Program Management Plan (Page 12 of 61) in pdf

Geospatial LoB Program Management Plan

4.1.2

Cost, Schedule, and Outcomes Management Tools

The PMO uses four key tools to track cost, schedule, and outcomes: Geospatial Work Group Work Plans,

Microsoft Project Schedule, Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, and Status Reports, each of which is described

below.

•

Work Plans – Geospatial LoB work groups use work plans to guide the proposal, progress, and

completion of subtasks and deliverables associated with their respective assigned tasks. Each work

group will create work plans detailing their task and deliverable completion schedule, contractor and

government LOE in FTEs and hours, critical success factors, and task or deliverable dependencies.

Work Group Leads are responsible for updating their respective work plans and submitting them to

the PMO. To support the PMO—and inform the FGDC Coordination Group—Grant Thornton will

use work plan content in populating other management tools described in this plan. Appendix D:

Work Plan Template depicts the work plan template.

•

Microsoft Project Schedule - Microsoft Project provides primary means of tracking project

schedules. Upon the completion of tasks, subtasks, and deliverables or the receipt of information

from work groups and the Managing Partner Team, the PMO updates the impacted areas of the

master schedule and incorporates updated Microsoft Project content into Status Reports. This tool

also provides visual representation of the time interdependencies of tasks, subtasks, and deliverables

and shows where scheduling issues, conflicts, or delays occur. As previously indicated, Appendix C:

Master Project Schedule depicts the baseline Geospatial LoB 2008-2009 project plan and schedule.

•

Microsoft Excel spreadsheets –The PMO suse Microsoft Excel to monitor and share information

about project costs, schedule, LOE, and outcomes. Financial and mathematical functions found in

Excel allow for quick and accurate cost tracking and can provide automated summation of key

variables (e.g. percentage of government LOE needed, contractor cost as a percentage of budget, etc.)

while the row and column spreadsheet set-up allow for data sorting. Excel content also helps

populate tables for inclusion in various Geospatial LoB documents.

•

Status Reports – On a bi-weekly basis, Grant Thornton compiles information from key project areas

to update the Managing Partner Team on current costs, schedules, and outcomes relative to the larger

Geospatial LoB project. Status Reports summarize work accomplished and deliverable progress for a

period of project performance, work planned for the next period of performance, and LOE. In

addition, Grant Thornton identifies any issues that might impact project completion and, when

appropriate, suggests corrective actions. Status Reports connect Program Management to

Performance Management and offer a method to track successes and shortcomings by period of

Last Updated 6/19/2008

Program Management Plan Page 12