[454] in Project_DB
A Proposal For Moving Forward on Project DB (3/31)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Mike Barker)
Wed Mar 31 10:27:42 1999
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 10:23:42 -0500
To: project-db@MIT.EDU
From: Mike Barker <mbarker@MIT.EDU>
This document outlines my proposal as to how to proceed with the project
database effort, with additions from comments recieved. Changes are marked
with |.
|There are other people who have indicated they would like to review and
|comment. Please do so, whether we have started making changes or not -- your
|comments are important to making this a success, and I welcome them no
|matter where we are in the schedule.
There are two different efforts involved. The first effort is a short-term
approach based on three principles. The second effort is a longer-term look
at expected and desired usage, project management approaches in use,
strategic planning, resource management and other efforts.
The short-term approach is based on these four principles:
1. Use the central tool (the web and database "project database" technology
that has been developed) to provide a centralized "access point" that only
has relatively long-term, stable information. This will include a pointer
to the project notebook or project home page where volatile, project
specific information should be stored.
2. Small-scale additions such as the "front page" link to the project
notebook/project home page or additional document names should be made
quickly. Changes and deletions should be made following a two week review
process.
3. We need a total package, involving technology, documentation, "help
desk", probably some form of training, and procedures.
|4. There is a need for structure in what is displayed for projects, and we
|need to provide methods to guide and ensure that the information about
|projects is easily accessible.
|5. The director is responsible for the content and accuracy of material in
|the project database. The project leader is responsible for the content and
|accuracy of the project notebook.
I would like to see this change made first:
1. Add the project notebook or project home page link to the "front page"
-- the lists of projects, including the complete list and the "by process"
|lists. This should be a link to the project notebook if available, then to
|the project home page if available, and to "mailto: projectleader@mit.edu"
|if neither of those is available.
Unless there are significant protests, the next modification will be the
following changes in labels:
5. Implementor/owner -- change to Project Leader
18. Team leaders -- change to Team Members
|9. Process -- change to Process/Performing Organization
In parallel with these changes, I am going to ask for documentation help in
preparing guidelines for the various parts of the project DB. I am also
going to prepare basic templates for a project notebook/project home page.
These will probably be simple templates that the project leader can access
using the web, save in personal storage, and then edit using their choice of
editors.
In about four weeks (if the basic templates are available at that time), I
expect to ask Miki to make the following changes:
Remove from Project DB, move to notebook:
2. Project headline -- move to notebook
6. Start date -- move to notebook
7. Scheduled end date -- move to notebook
8. Actual end date -- move to notebook
|11. Status -- reduce to Pending, Active, OnHold, Terminated, Completed in
database
|11. Status -- detail status while active move to notebook
15. Current quarter achievement -- move to notebook
16. Next quarter goal -- move to notebook
|19. Comments -- date and timestamp if possible
21. Issues -- move to notebook
22. Tasks -- move to notebook
|Note: there has been a request that we consider how to avoid losing data
|that has been entered into the database as we modify fields. I believe at
|this point that if there is information in the database, a printout of that
|project page would be sufficient. I don't think there is that much data
there.
|As a longer-term improvement, we should improve the definition of Priorities
|(this may involve a more detailed scale, dependencies between projects, rank
|ordering of projects, or evaluation based on consequences for objectives).
|We should key this modification to the procedures being developed for
|prioritizing projects in the ITLT.
|Schedule for Comments on the short-term modifications:
|4/2 -- comments on the front page link
|4/2 -- comments on the label name changes
|4/16 -- comments on the field changes (deletions, modifications, etc.)
|In most cases, the modifications will be carried out shortly after the
|comment period ends. Note that controversy over a field may require that we
|postpone that modification, but we will proceed with other field
|modifications while discussing such controversies.
|There has been a request that we present the status of the project database
|to the project team leaders on 4/23.
The longer-term effort needs to start with collection of customer and user
information focusing on actual, expected, or desired usage and the
responsibilities for input, updating, and reading of specific data
contents/fields. This usage analysis (job flow analysis) should be related
to project management approaches in use or desired, strategic planning
efforts, resource management efforts and other changes in the ways that we
work together. As a part of this longer-term effort, we will reexamine the
|build/buy decision in light of current availability of software. This
|effort should start with a business case analysis, at least of the
|"Discovery Short Form" variety.
I will be working on a project plan to guide this longer-term effort. I do
not expect this effort to start until I can provide a better estimate of the
resources required to complete it.
Thank you
Mike
Appendix (the fields I'm talking about)
Proposed Changes
1. Project name -- no change; provide guidelines
2. Project headline -- move to notebook
3. Contact info -- no change; provide guidelines
4. Sponsor -- no change; provide guidelines
5. Implementor/owner -- change to project leader
6. Start date -- move to notebook
7. Scheduled end date -- move to notebook
8. Actual end date -- move to notebook
9. Process -- no change; provide guidelines
10. Practice -- no change; provide guidelines
11. Status -- move to notebook
12. Priority -- no change; provide guidelines
13. Commitment -- no change; provide guidelines
14. Description -- no change; provide guidelines
15. Current quarter achievement -- move to notebook
16. Next quarter goal -- move to notebook
17. Customers -- no change; provide guidelines
18. Team leaders -- change to team members
19. Comments -- move to notebook
20. Documents -- no change; provide guidelines (recommend only project
notebook/project home page be listed here; list other documents in the
project notebook)
21. Issues -- move to notebook
22. Tasks -- move to notebook
Separated into the three groupings:
No Change, provide guidelines for use:
1. Project name -- no change; provide guidelines
3. Contact info -- no change; provide guidelines
4. Sponsor -- no change; provide guidelines
9. Process -- no change; provide guidelines
10. Practice -- no change; provide guidelines
12. Priority -- no change; provide guidelines
13. Commitment -- no change; provide guidelines
14. Description -- no change; provide guidelines
17. Customers -- no change; provide guidelines
20. Documents -- no change; provide guidelines (recommend only project
notebook/project home page be listed here; list other documents in the
project notebook)
Change in label:
5. Implementor/owner -- change to project leader
18. Team leaders -- change to team members
Remove from Project DB, move to notebook:
2. Project headline -- move to notebook
6. Start date -- move to notebook
7. Scheduled end date -- move to notebook
8. Actual end date -- move to notebook
11. Status -- move to notebook
15. Current quarter achievement -- move to notebook
16. Next quarter goal -- move to notebook
19. Comments -- move to notebook
21. Issues -- move to notebook
22. Tasks -- move to notebook
Note: I have not included the phase, performing organization, budget,
resources, or other suggestions at this time. I believe those should be
considered part of the longer-term effort unless there is an immediate need
for these changes (e.g., if another IT organization were considering serious
use of the DB in the near future, we might generalize some existing fields
to make their use simpler.)
