This document proposes a considered approach to resolving failings in how the US Federal Government defines, selects, manages, and monitors IT investments. It advocates for integrating critical processes like business management, program management, acquisition, and budgeting. This could be achieved through consistent application of resources and data across the entire technology lifecycle. Program management is identified as central to integrating requirements management, scope management, resource monitoring, and user feedback management.
Restructure with less risk and more confidence. Business integration and its inherent transformational elements always present
a number of tough challenges as well as opportunities for the business as a
whole – e.g. deciding what the target operating model will look like and choosing
which systems best suit new ways of working. Lack of clarity with these new ways
of working can cause additional hurdles. For example, sometimes politics can
get in the way; with ‘pet’ systems chosen over those systems that actually fit the
target operating model and the desired culture of the merged organisations.
Restructure with less risk and more confidence. Business integration and its inherent transformational elements always present
a number of tough challenges as well as opportunities for the business as a
whole – e.g. deciding what the target operating model will look like and choosing
which systems best suit new ways of working. Lack of clarity with these new ways
of working can cause additional hurdles. For example, sometimes politics can
get in the way; with ‘pet’ systems chosen over those systems that actually fit the
target operating model and the desired culture of the merged organisations.
Business Improvement initiatives are getting a lot of press these days: “..our projects saved over $10M in the first 12 months of deployment using BPM” . It seems logical for an organization to jump onto the process improvement bandwagon. Much is promised of business improvement efforts, and there are many capable consultants and companies willing to support a company’s BPM deployment that can last months to years. But how does an organization know that the business improvement efforts will really result in a quantifiable benefit to the business? Process improvement initiatives are not inexpensive to start or sustain over many years, and most executives require the clear identification of benefits to justify the expenditure of training resources and driving project work before approving a long-term initiative.
Is Your Supply Chain Talent Ready For Growth[1]cjazh
Supply chains must embrace a
constant diet of volatility and create a level of operational excellence that will allow them to “sustain performance no matter what is occurring in the
larger economy.”
And while both of
these are core operational objectives,
we believe that, to excel, supply chains must also create a human capital strategy that integrates operational
performance objectives with the organization, talent, culture, leadership and analytic capabilities required to drive sustainable growth and create a lasting talent advantage.
Configuration Management is at the core of effective service management. The quality of data within the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) affects the efficiency of the entire corporate Service Management strategy, as all processes utilize and feed into Configuration Management. As defined by ITIL, Configuration Management is more than a simple registry of physical assets; it includes documentation, Service Level Agreements, service catalogs, warranties, and knowledge. It enables the enterprise to manage the evolving relationships of those assets with customers, internal departments and locations, other organizations, and external suppliers.
Optimize Financial Processes and Systems for Better Business PerformanceMatt Foster
Trends and challenges in financial management processes and technology
Aligning financial processes and information across time dimensions to optimize business value
Best practices in achieving better business performance
Technology’s role in optimizing financial business processes
Is Your Supply Chain Talent Ready for Growth? Andy Green
An Accenture white paper written by Geoff Deines and Terry Nulty on how to re-tool and re-align your supply chain talent to meet the significant opportunities that are coming as the global economic cycle moves from recession to growth.
[AgileCMMI] Practical Experience Report: Application of Project Management ar...davidobama
The Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) has been broadly used for assessing organizational maturity and process capability throughout the world. Although most of the customers give priority to CMMI certified organizations over others for guaranteeing the quality, the nature of their rapid market change can no longer accept heavyweight plans, requirements specification, change requests, contract negotiation, and other documentation. Moreover, the rapid change in information technology has caused increasing the frustration more, especially that there are new competitors started using lightweight processes that invite to customer collaboration over contract negotiation and working software over comprehensive documentation that is called “Agile” methodologies that have been adopted to tackle this challenge. Agile development methods and CMMI are often perceived to be at odds with each other. In fact, it’s possible to embrace both to dramatically improve business performance. This paper focuses on the verification of implementing CMMI Project Management process areas in agile organizations based on a real and practical experience in Agile and CMMI successful projects.
The authors are going to share their practical experiences in interpreting the CMMI model's project management practices in an Agile environment to address the model intent and not compromising on the credibility or value of the practices.
From http://www.ndia.org/meetings/0110
and http://www.agilecmmi.blogspot.com
This presentation was conducted by Peter Glynne to the Yorkshire & North Linconshire APM membership providing a practical insight into the realisation of benefits
Project Management Discipline - Brown Bag CXB V03 Jun 2009 SANcj_barbosa
Brown bag session (aka lunch and learning) to show the need for a disciplined approach to project management and to encourage other colleagues to continue a series of presentations on this theme.
Business Improvement initiatives are getting a lot of press these days: “..our projects saved over $10M in the first 12 months of deployment using BPM” . It seems logical for an organization to jump onto the process improvement bandwagon. Much is promised of business improvement efforts, and there are many capable consultants and companies willing to support a company’s BPM deployment that can last months to years. But how does an organization know that the business improvement efforts will really result in a quantifiable benefit to the business? Process improvement initiatives are not inexpensive to start or sustain over many years, and most executives require the clear identification of benefits to justify the expenditure of training resources and driving project work before approving a long-term initiative.
Is Your Supply Chain Talent Ready For Growth[1]cjazh
Supply chains must embrace a
constant diet of volatility and create a level of operational excellence that will allow them to “sustain performance no matter what is occurring in the
larger economy.”
And while both of
these are core operational objectives,
we believe that, to excel, supply chains must also create a human capital strategy that integrates operational
performance objectives with the organization, talent, culture, leadership and analytic capabilities required to drive sustainable growth and create a lasting talent advantage.
Configuration Management is at the core of effective service management. The quality of data within the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) affects the efficiency of the entire corporate Service Management strategy, as all processes utilize and feed into Configuration Management. As defined by ITIL, Configuration Management is more than a simple registry of physical assets; it includes documentation, Service Level Agreements, service catalogs, warranties, and knowledge. It enables the enterprise to manage the evolving relationships of those assets with customers, internal departments and locations, other organizations, and external suppliers.
