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New Hanover County Information Technology Department |
Issued: 11/01/01 |
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Policy Number: 01-02 |
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Subject: Guiding Principles |
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PURPOSE AND SCOPE:
The purpose of this policy is to specify the framework in which the Information Technology Department of New Hanover County will operate. The IT Department will strive to provide its services in a consistent manner while abiding by the guidelines of this policy. The Director of Information Technology must approve in advance any deviation from these guidelines. That approval will only be given in rare circumstances where no adverse consequences of that approval will affect the county in any manner. Failure to comply with these guidelines will be considered a serious failure in personal conduct.
The scope of this policy covers all Information Technology equipment and systems owned by the county. The management of the IT Department is responsible for insuring familiarity and compliance with this policy. The staff of the department is responsible for adhering to these guidelines in the performance of their duties. The management of the county is responsible for funding this policy.
CHANGE SUMMARY:
3/14/2002. A change was made to this policy to add Goal 9, Document the Principles, Policies and Procedures that are to be used by the IT Department as it dispatches its duties.
POLICY:
It is the policy of the county to operate the Information Technology Department within a stated set of guidelines. Those guidelines are to be followed by the management and staff of the department and any deviation from those guidelines must receive approval prior to any deviation. The Information Technology Director is responsible for creating these guidelines and for insuring that they are updated on a frequent and consistent basis. It is the responsibility of the staff to conduct their daily activities in accordance with these directives.
PROCEDURE:
The procedure to be followed in creating these guidelines is specified below.
1. The management of the Information Technology Department will create these guidelines and will insure they are kept current with the changing environment in which the department operates.
2. The management of the Information Technology Department will insure that all staff members are familiar with these guidelines.
3. The staff of the department is responsible for conducting their job responsibilities in accordance with these guidelines.
GOALS OF THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT:
The management of the IT department has established some principles that are to guide the operation of the department. These principles are listed below and are established as "Goals" that are to be achieved by the department. All decisions that are made within the department will use these goals as guidelines and managers will insure that all staff members that are assigned to their area dispatch their duties within the provisions outlined herein.
1. Provide appropriate computing resources to all county departments in support of their goals and objectives.
It is the assigned responsibility of the IT department to establish and manage a county wide network of computing resources that is sufficient to support the computing needs of all county departments. To that end, the IT Department will assist each of the county departments in securing and using the appropriate computing resource that is required for the successful operation of their department. This includes systems for the desktop (PC's), systems for the department (department computers) and systems that serve the entire county.
It is also the responsibility of the IT department to provide the necessary voice and data communications that are required by the county departments.
The staff of the IT department will be available to any of the county departments for consultation and they will utilize their knowledge and skills to assist the requesting department in identifying their needs. After these needs are identified, the staff will assist the user departments in planning, budgeting, acquisition, installation and training associated with the desired systems.
2. Insure county assets such as data, hardware, software, staff, facilities and office equipment are used, retained and retired properly.
The IT department has the responsibility for protecting the computing assets of the county. This includes items in which we have invested money (hardware and software) but it also includes items in which direct investment of money may not have been made.
Items, such as data that is created as a result of on-going business operations, have value and must be protected against wrongful use or destruction. This department is responsible for the stewardship of the county's computing resources.
It will be the responsibility of the IT Department to establish policies that cover all of the listed topics. Particularly, policies for the acquisition of assets, for the proper maintenance of all installed equipment, and for data retention for all our permanent files must be developed.
3. Conduct county business in a moral, legal and ethical manner.
The IT department has established this goal as the mode of operation concerning all our dealings, whether within the county or with others outside county government. The decision to conduct the department's business by this standard of conduct will not hinder our efforts in dispatching our duties. Therefore, there will be no reason to vary from these requirements and any deviations will not be allowed.
This requirement will govern our interactions within the county offices and it will also prescribe our method of conduct with those who are outside the county government. Each staff member must be aware of this dimension of our environment and must fashion their conduct within these provisions.
