The Project Management Office (PMO) is dedicated to meeting the needs of our campus community. The Director of the PMO will be scheduling time with Division Leadership and appropriate team members to discuss the Project Intake Process and timeline. Learn more about this new process below.
Overview
The Project Management Office (PMO) manages university-wide project initiatives that have an IT component, which supports the mission and strategic plan of the university. A formal intake process is used to ensure project requests are reviewed in a timely, efficient, and strategic manner. While the number of potential projects is limitless, the number of resources (money, time, expertise) available is always limited. Projects are evaluated and prioritized by a Project Intake Committee in partnership with the PMO and other departments. This allows the university to move forward with the projects that are most beneficial.
The formal intake process will open in the fall and close the following July. The result will provide the PMO with a list of prioritized strategic initiatives for that academic year.
Project Intake Process
The PMO will reach out to schedule a meeting to understand more about the project request. This meeting along with the information provided in the request will help the IT Project Review Team evaluate the level of effort, resources, and prioritization of the work required if the request is approved.
- Prepare & Submit – The submitter gathers proposal info, gets sponsor approval, and submits the proposal
- Initial Review – Project Intake Committee will meet with the submitter and key stakeholders to align goals and preliminary project planning
- Proposal Development – Project Intake Committee and the submitter will review the proposal with subject matter experts for the project summary
- Proposal Approval & Prioritization – Project Intake Committee meets to approve and prioritize the projects for IT. The submitter will be notified of the project request status.
What is a project?
The Project Management Office defines a project as a temporary endeavor with a beginning and an end that creates a unique product, service, or result.
Projects vs. Operations
- Projects are temporary and close on the completion of the work they were chartered to deliver.
- Operations are ongoing maintenance or core business functions that produce a similar result or a repetitive service. Operational service requests are available in the Service Catalog.
For example, creating a new data integration between systems would be a project whereas the daily use and maintenance of the integrated data are operations.
IT project examples include but are not limited to:
- New software or server implementations
- Upgrades to current solutions
- Network installation/configuration
- Technology installations
Project Criteria
PMO projects are university strategic initiatives that require the participation of multiple IT team members, technology resources, and meet two or more of the following criteria:
- A one-time initiative or has limited repeatability
- Is an organization-wide change or a new service offering for multiple departments
- The cost is greater than $100,000 (Precludes annual maintenance or scheduled replacement of equipment. These would be operational services.)
- Resource time exceeds 500 hours and will take longer than 6 months
- Will significantly impact operations or is business-critical
- Requires participation and effort from three or more divisions, departments, and/or colleges
- Discretion of the Senior Leadership Team
Use the button on the right to "Submit PMO Project Request'.
Who can submit a project request?
Staff and faculty can submit project proposals that have Sponsor approval.
A “Sponsor” is a senior leader in your division who is authorized to assign resources (people/funds) to the project, supports the business need, and is responsible for the success of the initiative.
What do you need to submit a project request?
The following information is required to submit a request. Additional details for these items are available on the request form. This information will be expanded upon following the submission of the request.
- Project Sponsor
- Business Impact and Objectives
- Estimated Budget/Cost
- Project Title and Description
- Anticipated Project Start and End Date
- Project and Technical Requirements
- Stakeholders impacted by this project
- Any compliance, mandates, or contract end dates
- Attachments may be included with the request after the form is filled out and saved. You will see a yellow box asking you to click “Review and submit this request” which allows you to add files with the submission and submit the request.
How to Submit a Request and Attach Documents
New Project Request Instructions will guide you through the steps on how to fill out the form to create a project request, review the request, attach documents, and then submit the request. The process is not complete until the project request says "Request Submitted Successfully".
Questions?
If you have questions, please submit them to the Project Management Office.