Optimize Financial Processes and Systems for Better Business PerformanceMatt Foster
Trends and challenges in financial management processes and technology
Aligning financial processes and information across time dimensions to optimize business value
Best practices in achieving better business performance
Technology’s role in optimizing financial business processes
Is Your Supply Chain Talent Ready for Growth? Andy Green
An Accenture white paper written by Geoff Deines and Terry Nulty on how to re-tool and re-align your supply chain talent to meet the significant opportunities that are coming as the global economic cycle moves from recession to growth.
[AgileCMMI] Practical Experience Report: Application of Project Management ar...davidobama
The Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) has been broadly used for assessing organizational maturity and process capability throughout the world. Although most of the customers give priority to CMMI certified organizations over others for guaranteeing the quality, the nature of their rapid market change can no longer accept heavyweight plans, requirements specification, change requests, contract negotiation, and other documentation. Moreover, the rapid change in information technology has caused increasing the frustration more, especially that there are new competitors started using lightweight processes that invite to customer collaboration over contract negotiation and working software over comprehensive documentation that is called “Agile” methodologies that have been adopted to tackle this challenge. Agile development methods and CMMI are often perceived to be at odds with each other. In fact, it’s possible to embrace both to dramatically improve business performance. This paper focuses on the verification of implementing CMMI Project Management process areas in agile organizations based on a real and practical experience in Agile and CMMI successful projects.
The authors are going to share their practical experiences in interpreting the CMMI model's project management practices in an Agile environment to address the model intent and not compromising on the credibility or value of the practices.
From http://www.ndia.org/meetings/0110
and http://www.agilecmmi.blogspot.com
This presentation was conducted by Peter Glynne to the Yorkshire & North Linconshire APM membership providing a practical insight into the realisation of benefits
Project Management Discipline - Brown Bag CXB V03 Jun 2009 SANcj_barbosa
Brown bag session (aka lunch and learning) to show the need for a disciplined approach to project management and to encourage other colleagues to continue a series of presentations on this theme.
Mind to Matter: A Way to Model How You Work in SharePoint #SPSTCDCPlanet Technologies
In this session Solutions Architect, James Tramel of Planet Technologies proposes a model to enhance collaboration, increase productivity within SharePoint.
The project was done on Efficacy of Project Management... Research was conducted back in 2014 and was carried out by one of the Academic writer at www.assignmentstudio.net who is also a full time tutor and work for www.tutoringlounge.com.au.
Writer profile can be visited at http://tutoringlounge.com.au/erika-reynolds/
For similar projects you can visit our site and place an order...
www.assignmentstudio.net
or email at
contact@assignmentstudio.net
The endeavor of the report is in the direction of scrutinizing the effectiveness of project management in expressions of managerial structures, technological proficiency, and management skill along with the features of an effectual venture manager.
Before exploring the main content of the report let us consider the general concepts of the key words of relative topic or respective report.
Efficacy simply coded, is the core skill, aptitude or the capacity on the way to bring into being a required or projected outcome. The extent in the direction of which a touch is victorious in generating a looked-for outcome is effectiveness
Brigham Young University developed a new IT Governance framework that extended well beyond the execution of projects.
This framework clarified the role of product management, helping to focus the way in which product managers work with their business stakeholders to manage the lifecycle of the OIT’s applications, services, and supporting technologies that collectively comprise the “product portfolio.”
Practical Strategies for Project Recovery Webinar SlidesPM Solutions
Organizations spend a lot of money on projects. In the last year alone, the average firm closed US$200 million in projects, according to a just-released study conducted by PM Solutions Research. And more than a third of those projects were troubled. That means US$74 million of those projects were at risk of failure. The good news is that project recoveries are common and firms that proactively undertake successful project recoveries report saving US$50 million on average per firm. Learn what other organizations are doing to recover troubled projects and the significant business results they have been able to realize.
Closure of Rocky Flats, a former nuclear weapons production plant involves decommissioning of wireline-based telecommunications, networking and applications infrastructure from approximately 500 buildings, replacing it with wireless networking and Voice Over IP systems for use by a workforce removing the physical structures and their nuclear materials.
Get Ready for Solvency II with Oracle's Hyperion Profitability and Cost Manag...Alithya
Organisations today are preparing for the Solvency II regulatory requirements by looking at the controls, processes, and methodologies involved with their various accounting, finance, and reporting functions, and making provisions to simplify, standardize, and wherever possible, automate. Ranzal Vice President and Oracle ACE, Mike Killeen provides an overview of HPCM and discuss how companies can leverage the tool for the Solvency II requirements. This presentation is for the UK market.
Crafting a CMMI V2 Compliant Process for Governance Practice Area: An Experie...Dr. Mustafa Değerli
Değerli, M. (2020). Crafting a CMMI V2 Compliant Process for Governance Practice Area: An Experiential Proposal. 14th Turkish National Software Engineering Symposium (UYMS 2020). 10.1109/UYMS50627.2020.9247068 – https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/conhome/9247008/proceeding
As a general contractor, your work involves managing complex projects, multiple stakeholders, and tight deadlines. It can be challenging to keep track of all the moving parts and ensure that every task is completed on time and within budget.
Similar to Meeting the Challenge of Vivek Kundra's 25 Point Plan (20)
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 4DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 4. In this session, we will cover Test Manager overview along with SAP heatmap.
The UiPath Test Manager overview with SAP heatmap webinar offers a concise yet comprehensive exploration of the role of a Test Manager within SAP environments, coupled with the utilization of heatmaps for effective testing strategies.
Participants will gain insights into the responsibilities, challenges, and best practices associated with test management in SAP projects. Additionally, the webinar delves into the significance of heatmaps as a visual aid for identifying testing priorities, areas of risk, and resource allocation within SAP landscapes. Through this session, attendees can expect to enhance their understanding of test management principles while learning practical approaches to optimize testing processes in SAP environments using heatmap visualization techniques
What will you get from this session?
