Context and purpose of ICT project planning; Components of an ICT project plan; Project types and their management; Staffing your project; Example

1. Developing & implementing ICT Project Plans author: Eric Kluijfhout, eric.kluijfhout@gmail.com This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/devnations/2.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford, California 94305, USA. Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, 24-08/28-08, 2009

2. Developing & implementing ICT Project PlansDr Eric Kluijfhout Workshop on ICT Policy Development, August 24-28, 2009, Bahir Dar University & VU University

3. Outline Context and purpose of ICT project planning Components of an ICT project plan Project types and their management Staffing your project Example

4. Inst. ICT PolicyPlan ICT Master Plan Project plan Project plan Project plan ICT implementation and ICT exploitation Takes: Responsible for: 1 % of staff time 90 % of final ICT succes implementation 9 % of staff time exploitation 90% of staff time 10 % of final ICT succes

5. Purpose of an ICT Project Plan An ICT Project Plan describes the implementation process for an ICT function (system or infrastructure component) in such a way that it assists in planning (before), guiding and monitoring (during) and evaluating (at the end) activities, required resources and expected outcomes. At the closure of the project the user-organization should be fully prepared to start exploitation. ICT project characteristics: has a starting and end date duration 3- 6 months, otherwise create sub-projects has its own budget has its own staff If you as a project leader feel any of these four conditions is not met, either redesign your project or do something else!

6. Common mistakes and pitfalls Mistaking a Policy Plan (what and why) for a Project Plan (how, when, by whom, with what) Implementing without a specific and approved Project Plan Hard- and software installation = implementation Putting ICT in the lead of system implementation Implementation without planning data conversion and addressing organizational change requirements Not planning for exploitation ..................................

7. Project Plan components Aims & outcomes: what Resources & structure: with what and by whom Activities & time plan: how and when Optional: Risk analysis & contingency plans Evaluation plan

8. But first ......

9. Project types TASK Simple Complex I Certain/ stable II CONTEXT Uncertain/ instable IV III

10. Type I: simple - stable Relatively simple planning Possible to copy plan from elsewhere Internal progress monitoring

11. Type II: complex - stable Detailed analysis & planning required Expert validation of plan Close milestone and quality monitoring during execution – preferably by external body

12. Type III: simple - unstable Easy to plan task Emphasis on risk analysis & reduction strategies Separately plan for interaction with the environment Close monitoring of the environment during execution

13. Type IV: complex - unstable Define ambitions and global time line SWOT analysis Divide project in sub-projects Plan various project cycles: plan – implement – learn – (re)plan

14. Project aims & outcomes Aims to be copied or derived from the Policy Plan Define project outcomes that are directly – and veryfiably – derived from the aims Define milestones (critical intermediate products or decisions that need formal approval/acceptance) Define responsibilities for each milestone and outcome (delivery and acceptance)

15. Project resources & structure Resource types: Staff (roles, quantity, quality) Funds Facilities External services Project structure options (next pages): Independent structure Delegation structure Matrix structure

16. Independent structure User organization ICT organization Project

17. Delegation structure – Iexternal manager Project User organization ICT organization

18. Delegation structure – IIuser - managed Project User organization ICT organization

19. Delegation structure – IIIICT - managed Project User organization ICT organization

20. Matrix structure – IICT - managed ICT organization User organization

21. Matrix structure – IIUser - managed User organization ICT organization

22. Matrix structure – IIIexternal manager User organization ICT organization Project

23. Project activities & time plan Define activities directly related to the delivery of milestones and/or outcomes Link activities to roles Identify dependencies between activities In case of dependency, check whether a milestone delivery is required Combine all into a time plan This is an iterative planning process!

24. Sample ICT Project Plan  Implementing the Virtual Learning Environment ‘Moodle’ at the UNESCO/IHE Institute for Water Education As part of the institution’s vision to strategically employ ICT to remain the number-1 international centre of excellence in the field of Water Education Starting from a context of little experience with techhnology enhanced learning

25. Thank you eric.kluijfhout@gmail.com