4. Insure software is used in the manner prescribed in the license agreement.
Most software purchased by the county for use by its staff contains some usage restrictions outlined in a license agreement. These restrictions are usually based on federal copyright statutes. These software licenses restrict our rights to make copies of the software and, in some cases, restrict the ways in which the software can be used. Employees are prohibited from making copies of any licensed or copyrighted software. Unauthorized use of software is illegal and forbidden by this section because it could subject the county to substantial penalties.
Despite the fact that software can be easily obtained via the Internet or from local vendors, employees are prohibited from installing any software on county computers unless the Information Technology Director has approved that installation. All software purchases, whether obtained with a purchase order, procurement card, downloaded from the Internet, or by any other means, must be approved by the Information Technology Director. The county has software that is capable of auditing the contents of all desktop computers and periodic surveys will be conducted to insure that no unauthorized software has been installed. All unauthorized software found to be causing an operational problem on a county computer will be immediately removed.
5. Develop and maintain an Information Technology Business Continuity Plan that would govern our actions during all emergency situations.
It is impossible to know when an emergency situation might arise and become an overwhelming concern for the county. This situation could result from a natural disaster that affects the entire region or it could arise from a more localized situation that affects just the department. In either case, it is imperative that the assets of the county be protected from unwanted loss or damage and that an organized plan be in place that would govern our actions in a predetermined manner.
The IT department will be responsible for constructing such an emergency plan and for keeping it current as time passes. It will be a requirement that the contents of this plan be made known to all staff and support persons that would be required to support the execution of the plan contents.
6. Utilize emerging technology to the best advantage of the department and the county.
The technology of computing and voice/data communications continues to move at a very rapid pace. New developments are announced daily that bring new offerings and capabilities to the marketplace. An interesting fact associated with the announcements of new products is that they tend to be more capable and less expensive than the products they replace. Because of this fact, the availability of the technology must be monitored so that the county can make wise investments decisions.
It is the responsibility of the IT department to remain abreast of new technology that is available in the market place. It is the responsibility of this department to import those offerings into the county that will offer our departments an advantage in performing their assigned duties.
The IT department will use its best efforts to monitor the industry announcements and to secure demonstrations of new offerings that may be useful to the county.
The staff will complete this requirement by monitoring the trade press, attending seminars and by viewing vendor demonstrations. At appropriate times, other departments will be invited to view the findings of the IT staff.
7. Operate the IT department within the provisions of the approved budget and within the policies of the county
The IT department will submit and secure approval of a budget as part of the annual county budgeting process. After that budget is approved, the department management will be responsible for insuring that their operations remain within the provisions of the approved budget. If unexpected circumstances arise where funding is required but was not budgeted, it will be the responsibility of the department management to secure the needed approval prior to making any spending commitments for such projects.
In addition to the preparation of their budget, the IT Department will assist the other departments of the county in preparing line items in their budgets that cover computers and telecommunications expenditures. This department will work with the vendors to secure quotations that are sufficiently accurate for the budgeting process and will pass that information to the appropriate department.
The IT department will always conduct the county business within the guidelines of established county policies. Issues covered in the Human Resources Policy Manual, the County Purchasing Procedures and other policy directives will form the guidelines for our conduct. It will be the responsibility of each staff member to familiarize themselves with the provisions of these publications.
8. Maintain a well-trained staff that can support our customers in a harmonious and cooperative manner.
One of the most valuable assets the department possesses is a well-trained and dedicated workforce. It would be impossible to complete our objectives without this type of human resource being in place. Recognizing this fact, the department will insure that these resources are protected by insuring that existing skill levels are expanded and that new skills are developed. It is through the completion of this goal that the desired productivity results from our investments in computer systems will be realized.
To insure that this outcome is achieved, it will be
the policy of the IT department to select the best staff members possible
when recruiting new personnel and to regularly invest in the development
of their skills. It is this small investment in our staff that will insure
the large returns to our customers from the systems that are installed.
