The Project Rubric is a tool for evaluating proposed project structure and plan. The goal of the rubric is to consistently evaluate and inform the creation of well-formed projects.
| Criteria # | Objects | Score (1=poor, 5=excellent) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Are they concrete? | |
| 2 | Can they be realized or instantiated, e.g., constructed and delivered? | |
| 3 | Is the object worded properly, clear and understandable by clients? | |
| 4 | Can two or more raters score the object's complexity in a reasonable consistent manner using a simple "simple, average, complex" scoring criteria? | |
| 5 | Do they represent the totality of the project deliverables? | |
| Object types | ||
| 6 | Does the object type accurately categorize the object? | |
| 7 | Will the object type assigned to the object allow for comparison across multiple projects? | |
| Milestones | ||
| 8 | Are there enough milestones (at least 4)? | |
| 9 | Are the milestones spaced appropriately (at least one per month)? | |
| 10 | Can the client understand the milestone description? | |
| 11 | Are the milestone due dates a 50/50 estimate? | |
| Tasks | ||
| 12 | Do the tasks use a clear and easy to read verb-object format? | |
| 13 | Do the tasks clearly show how an object is realized, constructed or delivered? | |
| 14 | Are the tasks understandable to a typical IT employee? | |
| 15 | Are the tasks an average of 10-14 hours? | |
| 16 | Are tasks estimates a reasonable size (less than 20 hours)? | |
| 17 | Are the tasks a 50/50 estimate? | |
| 18 | Are the tasks assigned appropriate phases? | |
| 19 | Are the start and end dates correct and realistic? | |
| Staff | ||
| 20 | Are the team members, roles and responsibilities for the project identified clearly? | |
| Project | ||
| 21 | If required, does the project have a charter? | |
| 22 | Is a client sponsor and contact clearly identified? | |
| 23 | Is the project linked with ITS and university strategic goals within the system? | |
| 24 | Does the project have cost and benefits identified and recorded (NPV, ROI, payback period)? | |
| 25 | Does the project have a measurement model in place to track fulfillment of the business case and ROI? | |
| 26 | Does the business case make clear sustainable funding? | |
| 27 | Does the project charter identify change management appropriately, if needed? | |
| 28 | Has the project been rated along the dimensions needed for portfolio analysis within the system? | |
| Average | ||
| % 4 or 5 |
An active version of the project rubric worksheet is attached: ITS Project Rubric v1.2
FAQ: What is 50/50?
Estimators create estimates that are “in the middle” — not too high, not too low. The estimate is correct if the estimator feels there is as much chance of going over the estimate as there is of going under. With the measurement capabilities in SPM, if estimators “sandbag” their estimates by constantly estimating high, then as tasks close out that gap will be easily detected in the V1 metric as well as by analyzing the different estimate versus actual metrics within SPM. This differs from the three - point estimation model (optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic estimates) made in traditional project management methodologies (e.g., the Project Management Institute’s PMBOK). The estimator enters only one estimate that represents an estimate for which the team is just as likely to go over the estimate as it is to come in under the estimate. With small task sizes, the volatility metrics — and the numerous metrics to measure both the re-estimating of tasks and the difference between actual hours spent and estimated hours — we don’t need three points of estimation. This simplifies the estimator’s work.