[152] in magellan
FYI: A Proposal For Moving Forward on Project DB (4/22)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Mike Barker)
Fri Apr 23 15:13:27 1999
Message-Id: <4.1.19990423150725.00c5bba0@po11.mit.edu>
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 15:09:23 -0400
To: magellan@MIT.EDU, delivery@MIT.EDU, integration-ptl@MIT.EDU
From: Mike Barker <mbarker@MIT.EDU>
Cc: project-db@MIT.EDU
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
This document outlines my proposal as to how to proceed with the project
database effort, with additions from comments recieved.
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.
PRINCIPLES
The short-term approach is based on these 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.
CHANGES
Changes include:
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.
Changes in labels:
5. Implementor/owner -- change to Project Leader
18. Team leaders -- change to Team Members
9. Process -- change to Process/Performing Organization
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
here.
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.
We still need documentation help in preparing guidelines for the various
parts of the project DB.
There was a request to consider how to handle projects as they "cross"
Processes. Due to the current limitations of the project DB, we recommend
that this be handled by naming convention, and that as projects are
"rechartered" as they pass over a Process boundary, that a new entry in the
project db be created. Thus, for example, we might have "Changing
Lightbulbs Discovery" project, followed by "Changing Lightbulbs Delivery"
project, and so on.
PROJECT NOTEBOOK TEMPLATES
A set of rough draft templates, without much in the way of guidelines or
help, are available in the pm locker at http://web.mit.edu/pm/projpage.html
and below. Has a bunch of subsidiary pages, all ready to click to, then save
as and edit. Or someone who has AFS access can simply copy the complete set
that I left in pm/notebook (this set can also be accessed via the web -- do
http://web.mit.edu/pm/notebook/ and then pick individual files).
With AFS access:
attach pm
cp /mit/pm/notebook/* yourdirectory
and then edit the files in yourdirectory for your project.
To get a locker for your project, send mail to afsreq describing the
purpose, name desired, who should have access, and desired size.
The files currently in the locker are:
to provide anonymous commentary on projects:
projanon.html -- must change directory
projanon.txt -- change projectmail to actual email address
projcomm.html -- fill in
projdoc.html -- modify
projissues.html -- fill in
projpage.html -- basic page
projquar.html -- quarterly reporting page
projtasks.html -- task list
There was a request to consider various ways of controlling access to
project notebooks using the web. It is possible to control access to web
pages through three levels:
1. unlimited acccess: http://web.mit.edu/locker
2. MIT mostly: http://tute.mit.edu/locker
(see http://web.mit.edu/cwis/tute/mitmostly2.html for details)
3. Athena only, detailed ACLs: file:///afs/athena/project/locker
There has been a suggestion that the project notebook include a "Critical
Resources" section. This has not been implemented at this time, but would
probably be one more Project Detail page.
LONGER TERM EFFORT
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.
APPENDICES
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 -- change to Process/Performing Organization; provide guidelines
10. Practice -- no change; provide guidelines
11. Status -- reduce to Pending, Active, OnHold, Terminated, Completed in
database
11. Status -- detail status while active 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 -- date and timestamp if possible; 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)
21. Issues -- move to notebook
22. Tasks -- move to notebook
Separated into 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
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
9. Process -- change to Process/Performing Organization; provide guidelines
18. Team leaders -- change to team members
Change
11. Status -- reduce to Pending, Active, OnHold, Terminated, Completed in
database
19. Comments -- date and time stamp if possible
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 -- detail status while active move to notebook
15. Current quarter achievement -- move to notebook
16. Next quarter goal -- 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.)
"This requires ... that we work to create at MIT an atmosphere of civility,
collegiality, and mutual respect - one that stimulates and supports all of our
faculty, students and staff." Charles Vest, Jan. 12, 1994
"This requires ... that we work to create at MIT an atmosphere of civility,
collegiality, and mutual respect - one that stimulates and supports all of our
faculty, students and staff." Charles Vest, Jan. 12, 1994
