Anticlue

Project Management with Business PM and IT PM as one

At work, I’m involved in a project to implement a new coding and abstracting, case management, and quality management system. This will replace pre-existing custom db applications and the vendor supporting coding application. In my opinion, it has been a difficult project to get started due to the lack of a pm from the business community. We have been starting a new practice to have projects jointly managed by a business pm and an IT pm. One of the critical items in this pattern is to ensure both project managers actually are dedicated 20 – 40 hours a week to the project. For the business community, they have hired a consultant pm to take this responsibility. So far this has been a good move having the project jointly managed, because it has brought several key items to light.

For example, being from the technical side of the house, the draft work plan was drawn up with mainly a technical focus, with input from application analysts, interface analysts, and network engineers. There were a couple of key items, which the business pm immediately brought to light.

First, the training needed to have a competency assessment completed at the end. This is to ensure the material was digested an understood. Also a remedial training class must be created, and a plan of action for those individuals who are unable to pass the remedial class and training class.

Second, for all new workflows, not only must operational flows be documented, but new policy and procedures need to be created. If these policy and procedures are cross departmental, a cross departmental review and approval must occur.

Third, cutover policy and procedures also need to be created on the departmental level.

The good thing about these additional tasks, is that it always goes to show more heads are better than just one. People make plans based upon their experiences, and the plans improve if it comes from everyone. The business pm and myself are reviewing the project plan with the entire team next week. The goal of the meeting is to discover any additional tasks and obtain the duration of a task from the individual responsible for the task. It should be a very good meeting.