!RPW INCLUDE! DO NOT MOVE/MODIFY !RPW INCLUDE!
rpw/startBorder.rpw
!RPW INCLUDE! DO NOT MOVE/MODIFY !RPW INCLUDE!
Checkpoints: Entrance Criteria for the Software Program Mobilization Discipline
Topics
Inputs
The following inputs should be available:
- Strategic vision of business opportunities and direction
- First-cut vision of IT goals and strategy
- High-level outline of program capital and expenses
- Program benefits and ROI definition
- Candidate software projects
- Initial project sizing and scheduling
- Identified program sponsor(s)
- Outline software projects charters
- Initial capital and expenses budget
- Consulting and staffing agreement framework
Entrance Criteria and Review Areas in which special attention
should be paid
Benefits - Identification & Management
The benefits and/or financial return for the program effort have been defined,
quantified, and agreed by Executive Management
Review Points
- Are there measures for the benefits, in terms of Return on Investment percentage
(ROI), Costs Savings projected over time, reduced head count?
- Are the business areas that will realize the benefits specifically identified,
and the benefits allocated specifically to them?
- Is there some indication, e.g. an attached approval, signatures, a memo,
that specifically indicate approval, and those who approved?
- Is there an analysis of the time period over which the benefits will be
realized? If this is a multi-year return, are the benefits / returns apportioned
over the years?
- Is a senior staff member or Executive specifically named as responsible
for management/achievement of the identified benefits?
Consensus
Business Management
Business management has been fully involved in the strategic planning and has
understood and agreed in principle to the necessary internal staffing to support
the program.
Executive Management
The strategic 'vision', analysis, and planning efforts have been successfully
concluded and the Program endorsed to move forward by Executive Management.
Review Points
- Is there an indication of at least one face-to-face management review in
which overall agreement was reached to the goals of the Program?
- Is agreement specifically indicated in the following areas:
- Maximum staff size for the Program
- Numbers of dedicated internal staff for the Program
- Departments / Executives identified who will supply internal staff
- Approval to fully mobilize the Program
- Is there any list, or document that describes outstanding issues, problems,
areas of disagreement among the Executive sponsors?
- Is there any indication that any of these items remain unresolved, and their
criticality to mobilization?
- Is there a specific document that authorizes the mobilization of the Program?
Finance
Capital & Expense Budget
Check that all needed approvals have been obtained for the Capital and Expense
budget
Costs Sizing
A financial analysis has been completed for the Program and there is consensus
among Executive Management as to the overall cost 'scale'
Review Points
- Is all of the funding for the Program available?
- If only part of the funding is approved, is this sufficient to mobilize,
and to complete at least 25 % of the projected work effort?
- Does the budget identify specific captions and the approved funding within
each caption?
- Can funds be transferred between captions?
- Are there any conditions or dependencies to the availability or use of funding?
What are these?
- Is the expectation for the total cost of the program set, documented, and
agreed?
- Is there a complete, detailed, financial analysis of all costs and expenses?
- Has the CFO (or other most senior financial officer) been part of the strategic
planning, and is his/her approval of costs and expenses and the funding documented?
Organization - Projects
The Projects that make up the program have been identified, boundaries among
them set - at least initially - and a brief description or outline project charter
has been completed for each project
Review Points
- Are the projects within the program named, and described?
- Is there a scope, or boundaries graphic, which shows the contents / subject
areas specific to each project?
- Is there a high-level definition of what each project is expected to deliver
and / or the success criteria for the project?
- Is there an outline Project Charter for all / some of the projects?
- Is there a document, or description of the process used, and the reasons
behind the identification / specification of the numbers, types, and boundaries
of the projects?
Planning - Goals & Milestones
Goals and milestones have been approved by Executive Management for the program
Review Points
- Is there a high-level work-stream, or Gantt-like view of the expected results for the Program, shown over time?
- Are there a group of high-level goals for the program that have been identified?
- Is there an indication of the success owner for each goal?
- Are there a series of high-level milestones from the beginning to the end of the Program that have been identified?
- Are the goals (and their achievement) mapped to the milestones, and shown in some predecessor/successor relationship?
- Are the milestones clear, specific, and have identified outcomes/results?
