Project Filing November 2010

1. Project Filing November 2010 Ciaran Whyte Major Projects Programme Manager Planning & Strategic Projects Unit

2. Objectives of Seminar At the end of the seminar you should - • Be able to create an effective project filing structure • Have more confidence in controlling project documentation

3. Ciaran Whyte • 1975 : BSc – Applied Maths & Computer Science at Queen’s University of Belfast • 2005 : Project Management Institute (PMI) certification as Senior Project Manager • 1975-81 : software analyst/programmer at IBM UK Ltd • 1981-1995 : project manager – IBM Corporation – global manufacturing and finance • 1995-2009 : senior project manager – IBM Global Business Services – Norwich Union, Reed International, Prudential, Cable & Wireless, MoD, Nissan Europe, BP Amoco global, Kodak Europe, Cazenove, CLS Bank, DEFRA, RBS, DVLA , Vodafone global • 2009-2010 : Swansea University – risk administrator

4. Does your project feel like this?

5. “Can you just answer this question please?” • A project manager can be assaulted with – • a barrage of questions • demands for immediate answers to concerns • urgent resolutions to issues • understanding of complex and difficult problems • If only I knew where that document was? Project File – a way to quickly access project information

6. The Project Management Framework Project Stages

7. Project File - Structure • Business Case & Project Bid / Application • Resources / Organisation • Finances • Procurement • Project Plans • Exceptions • Monitoring / Status • Quality • Communications • Project Closure

8. Business Case & Project Bid / Application • Application made to Funder • Project budget & backup calculations • Risk questionnaire (large project) • Contract with Funder • All funding and in-kind funding communications • Offer Letter / Conditions • Collaboration Agreements with all partners • Legal reviews or communications • Final approved versions • All externally published draft versions • All external e-mails or letters providing feedback • All Approval e-mails or letters

9. Resources / Organisation • Current Organisation Chart with reporting line for supervision • Job Descriptions of all project staff including HERA assessments • DO NOT file interview/CV documentation • Agreed roles and responsibilities matrix • Agreed Terms of Reference of all regular forums • List of key stakeholders and contact information • List of all external companies/partners and contact information • Directory of all project team members with start/end dates, work location, contact details • Starters and leavers procedure • Training plans – how to access project specific training • Training attendance records • Holiday & Absentee charts • Any links to project specific Health & Safety information

10. Terms of Reference

11. Finances • Tracking versions of financial reports or spreadsheets showing – income and expenditure to date and forecasts • All versions of agreed budgets and backup calculations • All evidence of budget approvals or conditions • All summaries or extracts from QL for Project with full reconciliation • All Claim submissions and completed paperwork • All timesheets and authorisations • All supplier invoices and receipts/evidence of payment • All expense claims and evidence of approvals • Register of all assets ‘owned’ by project – serial numbers, locations, responsible owner

12. Procurement • Procurement plans • Procurement specifications • Documents used to define evaluation criteria • All communications from potential suppliers - proposals, repeated bids, e-mails, letters • All communications sent to suppliers • All letters or emails awarding contracts • Final versions of supplier contracts • Evidence of contract approvals from all parties • All reporting information on supplier performance • Log of all products / services delivered and dates • Log of all contract changes and authorisations • All licenses for purchases • All warranty or maintenance agreements relating to purchases

13. Project Plans • Work Breakdown Structure • Work Package definitions • Summary GANTT Chart • Milestone plans • Output plans • Sub-group or work package plans • Task plans • Activity definitions • Resource plans • Quality plans • Funding plans (ongoing income) • Marketing / Communications strategies or plans • Agreed versions of plans & approvals • All tracking versions of plans

14. Work Breakdown Structure • To decompose • Work Breakdown Structure • Start with deliverables • Can cost & duration be estimated? • No – decompose further • Yes – review for completeness WBS provides total project scope Lowest Level represents Work Packages

15. Exceptions • Issue or problem log • Risk register • Requests for change to scope / budget / timescale • Back-up material • Impact assessments • Evidence of approvals

16. Monitoring / Status • All internal project documents • Status reports / Highlight Reports • Major Project Monitoring Reports • All material supplied to Steering Groups • Summary reports to key stakeholders • All reports to funders • Minutes of all Steering Groups • Minutes of all external meetings • Minutes of Sub-Group meetings • All tracking reports on output achievement

17. Highlight Report

18. Minutes

19. Quality • Project quality standards or links to related standards • All external project documents • All quality records showing reviewers, feedback, defects, version history • Approval e-mails or letters • All externally supplied outputs • Evidence of sampling of outputs • Project specific procedures or processes • Project Assurance review reports • Joint Internal Audit Reports • PWC audit reports • Funder audit reports • Evidence of ethical reviews and approvals • Feedback or surveys from ‘customers’

20. Communications • Log of all external communications • Log of responses to all external communications • All (or link to) external communications and responses • Log of project presentation material • All project produced presentation material • Material from all events conducted by project team • ‘new starter’s pack’ • All feedback from external project events • All publicity material • All project supported website material

21. Project Closure • Project completion report - achievements • Evidence of all project outputs • Assessment of lessons learned • Feedback from Stakeholders • Verification of closure of supplier contracts • Archived material • release project resources • recommendations for future projects • assessment of benefit achievement

22. Hardcopy versus online? Everything online (and regularly backed up) except for essential material - • All signed documents • All final approved deliverables • current versions of all plans • all supplier documentation • all resourcing documentation • all hardcopy financial documents • all output supporting documentation • all hardcopy licenses or agreements • latest communication log • All external communications and replies • All evidence needed for audit purposes hardcopy

23. Web based project files • Sharepoint (2nd Campus) • Google (SAW) • Project Specific Web-sites (STRIP) • used to provide access to external participation • BE CAREFUL what information you share • internal project filing STILL required

24. Conclusions • Project management is about managing communications and if you want to be effective you need an efficient control of the project information. • Project Filing .... GET IT SORTED! • THANK YOU for your time today • c.m.whyte@swansea.ac.uk