Projects

Configure for PRINCE2, agile delivery or your own project methods

360 Projects can be used by a range of project types from small quick wins through to large scale programmes. Depending on the project type, it is set up with the appropriate series of stages and quality gates that are drawn down for the project method configured in the system. Document templates and reporting tools are available to the project team to complete at each stage of the project.

Key features

• Online project office
• Steps through stages of PRINCE2 or other project method
• Project document templates
• Gantt chart timeline
• Quality assurance gate reviews
• Controls for
• Assumptions
• Constraints
• Changes
• Risks
• Issues
• Dependencies
• Deliverables
• Status reports
• Integrates with 360 PMF as a Performance Management Framework application

Pre-project determines the nature and scope of the project to be undertaken

The overall Goals and Objectives are set along with requirements, current working practices, cost benefit case, stakeholder analysis, expected returns on investment and a business case or project charter for delivery of the project.

Project Initiation takes pre-project and plans in the detail for delivery of the project

What are the governance arrangements, controls and priority placed upon the project?

Who is responsible for deliverables?

When does the project need to deliver?

Information is captured about the context of the project, its objectives, success criteria, scope, deliverables, approach, stakeholders, anticipated costs, benefits, risks, milestones, constraints, dependencies and assumptions.

Within 360 Projects this information is used to create a snapshot Project Initiation Document which can be locked down at Project Sign off and track progress.

Execution of work plan, documents, audit, QA

Execution is “the doing” of work identified in the Project Initiation Document or Project Plan and coordinating the activities of the project teams to complete specified deliverables.

The Work Plan is used to schedule tasks, deliverables and milestones. These are assigned to project members responsible for delivering them. The Work Plan schedule can be updated in the web and exported to MS Project to create Gantt charts. These are used for the management of progress through periodic reviews.

Document temples are pre populated in the Project Office to provide team members with the opportunity to use the standard templates and provide a repository for project control documents. The mandatory and optional documentation is determined during Project Definition.

Audit keeps a log of significant changes that happen during the life of the project. Changes to key definition areas are possible with authorisation. Any changes to the project are audited so that there is a catalogue of changes at the end of the project that can be reviewed.

Quality Assurance is built into projects with stage gateway and deliverables reviews by the Project Office.

Controls are ACCRIDD baseline & snap shot status reports

Controls are designed to identify where a project is deviating from the original plan and enable the team to take appropriate action. ACCRIDD is a Log of the elements that identified at the start of the project. These are base-lined at Project Definition and amendments recorded during the project to record how it doing through to delivery. ACCRIDD is made up of:

• Assumptions
• Constraints
• Changes
• Risks
• Issues
• Dependencies
• Deliverables

When Status Reports are published, they create a snapshot of the project at that moment in time. These are used to report progress to stakeholders and sponsors and build up a history of progress in a live project. The elements reported in a Status Report cover:

• Summary with Stage, RAG, Direction of Travel
• Finances against budget
• Progress on Linked Programmes, Projects and Work packages
• ACCRIDD

The Controls provide a real time and snap shot history of where activities are up to and enable the monitoring of variables and identification of corrective action.

Closedown

At the end of each project make sure that any lose ends are tied up, lessons learnt and best practice recognised through a review of the Quality Assurance, Status Reports, Deliverables and Sponsor Feedback. This is returned to develop best practice.