Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation - Operations Manual

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Chapter 4 – Information Technology

Article 11 – Project Reporting Requirements

Revised October 17, 1994

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44020.8 Project Reporting Requirements – Formal Project Review

  • A Formal Project Review (FPRFormal Project Review) may be initiated by Department management or required by OITOffice of Information Technology for any information technology project. The FPRFormal Project Review typically provides a formal management or control agency checkpoint after completion of the project’s general design phase, but before substantial resources have been committed. It may also provide a formal management assessment of a project at any point during the development cycle. FPRs may be scheduled during the procurement process if doing so does not violate procurement requirements.) OITOffice of Information Technology may notify the Department that an FPRFormal Project Review is required in its response to the Department’s IMAPInformation Management Annual Plan, in an FSRFeasibility Study Reports approval document, or in any correspondence subsequent to project approval.

  • SAMState Administrative Manual Section 4946.1 provides guidance in the form of recommended content for the preparation and presentation of an FPRFormal Project Review. Depending upon the complexity, sensitivity, and size of the project, an FPRFormal Project Review presentation shall usually require between two and four hours. When the Department receives services from a data center or from another agency, responsible staff should request that representatives of the data center or the servicing agency attend.

  • Content and Organization

    • The FPRFormal Project Review provides an opportunity for a final critique of the merits of the proposed information technology project prior to commitment of substantial resources. It shall be used also as a checkpoint during project development to maintain management involvement and awareness with respect to crucial decision points. The FPRFormal Project Review allows assessment of: (1) systems design, (2) current estimates of costs and benefits, (3) management controls, and (4) probability of project success.

  • Composition of Formal Project Reviews (FPRFormal Project Review)

    • An FPRFormal Project Review topic outline is provided in SAMState Administrative Manual Section 4946.1, Illustration 1. Typically, the FPRFormal Project Review is organized into four major sections:

      • Background.

      • Technical Strategy.

      • Project Management Controls.

      • Summary.

    • The suggested content of each of these sections is specified in SAMState Administrative Manual Sections 4946.11 through 4946.14.

    • It is important to adapt the presentation to suit the audience. Executive management, for example, may not be interested in the technical details of a project, but may be anxious to know the time frames for system operation and the capture of proposed tangible and intangible benefits.

  • Background Section

    • The Background Section of the FPRFormal Project Review shall provide the facts necessary to understand the problem or opportunity being addressed by the project, and the defined project objectives within their program context.

    • Typically, this portion of the presentation shall include:

      • A summary of the information contained in the requirements section of the FSRFeasibility Study Reports, with a note of any significant changes since preparation of the FSRFeasibility Study Reports.

      • A brief overview of the project technical strategy as defined in the FSRFeasibility Study Reports’s functional requirements (technical topics are normally covered in detail during the technical strategy section of the FPRFormal Project Review).

      • A brief description of project organization as it relates to the overall organization of the Department, and any specific user organization within the Department.

      • An overview of the information contained in the Management Plan Section of the FSRFeasibility Study Reports.

      • A management summary that concentrates on costs, benefits, savings, PYPersonnel Year reductions, or other quantifiable or non-quantifiable management benefits that were described in the FSRFeasibility Study Reports.

      • A synopsis of anticipated decisions that shall be necessary at the conclusion of the presentation.

    • Ideally, the FPRFormal Project Review is based upon information that is more current than is contained in the FSRFeasibility Study Reports; therefore, the estimates should be an update to the economic analysis portions of the FSRFeasibility Study Reports.

    • The presentation on technical strategy shall include typically:

      • Major system processes, including file or data section base relationships, interfaces with existing systems, and impact on other systems currently in operation, planned, or under development. This overview of systems capabilities should inform the audience regarding methods for processing information, input mechanisms, output mechanisms, error detection techniques, and data distribution or access.

      • Specific hardware and software requirements for development and operation of the system; the level of presentation detail should be based on the audience’s technical background and need to make informed decisions.

      • Lease versus purchase decisions for equipment and software, and the procurement mechanism and schedule.

      • Requirements for security and asset protection: level of security, security methods, and contingency plans.

  • Project Management

    • This section provides an overview of the project management plan based upon the Management Plan section of the FSRFeasibility Study Reports with updates to reflect changes since the preparation of the FSRFeasibility Study Reports. Additionally, a review of the project phases is typically presented including design, development, testing, implementation, conversion, and acceptance. Coordination of responsibility for these phases is also presented.

    • Other topics included in the project management section of the presentation are:

      • Training requirements, plans, and costs for technical and user staff.

      • Special management requirements for system conversion.

      • User or technical responsibilities for data conversion.

      • The time frame for accomplishment of conversion.

  • Summary

    • The concluding section of the FPRFormal Project Review normally summarizes the current status of the project, describes the next steps in the project, highlights potential problems for the project, and closes with any required decisions that may be necessary.