9. Document the Principles, Policies and Procedures that are to be used by the IT Department as it dispatches its duties.
The best way to insure the duties of the department
are conducted in a correct and consistent manner is to clearly document
all guidelines that govern staff conduct. The IT Management will create
a policy directory in which all relevant guidelines will be stored for
viewing by all staff members. It will be the responsibility of each staff
member to insure they follow these directives as they dispatch their duties. The
following figure depicts the organization of these policies.
The guidelines of the department will be created on several different levels, as indicated in the figure above.
Departmental Management. Responsible for defining and insuring compliance with the overall policies under which the department will operate.
Each Section Manager will be responsible for developing the Policies that are necessary to insure the duties of that section are completed in the manner prescribed in the policy.
Each Section Manager will be responsible
for developing the Procedures that correctly implement the Policies that
have been created.
Each Section Manager may have a need to add additional specifications to the Procedures in order to more clearly state the intent of the department. This can be accomplished by creating a process that brings the clarity desired.
OBJECTIVES OF THIS POLICY:
The IT department has established the following specific objectives that will be accomplished by the staff of the department. Each of these objectives will be completed within the guidelines of the broad goals of the department that was discussed previously in this policy. Each manager in the department will share in the responsibility for completing these objectives within the time frame that has been allowed.
1. Implement the goals of the department and the county
The first duty of this objective is to insure that all the stated goals of the department are fully implemented. It will be the responsibility of the management of the department to insure that all staff members are fully aware of the stated goals and that plans are completed that insure their implementation.
Completion of this objective will require that attention be given to several items that will insure the success of the effort:
Resource Availability sufficient to insure the completion of the tasks must be insured.
Any artificial constraints to the performance level of the staff and their equipment must be removed.
An effort must be made to increase the productivity of our staff members so that the existing staff can deal effectively with an ever-increasing workload.
The second duty of this objective is to comply with any stated goals that the county may establish. It will be the responsibility of the management of the department to insure that all departmental goals are consistent with the larger county goals. If differences in goals exist, the department will be responsible for aligning their goals with those of the county.
2. Consolidate the plans of all areas of the department into a common document.
This objective assigns to each manager in the IT Department the responsibility for creating a detailed activity plan for their area of responsibility. When these plans have been reviewed with the Director, they will then be included in the department plan. In this manner, each of the areas of the department will function in a supportive role to each of the other areas and with the department as a whole. The departmental plan then becomes the sum of each of the smaller plans that were derived for each of the particular areas in the department.
3. Create a "Working Plan" that the staff can use as a guideline.
The idea of this objective is to create a central repository (database) that clearly outlines the projects, the resources and the timing for all major project work of the IT department. This "Working Plan" will document for each member of the department and for others outside the department a clear understanding of the timing associated with their projects. It will also promote positive communications between the IT Department and its customers.
4. Make it a dynamic plan that can be updated as required
This objective recognizes that change is constantly at work, even in well-thought-out plans. Because this is true, we must have a means for dealing with the constant changes that occur. This plan should be constructed in such a fashion that allows all changes to be incorporated into the document without delay and with little difficulty.
5. Use as a communications device, both up and down the organization and with our customers
This objective recognizes the fact that sometimes our staff, our managers or our customers may be unfamiliar with the projects that are underway in this department. This lack of information can cause the customer to feel that their project should be undertaken immediately when, in fact, there are several other projects that are underway that must be completed before any additional resource can be committed to a new project. This problem can be eased by having a formalized plan in place that contains visual data that all can see and understand.
RESOURCES AVAILABLE:
There are several significant resources that are available to the staff of the IT department that can be utilized in the completion of our objectives. It will be the responsibility of IT management to properly utilize these resources in the furtherance of the county's business. Some of the more important resources are discussed below.
1. Trained professional staff
The most valuable resource that New Hanover County possesses is its staff of well-trained and diligent people. The IT department is composed of 24 staff members that are dedicated to their careers and strive each day to produce high quantity and superior quality of output.