1. Insights into SAP testing best practices
2. Heatmap utilization for testing
3. Optimization of testing processes
4. Demo
Topics covered:
Execution from the test manager
Orchestrator execution result
Defect reporting
SAP heatmap example with demo
Speaker:
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportAlan Dix
Paper presented at SYNERGY workshop at AVI 2024, Genoa, Italy. 3rd June 2024
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/synergy2024-epistemic/
As machine learning integrates deeper into human-computer interactions, the concept of epistemic interaction emerges, aiming to refine these interactions to enhance system adaptability. This approach encourages minor, intentional adjustments in user behaviour to enrich the data available for system learning. This paper introduces epistemic interaction within the context of human-system communication, illustrating how deliberate interaction design can improve system understanding and adaptation. Through concrete examples, we demonstrate the potential of epistemic interaction to significantly advance human-computer interaction by leveraging intuitive human communication strategies to inform system design and functionality, offering a novel pathway for enriching user-system engagements.
Search and Society: Reimagining Information Access for Radical FuturesBhaskar Mitra
The field of Information retrieval (IR) is currently undergoing a transformative shift, at least partly due to the emerging applications of generative AI to information access. In this talk, we will deliberate on the sociotechnical implications of generative AI for information access. We will argue that there is both a critical necessity and an exciting opportunity for the IR community to re-center our research agendas on societal needs while dismantling the artificial separation between the work on fairness, accountability, transparency, and ethics in IR and the rest of IR research. Instead of adopting a reactionary strategy of trying to mitigate potential social harms from emerging technologies, the community should aim to proactively set the research agenda for the kinds of systems we should build inspired by diverse explicitly stated sociotechnical imaginaries. The sociotechnical imaginaries that underpin the design and development of information access technologies needs to be explicitly articulated, and we need to develop theories of change in context of these diverse perspectives. Our guiding future imaginaries must be informed by other academic fields, such as democratic theory and critical theory, and should be co-developed with social science scholars, legal scholars, civil rights and social justice activists, and artists, among others.
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and SalesLaura Byrne
Clients don’t know what they don’t know. What web solutions are right for them? How does WordPress come into the picture? How do you make sure you understand scope and timeline? What do you do if sometime changes?
All these questions and more will be explored as we talk about matching clients’ needs with what your agency offers without pulling teeth or pulling your hair out. Practical tips, and strategies for successful relationship building that leads to closing the deal.
Slack (or Teams) Automation for Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Soluti...Jeffrey Haguewood
Sidekick Solutions uses Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Solutions Apricot) and automation solutions to integrate data for business workflows.
We believe integration and automation are essential to user experience and the promise of efficient work through technology. Automation is the critical ingredient to realizing that full vision. We develop integration products and services for Bonterra Case Management software to support the deployment of automations for a variety of use cases.
This video focuses on the notifications, alerts, and approval requests using Slack for Bonterra Impact Management. The solutions covered in this webinar can also be deployed for Microsoft Teams.
Interested in deploying notification automations for Bonterra Impact Management? Contact us at sales@sidekicksolutionsllc.com to discuss next steps.
GraphRAG is All You need? LLM & Knowledge GraphGuy Korland
Guy Korland, CEO and Co-founder of FalkorDB, will review two articles on the integration of language models with knowledge graphs.
1. Unifying Large Language Models and Knowledge Graphs: A Roadmap.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.08302
2. Microsoft Research's GraphRAG paper and a review paper on various uses of knowledge graphs:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/graphrag-unlocking-llm-discovery-on-narrative-private-data/
Key Trends Shaping the Future of Infrastructure.pdfCheryl Hung
Keynote at DIGIT West Expo, Glasgow on 29 May 2024.
Cheryl Hung, ochery.com
Sr Director, Infrastructure Ecosystem, Arm.
The key trends across hardware, cloud and open-source; exploring how these areas are likely to mature and develop over the short and long-term, and then considering how organisations can position themselves to adapt and thrive.
Transcript: Selling digital books in 2024: Insights from industry leaders - T...BookNet Canada
The publishing industry has been selling digital audiobooks and ebooks for over a decade and has found its groove. What’s changed? What has stayed the same? Where do we go from here? Join a group of leading sales peers from across the industry for a conversation about the lessons learned since the popularization of digital books, best practices, digital book supply chain management, and more.
Link to video recording: https://bnctechforum.ca/sessions/selling-digital-books-in-2024-insights-from-industry-leaders/
Presented by BookNet Canada on May 28, 2024, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersSafe Software
Are you looking to streamline your workflows and boost your projects’ efficiency? Do you find yourself searching for ways to add flexibility and control over your FME workflows? If so, you’re in the right place.
Join us for an insightful dive into the world of FME parameters, a critical element in optimizing workflow efficiency. This webinar marks the beginning of our three-part “Essentials of Automation” series. This first webinar is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to utilize parameters effectively: enhancing the flexibility, maintainability, and user control of your FME projects.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
- Essentials of FME Parameters: Understand the pivotal role of parameters, including Reader/Writer, Transformer, User, and FME Flow categories. Discover how they are the key to unlocking automation and optimization within your workflows.
- Practical Applications in FME Form: Delve into key user parameter types including choice, connections, and file URLs. Allow users to control how a workflow runs, making your workflows more reusable. Learn to import values and deliver the best user experience for your workflows while enhancing accuracy.
- Optimization Strategies in FME Flow: Explore the creation and strategic deployment of parameters in FME Flow, including the use of deployment and geometry parameters, to maximize workflow efficiency.
- Pro Tips for Success: Gain insights on parameterizing connections and leveraging new features like Conditional Visibility for clarity and simplicity.
We’ll wrap up with a glimpse into future webinars, followed by a Q&A session to address your specific questions surrounding this topic.
Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your FME expertise and drive your projects to new heights of efficiency.
State of ICS and IoT Cyber Threat Landscape Report 2024 previewPrayukth K V
The IoT and OT threat landscape report has been prepared by the Threat Research Team at Sectrio using data from Sectrio, cyber threat intelligence farming facilities spread across over 85 cities around the world. In addition, Sectrio also runs AI-based advanced threat and payload engagement facilities that serve as sinks to attract and engage sophisticated threat actors, and newer malware including new variants and latent threats that are at an earlier stage of development.
