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Steps of a Business IT Project

By PM IT CIO Refresher - Steps of a Business IT Project

Steps of a Business IT Project

There are essentially five (5) stages of an IT project the elements of which are covered in this document and include:

InitiationPlanningExecutionProject ControlsCloseout

PLAN
Devising a workable plan to accomplish the business need that the project was undertaken to address.

Notable steps:

Project Plan, Schedule and Controls: This process involves determining the work activities and tasks needed
to complete the project and the appropriate levels of controls needed to ensure the success of the project.

Procurement Planning: This process involves determining at what point in the project procurement is required and developing the initial plan and preconditions.
 
EXECUTE & CONTROL
Coordinating people and other resources to carry out the plan.   Controls are in place to ensure the project objectives are met by monitoring and measuring progress and taking corrective action when necessary.

Notable steps:
Procurement:  Acquire the necessary resources to accomplish the project. The procurement process can typically take from six (6) months to a year to complete for a major initiative.  OIS works closely with the Office of Contracts and Procurement (OC&P) in developing and implementing a procurement strategy.

Design, Development/Configuration and Implementation (DDI):  Creating work results for the project implementation are included in this step.  This step may last several months to two years depending upon size, scope, complexity, and diversity of participation required.  Projects that will require a longer period of time to complete are usually divided into phases so that no single phase would last longer than 2 years.

Control:  Monitor project schedule, costs, and scope.  Coordinate approved changes across the project.  Perform quality control reviews and manage adjustments required.

CLOSE
Formalizing the acceptance of the project or phase and bringing it to an orderly end.

Notable steps:
Finalize:  Approve final project deliverable, ensure ongoing responsibility for deliverable is identified, obtain Steering Committee acceptance of project.

Maintenance and Operations:  The responsibility for the project deliverables is transferred from a "project" status to ongoing maintenance and support.
  
Lessons Learned and Project Closeout Report:  Documented adjustments, issues, and other project information are provided in a repository to provide repeatable and avoidable activities/tasks for future projects.
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