These staff members come to the county with excellent academic preparation. Most have 4-year degrees and some have post graduate degrees. In addition, the county makes regular investments in furthering their current skills and in developing new skills. Because of these past investments by both the county and the staff, the county is well served today and can look forward to receiving handsome returns on those investments.
In addition to bringing a high level of training to the workplace, the staff brings special skills that are useful to the county. Their Project Planning and Management methodology is a particularly useful tool when we undertake large projects. This skill allows the staff to plan the overall flow of large and complicated projects considering all resources (budgets, staff, time, user) so that the best combination of resources can be devoted to the project.
The staff is constantly willing to implement new methods that will improve the productivity of themselves as well as the users. There is a constant drive to accomplish more objectives with less resources. This challenge is being met by an awareness and openness to new and higher productivity processes.
2. Approved budget for current fiscal year
The IT department establishes its budget as part of the annual budgeting process of the county. This budget is based on the fiscal year that runs from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. As we construct the budget, we propose funding that is sufficient to cover our anticipated needs for the coming year. We include funding for such items as:
The acquisition of new equipment.
The acquisition of new software.
The provision for maintenance of existing equipment and software
The provision for training of our staff
As we construct our budget, we always attempt to maximize the expenditure coverage of county dollars by seeking every opportunity to secure matching grants and matching funding from outside sources. We have been very successful in this effort and will continue to pursue this course of action.
When the budget is approved, it becomes a resource that the department can use in the completion of the tasks assigned to us. The department always expends county funds in a cautious and careful manner seeking to insure that the greatest return is received by the county.
3. Inventory of hardware, software and Wide Area Network
Another resource the department has at its disposal is our installed base of hardware, software and wide area network. The county has an excellent computing center that contains modern and reliable equipment and a wide variety of software products. Our fiber based Wide Area Network is capable of transmitting our data traffic at high speeds and with excellent accuracy. In addition, our network provides all county users a fast and reliable connection to the Internet. The county continues to invest in new desktop equipment that brings additional computing capability to the staff. In summary, the county has invested heavily into its computing infrastructure and that investment serves the computing users very well on a daily basis.
These resources are available to every office in the county for their use. By making these systems available to all county departments, many manual departmental systems can be eliminated and the time required to maintain those systems can be redirected toward other goals.
4. Sales and Technical staff of various vendors
The county has a business relationship with many different companies that market products to us. Most of these companies also have a technical support staff that is available for consultation to the New Hanover county staff. Because of the availability of this service and because this department intends to fully utilize that service, the overall cost of computing to the county should be lowered.
It is the policy of the IT department that all staff assistance available from our vendors should be fully utilized. In areas where they can perform services that would otherwise be performed by county staff, it will be the position of the IT department that the vendor should perform those tasks.
It is also the intention of the county IT Department to fully utilize our network of Industry professionals for consultation services. Many state staff members, peers in the private sector and professional organizations possess information and technologies that can be helpful to the county. Every attempt will be made to fully utilize all sources in the performance of our duties.
5. Cooperative and competent management
The management of the county is generally viewed as competent and forward thinking by its peers around the state. This impression is formed by observing the decision-making processes that have been adopted by the management of the county. Some examples of these decisions are:
Revenue and Fiscal Realities: With the slowing of the revenue stream from the state and federal government, the county management has become pro-active in aligning its spending plans with the reduced funding levels that are anticipated in the coming years. This reality requires that significant budgetary actions be taken for each fiscal year. Personnel head count is closely managed, spending levels are controlled and a limit is placed on capital projects. These actions will align the county's spending requirements to coincide with the reduced revenue in-flow and produced a feeling of shared burden among all the departments of the county.
Investments in Technology: The county management recognizes the value of investing wisely in computing technology. Productivity improvements resulting from our technology investments provide the county the ability to complete their ever-increasing workload with a limited staff. This is especially helpful when each of the departments are urged to increase both the quality and quantity of their service level to the public.