Governance
An Executive Sponsor
One (or more) Executive Sponsors have been identified and have committed the needed time to the program
A Program Director/Manager
A Program Manager has been identified and is fully available at the start of the mobilization effort
Review Points
- Is the Executive Sponsor(s) named, and available?
- Is the Executive Sponsor(s) co-located with the majority of the staff of the Program?
- Is the Executive Sponsor(s) an officer level that can make policy and funding decisions on behalf of the enterprise and division?
- Has the commitment level of the Executive Sponsor been identified and documented specifically? e.g. 10 %, 1 day/week
- Is the Program Director/Manager dedicated full-time to the Program? If not, at least 50 % on average?
Scope - Boundaries, Inclusions, Exclusions
The strategic planning effort has produced an understanding and an agreement
as to the business areas that are included and those that are excluded from
the boundary and work effort of the Program.
Review Points
- Is there a description document, Scope statement, boundaries graphic for
the Program that clearly indicates the inclusions/exclusions of some/any of:
- Products
- Business Areas
- Software Applications
- Geographic Locations
- Does the description, Scope statement, boundaries graphic have any qualifiers/conditions for the inclusions/exclusions?
- Are the included / excluded items specifically described and identified?
Success
There is an overall consensus among Executive Management as to the definition of 'success' for the Program - preferably a written Success Definition.
Review Points
- Is there a document that includes a specific definition or description of what success is for the Program
- Is there an enumeration or list of required outcomes, or business changes?
- Is there a list of the required new / packaged / changed software applications, IT infrastructure elements that must be delivered?
Value Analysis Matrix for Entrance Criteria
Directions
Work through all of the Review Points listed for a review area. Where an area has multiple review items - unless otherwise indicated - apply all
review points to each listed item.
Use a spreadsheet to rate the review results.
If the answer to all or most of the review points is 'yes', then use the scope in the column labeled "All/Most Present". Do the same with the other columns.
When you have completed the review exercise, and totaled the results, look at the following section for Score Ranges and Actions to Take.
Review Areas |
Review Item |
All/Most Present |
Some Present |
None Present |
Benefits |
Identification & Management |
7 |
5 |
-7 |
Consensus |
Business Management |
5 |
3 |
-3 |
|
Executive Management |
7 |
5 |
-7 |
Finance |
Capital & Expense Budget |
7 |
5 |
-7 |
|
Costs Sizing |
5 |
3 |
-3 |
Organization |
Projects |
4 |
2 |
-2 |
Planning |
Goals & Milestones Plan |
5 |
3 |
-3 |
Governance |
Executive Sponsor(s) |
7 |
5 |
-7 |
|
Program Director/Manager |
5 |
3 |
-5 |
Scope |
Boundaries, Inclusions, Exclusions |
7 |
5 |
-7 |
Success |
Definition |
4 |
2 |
-2 |
Score Ranges and Actions to Take
Score Range |
Action To Take |
63 - 52 |
The majority of inputs, and needed information, and decisions have been provided or completed that are predecessors to the start of the mobilization effort. Check the quality and completeness of these, first,
and proceed with mobilization |
51 - 30 |
Some portion of the inputs, and needed information, and decisions have been provided and completed, that are predecessors to the start of the mobilization effort.
- Review and understand the impact of the missing items
- Make a determination if it is necessary to plan and execute some portion of the strategy development effort to provide significant missing items
- Defer mobilization until the significant missing items are either well-advanced toward completion, or present
- Check the quality and completeness of the available information and decisions, before proceeding with mobilization
|
29 or less |
Major portions of the inputs, and needed information and decisions have not been provided and completed, that are predecessors to the start of the mobilization effort.
- Review and understand the impact of the missing items
- Prepare an overview of the missing items, and the assessment of their impact upon the capability to start mobilization
- Review the assessment with the Executive Sponsor(s), and determine the appropriate actions to take
- Defer mobilization pending the completion of the assessment review with the Executive Sponsor(s), and an agreed path forward
|
!RPW INCLUDE! DO NOT MOVE/MODIFY !RPW INCLUDE!
rpw/endBorder.rpw
!RPW INCLUDE! DO NOT MOVE/MODIFY !RPW INCLUDE!