À¦°óSMÉçÇø

Anatomy of an IT project

Activities, phases, and lifecycle

Each year, À¦°óSMÉçÇø IT Services publishes theÌýIT Annual report, which includes descriptions of ongoing and planned ITÌýprojectsÌýthatÌýserve the needs of the À¦°óSMÉçÇø community.IT Projects follow a lifecycle described below,Ìýwhich requires ongoing collaboration between our stakeholders and IT.ÌýBelow is a glimpse into what happens during each stage of an IT project’s lifecycle.Ìý

What is an IT Project?

An IT project may be one or more of the following (with project examples) :

  • Implementation of a new IT solution to support new, current or revised services (Student Appointment Management, Animal Protocol and Facilities Management Solution, Student AdmissionÌýSystems)
  • Large-scale enhancement or upgrade of an existing application or system (Degree Works, myLab migration to the Web)
  • Infrastructure upgrade (Oracle19C, Network Upgrade)
  • Information security initiatives (CANSSOC)

An IT project may be undertaken to increase a service’s efficiency, address a community need for new or enhanced services, or it may be required to fulfill legal and/or audit requirements.

Lifecycle of an IT project

  1. Opportunity: At this stage, IT collaborates with our userÌýcommunity,Ìýwho articulate the expected results and benefits that the project will deliver. IT then gathersÌýtheir business needsÌýand documentsÌýthese inÌýaÌý.ÌýOnceÌýfinalized, dependingÌýon its complexity and level of effortÌýrequired,Ìýthe BNSÌýis sent for review byÌýthe ITÌýPrioritizationÌýCommittee,Ìýmade up of theÌýCIO & IT Directors.Ìý
  2. Prioritization: TheÌýcommittee considers various factors such asÌýbusiness drivers, resourceÌýcapacity, criticalityÌýof the need,ÌýcurrentÌýrisks,Ìýand projectÌýbudgetÌýrequirements, thenÌýprioritizes the BNS accordingly.ÌýOnceÌýapproval to start work on the project is granted by the IT Prioritization Committee,ÌýtheÌýproject is created andÌýenters the Project delivery phase.
  3. Project delivery: IT works closely with the client throughout this phase, which comprises 3 parts:
    1. Planning & Solution definition / Acquisition: In this step,ÌýtheÌýProject Managers (PMs), Business Analysts (BA) and Solution Architects (SA)Ìýgain a detailed understanding of clients’ needs, which is translated into the project scope. They gatherÌýbusinessÌýrequirements,Ìýpropose solutionÌýoptions, andÌýdefineÌýtheÌýapproach, timelineÌýand budgetÌýto implementÌýthe projectÌýonce a given solution isÌýchosen.ÌýThis processÌýmayÌýalsoÌýincludeÌýworking withÌýProcurementÌýServices, as required,Ìýfor example when engaging inÌýtheÌýRFI (Request forÌýInformation)ÌýorÌýprocess.
    2. Design/ Construct: TheÌýdevelopment and/orÌýimplementation ofÌýtheÌýsolution starts here. Depending on the project, thisÌýstepÌýmay includeÌýnew/revisedÌýinfrastructure,ÌýsoftwareÌýdevelopment, hardwareÌýinstallation/replacement,ÌýsolutionÌýconfigurationÌýand more.ÌýThroughout the project lifecycle, we collaborate with the business stakeholdersÌýto keep them engagedÌýon the project progress through statusÌýupdates,ÌýsolutionÌýdemos, testingÌýactivities, etc.ÌýTowards the end of this phase, we ensure testing is complete,ÌýtheÌýclientÌýapprovesÌýthe deliveredÌýsolution,Ìýand we provide anyÌýrequired training and/or documentationÌýto the end usersÌýasÌýrequired.ÌýÌý
    3. Delivery completion: The project is nowÌýdelivered, the client is using the solution/services implemented andÌýthe project is now in operational mode (i.e., theÌýsupport is now transferred to the client and IT operational team, and the project isÌýofficially closed).Ìý

View examples of IT projects at À¦°óSMÉçÇø on the IT Project Dashboard.

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