The latest edition of the OT/ICS and IoT security Threat Landscape Report 2024 also covers:
State of global ICS asset and network exposure
Sectoral targets and attacks as well as the cost of ransom
Global APT activity, AI usage, actor and tactic profiles, and implications
Rise in volumes of AI-powered cyberattacks
Major cyber events in 2024
Malware and malicious payload trends
Cyberattack types and targets
Vulnerability exploit attempts on CVEs
Attacks on counties – USA
Expansion of bot farms – how, where, and why
In-depth analysis of the cyber threat landscape across North America, South America, Europe, APAC, and the Middle East
Why are attacks on smart factories rising?
Cyber risk predictions
Axis of attacks – Europe
Systemic attacks in the Middle East
Download the full report from here:
https://sectrio.com/resources/ot-threat-landscape-reports/sectrio-releases-ot-ics-and-iot-security-threat-landscape-report-2024/
From Siloed Products to Connected Ecosystem: Building a Sustainable and Scala...
Meeting the Challenge of Vivek Kundra's 25 Point Plan
1. Meeting the
Challenge of
the 25
A considered approach to resolving
the failings in the way the US Federal
Government defines, selects, manages
and monitors IT investments.
Planet Technologies 1|Page
2. Table of Contents
I. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 3
II. Defining the Problem Space ................................................................................................... 3
III. Enabling the Change ............................................................................................................... 4
IV. Consistent, Transparent, Results-based Program Management ............................................ 5
V. Checks and Balances ............................................................................................................... 5
VI. Meeting the Challenge ............................................................................................................ 7
i. Leveraging Enterprise Agreement Assets in Attacking the Challenge ................................. 7
ii. Manage Requirements......................................................................................................... 7
iii. Manage Scope .................................................................................................................. 9
iv. Manage Resources and Monitor Performance .............................................................. 11
v. Manage User Feedback...................................................................................................... 12
VII. A Conceptual Solution Architecture .................................................................................. 13
i. Overlay Process .................................................................................................................. 13
ii. Technical Architecture ....................................................................................................... 15
VIII. Embracing the Challenge ................................................................................................... 15
IX. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 16
Planet Technologies 2|Page
3. I. Introduction
In a recent memo1 from the Federal CIO, Vivek Kundra, Section A focuses on the need to look
first to services offered on infrastructures not owned and operated by the Federal Government,
collectively termed the Cloud. Sections B, C and D deal largely with the failings in the IT
planning and management processes within US Federal Agencies that have enabled large scale
IT investments to drag on, languish, and ultimately fail at significant cost to the taxpayer. Vivek
leads a call to action. The following paper lays out approaches to meeting the challenges as
highlighted in Sections B,C and D and features tools you may already own to assist with
maturing IT planning and management processes, and leverages the real world experience of
capital planners, enterprise architects, project managers and business managers.
II. Defining the Problem Space
The problem at the highest level is that the critical processes that enable successful IT project
delivery have traditionally been disjointed. Business Management, Program Management,
Acquisition, Budget, and Governance processes all require tight integration to streamline the
technology cycle, not to mention the IT delivery function itself. Seamlessly integrated processes
result in a technology cycle that is more agile, delivers IT solutions faster and with a higher
degree of quality and success. However, in order for these processes to be tightly integrated it
requires each of the processes to mature collectively, not independently.
Traditionally, each process is operated by an organizational unit that matures its own process
with little consideration to the impact on, and/or maturation of, other dependent processes.
Federated organizations, timing, various appropriation sources, limited authority, data
verification, accountability, and independent support systems are all presented with their own
challenges and when combined make it that much more challenging for Federal agencies to
mature and integrate the critical processes.
The problem space is complex and requires incremental, measured improvement to ensure
processes are integrated and matured collectively. Defining an approach and developing a
system that impacts any single one of these work streams will not deliver the necessary
improvements nor will it enable the mandated visibility. The solution needs to be able to be
integrated into the work processes and systems of multiple, historically stove-piped domains,
whilst enabling centralized storage and analytics to inform oversight activities.
1
http://www.cio.gov/documents/25-Point-Implementation-Plan-to-Reform-Federal%20IT.pdf
Planet Technologies 3|Page
4. III. Enabling the Change
The changes required to mature the processes inherent in Business Management, Program
Management, Acquisition, Budget, Governance, and IT Management collectively and integrate
the processes seamlessly can only be enabled through the consistent application of rationalized
/ normalized resources (technology and people), applied consistently throughout the entirety
of the technology lifecycle. The technology lifecycle, at a fundamental level encompasses
Identification of a business need.
Research into and evaluation of alternative technical solutions.
Selection of a proposed solution.
Application for authority to procure (through IT selection boards or through the use of
discretionary funding).
Issuance of a solicitation.
Evaluation of bids and source selection.
Project commencement / deployment.
Steady state operations.
Migrations/upgrades (potentially)
Ultimately decommissioning and retirement.
Management of a solution from pre-selection through, at minimum, full production
deployment into a steady operating state can only be achieved through cross process
monitoring and measurement. Achieving this application of the management resources
consistently requires a combination of a top-down and bottom-up approach.
The top-down approach requires organization unit /agency buy-in, cooperation, and the
evaluation of the performance of senior leaders based on their ability to drive this maturation.
The bottom-up approach requires an analysis of support systems, alignment of procedures and
timing, and rationalization and verification of the data to be shared between processes.
Federal agencies have options when it comes to enabling the changes required to achieve a
more effective and efficient technology cycle. The common resources and skills required to
transform and execute can either come from internal sources, internal sources with support of
external vendors, or from external vendors managed by internal sources. To determine the
option that is most effective for an organization requires an unbiased assessment of the
resources available to the agency. This organizational assessment is the first step to enable the
change.
