Project Management

Dashboards help inform the end-user community of progress on major IT initiatives and also help the IT community keep focused on the status of less intensive projects. Dashboard interface uses can range from an individual campus-wide initiative dashboard to a one showing multiple projects occurring simultaneously. A dashboard not only can enhance a website's visual appeal, but it can also give project managers (and IT and other campus leaders) information at a glance that helps them understand the current status of the IT organization's priorities and its future direction.

For the past two years, Georgia State University's Information Systems and Technology (IS&T) has been building a portfolio of projects. With over 40 ongoing projects, IS&T needed to prioritize projects to ensure the appropriate resources are applied to meet deadlines. Over the course of the process, many changes to strategy and the ranking format were made to arrive at the current model. This seminar will demonstrate how IS&T prioritizes projects and determines resource planning for those projects. The session will also cover the methodology and tools used.

Managing, documenting, and controlling service activities is one of the biggest issues facing an IT organization. Enterprise Information Technology Services (EITS) within the University of Georgia approached the problem by implementing the Clarity Portfolio and Project Management tool and adapting it to meet the needs of both project and service management. We will discuss the process we used to determine the activities our organization is accomplishing and to implement a tool to capture data to document those activities and help plan for the future.

ITIL is a leading framework for managing and delivering IT services. It helps IT organizations become more efficient and effective in their service planning, delivery, and oversight. ITIL is flexible enough to be adopted by IT in higher education. This discussion will briefly introduce ITIL and its place in the wider IT value chain. It will also cover the experience of an ITIL implementation at Yale University, including the time, resources, and skills required.

George Mason University has implemented a new governance structure and portfolio management procedures to provide more effective ERP guidance, direction, and support in a large, distributed campus environment. This presentation will review the process employed to implement these new measures, summarize the results to date, and discuss lessons learned.

Those of us in IT organizations have limited resources and a plethora of requests. How do we objectively determine which projects or systems should move forward and which ones must wait? How can we involve others in the decision-making process, and how do we logically explain the result? Are there tools that can help us reach the best decision?

Working on IT projects requires input across IT teams and often from employees in other departments as well. This presentation will show the solutions that ITS at Occidental College has developed using a wiki to maintain open and timely communication across broad groups.

As demand and cost for resources grow and we look to technology for solutions, it is imperative that we use technology resources on campuses wisely. Technology projects spring up here, there, and everywhere! Hear how Cal State Northridge has implemented a process to effectively identify and manage our technology projects.

Appropriate policies and protocols can convert the often adversarial department-IT relationship into a partnership of shared goals

UW–Madison successfully managed a large IT project using a new collaborative development methodology. The goal was to bring the product to life quickly with fewer bugs and greater input from both functional and technical people. This methodology impacted our organization in unexpected ways. We'll share successes and lessons learned.