Ftm Business Template - Project Passport

Project Passport Business Template

What is a Project Passport?

When should you use it?

The Project Passport template provides a structured method for defining, planning and controlling all types of projects.

Use the Project Passport at the start of a project to provide an initial overview or ‘charter’ that will guide all those involved. Once agreed, review the passport workplan as a means of ensuring that the project is on track (check progress against target close dates or ‘milestones’), and again on project closure to evaluate overall success and to capture lessons learned.

Why is it relevant? Most modern organizations are managed through projects occurring across all functional areas. The effective and efficient operation of projects therefore has a direct impact on overall performance and profitability.

Who needs to be involved? Projects impact on most people in the business, but the critical roles cover the Executive Sponsor (a member of the senior team that provides the necessary support, direction and budget) and the project manager or leader (who is responsible for detailed planning and management of the team). Involve other people or ‘project stakeholders’ as and when required.

How should you implement it? Start by identifying the key people involved in projects across the business or team, and get their buy-in to the Project Passport template. Then run a training session where participants complete Passport for current projects they are involved in. Next agree what future projects will use the template (and which will not) and who will review progress when. Some organizations establish a Project Review Board whereby a senior team will review the overall project portfolio on a monthly basis – this will ultimately drive the overall process.

© SofTools, 2009. For more information on related products and services, visit www.Fast-Track-Me.com or contact us at: [email protected]

Project Passport This is a case example based on a fictitious company called TVT – all the data is displayed for demonstration purposes only. For a detailed explanation of what each cell is used for please refer to the Virtual Consultant on the following pages.

Form 1: Project Reference Overview

Performance monitor

Title

TVT - System installation

Budget

£45,000

Description

Installation and support of the ABC business management system

Update

Project on track but resourcing issue needs to be resolved in the next month

Project Leader

Andy Bruce

Status

Red

Project Sponsor

David Jones

Impact level

Level 5

Team

IS&T

Risk level

Level 4

Type

Process Improvement

Issues

5

Last Save

13 Sep 2007 13:15

Documents

2

Form 2: Executive Summary Project Summary Business Context Problem or opportunity Scope (In vs Out) Constraints & dependencies

The current business management system does not provide customer support information in a timely fashion . Customer complaints and forward orders are not being picked up until due dates have been missed. This has resulted in a significant increase in customer complaints over the last 12 months All functions will be involved, but the remote site in each regions will remain on the current intranet system in phase 1 Project must not over-run so budget management will be key. Project will also need to fit within the overall technology roadmap and not distract from the implementation of the NPD tracking system due by the end of the year

Form 3: Objectives & Value Objectives

Benefits - description

Priority

Realised

Status

Prime objective

To improve the timely provision of business performance data - specifically customer care

High

Full

Green

Objective 2

To simplify the over customer care process

High

Partial

Amber

Objective 3

To create a more integrated approach to systems in line with the Technology strategy

Medium

None

Red

Identified

Realised

Status

£650,000

£800,000

Green

£350,000

£345,000

Green

Benefits - value Value - Year 1 Value - Years 2 & 3

Reduction in operating costs (20%) and ability to integrate dynamically with customer systems resulting in 20% upsell on current product lines Continued operating cost reductions and a further 10% upsell in years 2 and 3

© SofTools, 2009. For more information on related products and services, visit www.Fast-Track-Me.com or contact us at: [email protected]

