RightSize Project Management for Infrastructure and Operations Equip

Right-Size Project Management for Infrastructure and Operations Equip your project managers with a purpose-built approach to project management. Info-Tech Research Group Inc. is a global leader in providing IT research and advice. Info-Tech’s products and services combine actionable insight and relevant advice with Info-Tech's products and services combine actionable insight advice ready-to-use tools and templates that cover theand fullrelevant spectrum of IT with concerns. and templates that cover the full spectrum IT concerns. © 1997 -2019 Info-Tech Group © of 1997 -2019 Info-Tech Research Group Research Inc. Info-Tech Research Group 1

ANALYST PERSPECTIVE Ensure that time spent on project management duties is time well spent. The concept of project management best practices has a history of being ill fitted to Infrastructure environments, where the call to “get-to-action” is typically much more pressing than the need for thorough project management documentation. Indeed, the path to implementation on infrastructure projects is typically much more straightforward than it can be in Applications, and infrastructure practitioners are right to scoff – as they often do – at the rigorous requirements gathering and scope management documentation they are asked to complete by well-intentioned project leaders. That said, infrastructure projects have areas of risk that need to be managed, and outcomes that need to be documented and communicated. The reluctance to adhere to a process not only puts projects at risk, but also it contributes to portfolio and organizational confusion, wasting time and eroding stakeholder trust in IT. Get infrastructure practitioners onboard with a purpose-built approach to project management to help ensure Infrastructure and the project management office (PMO) needs are met, and that time spent on project management duties is time well spent. Barry Cousins, Senior Research Director, PMO Practice Info-Tech Research Group SAMPLE Info-Tech Research Group 2

Our understanding of the problem This Research Is is Designed For: This Research Will Help You: üCIOs who need to manage the needs of both üAlign stakeholders to better address both Infrastructure and PMO staff. üInfrastructure managers and staff who need to satisfy project management responsibilities on top of heavy operational workloads. üPMO directors who need to foster better adherence to project management processes from infrastructure project leads. operational and project needs. üCustomize a project management toolkit that is purpose built to the unique needs of infrastructure teams. üImplement an easy-to-navigate project management process. This Research Will Also Assist: This Research Will Help Them: You: üFormal project managers who want to better üBetter address the unique needs of understand the needs of infrastructure practitioners. üInfrastructure practitioners and project leads who are looking for tools and tactics to better succeed in their project management duties. SAMPLE infrastructure teams and the challenges they face. üSucceed as project leads without drowning in unnecessary documentation. Info-Tech Research Group 3

Executive summary Situation • As a project leader in Infrastructure, you need to deliver projects in an • interruption-driven environment. You need an approach to project management that enables your people to satisfy their project duties without overwhelming them with too much documentation. Complication • Traditional project management best practices largely neglect the unique • planning needs of infrastructure projects, leaving them with requirements gathering and scope management rigor that doesn’t fit. The expectation of “get to action” is much higher in Infrastructure. The lack of planning by infrastructure project leads can hurt project outcomes and stakeholder perceptions of IT project delivery. 1. Put the “management” back in project management. Traditional project management is heavy on planning requirements, when often what’s required in Infrastructure is just a little bit of planning and a lot of ongoing communication and people management. 2. Change leadership required. More than in Applications, infrastructure project leaders need to remain tuned in to what’s in production and ready to support post-implementation change. Resolution • Breakdown the divide between stakeholder groups. Traditionally, it can be tough to get infrastructure practitioners and • • IT project leaders on the same page. Use the training and stakeholder alignment tactics and tools in this research to help promote better project management adherence, while improving relations between project and infrastructure leaders. Build an easy to navigate process. Shift the focus of your project managers and leads away from your processes, towards the fulfillment of the project. Provide project staff with a simplified process that will help to define scope, manage risk, communicate outcomes, and feed the portfolio, without drowning them in unnecessary documentation. Tune your project management tools to fit the task at hand. Lean on the Excel-based toolkit at the heart of this research to anchor your process. Even if you have an existing project management tool or set of templates, you can lean on Info-Tech’s tool recommendations to inform how you can better tailor your approach to infrastructure projects. SAMPLE Info-Tech Research Group 4

Infrastructure projects have unique planning needs Despite these unique needs, project management best practices have largely failed to address the specificity of Infrastructure’s needs. At its heart, project management is about helping to deliver a product, service, or thing whose final form is – at the start of the endeavor at least – somewhat unpredictable. Because the outcomes on software projects have traditionally been more opaque upfront, the IT industry’s best practices have been a better fit for Applications than they have been for Infrastructure. Be that as it may, as the table below shows, infrastructure projects still have significant risks, costs, and outcomes that need to be managed. Typical Applications Project Typical Infrastructure Project Planning Needs Heavy requirements gathering and scope management Heavy change impact and communication planning; increasingly, heavy vendor and procurement planning Stakeholder Engagement Needs Heightened during requirements, but minimalto-moderate during execution and implementation Minimal-to-moderate upfront around requirements, but heightened ongoing engagement throughout execution and closure Estimation Needs Work effort (generally at the task level) Project duration Risk Mgmt Needs Heavy focus on managing risk to scope Heavy need to manage stakeholder and communication risks SAMPLE Info-Tech Research Group 5

