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Project Initiation
& Scope Management
Spent 15+ years of
project management career helping Fortune 500 companies develop IT project
requirements and resource baseline metrics so that cost benefit analysis
(CBA) and return on investment (ROI) models reflect realistic project scope
and have reliable resource and time estimates. Projects include those
for:
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Chevron Corporation
(2007-2008) – IT infrastructure Reliability Project – Developed
business case, ROI, ROR and stakeholder consensus. Developed system
design and project execution artifacts and lead development.
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Prudential
Insurance (1999) – Process automation project – Defined Scope
& objectives, authored plans and executed plans (3 year project –
ROI was $10million).
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Best Buy (2001)
– Consolidation and Best Practice cost performance project. Provided
cost benefit analysis (CBA) for consolidation / process reengineering
scenarios.
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Dow Jones (2000)
– Server consolidation project. Strategic planning, risk assessments.
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State of South Carolina (1996) – Data Center (11) consolidation feasibility & planning on
subcontract to HDS Professional Services. Developed the target data center
selection criteria and built complete (hardware & software) technology
models.
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The Internal
Revenue Service (1999 – 2000) – Consolidation of 10 processing
centers into two -Technology models, target models (technology and
organization) and project plan.
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State Farm
Insurance (1994 1996) – Consolidation of 26 regional data centers
into three newly built “Geoplexes”. Developed the technology
model for all three new data centers, including resource and contingency
planning ($150million project lasting four years).
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Ingram Micro (1993)
– Cost Baseline for three IT consolidation scenarios after large
merger. Provided three complete (ROI, resource and schedule) project
feasibility models.
Time & Cost
Management
The core requirements
of the traditional Project Manager (PM) require that he or she accept the
project scope, deliverables and expectations defined by the business
analysts during Project Initiation, and make them work. Have
performed some degree of time and cost (project scheduling) management for all
project engagements. But a few projects were well underway before the
client asked for guidance. They included:
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Food Lion (1997)
– Food Lion acquired Kash & Karry (K&K) stores, whose IT
operation was outsourced. They announced that they wished to terminate that
contract, incorporate processing at Food Lion and RIF (reduction in force)
the K&K staff – with no plan to do so. On subcontract to IBM,
developed the transition plans, the communication plans, the HR Plan and
some of the Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) of the outsourcing
‘handover’.
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El Paso Energy (2001 – 2004)
– A project had been underway for 2 years to ‘sunset’ the
IBM mainframes in favor of a client/server IT infrastructure. But rather
than reducing mainframe utilization it was increasing faster than
replacement applications could be developed. Analyzed the performance issues,
created a solution, implemented that solution and ended up getting a three
year contract to operate the data center during the final transition.
Reduced the time and cost to sunset the mainframes by 50%.
Quality & Risk
Management
Any project has a
defined deliverable and a set of expectations of how that deliverable will
perform (financially, operationally, etc.). Identifying risks to that
vision is a core competency within IT Projects. Risk can also cause
“scope creep” that may cause schedule overruns, cost increases
and negative impacts on end user (customer) perceptions of the
quality of the project deliverables. Developed proficiency in
identifying risks to project performance and/or deliverable quality, and
addressing those risks early in the project to reduce their impact.
Have built risk metrics and provided weighted prioritized action options
for such projects as:
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Chevron Corporation
(2007-2008) – IT Infrastructure Reliability project – Quality
of reliability reporting had to approach six sigma accuracy. Dual
role required systems design and project management duties (using Chevron
CPDEP process). Critical production systems monitoring posed many
operational risks that had to be mitigated.
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State Farm
Insurance (1994-1996) – The risk matrix for this project was one of
the most complex encountered. Lead a team that kept constant oversight of a
risk matrix of 500 issues. It dealt with not only the risks that come from
building three new data centers, each 1000 miles apart, but the risks
associated with moving the processing and communications of 26 contributing
data centers while keeping a 24/7 operational profile.
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SMA Software
(2001-2004) – The deliverable in this instance was to be a new
interface using TCP/IP and XML from a client/server database to an IBM
Z/Sysplex . No one had ever done it before so it had RISK written all
over it. The solution was a development lab that employed a
virtualization technique never before used for a single purpose
(virtualizing both a server and a mainframe environment as an integrated
development platform). Personally designed & implemented the
development platform and the final deliverable as well.
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Prudential
Insurance (1994, 1999, 2001) – Several projects over several years
required the implementation of a project management office (PMO).
Additionally, as process improvement project progressed, new opportunities
for added scope were found. Each had to be measured as to risk/reward
scenarios for cost, schedules, performance and resource needs.
Human Resources
Management
The effective
allocation of people, skills and time is a full time job. While HR
Functional Managers have had the bulk of this responsibility in most
projects there have been a few very challenging HR issues –
including:
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Food Lion –
(1997) – Tasked with developing a reduction in force (RIF) plan for the transfer of the outsourced IT infrastructure to the corporate data
center. This included a written skills assessment on each affected
individual. It had to be done in an objective and well documented way that
would not invite litigation.