Supportive of Staff: The county management is generally supportive of recommendations that are offered by the staff for their consideration. These recommendations are constructed based on solid business principles from the best options available and are free from outside pressures that could cloud the normal decision making process. This freedom to dispatch duties in an unbiased manner is a real resource that the county can use most effectively.
6. Facilities sufficient to complete our assignments
The county possesses sufficient facilities to assist in the completion of the assigned duties. While the arrangement of offices is not ideal, it is workable until arrangements can be made that will better serve our needs. Some of the facilities that can be utilized by the department are:
Office Environment: The IT department is located in the County Administration Building in offices on the 1st, 4th , 5th and 6th floors. While this is not an ideal arrangement, we have divided the staff to best utilize the space that is available.
Computing Resources: The computing environment that is available to the staff of the department is satisfactory to complete our duties. Continuous improvements are being made across time to further improve our ability to serve the county departments.
Data Communications Network: The IT department has installed a wide area data communications network that attaches all users to any of the computing systems that contain the data that would be useful to them. This fiber based network supports a three tier concept of computing in that a user can choose to be attached to:
The county or state system (Mainframe)
A departmental system (Mini-Computer or Local Area Network)
A desktop system (Personal Computer).
There is no distance penalty to the user based on their proximity to the network. Because of the connectivity that is contained in the network, the most remote user can have the same functional access to the system as those who are located closest to the system.
TASKS TO COMPLETE:
The IT department does not suffer from a lack of projects that must be completed by the staff. The approved project list for the department will change with time as old projects are completed and as new opportunities arise. To insure that each of the currently approved projects are completed with the most efficiency possible, it is necessary to define some general tasks that will always need the attention of the staff.
1. Project Management and Reporting
It is important that all projects undertaken by the IT Department be well managed and that their status be available to all who have an interest in it. To accomplish this objective, the project manager is responsible for the detailed planning of the project and for publishing that. In addition, the project manager is responsible for insuring that the current project status is reported in the system that is used for that purpose.
2. Complete all projects as scheduled
The IT department often undertakes the installation of a data system for the benefit of the county. These projects are important to the county because they contribute to improving the operational efficiency of county government. These systems usually require large investments of staff time, county money and represent significant potential savings to the using departments. Because of their heavy use of county resources, it is imperative that these projects be well managed from their inception to their completion.
The IT staff members possess special skills that can be directed toward this very objective. Project Planning, Scheduling and Implementation are examples of some of these skills that the IT staff possesses.
Before a project is undertaken, it will be assigned to a Project Manager who has the overall responsibility for its successful completion. This manager will work with the vendors, the users and other staff members to develop the best overall plan for the completion of the project. The Project Manager will be responsible for using modern computer techniques to assist in this phase of the project.
Plans that fully utilize all the county resources must be developed by the Project Manager and be approved by the department management before work can begin. These plans must satisfy the objective of the project within the time allowed and within the budget that has been established.
3. Maintain the existing computer program inventory
In addition to the installation of new projects that are discussed above, it is also the responsibility of the IT department to maintain the existing inventory of computer systems in good working order. This inventory of programs represents a significant past investment by the county and is considered to be a major county asset.
As time passes, processes and procedures of the county change. These changes must be reflected into the computer systems that are on hand to support those processes. The constant up grading of our inventory of programs consumes large portions of our programming resources. The failure to keep the inventory of software current would represent a negligence by the staff and would eventually render our past software investments worthless.
For these reasons, the program maintenance effort must continue. It is the intent of the IT department to constantly strive to improve the effectiveness of our maintenance tasks. The department intends to reduce the huge manual effort currently required in program maintenance by introducing more automated processes. The department is constantly on the watch for improved productivity products that will assist the staff in completing the program maintenance tasks in a more automated manner.
