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- CHARTER: States the objectives of the project and key stakeholders.
- OBJECTS: The tangible and concrete deliverables needed to complete the project. They are described using a noun, are clear and understandable by the clients, and are a commonly repeatable item. They are things like a requirements document, one function of a software product, a reusable API, or a single server instance.
- MILESTONES: The key points in time that sponsors care about, the highest-level accomplishments towards the end goal. Example: Project Requirements Complete and Delivered, Online Reports Tested, Product Deployed and Operational.
- TASKS: The action required to produce the deliverable. Tasks are described using a verb and include specific details like who is responsible for the work, how long it will take, and when it will be done. Examples of specific tasks: Modify firewall on vlan 121 to allow ssh traffic, Send scope document draft to project team for review and feedback.
- PHASE: A way of grouping activities to show the state of the work, think of them as "tags" on the individual tasks. This is an additional layer of information that can be used to glean information about our project management process. Examples of phases include things like Initiation, Definition, Design, Development, Test, Deploy, Control, Closeout.
Here’s an example of what an Object and its associated tasks could look like:
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To get a better understanding of the ITS Project Ontology, watch this short introduction video, courtesy of Kal: 8-minute Project Ontology video
Recommended Approach for the Project
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When either entering or evaluating projects and their ontology, this is the recommend order of thought:
- Project charter: Obtain and understand the purpose and value of the project
- Object list: Define all deliverables in easy-to-undertand terms
- Phase Task list: Think about the phases that project will go throughDetermine specifically what needs to be done to deliver the objects, meet the project goals.
- Staff list: Identify project team members, their roles in the project
- Milestone list: Identify the key points in the project that are important to stakeholder/clients.Task list: Determine specifically what needs to be done to deliver the objects, meet the project goals.
When preparing a project plan, first ensure the charter is assembled and then enumerate an object list for the project without any regard for tasks, etc. It should be a simple list of just objects, clearly worded, and their assigned /wiki/spaces/ITSPRO/pages/67403853, nothing else.
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