BETTER RECORDS MANAGEMENT THROUGH PROJECT MANAGEMENT Maura L. Dunn, CRM President April 8, 2015
What is the difference between program management and project management? Why does it matter? Programs Are ongoing Support strategic business goals Have broad financial impacts budget, revenue, quarterly results and require ongoing reporting Include multiple, related projects and the management of multiple sets of resources Records management programs Are ongoing Support business operations Provide a disciplined set of methods, tools, policies to ensure the appropriate creation, management, protection and disposition of official business records Require multiple, related projects Projects Are temporary Have a defined beginning and end with specific, defined milestones May involve staff who do not typically work together Financial impact tied directly to project budget Records management programs can benefit from project management disciplines
What makes a project a project? Clearly define objectives Declare a beginning, middle and end Manage don t just let it happen Identify resources People Tools Standards Procedures Identify specific milestones Project goals Interim milestones Identify measurements Budget Schedule Milestones
Combine RM and PM disciplines to ensure success Records Management Align records management program to organizational goals Actively manage organization s records Support organization in meeting regulatory and legal requirements Project Management Clearly define goals Outline charter and scope Develop project plan, schedule and budget Execute according to project plan Measure progress and success
Project Management Steps
Case Study: Field Records Cleanup Large organization 12 lines of business 16000 staff Geographically dispersed 400+ local offices Unknown but very large quantity of legacy paper records stored in remote locations Multiple business functions carried out in over 400 field locations Very long-lived records related to physical assets Changes made in the field; updates made to official (electronic) systems of record in headquarters offices Historical delay in providing updates to field resulting in tendency to keep unofficial records
Initiate Draft Project Charter Identify project manager, project champion and stakeholders Identify purpose, objectives and deliverables State the goals and the expected outcomes of the project Clearly define entrance/exit criteria for each phase Identify resources Team members Equipment Documentation Plan for the project definition meeting with key stakeholders
Plan: Develop a work breakdown structure
Plan: Develop a project schedule, noting duration and dependencies
Resource: Develop team structure Match your team structure to your project plan Project Manager Advance Team Lead Processing Lead Analysts Indexers Change Management Specialists
Resource: Acquire necessary equipment Laptops Printers Labels Boxes
Resource: Acquire or develop necessary documentation Management plans Communication Reporting Resource management Logistics Standard operating procedures Advance team Initial review Indexing Follow-up Boxing Transmittal forms Shipping Closeout
Resource: Acquire or develop necessary documentation
Execute Kickoff Introduce team Outline goals, high level project plan Discuss communication, reporting mechanisms Execute Measure progress daily, weekly, monthly Report progress weekly Mark completion of milestones Track progress to identify any issues early
Execute: Monitor
Monitor Status Reports Earned Value Management (EVM) Risk Management Identify potential risks Quantify impact and probability of risk occurring Develop mitigation and contingency plans
Close Complete final milestone(s) Discuss lessons learned Compile project documentation
Benefits Project completed on budget, on schedule Progress measured and easily reported, communicated to leadership, stakeholders, broad organization Specific milestones achieved as planned Program well-positioned for future projects Credibility Experience Business case
Contact Maura Dunn, CRM President, TrailBlazer Consulting, LLC Maura.Dunn@trailblazer.us.com