Planet Technologies 4|Page
5. IV. Consistent, Transparent, Results-based Program Management
Program Management is the common thread throughout the technology lifecycle, from
managing requirements on the front end, managing scope and resources throughout
development, monitoring performance throughout, and managing user feedback once
operational. Each of these activities are not stand alone, nor do they take place at one singular
point in time, but rather each of these works hand in hand and are constantly impacting one
another.
Program Management
Manage Requirements
Manage Scope
Manage Resources and Monitor Performance
Manage User Feedback
Architect Invest Implement Operate
Improvement Lifecycle
Performance
Select
Preselect Select Implement Operate Decommission
Segment to
Authorization Authorization Authorization Authorization Authorization
Architect
Figure 1: Program Management Functions and the Performance Improvement Lifecycle
The alignment of Acquisition, Budget, and Governance processes with Program Management
creates additional complexities but that can be simplified through clear definition of the hand
offs and timing required. Through the use of technologies that most agencies already own,
forms and workflows can be established to facilitate the hand offs and data exchanges,
notifications, alerts, and warnings can be established to ensure the required timing is being
adhered to, and performance can be measured to further refine the integration.
As Federal agencies undertake the organizational assessment described in Section B of the 25
Point Plan, it is imperative that the maturity of the Program Management, Acquisition, Budget,
and Governance resources be considered as a whole. Incrementally defining and implementing
requirements to integrate each of the processes will produce results quickly in the near term
and consistently over the long term.
V. Checks and Balances
Technology programs within the Federal Government often go off track when the appropriate
controls are not in place to ensure consistent and un-biased measurement of program and
resource performance. Through the establishment of a common assessment system designed
to facilitate the Program Management function, it is possible to begin to establish authoritative
Planet Technologies 5|Page
6. data points/sources with clear traceability to programmatic delivery. In addition, it provides the
basis through which individual and group resource performance can also be measured. The key
to truly benefitting from a systematic, data driven approach can only be achieved when we
anticipate that any system of performance measurement will, inherently, be susceptible to
‘gaming’ or manipulation in either inadvertent subtle, or obvious and egregious ways. The
system of measurement and transparency must be designed with checks and balances to
accommodate check for and correct these inconsistencies.
As an example let us examine a common scenario. If an agency decides to develop or directly
hire program management resources, there is inherent risk of program managers “going
native” if they are left to manage their program for extended periods of time. The term “Going
Native”, originating in diplomatic circles, describes a scenario in which a neutral observer
begins to have sentiments of sympathy and alignment to the cause of those being monitored. It
is the reason Diplomatic appointments are changed on a regular basis.
In a program management scenario in which the program manager is inherently responsible for
successful oversight of a program or project to its conclusion, the temptation to report to
management that the program is on-schedule, or to be optimistic about schedule slippage
being recovered by crashing the schedule is extremely high. As a result, it is frequently not until
a program is irretrievably behind that management or executive oversight learns the truth.
To mitigate the “going native” risk, it is necessary to have the program managers manage
different programs on fixed timetable, moving them with a pre-determined frequency. Doing so
mitigates one risk, but also presents additional challenges, in that it requires each program and
each program manager to adhere to a common set of standards and enforceable controls so
that each program manager can be swapped out seamlessly.
Conversely, if the government agency decides to outsource their program management
resources, it requires that the agency be willing to establish the necessary internal structures
and controls. The contract vehicles themselves need to have due diligence applied to ensure
the service levels built into the contracts provide indicators that:
1. The contractors are adhering to agency standards.
2. The contractors are delivering services in accordance with planned cost and schedule.
3. The contractors themselves are not being adversely influenced working so close with
the projects themselves.
Ultimately, Program Managers need to be responsible for helping guide the program towards a
successful outcome. Equally as important, they must be aware of and fully understand the
escalating program issues that could ultimately result in programmatic failure.
Planet Technologies 6|Page
7. VI. Meeting the Challenge
Figure 1 on page five, identifies the key work streams within program management and their
alignment with an ongoing performance management lifecycle. Analysis of precisely defined
data points such as milestones in delivery, deadlines, budgetary cycles and fiscal indicators,
(including burn rate) from the project level, understood in the context of an IT program,
enables critical oversight at a project level while also providing the visibility necessary for
managing dependencies and true overarching programmatic performance. Alignment of the
two work streams and the practical unification of their actions through consistent and
normalized data driven project and portfolio analysis is the central tenant that must be
followed if we are to effectively manage the delivery of a continuous improvement of the
services provided by IT. The establishment of a technical solution to centralize the collection of
the data to support the analysis will provide the keystone that supports these program
management functions. Clear visibility into their interactions provides a foundation through
which program management as a whole can begin to mature collectively.
This foundation is imperative to provide the long-term stability on which processes and
procedures can be developed and refined over time. Furthermore, the interdependencies
between each of the program management functions (Requirements, Scope, Resources and
Performance, and Feedback) demand a consistent but flexible central collection node that can
begin with simple milestones and as the IT program management methodologies discussed
within the CTO’s plan are defined by OMB the system can be incrementally improved and
augmented to ensure constancy with the requirements of both legislative mandate and
common best-practice.
i. Leveraging Enterprise Agreement Assets in Attacking the Challenge
Most Federal Agencies have a significant investment in Microsoft technologies acquired
through an Enterprise Agreement. Enterprise Agreements contain a large number of products,
many of which tightly integrate together delivering rich functionality across platforms that can
be utilized either through a web browser or through the Microsoft Office Suite of Products
including Outlook through E-Mail. The interface is familiar to end users and management of the
platform is something with which technical resources have demonstrated expertise. Within the
sections that follow, a table at the end of each section will highlight the product / product
combinations that most Federal Agencies own and how they can facilitate the process or
project, program and performance management integration.
ii. Manage Requirements
Although the management of all IT system projects demands requirements management as the
most fundamental of all functions for the successful delivery of a new or augmented service, it
is often the most overlooked. As a result of internal politics, policy or interpretation of the FAR,
Planet Technologies 7|Page
8. Federal agencies are often faced with the challenge of defining needs whilst having to remain at
arm’s length from the very people from which they need to collect the requirements. This
fundamental challenge often results in the development of requirements that are fragmented
or incomplete, or a set of requirements without the context of the customer or business need.
