Project Management Office
Overview
The One IT Project Management Office (PMO) advocates consistent project management practices that helps Stevens Institute of Technology fulfill its mission and strategic goals.
Objectives
Use the established methodologies and industry best practices to ensure successful completion of projects
Manage the IT project portfolio
Keep the Stevens community informed of projects
Serve as consultants to the Stevens community on IT project management
Increase project management skills and knowledge at the organizational level
Through projects provide capability for continuous improvement and business process reengineering
Work alongside the Stevens community in the roles of business analysts, business relationship managers and project managers
Mission Statement
The mission of the One IT Project Management Office (PMO) is to intake and execute a portfolio of technology initiatives and projects. The PMO’s primary responsibility is to ensure that projects are completed within scope, budget, and on schedule. The PMO is responsible for establishing and implementing best practices for the benefit of Stevens in a way that encourages collaboration, overall improvement and true transformation in our services.
What is a Project? | What is a Service? |
|---|---|
A project is a “temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.” - Project Management Institute | A service is a function or process (or a set of related functions and processes) provided on an ongoing, duplicable basis to a set of clients. Visit the Service Catalog to request a service. |
Requesting a Project
All Stevens stakeholders requesting a new project are required to submit a Project Request Form.
Before you submit a project request, it is important to determine what the project will produce and to have a clear vision of the end result. Be prepared to provide the following information so that your project can be fully assessed:
Description of the business need: Why the project is necessary and how it will benefit Stevens?
Requested schedule: When is the proposed solution needed?
Cost/Funding source: Has a funding source been identified and approved?
Please note all project requests must have an approved or identified budget. For pricing requests please use this link (coming soon!) to view estimated prices for AV, data, and card access.
After the Project Request Form has been submitted the PMO will work with you to clarify your specific needs and gather additional information as necessary. The PMO will review requests to determine alignment with Stevens strategic goals, technical feasibility, scheduling and availability of required resources.
Project Lifecycle
All projects will follow the project lifecycle steps shown in the flowchart below.
Project Approval Process
Please note this process can take up to 6-8 weeks depending on project size and complexity.
Step 1: Project Submission
Project Request Form is submitted by a business partner.
Approximately 1 business day
Step 2: Project Added to Project Pipeline
Once the Project Request Form is received, the PMO inputs the project into the OneIT project pipeline.
Approximately 2 business days
Step 3: Project Information Gathering
One of the assigned OneIT project managers meets with the business partner to gather additional information and discuss potential project scope, timeline, impact, stakeholders, resources, and budget.
Approximately 15 business days
Step 4: Internal Project Manager Meeting
OneIT project managers meet internally to share information with the PMO team about the newly requested project.
Approximately 10 business days
Step 5: OneIT Leadership Discussion
Requested project is discussed amongst the OneIT leadership team to determine priority, strategic alignment, resource needs, and additional questions or clarifications.
Note: This process will be based on the OneIT project pipeline, project information, IT priority and resource availability. When a requested project is rejected or denied, the Project Management Office will communicate with the requesting business partner directly.
Approximately 10 business days
Step 6: VP for IT & CIO Approval
Project request is sent for approval to the VP for IT & CIO.
Approximately 3 business days
Step 7: Project Planning Meeting
OneIT project manager will schedule a meeting with the requesting business partner, technical lead and/or subject matter expert to create a project plan in Smartsheet.
Note: The execution of Step 7 and the subsequent project activities will vary based on project size and support levels as outlined above.
Approximately 5 business days
Project Prioritization
Project Prioritization
Project prioritization allows the PMO to determine which existing and new projects are most important for the University to achieve its strategic goals, focus on initiatives that bring value to the community, allocate resources effectively, and ensure project success.
Project Prioritization Criteria →
Effective July 1st, 2024, OneIT will be using the following criteria when approving projects. Projects will be prioritized using the following scoring criteria.
Strategic Alignment (1-5)
Business Value (1-5)
Team Bandwidth Availability (1-5)
Budget Availability (1-5)
Impact (1-5)
Urgency (1-5)
AV Project Blackout Dates
Starting Fiscal Year 2025 there will be Audio Visual (AV) Project Blackout dates enforced by the OneIT team. The PMO will only accept AV project requests in the first and second quarter of the new fiscal year. Projects will be accepted between July 1 through December 31, 2024. Any request submitted after that time will be implemented for the next fiscal cycle.
Please note that this does not include capital projects.
What is an Audio Visual (AV) project? A project that requires both audio and visual component(s) such as a conference room, huddle space, office upgrade or a classroom.
Please note: Project timelines that are requested are not guaranteed based on OneIT's project load.
Project Management Templates Example
Smartsheet: Project Management Tool
Stevens uses Smartsheet as our primary project management tool. The Smartsheet software allows for seamless project management, task management, and much more.
Managing a Project
All projects are unique and take on different forms that present many degrees of uncertainty. Managing these projects dictates that organizations divide them into manageable pieces called project phases. Collectively, these phases are known as the project life cycle. The project life cycle is divided into five project phases that are listed below:
Project Terminology
Project Management Team
Maryam Mirza, Senior Director IT, Client Experiences and Strategic Initiatives, mmirza5@stevens.edu
Sana Michael, IT Project Manager, smichael1@stevens.edu
Mahnoor Nizam, Associate IT Project Manager, mnizam@stevens.edu
For general PMO inquiries, please email OneITPMO@stevens.edu.
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Get support through our self help resources, contacting IT support or visiting TRAC.