Form 4: Stakeholder Audit Top Five Stakeholders

Communication process

Power

Support

Status

IT Department

Weekly review meetings Friday mornings

High

0

Amber

Customer Support

Weekly reviews

High

5

Green

HR Manager

Formal end-of-pilot review

Medium

2

Green

Help Desk

Formal end-of-pilot review

Medium

-3

Red

ABC Supplier

Phase and weekly face-to-face reviews

High

5

Green

Start Date

Close Date

Status

£0 21 Apr 2009

27 Apr 2009

Black

£0 27 Apr 2009

27 May 2009

Red

£5,000 27 May 2009

27 Jun 2009

Amber

£5,000

27 Jun 2009

2 Sep 2009

Amber

£15,000

2 Sep 2009

13 Sep 2009

Green

£20,000 13 Sep 2009

13 Nov 2009

Green

£0 13 Nov 2009

23 Nov 2009

Green

£0 23 Nov 2009

1 Dec 2009

Green

£45,000 21 Apr 2009

1 Dec 2009

Red

Form 5: Workplan Workplan 1

Initiate

2

Scope

3

Business case

4

Solution development

5

Test / pilot

6

Implement

7

Review

8

Close

Outcome or Deliverable Establish strategic need A full functional specification in line with customer requirements A full cost-benefit analysis with project NPV calculation Supplier configuration / development of operational solution User and stakeholder sign-off with improvement recommendation System, process, and skills changes in place Formal evaluation against time, cost and performance expectations Insights capture and formal closure Summary

Budget

Graphic: Gantt Chart

© SofTools, 2009. For more information on related products and services, visit www.Fast-Track-Me.com or contact us at: [email protected]

Form 6: Project Close-down Close-down Objectives

Timings

Budget

Resources

Stakeholders

Lessons learned

Status

Comments

Red

Objectives have only been partially achieved to-date and more work is required to align activities with the recent change in scope driven by the customers

Green

Project activities are on track

Green

Within budget

Amber

If the schedule is changed to accommodate the revised scope then we will need to check that the critical testing resources will still be available

Green

All key stakeholders fully aligned to the project

Green

Ensure earlier involvement of key stakeholders in order to get buy-in to implementation activities

© SofTools, 2009. For more information on related products and services, visit www.Fast-Track-Me.com or contact us at: [email protected]

Virtual ConsultantTM The Virtual ConsultantTM provides a step-by-step guide to completing this business template. It is worded as a series of questions designed to make you stop and think about this topic in a challenging and creative way – as if a business coach or consultant was sitting next to you.

Form 1: Project Reference Title and Description What is the project name and purpose or mission? Project Leader Which member of the senior management team is the Sponsor - responsible for defining the project objectives and ensuring resource availability? Who is the initiator of the new project idea? Project Sponsor Which member of the senior management team is the Sponsor - responsible for defining the project objectives and ensuring resource availability? Team Which department or team takes prime responsibility for the successful completion of this project? Type What type or classification of project is this? Classifying projects in a particular way helps to manage them in the appropriate way and can be used for reporting – this might relate to the programme they contribute to or possibly whether they should adopt a FastTrack as opposed to a complex approach Budget What initial budget has been allocated to this project? This information should be compared with the detailed requirement in the Workplan Project Leaders Update What is the latest update for the Project Leader? It is worthwhile keeping all changes to this cell Current Status What is the overall status of this project? The status should reflect the status fields from elsewhere in the passport Impact What is the overall impact on performance? 1 = Marginal impact on operational performance in one area of the business 2 = Medium impact on internal effectiveness and efficiency 3 = High impact in internal operational effectiveness and efficiency 4 = Significant impact in one strategic imperative or product-market area 5 = Significant impact in all functions or strategic emphasis areas Risk What is the overall risk assessment? 1 = Low complexity and low investment project that has been completed successfully many times before 2 = Low complexity and low investment project that has not been conducted before 3 = Medium complexity (more than one function) and medium investment 4 = High complexity and high investment, but has been completed several times before

© SofTools, 2009. For more information on related products and services, visit www.Fast-Track-Me.com or contact us at: [email protected]

5 = High complexity and high investment in an area that has not been conducted before (novelty) Issues How many issues or risks exist for this project? Think about the bottlenecks that are or could occur, and make sure you manage these items as the project progresses Documents How many additional documents provide useful background information? The Project Passport should somehow be linked to other project documents such as: a market or customer brief, research papers, presentation packs and possibly detailed project plans if required

Form 2: Executive Summary Business context What is the current situation and background information? Think about how this project fits with the current strategy and KPIs? Problem or opportunity What is the specific problem to be addressed and what is its impact on operational and strategic performance? Scope (In vs Out) What boundaries have been set for this project - what is out and why? Constraints & dependencies What are the critical dependencies in terms people, resources, budgets or deliverables from other projects?