This can be exacerbated by the requirement to fit a system purchase within a pre-determined
budgetary cycle. Commencing your processes based on identified business need in April for
example, will mean you have a very short period of time into which you can squeeze all of the
steps that due diligence requires, forcing the rushed interpretation or total disregard for actual
business and end user requirements. The result has been systems that at best are delivered in a
timely manner but suffer poor adoption and end user satisfaction rates, ultimately being
replaced or growing so considerably in scope that the time and money spent fixing the system
to what it should have been in the first place eclipses the original build cost.
The management of requirements begins during the ‘Architect’ stage of the performance
improvement lifecycle and prior to the start of the System Development Lifecycle, but is an
ongoing (oft overlooked) function with dependencies between the other functions of the
program. The management of requirements is comprised of the following activities:
1. Collect and Define – Collaborate with the customer(s) to identify and explicitly define
the technical requirements of the technical solution. Requirements should be fully
defined for the establishment of the program / technical solution scope. As the program
evolves and the technical solution is deployed to the customer(s), the ongoing collection
and definition of requirements needs to occur.
2. Analyze – Review the customer(s) requirements to identify similarities, redundancies, or
gaps between them. As new requirements are identified during either the development
of the technical solution or post-deployment, those requirements need to be analyzed
against existing documented requirements or already fulfilled requirements.
3. Update – Based on the results of the analysis, prioritization, or additional program
management functions, requirements may need to be consolidated, eliminated, or
enhanced.
4. Prioritize – During the ‘Architect’ stage of the performance improvement lifecycle,
requirements are prioritized to determine those that will be developed and
implemented in the technical solution for the customers. This prioritization can be
formalized in a manner that takes into account customer value, risk, or other factors.
After the requirements are prioritized, the set of requirements now forms the basis of the
scope. At this point the management of the requirements does not end, but rather it continues
throughout the lifecycle of the technical solution. For instance, as the solution is being
Planet Technologies 8|Page
9. developed, the scope may shift or change. A change in scope could require that a particular
requirement not be met in the first iteration of the solution.
The gathering of requirements and proposal of solutions to defined business problems should
be driven by what we term a solution map. A solution map develops the real cost analysis for
the delivery of a given solution including all cost elements comprising hardware, software,
maintenance fees, services (consulting and technical) and ongoing costs. Inclusion of all of the
actual cost elements and visibility thereof in the authorization process of any proposed IT
project is vital if an informed, duly diligent judgment is to be made as to the most advantageous
manner in which to solve the business need or problem at hand. Whilst acknowledgement of
the internal expertise on hand to maintain and operate a proposed system should be weighed
in the process, personal preferences for a particular technical platform, vendor or solution
provider should not weigh into the decision making process.
Specific to the development of a solution map the following products provide functionality that
naturally supports the collection of the data to inform accurate pricing and for the development
of project timelines and milestones.
Product Integrated? Leveraged Capabilities
Microsoft SharePoint Yes Collaboration, Excel Services, Electronic Forms, Dash-
boarding, Alert and Notification
Project Server Yes Project Plan Development, Milestone Definition
Portfolio Server Yes Project Plan Integration, Resource and Dependency
Management
Microsoft Office Yes E-mail, and Spreadsheet integration
Table 1: Requirements Management Products
A description of the use-case for the components listed above appears with a conceptual
architecture at the conclusion of this paper.
iii. Manage Scope
Scope Management is critical for programs. The program itself may be ever evolving, making it
that much more critical that the scope is managed on an ongoing basis in order to contain
costs, schedule, and ensure that the planned deliverables are realized. Scope creep (program or
product) is one of the primary reasons for federal IT projects languishing without delivering
results. To effectively contain scope, it is essential that requirements are detailed, customer
needs are managed, milestones and delivery dates are set and the developers have a clear
understanding of how the requirements are to be fulfilled by the technical solution.
Scope is initially developed during the ‘Invest’ stage of the Performance Improvement Lifecycle,
but is managed throughout the System Development Lifecycle and is impacted based on any of
the other program management functions. The agreed upon scope ultimately results in the
Planet Technologies 9|Page
10. identified cost and schedule elements detailed in the project plan. Scope management, like
requirements management has similar activities that are performed and should be thoroughly
documented and managed before any solution is selected and proposed to the IT control
organization. Buying software is not the full cost of the solution, the hardware platform
required and the time and technical expertise that will be required from at-cost external
support must also be considered before a valid evaluation and selection can realistically deliver
a best value solution.
It is understood that during the development of the technical solution unforeseen
circumstances may arise that will necessitate modification decisions regarding scope to be
made. For example, if it is discovered that performance is not adequate (and is a primary
(highest priority) requirement of the overall solution), some of the development costs may
need to be re-allocated to upgrade physical hardware or underlying network infrastructure. In
this and many other similar cases, the scope or the program and product need to be actively
managed and adjusted accordingly with any resultant shifts in delivery timeframe or budget
being clearly understood, communicated and recorded.
Scope is what defines the cost and schedule that are required. To this end, it is imperative that
it is managed accordingly and communicated actively to ensure that any projects or programs
with dependencies upon the new systems can, in turn, understand any ramifications. A
consideration here must be what the consequences will be regarding decisions of how and
where to invest within the other components of the IT portfolio if disruptive scope changes
occur.
For example, consider the impact if an organization develops requirements, has the alternatives
analyzed, makes a selection, has a budget submitted and approved, and makes an award for an
organization to outsource their messaging platform in order to realize tangible cost savings on
owning and running physical infrastructure. If that award is protested by a disgruntled vendor,
essentially stopping anticipated savings from being realized, the entire IT budget and portfolio
of services will be seriously impacted and must be re-evaluated in light of the fact that the cost
of running the existing infrastructure will not go away as planned but, will instead, be ongoing
whilst the legal battle ensues. This change in reality must be updated and reflected in the
program level budgets and may well result in other previously approved IT projects being moth-
balled or outright cancelled, but regardless of how difficult this impact is, it must be visible and
must be managed.
