SIS team has the below Functional Committees under its umbrella: 

FMSHCMPortal/Security
  • Accounts Payable/Travel & Expense  
  • Accounts Receivable/Billing  
  • Asset Management  
  • Commitment Control  
  • General Ledger  
  • Grants Management  
  • Projects  
  • Purchase/ePro  
  • Treasury  
  • Absence Management  
  • Human Resources  
  • Benefits  
  • Payroll  
  • Commitment Accounting   
  • Recruiting  
  • Time and Labor  
  • Portal/Security  
Business IntelligenceCampus SolutionsSysOps/ARDC
  • Business Intelligence
  • Campus Solutions Consolidated FC  

(May form module level committees in the future:  

  • Admissions, Recruiting, and Transfers  
  • Academic Advisement  
  • Campus Community  
  • Financial Aid   
  • Student Financials  
  • Student Records) 

SysOps:

  • Access Control 
  • Portal & Production Change Control 
  • PSDBA (Peoplesoft Database Administrator) 
  • System Administrator 
     

ARDC:

  • Data Center Operations 

SIS Demands, Projects and Change Management

Demand Management 

In the project management lifecycle, Demand Management is typically performed during the Idea phase:

The various stages of the Project Portfolio Management (PPM) Demand Management Lifecycle are: 

  1. Idea (Create New PPM demand): The Demand Request is intended to be a high-level overview of the Idea, emphasizing why the Idea is being requested and what is currently known about the request/project. Once saved, email notifications will go to the stakeholder stating a request has been submitted and needs to be evaluated and moved to Review Idea status.   
  1. Review Idea: The objective of Review of the Idea Phase is to generate conversation between the Functional Committee (FC), Requestor, and SIS Pillar Staff to develop a mutual understanding of the request objectives, impacts of achieving those objectives and providing a relative assessment of the estimated level of effort (LOE) for the primary SIS Pillar team.  
  1. FC Approval: When the information for the Review Idea phase has been completed, the Demand is ready for approval by the identified Stakeholders. The initial stakeholder will be the Functional Committee (FC) chair, and we proceed with our first vote.
  1. Evaluate PPM demand: After a Demand Request has been approved through the first vote taken by the FC, it moves to the Evaluate Phase. We have our 2nd vote where the Demand is being evaluated in the FC call and discussed with the campuses. The Demand can be Approved, Denied or Rejected:

  • Action to Approve the Demand. This will move the Demand to Portfolio Review.  

  • Action to Deny the Demand. The Demand returns to the Evaluate phase and a Journal entry tracks the denied approval.  

  • Action to Reject the Demand. This will close the Demand.

  1. PPM Demand Portfolio Review: Use the Portfolio Review phase to perform High-level Business Analysis for submitting Demands to the Operation Committee (OC) Review Process or to identify the Level of Effort and Demand scores. 

Project Management Lifecycle and Deliverables  

Stages of SIS Project Management: 

(Note: Templates are embedded in the PPM software) 

Planning Stages

  1. Assessing: When the associated Demand is in Portfolio Review, the Project is in the Assessing phase. It allows for side-by-side review with other Projects in the Portfolio. Work should not be started on the project until the Demand has been closed and Project accepted into Portfolio. At this time the status is automatically changed to New.  
    Deliverables: Planned Dates, Resource Plan, Project Description, Demand details 
  1. New: When a demand is accepted into the portfolio, the Placeholder Project status changes from Assessing to New. At this stage, information from the Demand—such as planned effort, resource plan, benefit plan, and risks—is integrated into the Project, but no activities occur. The New status verifies the accuracy of this information and adds users to the watchlist for Project Scheduling. New projects not created through a Demand also begin in the New status. 
    Deliverables: Planned effort, Resource plan, Benefit plan, and Risks (carry forwarded from the Demand).  Project Time Entries, High-Level Bus. Analysis (PMO led projects only), Project Charter/Approvals*, High-Level Schedule*, Watchlists, Journal Notes, Overview - Planned Start/End Dates
  1. Staffing: The project planning occurs in this stage by adding Project Roles and Resources and Task allocation to the Project. Once the deliverables are achieved, the project is forwarded to Scheduled stage. 
    Deliverables: Project Task, Risks tabs. work breakdown structure, schedule, staffing roster, roles and responsibilities, Project Communication plan, Project Task, Risks, and Lessons Learned 
  1. Scheduled: Staffed but not yet active. Initial Resource allocation and Task assignments are set and waiting for Project work to start. The following deliverables have to be made to be able to push the project to Execution stage. This stage enables the Status Updates tab, which is optional at this point, but mandatory for the Executing stage.  
    Deliverables: Project Header, Project Overview, Project Journal, Watch List, Project status, Project Resource allocation, Project Tasks with the WBS

Implementation Stage

  1. Executing: Project is in Implementation stage. All the project activities take place in this stage. 
    Deliverables: Production migrations, Issues, Action Items, Decisions, Change Orders, Related Tickets, and Approvals. Additional are also available, but hidden by default including, Cancelled Tasks, Program, Portfolio, and Change Requests

Closing Stage

  1. Closed: Project completed  
    Deliverables: Lesson Learned, Final Report 

Change Management

Risk and Issue Analysis
In the PPM lifecycle, we proactively identify and document Risks and Issues in the execution stage of the project, that may impact the successful delivery of projects. To ensure effective risk management, we analyze these potential threats to determine how many of them will likely result in a Change Order request further down the project pipeline.  

