Quality Assurance Plan

Project Planning Guide

You have determined that your Information Technology effort is a project and falls under the State of Texas Quality Assurance Guidelines. You have provided your Senior Administrative Official the required information and have received the approval required to proceed. Now it is time to start the project. Remember, each of the following tasks require a different level of detail based upon the Level of Focus you have already completed.

Step One - Organization

• Appoint a project team comprised of staff from the areas involved. It is recommended that someone from IR be appointed to consult and assist the Project Leader in the planning and monitoring activities as well as a representative from Internal Audits especially for mission critical projects.
• Set regular Project Team meeting days and times.
• Begin the formal process of documenting the project. The documentation is subject to review by the Internal Audit Office as well as the State Auditor.
• Begin defining the user requirements.
• Prepare a Request for Proposal, if needed, for hardware or software acquisition.
• Determine the necessity of a Steering Committee and obtain commitment from Senior Administration for participation.

Step Two - Start-Up

• If the effort requires a Request for Proposal you must prepare for:
  • Choosing a vendor based on a standard evaluation
  • Defining Vendor relations
  • Scheduling regular vendor reporting
  • Review of responses to determine if the Project has changed Focus
• Complete User Requirements
• Prepare Benefits and Budgets documentation
• Prepare the Project Plan complete with Timelines and Deliverables
• Complete the Risk Analysis
• Prepare Change Management Process
• Provide report to the Steering Committee and obtain approval to proceed as required

Step 3 - On-Going

• Conduct regular Project Team meetings
• Document each Project Team meeting
• Review Project Plan and adjust as necessary
• Review Risk Assessment and adjust as necessary
• Prepare documentation of the above for the Project subject to audit review

Step 4 - Production Implementation

• Prepare migration or implementation plan
• Determine optimum implementation timeframe
• Obtain Steering Committee approval as required
• Verify staff and time availability
• Provide information to appropriate faculty, staff, and/or students

Step 5 - Post Project Review

• Finalize Project documentation
• Survey major users for
  • Success rating
  • Key things done right
  • Key things done wrong
  • Undetected Risks
  • Risk for which the mitigation actions were ineffective
• Prepare and distribute the Final Project Report to the Project Team, Senior Administrative Official, and Steering Committee as required.