If you have plans for a project that has a technology component—from programming and database development to software and hardware acquisition—the IT PMO is the starting point to initiate your IT project.
The Project Intake Process
The PMO has established a project intake process and it is essential in helping to ensure that the projects being proposed align to Sheridan’s strategic priorities and provide value to the College community and/or any associated stakeholders.
Projects are assessed on…
- their organizational impact
- the time required for implementation
- the resources required (budget, staff, hardware, software, etc.)
- the complexity of deliverables to be produced
Determining Organizational Impact
| High Impact | Moderate Impact | Low Impact |
| Matches one of the following: | Does not exceed any of the following: | Does not exceed any of the following: |
| · High Strategic value
· Impacts ≥ 5 business units · Impacts > 250 end users · Problem and solution will be difficult to define and achieve · Significant links to other projects · Significant impact on financial revenue, expenses · Project Team has limited knowledge of the project’s objective as it related to the overall organization impact |
· Impacts 2 – 4 business units
· Impacts 25 – 250 end users · Problem and solution may be somewhat difficult to achieve · Minor links to other projects · Moderate impact on financial revenue, expenses · Project Team is somewhat familiar with project’s objective and solution |
· Impacts a single functional business unit
· Impacts < 25 end users · Problem and solution are defined and easy to achieve · No dependencies on other projects · Project Team is very familiar with the project objective and solution |
Determining Project Size
| Project Team Size, Duration & Cost | ||||
| Level of Organizational Impact | · < 5 staff
· < 50 hours work · < $50K |
· < 10 staff
· 3-12 months · < $300K |
· > 10 staff
· > 1 year · < $500K |
· > 10 staff
· > 1 year · > $500K |
| Low | Not a project | Small project | Medium project | Large project |
| Moderate | Not a project | Small project | Medium project | Large project |
| High | Small project | Medium project | Large project | Large project |
The Project Intake Request Form
The Project Intake Request Form captures the pertinent details noted above and is reviewed by the Project Steering Committee to assess your project’s feasibility, value and prioritization. Once approved, the project request information is sent to the Resource Planning Committee to determine the viability of the project, schedule resources and establish timelines.
To initiate your project, log-in to the Program Management Office SharePoint site using your Sheridan credentials (shernetxp\your-username) and complete the Project Request Form.
Project Approval Process
Depending on the size of the project the request can be approved or denied by the PMO, the Associate Vice President of IT (AVP-IT), the Project Steering Committee, or IT Board.
Not a Project – there are many initiatives that have a low to moderate impact and require little effort to complete. These initiatives do not require a project intake request but will require a Service Desk ticket to be created in order to coordinate and provide IT resources.
Small Project – the PMO and AVP-IT reviews the project request and determines if the project is approved.
Medium Project – the Project Steering Committee (PSC) reviews the project request and determines if the project is approved.
Large Project – the Project Steering Committee (PSC) reviews the project request and determines if the project is approved. The PSC will make the decision if the project needs executive level approval from the IT Board. The PSC will prioritize the request against other project in the portfolio. These projects are shared with the IT Board for approval and in order to maintain transparency.
After submitting your request, you may be asked to provide further details before a final decision about your project can be made. Results of the project assessment will be communicated to the project requestor and/or the identified business lead.
For questions or help with this process, please contact pmo-info@sheridancollege.ca.
Next Week: The IT Project Dashboard