The IT Project Management Office (PMO)

What is an IT Project?

IT Projects typically have a significant technology component that will be required in order for a project to achieve its desired goal. This could be anything from programming and database development to software and hardware acquisition.

Projects are assessed and determined as follows:

• their organizational impact
• the time required for implementation
• the resources required (budget, staff, hardware, software, etc.)
• the complexity of deliverables to be produced

Determining Organizational Impact

High Impact	Moderate Impact	Low Impact
Matches one of the following:	Does not exceed any of the following:	Does not exceed any of the following:
High Strategic value Impacts ≥ 5 business units Impacts > 250 end users Problem and solution will be difficult to define and achieve Significant links to other projects Significant impact on financial revenue, expenses Project Team has limited knowledge of the project’s objective as it related to the overall organization impact	Impacts 2 - 4 business units Impacts 25 - 250 end users Problem and solution may be somewhat difficult to achieve Minor links to other projects Moderate impact on financial revenue, expenses Project Team is somewhat familiar with project's objective and solution	Impacts a single functional business unit Impacts < 25 end users Problem and solution are defined and easy to achieve No dependencies on other projects Project Team is very familiar with the project objective and solution

Determining Project Size

	Project Team Size, Duration  & Cost
Level of Organizational Impact	< 5 staff < 50 hours work (under 2 weeks) < $50K	< 10 staff 3-12 months < $300K	> 10 staff > 1 year < $500K	> 10 staff > 1 year > $500K
Low	Not a project	Small project	Medium project	Large project
Moderate	Not a project	Small project	Medium project	Large project
High	Small project	Medium project	Large project	Large project

 

How do I Initiate an IT Project?

The PMO has established a project intake process and it is essential in helping to ensure that the projects being proposed align to Sheridan’s strategic priorities and provide value to the College community and/or any associated stakeholders.

The Project Intake Request Form

The Project Intake Request Form captures the pertinent details about your project and is reviewed by the Project Steering Committee to assess your project's feasibility, strategic alignment score and prioritization. Once approved, the project request information is sent to the Resource Planning Committee to determine the viability of the project, schedule resources and establish timelines.

After submitting your request, you may be asked to provide further details before a final decision about your project can be made. Results of the project assessment will be communicated to the project requestor and/or the identified business lead.

For questions or help with this process, please contact projectservices@sheridancollege.ca.

To initiate your project, complete the Project Request Form – you will need to log-in using your Sheridan credentials (shernetxp\your-username).

Go to Project Request Form

Project Resources

Project Support and Resources

The PMO provides the following support mechanisms to help ensure that projects have successful outcomes and meet Sheridan’s strategic goals:

IT Project Coordinator
The IT Project Coordinator works closely with the PMO Director, staff and other areas of the College to ensure proper portfolio alignment with Sheridan’s strategic vision. The IT Project Coordinator is responsible for coordinating project intake and prioritization, and is the primary contact for the management, coordination and dissemination of the IT project portfolios—providing administrative support, analysis, advice, business management and project management support for the projects managed in the department.

Key Account Leads (KAL)
The Key Account Lead (KAL) is responsible for the delivery of IT related projects to the Sheridan community while demonstrating outstanding customer service and a high level of user experience. The KAL is responsible for the continual improvement of IT Services as well as a project and service culture. The KAL is also responsible for a high degree of relationship management as a liaison between the IT’s Project Management Office (PMO) and other Sheridan departments. The KAL leads feasibility studies, project implementation, including defining the project, monitoring progress and planning the required sequence of activities.

Program Managers
The Program Manager provides leadership, oversight and a coordinated approach to implementing a portfolio of strategic, mid-large scale, technical projects. The Program Manager / Project Manager provides clarity and direction to the project team, and is a liaison between IT, Sheridan departments, and technology vendors. He/she establishes or improves business processes, implements best practices related to the portfolio and ensures applicable regulatory requirements are met.

Technical Resources
Technical resources – including programmer/analysts and system analysts – are assigned to each project area to provide dedicated technical support.

Project Governance

Depending on the size of the project the request can be approved or denied by the PMO, the Associate Vice President of IT (AVP-IT), the Project Steering Committee, or PVP.

Not a Project – there are many initiatives that have a low to moderate impact and require little effort to complete. These initiatives do not require a project intake request but will require a Service Desk ticket to be created in order to coordinate and provide IT resources.

Small Project – the PMO and AVP-IT reviews the project request and determines if the project is approved.

Medium Project – the Project Steering Committee (PSC) reviews the project request and determines if the project is approved.

Large Project – the Project Steering Committee (PSC) reviews the project request and determines if the project is approved. The PSC will make the decision if the project needs executive level approval from the IT Board. The PSC will prioritize the request against other project in the portfolio. These projects are shared with the IT Board for approval and in order to maintain transparency.

During the project review process:

• There may be a need to seek out more details before a decision is made by assigning a Business Analyst or Key Account Lead (KAL) and/or
• recommend projects to the PVP for approval
  OR
• project requests that are not approved will be communicated to the project requestor and/or business lead

Project Steering Committee Members

The Project Steering Committee is made up of leaders within IT.

Once approved, the PMO will work with a standing IT Resource Planning Committee to schedule applicable resources.