§ System overview
§ User instructions/transaction codes
§ System flowcharts
§ System interfaces
§ Processing function, organization and brief description of progra ms.
§ File descriptions/dataset characteristics (database design if applicable)
§ Security and control requirements of system, and implementation of those requirements in the system
§ File backup and retention requirements
§ User errors and messages
Documentation requirements should be included in the project plan, as well as contracts if working with an outside vendor.
ORGANIZATIONAL STABILITY
Reorganizations and staff turnover are difficult to manage, particularly in large organizations. These impacts can easily kill a project. A good project manager will anticipate the possibility of losing team members before the “two weeks notice” is given. Obviously, management should do what they can to retain key people.
However, losing staff is inevitable — especially if staff is trained on “hot technologies” that are very marketable. Things that can be done to reduce the impact of staff changes are:
§ Training: ensuring that enough people on the staff are knowledgeable with the technologies to assure that the team is not overly reliant on any one person. This could also be used to help manage personnel who are resistant to change and do not want to deal with it.
§ Establishing backups: identifying who could fill a person’
s position, what it
would take to get the individual up to speed, and implementing a plan before it is required. It may make sense to have designated backup individuals write parts of the system to ensure that they have the skills necessary to support it.
§ Mentoring: identifying opportunities for more senior individuals to assist others by answering questions, assisting with reasoning, and working through problems.
§ Programming standards: covers how code is to be written and documented to ensure that it can be supported by others.
§ Code reviews: involves reviewing systems as they are developed to ensure that they are logically written, understandable by others, and adhere to the documentation standards.
§ Maintenance screens: should be built to enable the modification of key system functions/parameters without programmer intervention.
SIGN-OFFS AND APPROVAL
Sign-offs and approval should be obtained at least at the following points of a project:
§ At the start of a project, preferably to begin an estimate of what the project will take to complete.
§ At the completion of the requirements definition and prior to development with an estimate of what the development effort will take in terms of development personnel, user personnel, money required for equipment, etc., as well as the timelines and task plans required to complete the project. This should be in sufficient detail to define the scope of the project, track the percentage of completion, and determine when key people need to be involved. If working with a vendor, this should be a contract.
§ At the completion of signific ant deliverables to ensure that: o
users are getting what they asked for when it was supposed to be delivered
o
the system has been tested to assure that it is performing and functioning correctly
o
the system has been developed according to programming standards and it can be supported
§ At the completion of the project to ensure that deliverables match what was defined at the start of the project. Invariably, once the system is developed, it will be different than what the user wanted or what the developer thought the user communicated. In some cases, this begins the argument over who pays for the changes. Usually this is where it is evident that it was critical to clearly articulate and document requirements at the start of the project.
Beware of the introduction of the term “phases” at the end of the project that was not mentioned at the project’
s beginning.
CONCLUSION
It is not easy to manage projects that are dependent on complex client/server systems. Technical problems may occur that “kill a system” that have nothing to do with project management. However, project management controls can be introduced that mitigate the risks of these problems. While auditing project management controls diverges from the traditional audit approach, corporate resources can be saved by escalating to senior management situations where these controls are not in place. As previously discussed, the most important controls to watch out for include:
§ Experience with the technology and similar projects
§ Adequately defining and documenting user requirements
§ Accurate estimating and establishing realistic target dates
§ Tracking progress and issues
§ Implementing effective security
§ Effectively documenting and testing the system
§ Obtaining user approval
If these controls are in place, the project manager and auditors have some assurance that the risks associated with client/server pitfalls are being effectively managed.
Chapter 35: Using Project Management to Build an IT Help Desk
Ralph L. Kliem
OVERVIEW
Information technology (IT) organizations are under pressure to operate cheaper but also faster and better. At the same time, they must satisfy business objectives or meet requirements described in service level agreements as users employ complex information technology (e.g., client/server tools) in unique environments (e.g., virtual offices).
To meet these demands, many IT organizations are setting up a help desk to which users can direct inquiries and problems, ranging from training to network management. Many of these services are becoming automated in response to users’
needs for a fast, meaningful response. Yet an effective help desk is more than an automated tool. It requires a complete infrastructure to support it and to provide those services that cannot be automated. It is important, therefore, to build a help desk that consolidates and coordinates its tools and services to meet demands.
This need becomes even more important as the growth of help desks will climb steadily. Some help desk experts believe the market for help desk tools will quadruple by the end of this century. In addition, the market for outsourcing help desk development is expected to climb as the result of a failure to deliver services and contain development costs.
HELP DESK DEFINED
A help desk, of course, is a centralized place that people can direct their inquiries for answers and problems for resolution. Depending on the size of the organization and the role of the help desk, it requires both application software and a supporting infrastructure. Typically, an IT help desk addresses queries and problems dealing with technological and business process issues. A help desk uses automated and manual approaches to handle queries and problems.
If an IT help desk fails to meet the criteria of speed, reliability, and service, it will fail.
The larger the organization to support and the greater the array of services to provide makes project management essential for providing a help desk that users will want to contact and receive rapid, reliable responses.
CRITERIA FOR A PROJECT
Building a help desk meets all the criteria for being a project. It has a fixed end date for completion. It has a defined end product (e.g., fully operational help desk with specific services). It requires a sequence of tasks that must be completed before becoming operational. Finally, it consumes money, especially for labor and tools.
Depending on the magnitude of the help desk, the total development cost can range from several thousands to millions of dollars.
SIX FUNCTIONS OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Building a help desk is a project that requires laying the groundwork for its successful completion. This involves performing six key, basic functions: leading, defining, planning, organizing, controlling, and closing.
Leading is motivating people to perform in a manner that contributes towards meeting or exceeding project goals and objectives. It is the only function that occurs throughout the life cycle of a help desk project. It requires not only doing the right things but doing them continuously, from project inception to completion. Leading is also required during the execution of all the other project management functions.
Defining is identifying what the help desk project must accomplish. It requires pinpointing the overall goal(s) of the project, its specific objectives, the major players and their responsibilities, and any significant constraints.
Planning is developing a path to achieve the goal(s) and objectives of the project. It requires determining in advance who must do what and when.
Organizing is setting up an infrastructure that efficiently and effectively executes the plan to achieve project goals and objectives. The idea is to maximize the output of resources with minimum investment via communication and coordination.
Controlling is tracking (looking at the past) and monitoring (projecting into the future). It requires ensuring that the project has, is, and will achieve the project’
s
goal(s) and objectives according to the plan.
Closing is completing a project in a manner that minimizes waste and maximizes effort as well as provide lessons for future projects.
Leading
Building a help desk uniquely requires project managers to exercise leadership. It involves a broad array of players: senior and mid-level executives, supervisors, end users, and IT technical experts, just to name a few. Project managers must motivate all of their players to provide information, expertise, time, and effort. Without that leadership, acceptance of the help desk will be difficult and can result in project failure, whether from a cost, schedule, or quality perspective.