Systems Development Framework

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Description

A view of the principal phases of any development activity or project consist of:

• Initiation
• Requirements specification
• Analysis and Design
• Development
• Testing
• Implementation

Each of these phases has certain activities and tasks that are carried out and various documentation is produced or updated along the way. However, planning and controlling occur across the life of a project and is a critical part of ensuring the smooth running of a project as part of a managed process. It does not exist as a distinct stand-alone set of activities but occurs concurrently with activities outlined in subsequent phases. Whilst this section overlaps with the Project Management Framework (PMF) it is also included here for the purpose of completeness as part of a Systems Development Framework.

Basically you should address the following questions:

• What are you going to do
• How
• When
• Where
• Why
• For whom
• With whom

Key Components

• Development of a Project Plan including project schedule, estimation of effort and timeframe based on the requirements definition and analysis
• Development of Risk Management Plan and Communication Plan .
• Identification of all key stakeholder groups and their role including various IT support areas and relevant business partners.
• It is particularly important to identify and clarify the level and scope of involvement from the various parties involved throughout all of the project phases.
• Communication with the business owners, other stakeholders and relevant Steering or Reform Committee.
• Production and management of key project documentation.
• Advice to Service Change Management Group.
• Identification and involvement from relevant parties with regards Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Planning as well as those areas which will play a role in ongoing operational support and training.

Planning tasks

1. Prepare the various plans required such as Project Plan and Risk Management Plan from information collected during the requirements definition and analysis phase.
2. Present the plans to the relevant steering body for review/approval and confirmation of proposed funding source.
3. Once the plans are approved forward a copy to the Project Portfolio Office.
4. Determine relevant funding delegation for project manager or identify financial approval process (ie. who can signoff on expenditure and what levels of delegation they have)
5. Identify and set up project team. If additional staff are to be employed then ensure that sufficient time for advertising, selection, recruitment and environmental training are included in project timeframes.
6. If development work is to be outsourced then refer to the section on Outsourcing the software project .
7. Ensure relevant client area has a copy of the final project plan and schedule.
8. Set up any necessary working parties, user reference groups and project team email groups where relevant.
9. Update project schedule and cost estimates throughout the project life.
10. Ensure monitoring and relevant updating of Risk Management Plan along the way.
11. Develop a Communication Plan which details how the system is going to be made available to the University as well as the resulting changes in business processes. This may include communication and training strategies as well as whether the system will be released progressively across areas of the University or a complete cut-over.
12. Develop a Quality Plan which outlines the processes to be put in place to manage the project and lead towards a quality outcome.
13. Lodge a Request for Change - Approval to Implement form with the Service Change Management group (SCMG). This must include the estimated timeframe for implementation or pilot to ensure the system is included in the events calendar and ensure they are kept informed of any changes to the timeframe. Information on QUT's change management process and a link to the form on the Change Management wiki site can be found on the QUT IT Change Management site
14. Manage project documentation throughout the project including status reports, issue registers, change requests, and Steering Committee meeting papers.

Planning Documentation

The templates are on the PMF Website:

• Project Plan
• Risk Management Plan
• Communication Plan
• Quality Plan

The website address is: http://www.its.qut.edu.au/pp/framework/

Note: Depending upon the size, complexity or timeframe for the project these plans may be included in the one document. The principal concern is to ensure that these topic areas are identified and documented, they are available to all involved or interested parties, and the content is kept up to date and relevant to project progress.

Management Control objectives

• Development of broad project breakdown of tasks required, timelines and milestones.
• Appropriate and adequate user involvement
• Correct definition of problem/system
• Identification and review of options considered and recommendation made
• Appropriate setup and terms of reference of Steering Committee and user reference groups (where relevant)
• Adherence to the Project Management Framework
• Adequate identification and assessment of impact on IT architecture and capacity planning
• Adequate assessment of impact on other projects and information systems
• Reasonable and measurable identification of deliverables, and success indicators
• Appropriate management and control of tasks, resources and budget
• Appropriate identification of quality plans and processes
• Review of project documents:
• Project plan
• Communication Plan
• Requirements Specification
• System architecture
• Risk assessment, contingency and mitigation strategies
• Proposed handover strategy including adequate identification of requirements for the ongoing operational management of system