NCAS Project Management
Methodology
Effective project management
has been a strength of the NCAS project since its inception. The
OSC conducted the NCAS project using the FOUNDATION product and Method/1
project management methodology. The OSC refined the product to meet
the needs of the NCAS implementation, and titled it the Agency Implementation
Methodology (AIM). This process methodology provides the project
structure, scheduling capabilities, and documentation of deliverables for
effective quality assurance and management control over the NCAS project.
In addition, the ABT Project Workbench tool is used to manage resource
scheduling and usage.
AIM consists of the six major
phases illustrated in Figure 3.
Figure 3. AIM
Methodology
The specific objectives of
agency implementation efforts are to:
-
Assess the business practices
and requirements of the agency (Pre-Site Phase)
-
Determine the level of fit of
the NCAS Model to the agency business environment (Operational Analysis
Phase)
-
Design and develop any unique
business practices, system processes, and reports necessary for an agency
to use the NCAS successfully (Design Phase)
-
Design, program, and test all
new reports, conversion programs, and interfaces identified in the design
phase (Implementation Phase)
-
Convert the agency to begin
processing on the NCAS and train the affected employees (Implementation
Phase)
-
Provide post-implementation
support sufficient to assure the agency's ultimate success (Post-Implementation
Phase)
-
Supervise the project team;
manage the budget, scope, and quality of the implementations; and report
progress to the agency and OSC senior management (Project Management /
Administration Phase)