Project Initiation at The Regence Group

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Presentation Goals

• Learn a little about different Project Life Cycle (PLC) methodologies

• At a high level, understand the Project Life Cycle used by The Regence Group (TRG)

• Learn about the Concept and Inception phases

• Understand how a project is initiated

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John Garrigues (sounds like Syracuse)

• Information Technology (IT) positions– Project Manager– Systems Administrator– Database Administrator– Network Administrator– Programmer/Analyst

• Managed IT projects for 20+ years• Managing projects for The Regence Group

(TRG) since 1999• PMP certification in January, 2001

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PLC Methodologies

• PMI Project Life Cycle– Initiation– Planning– Execution & Control– Closure

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PMI Phases

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PLC Methodologies

• Rational Unified Process (RUP)– An iterative software development process framework– An adaptable process framework– Developed by Rational Software Corporation, now a

division of IBM– Includes artifacts (documents) to support each activity of

the process– Phases include

• Inception phase • Elaboration phase • Construction phase • Transition phase

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RUP Phases

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PLC Methodologies

• Enterprise Unified Process (EUP)– RUP with 2 additional phases

• Production• Retirement

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PLC Methodologies

• Regence PLC– Developed by Enterprise Program Management

Office (EPMO)– Phases

• Concept• Inception• Elaboration• Construction• Transition• Closure

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Regence PLC Phases

• Concept: Project ideas are considered. Those that are approved become projects and continue in the lifecycle.

• Inception: Business requirements are identified and scope is set for the project. Initial project planning is done.

• Elaboration: System requirements are defined and the plan for the remainder of the project is set.

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Regence PLC Phases

• Construction: The solution is built, testing is performed, and preparation for rollout is complete.

• Transition: Final acceptance of the product, readying the organization, and rollout.

• Closure: Administrative shut-down of the project.

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Project Initiation at Regence

• Includes the Concept and Inception phases• Each phase has entrance criteria and exit

criteria• Each phase has objectives• Each phase has activities to be completed by

– Portfolio or project management– Regence IT Services (RITS) Solution Development– Business– Finance

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EPM Standards

Regence Project Lifecycle (PLC)

Concept Phase Definition

Entrance Criteria

Portfolio Management Activities

Phase Objectives

Business Activities

Finance Activities EPMO Project Compliance Criteria

• Business Case is approved

• Project is Staged

• Start date is defined

• Project Manager is assigned

• Project Core team identified

• Business need identified

• Business proposal created

• Business case created

• Determine if project idea aligns with corporate strategies and key initiatives• Develop the high-level budget and define the high-level benefits• Assess the business case; approve or reject the project • Evaluate the project against the portfolio; determine the project’s start date

Primary Phase Roles

Business SponsorSPG

Decision SupportRITS

Delivery ManagerEPMO Management

• None

RITS Solution Development Activities

Idea, Proposed or Staging State

• SPG reviews and approves Project Proposal • SPG reviews and approves Business Case • EPMO stages project• EPMO assigns Project Manager

• Define high-level product/project requirements• Identify business mandates• Define member, employer, and provider experience

features• Create Project Proposal• Create and Present Business Case for approval

• Participate in Business Case development• Participate in OOM estimate

• Create OOM estimate for entire project• Assign PeopleSoft ID and TKC when Project Proposal

approved• Disable PeopleSoft ID and TKC when Business Case is

approved• Reactivate PeopleSoft ID and TKC once project is

staged

Supporting Groups

SPGPrOps

Decision SupportProject Accounting

Portfolio Team

Phase Exit Criteria

Conception Phase Artifacts

• Business Case

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EPM Standards

Regence Project Lifecycle (PLC)

Inception Phase Definition

Phase Exit Criteria

Project Management Activities

Phase Objectives

Business Requirements Activities

Estimating / Budgeting Activities EPMO Project Compliance Activities

• Charter and Scope is approved

• Project staged for RITS work.

• Schedule for Elaboration created

• Risk Assessment performed

• Approx. 80% of Business Requirements defined

• Context diagrams

• Identify Primary Development Process

• Non-functional requirements

• Development case matrix updated

• Budget and ROI revised/rebaselined

• Business Case is approved

• Project has been staged

• Start date is defined

• Project Manager is assigned

• Project Core team named

Primary Phase Roles

Project SponsorBusiness SME

Project ManagerEnterprise AnalystSystems Analyst*

Solutions Engineer*Test Analyst*

Lead Developer*Infra/ Env Lead*

Secondary rolesDelivery Manager/

Track Manager

RITS Solution Development Activities

Active State

• Establish the project's scope and acceptance criteria and accepted by Stakeholders• Capture the business context and the most important business requirements and constraints to such an extent that you

can derive acceptance criteria for the end product• Identify the critical use cases of the system, the primary scenarios that will drive the major design tradeoffs• Estimate overall cost and schedule for the entire project; create definitive level estimates for Elaboration Phase• Identify and estimate potential risks and architecture tradeoffs• Prepare the supporting environment for the project (processes, templates, tools)

• Plan, validate, and format requirements• Understand current state• Architect process flows• Organize requirements into groups; estimate and staff• Define future state• Model and decompose processes• Define non-functional requirements and business rules

• Review Lessons Learned repository for similar projects• Create the project’s Charter and Scope and WBS• Create the detailed project schedule thru Elaboration; high-

level thru remainder of project• Create the project management plans: schedule, cost, risk,

requirements, communications, quality• Conduct Phase-Gate Review

• Define the problem, alternative solutions and collaborate on business requirements

• Assign RITS Core Team* (see primary roles)• Initial draft of functional specs, Master Test Approach,

Integration Test Cases, Test Plan, and SAD document

• Identify primary Process for Agile and/or Waterfall• High level story cards defined with TDD cases• Initial draft of Solution Map completed• Agile Development Team identified • Initial Integrated interfaces and high level architecture

identified

• Status report submitted on time • Development Case Matrix created thru Elaboration• Charter and Scope created• Communications, Risk, Quality, and Requirements

Management Plans created• Budgetary estimate defined• DIRs in ClearQuest• Detailed project schedule created thru Elaboration

• No later than 30 days after Inception starts:• Create definitive Project Management estimates for the

entire project• Create definitive Inception Phase / Business

Requirements estimates• Confirm OOM estimates for remainder of project

• By End of Inception:• Create definitive level estimates for Elaboration • Create budgetary level estimates for Construction thru

Closure• Baseline project budget

Supporting Groups

SPG/PrOpsDecision Support

Project AccountingPortfolio Team

Entrance Criteria

Agile-only activities shown in italics

Inception Phase Artifacts

• Charter and Scope• Initial Risk Assessment• Development Case Checklist• Budget and ROI• Benefit Realization

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Summary

• Project Life Cycle (PLC) methodologies– PMI, RUP, RSLC

• The TRG Project Life Cycle has phases– Concept, Inception, Elaboration, Construction

Transition, Closure

• Projects at are initiated by completing– Concept phase– Inception phase

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Questions