4. Install new hardware and software for each approved project
Most of the projects that are undertaken by the IT department require that new hardware and new software be acquired for the using department. It is the responsibility of the IT department to assist the users in selecting the appropriate systems they require and to assist with the budgeting process for those systems. After the budget is approved, the IT Department is responsible for purchasing these systems and for their proper installation. When the new systems are installed and working, it is the responsibility of the IT department to urge the management of the using department to secure the anticipated benefits from the system.
5. Complete special requests from our customers
The IT department performs many tasks for the using departments on a continuing basis but we are also responsible for completing special projects for our users. The department expends significant amounts of resources completing ad hoc projects. Some of the projects we undertake for the users may never lead to a computerization effort because they can be resolved by less expensive and more direct methods.
The IT department recognizes the value of the "Special Projects" that have been completed in the past and will continue to offer our assistance to the users when it appears appropriate.
6. Implement an on-going training plan for staff
The IT staff is composed of capable and well-trained professionals that can produce significant results for our users. The skills of the staff have been developed over the years through formal university training and through on-going educational updates sponsored by their employer. A training programs must be developed annually so their skills that were attained in past years are not allowed to deteriorate. Training programs are considered to be investments, not costs. Returns to the county will continue to be realized in years to come from the training investments that are made now.
7. Evaluate new technical developments as they apply to NHC
The new technical developments in the computing industry that are constantly being announced to the marketplace must be evaluated against the on-going needs of the county. As advances are made, new solutions to our business problems become affordable and must be examined for their appropriateness to our needs. A major task of the IT department is to constantly screen the industry offerings and select the most promising new developments and import those solutions into the county. It is this process that will insure that we are spending our resources in the wisest manner possible and that we are maintaining currency in our technical areas.
Just as important as selecting the appropriate new technology for use in the county is the requirement that inappropriate offerings be omitted from the county. It is imperative that a direction be set in which all solutions required by county departments can be accommodated. This will prevent fragmentation of our approach to solving business problems and will insure that we don't pursue multiple and parallel solutions.
8. Serve on various committees and boards as requested
From time to time, the members of the IT staff are asked to serve on various committees and boards. While the amount of time that is given toward this effort must be limited, there are situations where the department may have specific skills and knowledge that can be pooled with others to form a good decision-making consensus. The department is willing to offer our input to such situations and will be willing to undertake a limited amount of these type tasks.
9. Recruit, train and retain competent staff members
The major asset that any effective organization possesses is its Human Resource. These resources must be selected wisely, constantly nurtured and expanded regularly so that solid business returns can be realized for the county. The IT department will actively engage in a process of fully developing the capabilities of our staff and will make every effort to retain them in the employment of the county. Should a vacancy occur in the department, every effort will be expended to recruit the most capable staff replacements possible in a manner consistent with policies and within the concept discussed herein.
10. Ensure user (customer) satisfaction with department services.
The business of the IT department can be described as a service offering to the other departments of the county. It is in that sense that we will aggressively attempt to offer our services to the other departments in the highest quality and in direct support of their departmental requirements. When we initiate a project with the users, we will form a project team that will stay in close touch with all departments that are concerned with the outcome of the effort.
The IT department will keep in close touch with our users so that we can insure that their goals and objectives are the focus of any computerization efforts that we undertake. We will suggest solutions that are appropriate for the objectives of our users and insure that they are installed in a manner to deliver the maximum benefit to the county.
PROCESS TO FOLLOW:
When there are more project opportunities facing the IT department than there are resources to complete those projects, it is imperative that an effective procedure be in place to insure that we complete our assigned tasks in the most efficient manner possible. The following process is designed to accomplish this objective.
1. Develop overall strategy for the acquisition of major assets
The overall strategy for acquiring the major computing assets of the county will include several specific steps. These steps will be completed for all the projects unless special circumstances arise that negate the need for that step. In that case, prior approval from the Director will be required to deviate from this procedure.