The following Microsoft products provide functionality that naturally supports the management
of scope to ensure that the program / project are poised to successfully deliver an agreed upon
set of business requirements.
Planet Technologies 10 | P a g e
11. Product Integrated? Leveraged Capabilities
Microsoft SharePoint Yes Collaboration, Excel Services, Electronic Forms, Dash-
boarding, Alert and Notification
Project Server Yes Project Plan Development, Milestone Definition
Portfolio Server Yes Project Plan Integration, Resource and Dependency
Management
Microsoft Office Yes E-mail, and Spreadsheet integration
Table 2: Scope Management Products
iv. Manage Resources and Monitor Performance
As the technical solution is developed and implemented within the ‘Implement’ stage of the
Performance Improvement Lifecycle, resources and their performance need to be managed and
monitored to ensure they are delivering in line with the project delivery plan and milestones
that were laid out in the IT solution evaluation and selection stage. This methodology allows
significantly better assessment of actual delivery against a performance based contract.
It is understood that financial, equipment, human capital and other resources related to the
development and delivery of the solution can all be negatively impacted in a moment’s notice
for any number of reasons. What is important is that the resulting effect on the program are
thoroughly understood and accurately conveyed in a timely manner so that decisions on
program/project continuance, accommodation of change or derailing it altogether can be made
long before a program/project falls into a state in which it languishes and drags on without a
realistic chance of recovery or success
Understanding the implications an issue with resources or their performance may have on both
scope and requirements is imperative. It enables the program to adjust accordingly to ensure
the program is able to press forward in the face of adversity and that deliverable(s) continue to
be produced effectively and efficiently.
The project plan itself is a fundamental starting point for managing cost, schedule, and human
capital; however, a complete solution offers visibility into other aspects of the program as well,
such as additional project resources, the performance of all resources, and the dependencies
with other programs, projects and management functions.
A solution that enables the program manager visibility into all of the resources, their respective
performance, and the scope and requirements they each are related to, provides a holistic view
into the program. This view can assist with course correcting in much shorter time frames, thus
alleviating compounding risks to the program. The following Microsoft products provide
functionality that naturally supports the management and monitoring of cost, schedule,
resources, performance, and their dependencies.
Planet Technologies 11 | P a g e
12. Product Integrated? Leveraged Capabilities
Microsoft SharePoint Yes Collaboration, Excel Services, Electronic Forms, Dash-
boarding, Alert and Notification
Project Server Yes Project Plan Development, Milestone Definition
Portfolio Server Yes Project Plan Integration, Resource and Dependency
Management
Microsoft Office Yes E-mail, and Spreadsheet integration
Table 3: Resource and Performance Management Products
v. Manage User Feedback
Upon successfully delivering the technical solution to the customers, the program still has an
obligation to the customer and the program itself to collect user feedback. Feedback is critical
to ensure that the deliverable has met the requirements as they were defined by the customers
up front and to provide insight into potentially new requirements. In technology terms User
Acceptance Testing (UAT) can deliver an initial adjustment to the program pre-delivery but as
the real world of work is changed through the systems new and efficient functionality end users
will inevitably have modifications, additional functionalities and other comments that will prove
valuable in optimizing and improving the system. Furthermore changes in the legislative
mandates the system addresses may well also require accommodation.
User feedback is a key input into the requirements management function. Collecting the
feedback can be accomplished through various means, including, online surveys, formalized
meetings, etc. Once collected, an analysis of the feedback against the existing requirements,
scope, and functionality of the technical solution determine what action is necessary. For
example, in the event that the user indicates that the solution is slow, a review of the network
might be called for. In the event that the user feels that the solution is missing a piece of
functionality, a review of the requirements and scope may be called for.
Ultimately, the challenge is always the balance between the customers’ needs, the cost to meet
the needs (if in fact they are unmet), and the available resources. The program as a whole,
having just been moved into operations at this point, can be derailed due to negative feedback
from users.
For example, users may be reluctant to adopt the new solution. They may not have the skill set
to be able to leverage the technology without training. Having a good understanding of the
users and an understanding of how their original needs were met with the solution delivered,
empowers the program to mature its relationship with its customers. The following Microsoft
products provide functionality that naturally supports the collection, analysis and management
of user feedback.
Planet Technologies 12 | P a g e
13. Product Integrated? Leveraged Capabilities
Microsoft SharePoint Yes Collaboration, Excel Services, Electronic Forms, Dash-
boarding, Alert and Notification
Project Server Yes Project Plan Development, Milestone Definition
Portfolio Server Yes Project Plan Integration, Resource and Dependency
Management
Microsoft Office Yes E-mail, and Spreadsheet integration
Table 4: User Feedback Management Products
VII. A Conceptual Solution Architecture
Within this whitepaper we have laid out the challenges and a real world proposed methodology
for unifying the four disparate processes through which acquisition and deployment of IT
solutions occurs within the Federal Government. What we will now add is a process/procedural
overlay that straddles and unifies the currently stove-piped process work streams and offers a
conceptual technical architecture that can enable management of the process and visibility into
the results.
i. Overlay Process
Immediate re-alignment and coordination of Program Management, Acquisition, Budget,
Governance and IT Management is not realistically going to happen magically overnight. The
only way to accomplish realistic short term and incremental long term gains is through a
process of procedural accommodation and loose system interconnection.
If we take the steps of the acquisition process as laid out in the table below we can align the
tools available and the method in which they are employed to demonstrate a coherent, quickly
deployable approach.
Process Step Tools Utilization Method
Identification of a SharePoint InfoPath Business Units submit requirements for functionality or
business need. Form Services support and suggested solutions to the IT organization utilizing
browser agnostic web based forms that are received into an e-
mail enabled SharePoint list that is managed and monitored
by the IT team and the IT Investment Review board.
Research into and SharePoint Project Information pertaining to proposed solutions is collected into
evaluation of Collaboration Site review sites in SharePoint where it is centrally discussed and
alternative technical Project Server assessed. Project plans detailing the typical estimated
solutions. deployment timeline and support requirement for each
proposed solution are developed by vendors in a standardized
Microsoft Project Template and submitted as part of the
review process.