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El Paso Energy
(2001 – 2004) - Personally built the job descriptions, interviewed
and hired staff for a 3 year facility management contract. This also
included handling turnover, training and backfill resources.
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The Internal
Revenue Service (1999 – 2000) – On subcontract to IBM, built a
team of system architects that did all the software/hardware architecture
planning for the project. Also hired the functional project managers for
this project.
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Dayton Hudson
(Target) (2001) – While this was not a project in the truest sense,
there was enough “headhunting” for this staff augmentation
project that it bears mention under “HR Management”.
Developed job descriptions, interviews, did performance reviews and, with
the acceptance of the client, hired and fired contract staff for a two year
IT consolidation project.
Communication
Management
Measurement, reporting,
alerts, decision support and performance reporting are practiced in each
and every project discipline. Also developed communication plans and used
various communication techniques from meetings and emails to sophisticated
teleconferencing and VoIP solutions. Have also used tools such as:
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SAS™ SASDB,
Statistical Analysis, systems and metrics.
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Macromedia™
(Breeze™ & Captiva™)
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Microsoft™
(Word™, Excel™, PowerPoint™, Project™) Pert, Gantt,
pivot plots, etc.
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Web Site Services,
HTML and PM Content
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Case Study: Federal
Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) (2005) - Developed the Program
Management Office (PMO) web portal for the FEMA Office of the CIO. The
portal included training, case studies, PMP methodologies, and PMBOK tools
and templates for effective project management and collaboration. The
development included use of Flash 8.0, XHTML, CSS navigation, Javascripts,
CGI and required federal 508 complaint accessibility.
Procurement
Management
Managing materials and
resources to optimize project budget requirements is a seldom practiced
project management discipline. Worked the other half of my
career (1970s & 1980s) as a software developer, technical support
programmer and technical services manager. This provided ample experience
in IT procurement of both hardware and software. Also, developing
selection criteria for commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software solutions,
RFP preparation, contract negotiation, selection criteria and evaluation
– are core competencies.
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Sysco Foods (1991
– 1992) – As Systems Programming Manager, provided all the CBA
and ROI on numerous procurement activities – from cached DASD (EMC)
to new problem management software. Provided requirements planning,
RFP preparation, response analysis, implementation project management,
acceptance management and contract negotiation support.
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Department of
Homeland Security (2005 - 2006). The eMerge2 project developed the
requirements and enterprise architecture (EA) components of the
consolidation of the 22 DHS agency’s financial systems into one
financial system under the DHS CFO. The deliverable was an RFP, a
COTS selection and an acceptance plan (test scenarios by Use Case).
Also developed a set of risk assessment documents to support the acceptance
plan and outlined both the technical and organizational (political)
challenges of implementation.
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Prudential
Insurance (2001) – Developed a lease / purchase “swing
equipment” plan for the effective use of IT assets during the
transition of a data center from Minnesota to New Jersey. Plan
included analysis of lease options; current contract T&Cs; depreciation
schedules on purchased equipment; upgrade & transport costs; and
tactical options for the use of assets to maximize ROI during transition.
Project Execution
& Closure
There are many project
managers that are more accurately described as project planners. They have
significant experience in managing the PMBOK nine knowledge areas, but they
are methodology bound. That is to say, they are not IT professionals that
can talk one-on-one with functional IT project team members. Technical and
architectural background allows strategic and logistical decisions as
directed by project stakeholders. For instance, it is easy to know
when a network architecture is insecure; when a 7/24 transition topology
has single points of failure or too little redundancy; or when software and
hardware vendors are selling vapor-ware. Accomplished at executing
and closing projects (turning over the finished project to operations) as
well as planning. Cases in point:
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Prudential
Insurance (1994) – Consolidation of the northern regional data center
NRDC into the central IT campus in Roseland. NJ. Developed a 24/7
cutover test plan plan; and a final minute-by-minute transition and
acceptance plan that was executed in two hours with no down time.
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Zurich Insurance
(1999 – 2001) – Consolidation of the NYC and Toronto
datacenters into the corporate data center in Schaumburg, Ill required
international agreements and data disclosure regulations.
Instrumental in developing the documents that showed client was following
each government’s regulations (U.S. & Canada) for movement of
Canadian citizen data to a data center in the U.S.
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El Paso Energy
(2001 – 2004) – Facilities Management Contract –
Mainframe operations and support. More of a program than a project the
“Sunset Project” for the El Paso mainframes was completed on
schedule and on budget with team acting as both project and functional
performers.
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Blue Cross Blue
Shield (2004) – The implementation of a new business process
automation COTS product (OpCon/XPS™) was completed on time and on
budget even though numerous problems were encountered after cutover. Worked
with the vendor to correct problems, apply fixes, test results and train
clients – before considering the project completed.
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