In brief
An IT project without structured governance is a project prone to drift: unclear scope, ill-defined roles, decisions taken too late. Steering committee, team profiles, agile method or V-cycle: find out how to organize the governance of your IT projects in concrete terms, and the questions to ask yourself before getting started.
More and more projects use agile or iterative methods right from the development phase. Teams communicate regularly with each other and it is not uncommon to work simultaneously.
This method is part of a logic of continuous improvement. The steering committee, like other committees, plays a key role in the governance of an IT project and in monitoring the progress of the project.
As with any project, IT project management involves both the service provider and the customer. The service provider includes project teams that participate in each phase of the deployment.
How is an IT project organized?
An IT project involves a wide range of technical experts who will be involved throughout the implementation phases. Project management or project portfolio management requires a certain amount of organization, all the more so if the nature of the project is complex and there are a large number of players involved. The project manager will thus have to set a framework from the start in order to gain efficiency and flexibility. A management method such as project governance must meet these requirements.
An IT project is generally divided into 5 stages, whatever the method (V-cycle, Agile, etc.):
- defining the customer’s needs,
- architecture and design,
- development,
- testing or acceptance,
- production launch.
V-cycle vs. Agile
V-cycle :
- Sequential and linear approach
- Perimeter fixed from the outset
- Suitable for projects with stable specifications
- Delivery at the end of the project
- Main risk: late discovery of discrepancies
Agile Method :
- Iterative and incremental approach
- Adjustable perimeter for each sprint
- Adapted to evolving and complex projects
- Continuous, incremental delivery
- Requires more agile governance and customer involvement throughout the project
What is IT project governance?
Project governance is a management method that determines the role and responsibilities of each member of a project team. More generally, this notion refers to project management, at both strategic and operational levels. The better this governance mode is defined in advance, the more successful the project will be.
Effective IT project governance is based on three complementary levels of authority:
Strategy Committee (quarterly)
- Brings together senior management, CIO and project sponsors
- Validates major trade-offs and strategic alignment
- Decides on changes in scope and budgets
Steering committee – COPIL (monthly)
- Brings together project manager, project owner, project manager and business representatives
- Monitor milestone progress and risk management
- Makes operational decisions and arbitrates bottlenecks
Operational meeting (weekly)
- Convenes project teams on a daily basis
- Monitors tasks and resolves bottlenecks
- Maintains fluid communication between different profiles
What are the profiles of the project teams?
Specialists in their respective fields – management, development, information systems administration, network security, etc. – are involved at every stage.
The technical-functional project manager
Project managers are the keystone of project management, which involves defining customer requirements, making adjustments, managing teams and so on. Project managers are involved in resource management and need to have a good understanding of governance.
In fact, they are the ones who choose to implement project governance-type management. This requires a clear definition of roles upstream. In this way, project teams are aligned with the repository, and corrective measures are easier to apply.
Project managers have a broad IT culture, both in terms of technical skills (programming, coding, applications) and market knowledge. With their broad IT knowledge, they bring a useful vision to the project. Throughout the process, they ensure that the project teams remain motivated and, therefore, efficient.
The technical architect (or IT architect)
The technical or IT architect is the designer of the interface (application, site, etc.). He imagines the tools needed to deploy the platform (cloud, Azure, AWS). With the help of the project manager, he validates the most suitable solution for the client according to performance and practicality criteria and according to the budget.
The developers
The developers’ mission is to create optimal interfaces for the client’s users. A seasoned developer (2 to 3 years experience) usually coordinates the development stage. He can be accompanied by junior developers who will do the coding to show their technical abilities. The more complex the project is, the more it is essential to call upon experienced developers. More and more, IT projects are part of a continuous improvement dynamic, and developers are proposing simplified mock-ups to get their work validated more quickly by the customer.
Performance testers
The performance testers bring a useful outside perspective to the project. This is why they can be found both at the customer’s and the provider’s premises.
Security engineers
Security engineers will test the platform’s resistance by performing penetration tests. Having hacker profiles, they thwart potential cyberattacks and prevent security breaches for organizations. They are also a source of proposals concerning the security tools to be used and accompany their deployment.
DevOps
DevOps (a contraction of the terms “development” and “operations”), intervenes in each phase of the project. In concrete terms, he sets up and configures the platform. To do this, he has a double competence in development and system administration. This versatile profile is perfect for agile projects, as it saves valuable time.
DevOps touches on several professions:
- It provisions and configures environments and platforms.
- It carries out upstream platform tests.
- It checks production conformity.
- It deploys the application.
- It sets up Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery factories or chains.
As a true “five-legged sheep”, DevOps is legitimate for making strategic decisions.
In most companies, some of these roles are absent or only partially covered. A dedicated technical architect, a security engineer or an experienced DevOps are rare and costly profiles to recruit for a one-off project.
This is one of the reasons why calling on the services of an AMOA consultancy enables you to supplement your in-house team with missing expertise, without permanently burdening your structure.
Conclusion
For complex projects requiring a rapid response, the agile method simplifies the stages: teams work together, deadlines are shortened and the service provider is as close as possible to the customer’s needs.
As for project governance, it complements the agile method perfectly. By combining the two, the project manager gains agility when making decisions, while maintaining a structured framework that protects the sponsor’s interests.
Structuring the governance of an IT project involves much more than simply appointing a project manager and organizing a few meetings. It’s a fundamental task that determines the quality of decisions, risk management and team buy-in. When internal resources don’t allow you to fully assume this role, external AMOA support provides the method, neutrality and expertise needed to secure your project from start to finish.
Are you preparing an IT project and want to structure its governance right from the scoping stage? Our AMOA consultants can support you from the expression of needs right through to deployment. Contact us for an initial discussion, or download our Ebook on IT project governance.
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FAQ – IT project governance
What is IT project governance?
IT project governance is a management method that defines the roles, responsibilities and steering bodies of an IT project. It provides a framework for strategic and operational decisions, ensures alignment between business needs and technical solutions, and helps control risks throughout the project.
What is the role of the steering committee in an IT project?
The Steering Committee (COPIL) is the central body for project governance. It brings together representatives of the project owner, project manager and business units to validate milestones, arbitrate important decisions and monitor progress against objectives. It generally meets monthly for transformation projects.
What's the difference between agile and V-cycle methods for IT projects?
The V-cycle is a sequential approach suited to projects with a fixed scope: each phase is validated before moving on to the next. The agile method is iterative: it allows scope and priorities to be adjusted at each sprint, involving the customer throughout the project. The two approaches are complementary and can be combined according to the nature of the project.
When should you call in a project management consultant for an IT project?
AMOA is particularly useful when in-house teams don't have the availability or expertise to manage a complex project: ERP rollout, IS overhaul, cloud migration, multi-business project.
It provides an independent vision, a proven methodology and end-to-end support that secures decisions and protects the client's interests.
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