[338] in I/T Delivery
IS Work, July, 2000
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Tim McGovern)
Tue Aug 8 11:05:15 2000
Message-ID: <399021A4.5D3A7A63@mit.edu>
Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2000 11:05:09 -0400
From: Tim McGovern <tjm@MIT.EDU>
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Project Name: IS Work
The project formerly known as "IS Operational Plan Alive!"
Project Leaders: Tim McGovern
Report Date: August 8, 2000
Project Notebook: http://web.mit.edu/is/delivery/iswork/
Accomplishments past period (July)
- Replanned project deliverables based on a Filemaker/Web solution
- Started discussions of reliability, maintainability and serviceability
requirements
- Implemented Project and Activity databases
- Implemented interfaces for Project and Activity databases
- Conducted initial usability testing on static ("paper") prototype
- Successfully tested the transfer of data from current Project DB to new system
Goals for the coming period (August)
- Continue to execute against new plan
- Monitor (from afar) the progress on ITLT assignments to update content
- Continue to fine tune the system interface with feedback from usability & ITLT
- Schedule the current Project DB transition/cutover timing and communications
- Work with Dani and Bob on general communication planning
Issues
OLD: Are Information Systems & ITLT ready to commit to the changes needed?
COMMENT: The ITLT tent meeting, er', offsite, seems to have reenergized the top
of the organization about getting this system up, and getting the contents right.
We still need to ensure that that excitement trickles down to all teams/staff.
OLD: Do we have all of the skills we need to execute the as yet unwritten new plan?
COMMENT: There do appear to be all of the skills to produce an acceptable first
version. There are issues in the Filemaker world that will require resources that
have not been identified.
OLD: Will be be able to hit the new target date -- without having replanned the work?
COMMENT: Based on the progress we've made in the last four weeks, the target dates
still look doable -- we expect to have an updatable system for ITLT by
August 17. ITLT will be adjusting initiatives info in the system between
August 17 and August 30. Soon after that is done, we will be doing the final
cutover of Project DB data, and then linking projects to the newly arranged
initiatives.
Key learnings
- Some people really hate project deadlines. If you're a project leader, your
mission will be to either a) keep them completely away from your project, or
b) compartmentalize their tasks to such a degree that their failure to deliver
on time will not deep-six the whole dang project.
Team dynamics
- The new team -- core team of Tim and Kris, with expert resources to handle
specific tasks -- is working very well.
Additional comments
- Kudos to Kevin Cunningham, Miki Lusztig and Scott Thorne for pitching in to help
on various tasks as needed.
