Description
Objective
To
- setup and manage an effective Project Board,
in a way that
- ensures that all Project Board Members understand and accept their roles and responsibilities,
- ensures the Project Board provides executive direction to the project,
- ensures the Project Board is notified of project status and issues on a timely basis,
- enables the Project Board to provide guidance to the Project Manager,
- enables the Project Manager to obtain executable decisions,
- guarantees ownership of the project by the Project Board,
so that
- the project is organized for success.
Overview
The Project Board is the executive authority of a project. It authorizes the project to proceed, change direction or stop. It enters in to a contract with the Project Manager through the Project Initiation, Project and Stage Plans, to provide the executive support and resources required to execute a project which will deliver the specified products to schedule and budget. In effect, the Project Board acts as the project guardians, enabling the Project Manager and Project Team to do their job protected "from the arrows of outrageous fortune".
The Project Board is not expected to have a close day to day association with the project, that after all is the responsibility of the Project Manager. However, they do need to meet with the Project Manager periodically to review the achievement of objectives, scope, schedule, budget and quality products, and to resolve outstanding issues and change requests.
The Project Board should view the project as an investment intended to yield significant business benefits. Failure to achieve those benefits reflects as much upon the control exercised by the Project Board as it does on the execution of responsibilities by the Project Manager and Project Team.
Task .010 Determine Frequency of Project Board Meetings
The frequency of Project Board meetings is a function of:
- the experience and expertise of the Project Manager,
- the size and complexity of the project,
- the requirement for senior management direction and support,
- the length of the stage,
- the overall project risk,
- the overall project cost,
- the magnitude of the loss resulting from project failure.
As a minimum the Project Board will meet at the end of each stage, including Project Initiation, to review the achievements of the concluded stage and authorize proceeding to the next.
The following table provides some qualitative guidelines for determining the frequency of Project Board meetings, including those at the end of each stage.
Factor Calculation
Project Manager's experience High = 0, Moderate = 1, Low = 3
Project size No. of major sub-projects
Stage duration <2 months =" 0," months =" 1,"> months = 3
Overall project risk Low = 0, Moderate = 1, High = 2, Extreme = 3
Project cost <$250K = 0,<$500K = 1,<$750K = 2, $750K> = 3
Mission critical Yes = 3, No = 0
Total
Frequency Value Project Board Frequency
15+ 2 Weeks
11 - 15 4 Weeks
06 - 10 6 Weeks
00 - 05 8 Weeks
Task .020 Schedule Project Board Meetings
Schedule standing Project Board Meetings for the entire stage.
Task .030 Brief Project Board
Following the recruitment of the Project Board at the beginning of the project it is important to brief all participants to ensure that they completely understand their roles and responsibilities, and that they accept the commitment.
Generic Project Board responsibilities:
- Responsible for the ultimate success or otherwise of the project.
- Approve project objective, scope, approach, functionality, quality, cost and schedule.
- Set the permitted degree of deviation from planned scope, cost and deadline before the Project Manager is required to report exceptions to the Project Board.
- Ensure the project is aligned with strategic business objectives.
- Ensure the business case is viable, and remains viable.
- Provide required resources and funding.
- Resolve issues and mitigate risks in an expeditious and timely manner when escalated by the Project Manager.
- Authorize progress to next stage.
- Authorize cancellation or suspension of the project.
- Direct their line management to actively support and participate in the project.
- Inform their line management of project status and progress.
- Attend all Project Board meetings.
Sponsor:
- Champion the project throughout the organization.
- Obtains resolution of major project issues through more senior management intervention.
Client Representative(s):
- Represent the client business areas most affected by the final results of the project.
- Authorize the allocation of appropriate and sufficient client resources to the project team.
- Ensure the delivered system will work in the business organization.
Technical Representative(s):
- Represent the technical interests of development and/or operations.
- Authorize the allocation of adequate and appropriate technical resources to the project team.
- Ensure the delivered system is consistent with development technical strategy.
- Monitor the successful application of development standards.
Task .040 Prepare for Project Board Meeting
It is the responsibility of the Project Manager to schedule standing Project Board meetings at the beginning of the project. Confirm the logistics of the next meeting, namely date, time and conference room.
Create the meeting agenda. It is recommended that you use the Word 6.0 Agenda Wizard (standard style) to create the agenda. This Wizard also creates the skeleton meeting minutes. Confirm the agenda with the Project Sponsor.