By analyzing Risks and Issues early in the PPM lifecycle, we can create a more robust and adaptable project portfolio, better equipped to handle the challenges that inevitably arise during project execution.  

Change Orders
In the project management lifecycle, Change Orders are typically performed during:

  1. Monitoring and Control (Executing): Changes to the project or process may occur, and change management processes are used to assess, approve, and implement these changes.

  2. Closing: Changes may also be made to the final product or outcome of the project.

Project Management Tools, and Methodologies

PPM Tools (PPM Software, Visualization, Road-mapping software and Microsoft Teams)

According to TAC 216, tools are needed for several reasons:

  1. Automation: Tools can automate repetitive tasks and processes, reducing manual errors and increasing efficiency.
  2. Standardization: Tools can help standardize project management practices and processes across the organization, ensuring consistency and quality.
  3. Integration: Tools can integrate with other systems and tools, enabling seamless data sharing and workflow coordination.
  4. Visualization: Tools can provide visual representations of project information, making it easier to understand complex project data and make informed decisions.
  5. Collaboration: Tools can facilitate collaboration among team members, stakeholders, and customers, ensuring everyone is aligned and working towards the same goals.

SIS uses platforms, which enable us to streamline project planning, execution, and monitoring.

With PPM software and MS Teams, we achieve the following:

  1. Improve project management processes by tracking project process and performance
  2. Enhance collaboration and communication among team members and stakeholders
  3. Increase transparency and visibility into project progress
  4. Reduce costs and improve resource allocation
  5. Make data-driven decisions to drive business success

Methodologies

  1. Waterfall: Our waterfall approach is ideal for projects with well-defined requirements and minimal complexity. This methodology involves:

  • Sequential phases of planning, execution, testing, and delivery

  • Clear separation between development and testing stages

  1. Hybrid: For projects that require a combination of structure and flexibility, we employ our hybrid approach. This methodology blends the benefits of waterfall and Agile methodologies by:

  • Involving stakeholders in iterative development cycles

  • Emphasizing collaboration and continuous improvement

  1. Agile: When faced with complex or rapidly changing requirements, we turn to Agile methodology. This approach emphasizes:

  • Incremental delivery of working software

  • Iterative refinement through continuous testing and feedback

Project Controls  

The controls for the projects are based on: 

Time & Performance tracking via PPM software 
Time reporting mechanism involves employees recording their work hours and activities in a PPM software, which serves several purposes:

  1. Auditing: The recorded time can be used to audit employee activities and ensure that they are working on assigned tasks and projects.
  2. Performance tracking: By analyzing the recorded time, you can track employee performance, including:
    • How much time is spent on specific tasks or projects
    • What percentage of their work hours are dedicated to each task or project
    • Time spent on various activities (e.g., meetings, training, etc.)
  3. Resource allocation: With accurate and detailed time reporting, you can better allocate resources (employees) to projects and tasks.
  4. Forecasting and budgeting: The recorded time helps in forecasting future workload and budgeting for projects.
  5. Compliance: Time reporting is available for required regulatory or compliance purposes.

Project Reviews and Trend Report

  1. Regular reviews are conducted to assess project milestones at each stage (in the form of a heatmap) and ensure that projects remain on track and important milestones are being achieved.
  2. The review process helps identify potential issues early on, allowing corrective action to be taken before it's too late.
  3. Project Trends reports are produced by PMO team at the end of the month, summarizing project performance and trends across all projects within the pillar, used to monitor project progress, identify areas for improvement, and inform strategic decisions about future projects. 

By establishing these control mechanisms, we can ensure that projects are well-managed, aligned with strategic goals, and optimized for success. 

Services provided by SIS PMO 

Effective project management is crucial for the success of any project. The SIS PMO delivers complex projects on time, within budget, and to high quality standards. With proficiency in planning, execution, and delivery, our PMO assists UT institutions in achieving strategic objectives and enhancing business performance. Our PMO employs a collaborative approach, utilizing internal expertise and best practices to ensure project completion, and offers a flexible and adaptable solution tailored to the specific needs of each institution. 

  • Project Desk 
  • Process Mapping 
  • Project Management 
  • Roadmapping 

For any queries contact: sis-help@utsystem.edu  

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