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1 INTRODUCTION... 3 1.1 Purpose and Objectives... 3 1.2 Background... 3 1.3 Scope... 4 1.4 Standards... 4 1.5 Approach... 4 2 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES... 5 3 ISSUE RESOLUTION PROCESS... 6 3.1 Issue Identification... 6 3.2 Issue Documentation... 6 3.3 Issue Resolution... 6 3.4 Issue Priority Types... 8 3.5 Issue Status Categories... 9 3.6 Integrated Tracking and Control... 9 4 ATTACHMENT A: Decision/Information Request (DIR)... 10 5 ATTACHMENT B: Issue Log Template... 11 6 DATE OF ADOPTION BY THE PROJECT SPONSER... 11 Page 2 of 12
ISSUE MANAGEMENT PLAN 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Purpose and Objectives The Issue Management Process is used to manage issues and questions that have a significant impact on EDISON activities. The objectives of this Issue Management Plan are to: Ensure that critical issues are identified and resolved in a timely manner; Inform stakeholders of significant issues and facilitate their participation in issue resolution; Provide a systematic approach for: a. Identifying, assessing, and resolving issues b. Monitoring and reporting progress related to issue resolution; c. Creating an audit trail that documents the resolution of project issues. 1.2 Background The Integrated Planning and Budget (IBP) system was custom developed in the late 1980 s as a joint effort between the New Jersey Office of Information Technology (OIT) and the consulting firm, Ernst and Young. IBP runs on a VAX mainframe whose VMS operating system has not been upgraded in 10 years. Upgrades have not occurred because external vendor support is no longer available for software running on the VAX. State staff supports this software internally. In OIT, 5 data base administrators (DBA s) and three (3) programmer analysts support IBP; of these, four (4) of the five (5) DBA s are eligible for retirement. Two (2) support staff from the Office of Treasury Technology (OTT) provides system administrative services. Should any of the support staff leave State service, it would be next to impossible for the agency to replace the skill sets required to maintain this custom built, complex system that has been developed using now-obsolete technology. Page 3 of 12
Consequently, the Office of Management and Budget intends to develop a Request for Proposal (RFP), to be issued by the New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Purchase and Property, on behalf of the Department of the Treasury s Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The RFP will solicit proposals from qualified bidders for the purpose of procuring and implementing a replacement of New Jersey s Planning and Budgeting automated systems. The targeted replacement systems include the Integrated Planning and Budgeting system and, as appropriate, ancillary systems that OMB currently uses to provide enhanced functionality to IPB. The new system will be known as EDISON. 1.3 Scope This Issue Management Plan is intended for EDISON internal and external stakeholders and all EDISON project participants. Its scope is limited to managing issues that affect the success of the project. It will be executed by the EDISON Project Control Office (PCO). 1.4 Standards This Issue Management Plan is developed according to generally accepted project management practices as set forth in the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK). That book identifies project management standards developed by the Project Management Institute. 1.5 Approach The EDISON Issue Management Plan includes the following elements: Issue Identification: Anyone affected by EDISON is expected to identify issues that, if not resolved, will result in project implementation delays or a system that may not meet OMB s business needs Issue Documentation: The EDISON Project Director will track all issues in an Issues Log and drive resolution of the issues. Issue Resolution: If OMB management cannot resolve an issue, the Program Director will escalate the issue to the EDISON Steering Committee for resolution. If the Steering Committee determines that the issue requires referral to a higher level for approval, the Program Director will escalate the issue to a more senior level for resolution. Issue Priorities: The Program Director will prioritize all issues. Issue Status Categories: Issues will be classified as new, revised, deferred, rejected, in analysis, being monitored or closed. Integrated Tracking and Control: All issues will be recorded on the Issues Tracking Log, which will be maintained by the EDISON Project Director. Page 4 of 12
2 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES All persons affected by EDISON have a role in issues management; they are responsible for identifying and helping to resolve issues. The EDISON Project Director and Program Director will manage the identification and tracking of issues, and conduct special issues resolution meetings, if warranted. At those meetings or during regularly scheduled project status meetings, decision makers will review newly identified issues, monitor progress on existing issues, and approve the recommended issue resolution. All regularly scheduled project meetings will include issues management as an agenda item. The table below identifies the roles and responsibilities of major participants in the issues management process. Title Issue Process Role Role Description and Actions EDISON Oversight Committee Issue Resolution Resolve issues that cannot be resolved at a lower level Project Control Office (PCO) Identification and Tracking of Issues Prepare agenda and facilitate appropriate meetings to discuss issues for management attention Confirm owner and date required for resolution for each issue Prepare decision request forms for issues that require a Steering Committee decision Communicate with team members so that they are aware of important issue updates Track and maintain issues in the Issue Log Include issues for management attention in the regular project status report Project Team Members Identification, Tracking and Resolution of Issues Participate in meetings to resolve project issues Page 5 of 12
3 ISSUE RESOLUTION PROCESS 3.1 Issue Identification Any person affected by EDISON can identify a potential issue. When a potential issue arises, the person identifying the issue needs to contact the PCO. The EDISON Project Director will work with the identifier to obtain all relevant information and to document the issue using the Decision/Information Request (DIR) form. Attachment A of this plan contains the DIR template. The DIR documents the issue, describes decision alternatives (including the pros and cons of decision alternatives), and provides a proposed recommendation. The level of detail and number of options will vary based on the specific issue. Use of the DIR facilitates discussion and resolution of the issue by providing complete analysis of the decision alternatives. 3.2 Issue Documentation The Project Director will maintain the file of DIRs and record and update each DIR on the Issues Log. It will be her responsibility to ensure that resolution due dates are assigned to each issue and that each issue is placed on the agenda for regularly scheduled project status meetings or that special issue resolution meetings are scheduled if necessary. She will also be responsible for tracking and recording the status of each issue through final resolution. 3.3 Issue Resolution If an issue cannot be resolved at the OMB management level, it will be escalated to the Steering Committee for resolution. In the event that the Steering Committee determines that the issue requires referral to a higher level for approval, the Program Director will escalate the issue to a more senior level for resolution. Page 6 of 12
The chart below graphically depicts the steps in the Issue Resolution Process. Page 7 of 12
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