Report Tile

Training & Management Assistance Branch

UNITED STATES OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

Standards and Guidelines for Preparing Project Management Plans

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“Government likes to begin things - to declare grand new programs and causes. But good beginnings are not the measure of success. What matters in the end is completion. Performance. Results. Not just making promises, but making good on promises.” - George W. Bush

Message from the President

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Standards and Guidelines for Preparing Project Management Plans

•Introduction

•Management plan / letter management plan

•Management plan components

•Management plan details

•General information

•Questions

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Introduction

•TMA awards firm-fixed price task orders TMA Process Model high level.doc

•Every task order award is a project and is carried out under terms of an interagency agreement between OPM and a Government agency

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Introduction (cond’t)

•Every project is guided by a minimum of one comprehensive Management Plan (MP) or Letter Management Plan (LMP)

•Management Plan is a document, prepared and maintained by the contractor

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Management Plan / Letter Management Plan

Purpose of the Management PlanDescribes how the contractor proposes

to carry out a project

Serves as a “road map” or “blueprint” for the project

Provides a description of the work to be accomplished, timeline, and the firm-fixed price / costs of the project

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Management Plan / Letter Management Plan (cont’d)

Provides the client and TMA a complete and accurate picture of the project

Sets the tone for the rest of the project

Provides supporting documentation in an audit

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MP and LMP are based on information obtained from the following sources:

Statement of Objective (SOO)

Statement of Requirements (SOR)

Government Furnished Materials (GFM)

Management Plan / Letter Management Plan (cont’d)

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Project start-up (kickoff) meeting

Other meetings and discussions among the contractor, OPM project manager, and OPM client agency

Management Plan / Letter Management Plan (cont’d)

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Management Plan / Letter Management Plan (cont’d)

whether the whole or a portion of the SOO is to be addressed

the size and complexity of the effort and the time frame involved

whether the Management Plan will be written in phases or all at once

Factors to consider in determining the Size and Scope:

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Approval of the Plan and Work Authorization:

• Approval by OPM and Client Agency

Signifies the plan’s direction, methodology, assumptions, timelines, and costs are accepted

NOT an authorization to begin work nor is it an indication that all tasks will be required TASK0ManagementPlan.doc

Management Plan / Letter Management Plan (cont’d)

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• Work begins after OPM’s Contracting Officer Representative issues a work order SampleWorkOrder.doc

Management Plan / Letter Management Plan (cont’d)

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Management Plan / Letter Management Plan (cont’d)

•A unique, stand-alone task that is of relatively low cost and complexity

•Small projects of very limited scope, complexity and duration, generally requiring three or fewer tasks

•Precludes a comprehensive MP

Letter Management Plan is typically used for the following purposes:

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Management Plan Components

Comprehensive Management Plan

• Cover Page

• Introduction and Background Information

• Project Overview

• Tasks

• Project Summary

• Appendices

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Management Plan Components (cont’d)

Letter Management Plan

• Cover Page – formal letter format

• Body of the Letter Plan

• Administrative Information

• Labor Category Definitions

• Appendices

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Management Plan Details

Cover Page

Introduction and Background Information

Provide sufficient detail to readily identify and understand the context of the project

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Management Plan Details (cont’d)

Project Assumptions

List understandings between the contractor, OPM, and the client agency that impact project deliverables, costs, and timelines, and are critical to success. They must be clearly stated, and in measurable terms where appropriate

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Management Plan Details (cont’d)

Project Summary Chart

Summarizes all MP tasks, subtasks, deliverables, travel proposals, dates, and

costs including SPI costs PROJECTSUMMARYCHART.doc

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Management Plan Details (cont’d)

Technical Approach and Methodology

Summarize the design concept, technical approach, and methodology used to develop project deliverables

Explain how and why the Plan was

prepared

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Management Plan Details (cont’d)

Performance Based Contracting Requirements

To the extent feasible, major deliverables should be addressed in the Management Plan in terms of performance-based contracting

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Management Plan Details (cont’d)

Performance Based Contracting Requirements (cont’d)

Explain the nature and purpose of the deliverable

Describe the performance standards used, e.g., quality and timeliness

Include a Performance Requirement Summary (PRS)

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Management Plan Details (cont’d)

Tasks, Subtasks, and Activities

• Provide an in-depth description of every

task

subtask

activity

•Each task represents a body of work associated with producing one or more specific deliverables SAMPLETASK.doc

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Management Plan Details (cont’d)

Labor Requirements

•Labor categories must be appropriate to work being performed LaborRequirementsandSPI.doc

•Labor days must reflect the contractor’s expectation of actual days to be spent on task. May be rounded to a tenth of a day

•Labor rates must correspond to the appropriate base year or option year rates in the contract

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Management Plan Details (cont’d)

Labor Requirements (cont’d)

Costs

All costs must be rounded up or down to the nearest dollar

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Management Plan Details (cont’d)

Estimates and TBD’s

In some instances, at the time the Management Plan is prepared, accurate costs cannot be determined for some later tasks and subtasks

Costs, other than Labor:

OPM Project Management Fee, Separately Priced Items, Video-Based Instructional Products, Nationally Recognized Experts, and Travel

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Management Plan Details (cont’d)

Costs, other than Labor (cont’d)

•OPM Project Management Fee OPMPROJECTManagementFeeRevised.doc

•Separately Priced Items (SPI)

SPIsunder$2500.doc

SeparatelyPricedItemProposalhotel-sample.doc

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Management Plan Details (cont’d)

Costs, other than Labor – continued

•Video-Based Instructional Products

•Nationally Recognized Experts

•Travel SimpleTRAVELCOSTPROPOSAL.doc Travel multiple.xls

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Time Schedule (MP only)

•Provides a task-by-task graphic view of project timelines

•Identifies concurrency among tasks

•Highlights project milestones and review points

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Time Schedule (cont’d)

•The Time Schedule should be in weeks and months (indicate “work” or “calendar” days)

•Microsoft Project is suggested for preparing the Time Schedule

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Administrative Information

The Administrative Information section at a minimum provides basic contact information, e.g., name, address, phone number, fax, and email address for the following:

•Contractor’s project management and technical points of contacts

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Administrative Information (cont’d)

•Client agency project manager and sometimes program manager

•OPM project manager

•Partnering and subcontractor firms that will be used in carrying out the project

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Labor Category Definitions and Resumes

•Provide definitions for all labor categories used in the Management Plan

•The names and resumes of key members of the project team, including subcontractor staff, must accompany the Management Plan as an attachment

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Labor Category Definitions and Resumes(cont’d)

•Any change in key personnel must be made known to the client agency, along with submittal of new resumes. The client agency has the right to reject proposed personnel based on the merits of the resumes

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General Information

•MP must be submitted electronically

•Plans must be formatted must be easy to read

•Plans must be clear, concise, well-written, and free of grammatical, math, and spelling errors

•Plans must be prepared using the current or recent version of Microsoft Word

•MP and LMP must be maintained by the contractor throughout the project

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Modifications to Management Plan

•All modifications to the Management Plan must be submitted electronically and include an explanation of what the modifications are and why they are being made

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Modifications to Management Plan (cont’d)

•There are two types of modifications:

Updates - minor modification

Revisions - more significant modifications

addition of new project phases and/or several tasks

changes in scope or cost changes affecting more than one task

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Invoicing

Invoicing should only occur after the client agency has received the specified deliverable(s), the agency review period has passed or is close to passing, and a deliverable acceptance form is signed by the client agency POC and received by the vendor.

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QUESTIONS

Questions about Management Plans, letter Management Plans, or these Standards and Guidelines should be directed to the OPM project manager.