Commonwealth Conversations: Technology

Project Managememt within the Commonwealth-A Personal Experience

 
  
Posted by:
Abdellatif Lahlali, SAI Project Manager, Information Technology Division

In order to understand the role of Project Management within any organization, one must revert back to defining what constitutes a “Project.”  Since the Project Management methodology used at the Information Technology Division (ITD), better known as CommonWay, is aligned with the PMI (Project Management Institute), we’ll use the definition outlined in PMI’s PMBok (Project Management Book of Knowledge).

“A Project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service.”

Every project is unique due to what is commonly known as its Triple Constraints: Scope, Schedule, and Budget. It is essential for each constraint to be well defined for any project to succeed, and it is the day-to-day management of this basic triangle of constraints that is critical to any project success.  Project Management is the application of modern management techniques and systems to the execution of a project from start to finish,

In my particular case, I am the Project Manager (PM) for the Shared Application Infrastructure (SAI) Project within ITD.  The SAI Project is one of many in the ITD - Capital PMO Portfolio of Projects.  The scope of this project, as well as its basic schedule and budget, are a part of an investment brief that is currently in the execution stage

So what does a PM do?

The PM uses a set of skills, techniques, and proven methodologies to manage the delivery of those pre-determined goals stated in the Triple Constraints, with an eye for quality, and the ultimate objective of satisfying the customer.
 
The specific job description of the PM depends on many variables, such as the nature of the organization and its needs, the scope of the project, and its current stage.  However, for a brief summary we can revert back to PMI which splits the Tasks of the PM to 5 major processes:

“Initiation, Planning / Design, Execution, Monitor / Control, Closing”

Again, since ITD’s CommonWay Methodology is closely aligned with PMI, the list of processes defined above is quite similar within ITD.  Hence, the PM is heavily involved in all these processes from project start to finish.  The only variables remaining are the nature of the organization, the scope of the project, and at what stage the PM is engaged in the lifecycle of the project.

In my particular case, I come from the private sector, and was engaged by ITD a few months after the start of the SAI Project at the tail end of planning and design and the beginning of execution. 

So what are the most common tasks performed by the PM at this stage of the SAI project, within ITD?
They can be summarized as follows:

• Tracking / helping to resolve Issues, Action Items, and Risks, Dependencies and Key Decisions that affect the Project
• Maintaining / Updating Project Plan / Schedule Tracking
• Maintaining constant communications between Project Team members; and Agencies involved in the Project to help in planning for implementation
• Coordination with all Stakeholders; including Agencies and their Partners
• Reporting on Project Status, and any changes to the Scope, or Schedule of the Project
• Scheduling deployments and preparing processes for hand over to operations / Close out
• Maintaining overall Project deliverables aligned to the PMO objectives in Scope and Schedule

How different is being a PM within ITD than it is in the Private Sector?

The most common aspect of being a PM in any organization is the fact that PM work involves a substantial amount of responsibility with very little authority.  In some organizations, especially in the Private Sector, the PM is actually defined as the person with “ultimate responsibility” for the successful delivery of a single or multiple projects.  In the case of ITD, this responsibility is divided between a few individuals, and even different departments, so the basic role of the PM is more of a communicator and expeditor for a single Project.  Another major difference is the pace at which projects are managed in the Private Sector vs. ITD.  It is not unusual for projects in the private sector to be on-going 24 hours a day / 7 days a week, especially if they involve overseas implementations and virtual project teams.  While within ITD, the majority if not the totality of PM work is confined to a single time zone and completed within daytime business hours.

So what is particularly special about being a PM within ITD?

The most satisfying aspect is the fact that I get to meet and work with a variety of professionals from fields who come to work everyday intent on trying to improve the way ITD does business by developing new SW applications or simply helping out other agencies with their daily IT challenges.  ITD happens to be at the nucleus of the Commonwealth with numerous ITD Projects having a direct effect on how IT and Technology serves those State Agencies and their customers at large who are all constituents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

 Prepared by:

Abdellatif Lahlali, PMP
SAI Project Manager
ITD-Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

 

 

 

Making maps accessible

Posted by:

Sarah Bourne, Director of Assistive Technology & Mass.gov Chief Technology Strategist, Information Technology Division

With most things there are formulaic answers to the question, "How do I make that accessible?" For this feature of a web page, do this. For a text box in a form, use a label. For a data table, provide a summary and heading information. The W3C collects and publishes these techniques; if they are not easy to remember, they are easy to look up.

But some things don't boil down to a simple formula, and that's where designers and developers need to apply their imagination and analysis skills. The classic example s a map.

People like maps because they present information in a way that is easy for them to use and understand. We are visually- and spatially-oriented and maps are elegant ways to cater to that. They are problematic, however, for people who can't see or can't see well. How could you describe everything in a map in alternative text? Is it reasonable to try, and would it even be useful if you did?

But those are the wrong questions. What's really important is the information; the map is just a vehicle for presenting it. And that is the key to determining what to provide for accessibility.

Online maps are generated from Geographic Information Systems (GIS). A GIS is a database that uses physical location as the key to the data it stores, with powerful analysis and reporting capabilities. If a piece of information can be tied to a particular place, you can put it in a GIS. Maps are delivered based on searches. Those maps can be overlaid with images from aerial photography and other sources, but to the GIS application, those images are just another set of data. Everything else is generated by the GIS on the fly. This means that it can use data to make an online map, and it can also present data in text.

Instead of asking, "How can I make a map accessible?" you need to ask a series of questions.

    * What is the purpose of this map: showing where things are located? their proximity to other things? how to get someplace?
    * What kind of information is it showing?
    * What other ways are there of presenting that information?

You need to be sure the text you provide accomplishes the same thing. You don't need to worry as much about things that may appear on the map but aren't relevant for this particular purpose. For instance, you don't need to list every street that appears, unless the purpose is to show all the streets that are in a particular area.

An example of how to "make a map accessible" is AAA's TripTix or Google Maps directions. A map is provided showing the start and end points and marking the route, but they also provide a list of step-by-step directions in text. If you were trying to show the closest pharmacies, you might provide a list with street addresses, phone numbers, and how many miles away they are.

The solutions may not always be easy to figure out, or the obvious solutions may not be the correct ones. The more complex the application, the more important is it to solicit input from the people who will benefit the most from your efforts. Don't be surprised if their input helps you make your "map" work better for everyone!