Assemble any additional documentation that requires reading as preparation for the Project Board meeting.
Distribute the meeting agenda and additional documentation at least 3 days prior to the meeting.
Confirm individual Project Board member attendance. Where a Project Board member is unable to attend, it is that individual's responsiblity to arrange a substitute, and to notify the Project Manager.
Identify a documenter to take meeting minutes.
Task .050 Conduct Project Board Meeting
The Project Manager will conduct the meeting according to the agenda.
See the tasks below for suggested discussion points for specific types of Project Board meeting.
Confirm attendance and logistics of the next meeting.
Task .060 Follow-up Project Board Meeting
Create the meeting minutes. It is recommended that you use the Word 6.0 Agenda Wizard (standard style) to create the meeting minutes. Distribute to all Project Board members. File a copy in the Project Binder.
Task .070 Project Initiation Stage Project Board Meeting
The Project Initiation Report is the contract between the Project Manager and Project Board concerning the execution of the project. Although this meeting is not intended as a detailed "line item" review, it is important that the Project Board fully understand and accept the Project Initiation Report. If the Project Board authorizes the project to continue they must be prepared to provide unconditional support to the Project Team.
Topics for discussion include:
Project Initiation
- Project objective statement
- Scope
- Initial requirements
- Constraints
- Project approach (stage objectives)
- Project and stage products
- Project organization (project board, key stakeholders and project coordinators)
- Resource equivalent requirements
- Project costs, benefits and viability
- Risks and issues
- Recommendation
Project Plan
- Project schedule
Stage Plan
- Stage and step objective statements
- Stage and step products
- Stage schedule, including probable start date
- Project team resources
- Key client and technical resources
Task .080 End of Stage Project Board Meeting
Review the Stage End Assessment Report. The objective is identify key learning's from this stage and apply them to the next stage. It is all a matter of reducing risk and setting realistic expectations. Consider the following questions:
Objective
- Is the project objective statement still valid?
- How has the objective statement changed?
Scope
- Were all the tasks completed as specified?
- Were any tasks not executed and why?
- Were any additional unplanned tasks executed and why?
- Were the tasks executed in the planned sequence, and if not, why?
- Has scope changed without being subject to a formal change request?
- How many change requests were received, analyzed, accepted and or rejected?
Schedules
- Did the stage exceed schedule, and if so, by how much and why?
- What recovery actions, if any, were taken?
- Was a Tracking Gantt chart maintained?
- How effective were the progress controls?
Cost
- Did you monitor stage costs?
- Did the stage exceed budget, and if so, by how much and why?
- What recovery actions, if any, were taken?
Products
- Were the planned products produced?
- What planned products were not produced and why?
- What additional products were produced and why?
- What additional products should have been produced?
- Did the format and medium of products change from plan?
- Where is the Quality Plan?
- What products failed quality review, or were accepted with qualification?
- How effective was the quality review process?
- Do the products provide an effective baseline for future development and maintenance?
Client Alignment
- Are client representatives still committed to the project?
- Did the project organization (system and business) present obstacles to progress?
- Were the clients available when required and for long enough?
- Did the clients effectively participate in the project?
- How often did the Project Board meet?
- Did the Project Board meet as scheduled?Issues
- Are there any unresolved business issues?
- Are there any unresolved technical issues?
Risk
- Did the Critical Success Factors correctly identify possible risks?
- What additional factors impacted the project?
Review the Project Plan
- Revised project schedule
- Revised project costs
- Revised project benefits
Review the Next Stage Plan
- Stage and step objective statements
- Stage and step products
- Stage schedule
- Project team resources
- Key client and technical resources
- Recommendation
Task .090 Intra-Stage Project Board Meeting
Agenda items for discussion include:
- Project progress
- Stage progress vs. schedule
- Actual stage costs vs. budgeted stage costs
- Quality Plan
- Issues Log (including specific decisions required of the Project Board)
- Change Requests (awaiting authorization)
- Change Request Log
- Risk and mitigation measures
Task .0100 Project Closure Project Board Meeting
Report to the Project Board the results of the Post Implementation Review. This assesses the performance of the new system against the objectives planned. It also identifies and captures metrics and factors that will improve the development process.
Determine whether the project achieved it's objectives and whether it was a success.
Evaluate team achievements and determine suitability of awards.
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