Define Project Objectives: The IT department will meet with the using departments and will complete a process of identifying the ultimate objectives that the project should address. This effort will require some commitment from all involved departments so that all ideas, concerns and requirements can be made known. The outcome of these meetings will be a clear statement of the objectives of the upcoming project.
Identify Possible Solutions: After understanding the objectives of the project, a list of possible solutions can be generated. These solutions should be constructed without any rigid limitations, however they should be mindful of the computing environment and the standards that have been established for all new systems by the county. Any solution that is proposed must merge into the existing computing framework of the county and must not impose undue requirements on systems that are already installed and operating.
Establish Specifications for the Solution:
Once the objectives are known and the possible solutions have been made visible, a detailed set of specifications can be developed for the desired system. These specifications must be satisfactory for describing to any possible bidder the exact intent and requirements of the proposed system. Further, if the system is to be developed by the county staff, the specifications must be capable of describing to the designer the intent of the system.
Specifications must be written without regard to any special vendor or special system. While it is permissible to specify specific hardware and software, the specification must always allow for equivalent offerings from other vendors.
Publish a Request for Proposal: If the desired system is to be developed by county staff and there is no major purchase involved, there is no requirement to proceed with the bid process. If, however, the system is to be acquired from outside sources, it must follow the competitive bid process that is defined by county policy and state statute.
The IT department will always follow the requirements of the competitive bid process when securing new systems from outside sources. Accordingly, the specifications will become the technical requirements for the new system and will be included in a bid package that is advertised by the Purchasing Agent of the county. The Request for Proposal will be advertised in the paper and will be mailed to any vendor that the county feels may possess a possible offering.
Evaluation of Bid Response: After the bids are opened, the IT department will evaluate the responses against the specification that was published. A determination will be made as to the degree of compliance to the specifications that the bid achieved and any exceptions will be noted.
There are two primary methods for obtaining the hardware and software that is required for the satisfaction of our computing requirements. The options are to either purchase the required resources or to lease them from the vendors. It is not possible to state which option should be chosen for all occasions because the terms and conditions change from one project to the next so they must be evaluated separately for each project.
The IT department will perform a Cash Flow Analysis of all acquisition options for each of the projects that we undertake and will recommend the most cost effective alternative. We have no preference for the outcome of this calculation but we do wish to acquire our needed assets at the most favorable terms possible.
When all bid responses are evaluated, the lowest responsible bidder will be recommended for bid award.
Acquire and Install the Assets: When
the bid is awarded and all contracts are signed, the necessary plans will
be made for the ordering of the assets. At the proper time, the necessary
purchase orders will be issued and shipping dates will be established. When
the equipment arrives, its installation will be scheduled and the Project
Team will proceed with its installation.
2. Establish sequence and schedule for the tasks to be completed
Each project that is undertaken in the IT department will consist of many different tasks that must be completed in some sequence. To best determine the proper sequence of tasks, several factors must be fully considered. The requirements of the users, the resources required to staff the project and the availability of funding are some of the issues that must be considered. When all factors have been identified, the IT department will develop a schedule for the project by using a software package that places all events in a time sequence.
3. Apply resources to those tasks until fully committed
After the tasks and their desired sequence have been determined, the necessary resources to complete each task must be assigned. Staff members from the using departments, the IT department and others (such as vendors) may be utilized to complete the tasks. Each task must be assigned to someone who will be responsible for its completion and that process of assigning staff to tasks will continue until all resources have been exhausted. It then becomes the responsibility of each staff member to complete the assigned task in the allotted time.
4. Monitor progress of projects throughout its life
At this point in the life of the project, its objectives have been identified, tasks have been scheduled in their desired sequence and resources have been assigned for task completion. The overall Master Schedule will reflect all of these decisions and can be used as a planning tool for Project Management. It can also be used to monitor the progress of the project as time moves forward. Actual times required to complete the project should be plotted on the Master Schedule so that a visible display of the accuracy of the original plan can be viewed by all concerned with the project.