Selection of a SharePoint The IT review board (or other such assessment authority),
proposed solution. Collaboration Site reviews the proposed solutions and accompanying
and Surveys documentation in advance of the decision making meeting or
meeting date, post questions and discussion points and review
the existing IT portfolio to check for any existing solutions
Planet Technologies 13 | P a g e
14. Process Step Tools Utilization Method
within the portfolio that could address the defined need. The
final decision to move forward with an investment can be
made in person, or using SharePoint approval workflows to
enable decisions to be made without the need to wait for an
arbitrary meeting date.
Application for SharePoint InfoPath Upon selection/approval the InfoPath form submitted as the
authority to procure Form Services initial request is advanced into the initial procurement process
(through IT selection Project Server with the data elements such as the name of the software, the
boards or through milestones in the deployment timeline et cetera, being
the use of provided in a simple form for review and utilization by the
discretionary procuring authority. If acquisition is amenable and the
funding). procurement system accepts data imports, the form data can
be posted directly into the system removing data entry
inconsistencies. Having an industry best-practice project plan
for the deployment of the solution including major milestones
and project phases calculated in business day increments
allows for much more effective firm fixed price and
performance based contract development.
Issuance of a SharePoint Draft solicitations and the process of reviewing and approving
solicitation. Agency them before they are issued, and the receipt and analysis of
Procurement bids can all be improved through the use of SharePoint
System Collaboration Sites.
Evaluation of bids SharePoint The sites can be used by those preparing and vetting the RFP
and source selection. Collaboration Site pre-release but can also be used as a centralized repository of
responses that the evaluation committee can review, discuss
and decide upon.
Project Project Server Upon approval and selection of a bidders submission the
commencement / Project Portfolio project plan developed in the cost and level of effort modeling
deployment. Server can now move into the portfolio of ongoing projects and be
SharePoint managed and monitored as such. Achievement of major
Collaboration, Dash- milestones and project gateways can be monitored by an
boarding and assigned program manager and, as it is stored as data
Analytics centrally, can be reviewed at any time within the context of
the overall IT portfolio. Centralization of the management
process also enables the transition smoothly of program
management responsibility between individual program
managers to guard against “going native”. Furthermore the
management of IT Program Manager assignment cycling can
be managed as a timed workflow in SharePoint, thus
regulating the change-over activity.
Steady state SharePoint Surveys SharePoint surveys can allow the collection of feedback and
operations. end user commentary on the new system either through the
use of surveys, the collection of e-mails requests and criticism
can be used to assist in the ongoing improvement of the
system in all elements.
Migrations/upgrades Project Server and Project Planning and the thorough collaboration with all
(potentially) SharePoint dependent system components
Ultimately
decommissioning and
retirement.
Planet Technologies 14 | P a g e
15. ii. Technical Architecture
The three principal technical components mentioned throughout this paper, namely Microsoft
SharePoint Server (2010), Microsoft Project, Microsoft Project and Portfolio Server and the
underpinnings (Active Directory, Exchange (or another e-mail platform) and Microsoft Office),
are already within the IT Portfolio by most Federal Agencies and in the spirit of the Federal
CTO’s 25 point plan leveraging what you already own, either on premise, or in a cloud
configuration to help solve the challenges of budget and transparency is a paramount. The
components listed require little (or no), integration effort as they are built on a common
development platform and as such handling and merging data between project plans, across a
portfolio of investments, managing resources and managing budgets can all occur in the tools
familiar to the end user community. In addition, the use of Microsoft SharePoint as an
underlying platform enables support of the IT Program Manager Development track by
providing a unifying centralized resource point for the training materials in video, text,
PowerPoint, PDF, and image format. Management of the training track and individualized views
of progress through a pre-determined set of curricula are all well proven functionalities of
SharePoint and as a result the single platform delivers high value through provision of multiple
functional benefits in a truly cross browser, end-point agnostic manner.
VIII. Embracing the Challenge
As described above, the challenges faced by Federal agencies today are not new. They are
complex and multi-dimensional. Measuring performance, mitigating risk, and achieving
incremental successes are not only necessary for the technology programs themselves, but also
for the development of the program management function at each agency.
A foundational platform to support program management, regardless of the approach taken to
implement the function at an agency is critical. There are such tight dependencies between
requirements, scope, resources, and the customer that it is necessary to manage the
dependencies explicitly. Manually trying to manage requirements, scope, resources, and the
customer ultimately results in something slipping through the cracks. A solution is needed that
is designed to support program management and the dependencies between each function
that provides a foundation through which the functions of program management can be
matured collectively.
As our nation is faced with extremely tight fiscal constraints, it is our duty to embrace this
challenge to ensure that the money being spent on IT is being spent effectively, efficiently, and
is delivering results. The change will not happen overnight, but establishing a solid foundation
to drive maturation and integration will undoubtedly benefit the delivery of technology in the
federal government for years to come.
Planet Technologies 15 | P a g e
16. IX. Conclusion
Addressing the challenges posed to all of us by Vivek’s 25 is going take a significant change in
how we work together as IT professionals, Acquisition Specialists, Budget and Compliance
Experts and Project management professionals. This challenge should not be used as an excuse
to buy even more, large standalone systems, pay a great deal for their integration and try to
reform and unify our processes, that approach is indicative of what got IT program
management in this mess to begin with. The tools to facilitate the change are already within the
IT portfolios of most US Federal Agencies, are familiar and often used by existing staff across
the different affected disciplines and can be enacted in a tightly, or loosely integrated fashion
depending on the individual cultural preferences of the agencies involved. The key to success is
simply the normalization of the data points to be monitored across the five
domains/organizations and due diligence in keeping that data up to date. As a follow-up to this
white paper, Planet Technologies will be releasing form templates, common sample data
elements and definitions, and project templates that Government Agencies can download and
tailor to assist in getting the process started.
Planet Technologies 16 | P a g e