Form 3: Objectives & Value Benefits – description What are the primary and secondary objectives for this project? Reflect on the problem or opportunity statement above and consider the potential impact on performance Priority What is the weighting for each objective? Whilst all objectives may be desirable, if the project gets into difficulties and needs to make a compromise, the focus should always be on the primary objective What is the anticipated financial benefit? Think about the value in the 12 months immediately following completion of the project, and the longer-term (ongoing) impact Status What is the overall status for each objective?   

Red = major concerns and immediate corrective action is required (capture these as Issues in Form 1) Amber = some concerns and needs to be monitored closely Green = on-track

© SofTools, 2009. For more information on related products and services, visit www.Fast-Track-Me.com or contact us at: [email protected]

Form 4: Stakeholder Audit Top Five Stakeholders What is the name of the stakeholder group? There are often many stakeholders, but overall project success or failure will ultimately be determined by a small number – focus on your top five Communication & involvement process What is the best way to keep each stakeholder group involved and informed? Many projects fail simply through poor communication or because the people were not involved when required Power What level of impact could each stakeholder have on the overall success of the project? Use a simple scale of H = High, M = Medium, and L = Low Reflect on the contribution that each will make, and how critical it is to the project Support How supportive is each stakeholder of this project? Use a scale of -5 to 5 where -5 reflects stakeholders that are resistant to the project, and 5 where they are strongly supportive. Status Finally, what is the current status for each relationship? Reflect on stakeholders that have the most power, and where they are strongly resistant (status Red)

  

Red = Significant concerns and immediate corrective action is required (capture these as Issues in Form 1) Amber = some concerns and the relationship needs to monitored very closely Green = Strong and positive relationship

Form 5: Project Workplan Workplan What are the major steps or activities within the project? Think about how you would group activities together to make them easier to manage Budget What detailed budget will be required for each phase of the project? Think about the number of person days consumed and the resources required for facilities, equipment and materials Start date and close date What is the anticipated start and close date for each activity? Status Finally, what is the current status for each activity?

   

Red = major concerns and immediate corrective action is required. (capture these as Issues in Form 1) Amber = some concerns and needs to monitored closely Green = on-track Black = phase is complete

© SofTools, 2009. For more information on related products and services, visit www.Fast-Track-Me.com or contact us at: [email protected]

Form 6: Project Close-Down Close-down checklist How did the project perform overall in terms of delivery against time, cost and benefits?

     

Objectives: Did the project deliver against the agreed objectives and forecast financial benefits? Timing: Were all activities completed on time? Budget: Did the overall expenditure stay within the agreed budget? Resources: Were resources used effectively and efficiently? Stakeholders: Were the team and all stakeholders committed to the success of the project? Lessons Learned: What specific insights or learning points have been captured?

Status What is the status against each checklist question?    

White = not yet assessed Red = not achieved at all Amber = partially completed Green = competed satisfactorily

Comments What are the final comments against each item in the checklist? Ideally this section would be completed during a meeting between the Project Leader and Project Sponsor

© SofTools, 2009. For more information on related products and services, visit www.Fast-Track-Me.com or contact us at: [email protected]

Project Passport Use the following blank template to address an issue or opportunity within your business or team

Form 1: Project Reference Overview

Performance monitor

Title

Budget

Description

Update

Project Leader

Status

Project Sponsor

Impact Level

Team

Risk Level

Type

Issues

Last Save

Documents

Form 2: Executive Summary Project Summary Business Context Problem or opportunity Scope (In vs Out) Constraints & dependencies

Form 3: Objectives Objectives

Benefits - description

Priority

Realised

Status

Benefits - value

Identified

Realised

Status

Prime objective Objective 2 Objective 3

Value - Year 1 Value - Years 2 & 3

© SofTools, 2009. For more information on related products and services, visit www.Fast-Track-Me.com or contact us at: [email protected]

Form 4: Stakeholder Audit Top Five Stakeholders

Communication process

Power

Support

Status

Start Date

Close Date

Status

Form 5: Workplan Workplan

Outcome or Deliverable

Budget

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Totals

Form 6: Project Close-down Close-down

Status

Comments

Objectives Timings Budget Resources Stakeholders Lessons learned

© SofTools, 2009. For more information on related products and services, visit www.Fast-Track-Me.com or contact us at: [email protected]