5. Report and revise plans, if necessary
As the project moves to completion, progress reports should be made to the interested management and project staff members on a regular basis. All completions should be noted and the project manager should explain all variances, both positive and negative.
If projects begin to fall significantly behind schedule (negative), it may be necessary to reconvene a planning meeting where the source of the variance can be identified and discussed. If the variance is expected to persist, it may be necessary to recommend the construction of a revised project plan that properly allows for that unforeseen variance. No project plan can be issued without the prior approval of the IT director.
If the project begins to run significantly ahead of schedule (positive), the project team should meet and consider if that trend will persist. If it is determined that the likelihood is that it will persist, the team may wish to recommend that a revised project schedule be issued. The IT director can authorize the release of a revised project plan if it is an appropriate action to take.
This process should be followed throughout the life of the project so that all participants will be fully informed about the status of the undertaking. After the project has been completed, the project manager should evaluate the effectiveness of their plans and any variances from the plan should be fed back to the planning process. This feed back loop should serve the future planning process well since it will allow lessons learned in prior projects to influence the planning process for future project.
6. Install, tune and train users of new systems as necessary
When the new assets arrive, the IT department will insure that they are installed as planned and made ready for use by the using department. This installation will include all necessary modification and additions to the physical facilities as well as the installation of all hardware and software.
Some training may need to be accomplished prior to the arrival and installation of the new equipment. The majority of user training should be planned to be completed on-site after the assets are installed and made ready for use. The training should be included as separate events in the Master Schedule and should include all employees that will be using the system.
The IT department will also be responsible for insuring that the new systems work effectively and efficiently. This requirement means that the new systems should be tuned to run efficiently on the hardware as it is configured for our particular environment. System measurements of such parameters as response time and processor and disk utilization should be monitored and used as measurements of system performance. This process should continue until the system performance is satisfactory and has met all performance standards. After that has been achieved, periodic measurements should be taken to insure that the system is still performing as planned.
7. Insure that the systems produce the desired results
After the newly installed system has been tuned and the training has been completed, the next step will be to insure that the county receives the benefits that were envisioned when the system was planned. The IT department and the using department will be responsible for insuring that these efficiencies are actually achieved. The project manager and the User department will be responsible for itemizing the planned benefits, the actual benefits and will report the results of the system project to the IT manager.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
1. Establish deadlines and monitor milestones.
As discussed above, the Master Schedule of the project will be constructed by the project manager and will be distributed to all interested departments. This schedule will list each task that is to be completed, it will identify the resource requirement for the completion of the task and it will outline the planned time frame for its completion. This schedule will serve as the overall visual depiction of the project. From time to time the schedule may need to be revised to reflect changes that have occurred, however, once the project schedule has been established, it can only be revised with the prior approval of the IT manager.
2. Display Plans in graphical format
The Master Schedule will be displayed in graphical form so that all staff members can readily understand it.
MEASUREMENT OF THE RESULTS:
1. Collect actual performance data as time proceeds
As discussed earlier, actual performance data will be collected as the project progresses. The IT department will use this data for comparison to the original plan in order to make a determination as to the accuracy of that plan. This information can be instructive as future plans are devised for projects that may be similar to the one just completed.
2. Chart the actual performance against the planned accomplishments
The actual performance data will be added to the Master Schedule in order to create a visual presentation of the project. All variances will be analyzed so that they will be fully understood. The project manager will note explanations for these variances so that these sources of variation can be either eliminated or allowances made for them in the future plans.
3. Include project performance in Employee Performance Plans.
The Human Resources policy requires that the performance of each staff member be evaluated at least annually. For those staff members who have participated in a planned project, the outcome of that project will be made part of the evaluation process. This requirement will insure that employee performance on major tasks are made part of the decisions that are used for the performance appraisals.
CHANGE HISTORY:
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Version |
Date |
Author |
Comments |
|
A |
11/01/01 |
BC |
Original Document |
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B |
3/14/02 |
BC |
Added section 9 page 4-5 |