Infrastructure practitioners still need to mitigate project risk and communicate project outcomes and changes All too often among infrastructure practitioners, the drive to “get-to-action” is much stronger than the pull to properly plan projects. This ends up costing organizations. With a high expectation of “get-to-action” (both internally, from infrastructure practitioners, and externally, from requestors and executives), infrastructure project leads tend skip project planning activities in order to just “get to work. ” • While things still may get done by infrastructure teams within this approach, the lack of planning can lead to suboptimal results in the form of poor communication with stakeholders and end users. Sometimes, it can lead to poor quality and the need for rework. • The time “saved” by skipping planning is more often than not lost, if not by the project manager, then by the organization at large in the form of organizational confusion and waste due to poor implementation planning. There is a tendency for IT infrastructure projects to shortchange the planning process, with an emphasis on jumping right in and beginning the work. This is a mistake. The time spent properly planning the migration will result in reduced cost and duration and increased quality over the life of the project. – Tech. Republic A little bit of time invested in project planning can help reduce organizational waste and confusion and improve project portfolio visibility. SAMPLE Info-Tech Research Group 6

Follow Info-Tech’s methodology to get stakeholder buy-in and improve project outcomes This blueprint will help you configure a purpose-built project management tool and process. Don’t alienate your infrastructure project managers by making them adhere to a process that makes no sense for their projects. Info-Tech’s approach to project management for Infrastructure is centered around providing infrastructure project managers with a tailored set of tools to help them optimally plan their projects. We keep the process simple, providing a checklist-driven process with a visual workflow component. Additionally, we provide training material that can be easily customized to communicate your process requirements. 1 Configure a PM Tool 2 Design a process 3 Train your staff Info-Tech’s approach to infrastructure project management is centered on three core activities: configuring a lightweight tool, designing an easy to navigate process, and developing training material for infrastructure staff. SAMPLE Info-Tech Research Group 7

Use these icons to help direct you as you navigate this research Use these icons to help guide you through each step of the blueprint and direct you to content related to the recommended activities. This icon denotes a slide where a supporting Info-Tech tool or template will help you perform the activity or step associated with the slide. Refer to the supporting tool or template to get the best results and proceed to the next step of the project. This icon denotes a slide with an associated activity. The activity can be performed either as part of your project or with the support of Info-Tech team members, who will come onsite to facilitate a workshop for your organization. SAMPLE Info-Tech Research Group 8

Info-Tech offers various levels of support to best suit your needs DIY Toolkit “Our team has already made this critical project a priority, and we have the time and capability, but some guidance along the way would be helpful. ” Guided Implementation Workshop Consulting “Our team knows that we need to fix a process, but we need assistance to determine where to focus. Some check-ins along the way would help keep us on track. ” “We need to hit the ground running and get this project kicked off immediately. Our team has the ability to take this over once we get a framework and strategy in place. ” “Our team does not have the time or the knowledge to take this project on. We need assistance through the entirety of this project. ” Diagnostics and consistent frameworks used throughout all four options SAMPLE Info-Tech Research Group 9

Right-Size Project Management for Infrastructure and Operations – project overview 1. Develop a Project Management Process for Infrastructure 1. 1 Configure a Purpose-Built Project Management Workbook 2. 1 Document and Communicate Your Project Management Processes Best-Practice Toolkit Scoping call to determine the organization’s current state and to review Info-Tech’s Infrastructure and Operations Project Management Workbook. Develop project initiation and planning practices using the workbook. Formalize your new project management processes in a process document and workflow. Prepare to communicate your new processes and to train project managers. Cultivate project execution and closure practices for your infrastructure project managers using the workbook. Guided Implementations Module 1: Configure a Purpose-Built Project Management Workbook Module 2: Document and Communicate Your Project Management Processes Phase 1 Outcome: • A purpose-built project management spreadsheet Phase 2 Outcome: • A project management process checklist and workflow • A training guide for infrastructure project managers Onsite Workshop SAMPLE Info-Tech Research Group 10

Workshop overview Deliverables Activities Contact your account representative or email Workshops@Info. Tech. com for more information. Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4 Module 5 Analyze the Current State Define Project Management Baselines Establish Right-Sized Planning Processes Develop Execution and Closure Protocol Define an Implementation Plan 1. 1 Introductions and workshop expectations activity. 1. 2 Complete Info-Tech’s PPM Current State Scorecard diagnostic survey. 1. 3 Assess pain points and analyze root causes. 2. 1 Refine the definition of a project for your infrastructure team. 2. 2 Establish the criteria for assessing project levels to right-size project management processes. 2. 3 Perform a high-level project capacity assessment. 3. 1 Define intake and initiation steps for infrastructure projects and project managers. 3. 2 Create requirementsdriven scope statements and a plan for managing project changes. 3. 3 Create a task breakdown and schedule, and define roles. 4. 1 Plan organizational change management aspects of a project. 4. 2 Create a communications plan. 4. 3 Develop project status reporting and risk management processes. 4. 4 Develop a closure checklist. 5. 1 Map your target state process. 5. 2 Configure the Infrastructure and Operations Project Management Workbook. 5. 3 Plan training requirements and define an implementation plan. 1. PPM Current State Scorecard 2. Root cause analysis 1. Project Intake and Prioritization Tool 2. PPM High-Level Supply -Demand Calculator 1. Project initiation and planning standard operating procedures 1. Project execution and closure standard operating procedures 1. Infrastructure and Operations Project Management Workbook 2. Project Management Workflow Template 3. Project Management Process Training Template 4. Implementation Plan SAMPLE Info-Tech Research Group 11

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