GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION (GFOA) 1B-2008

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Description of Tasks. Following are descriptions of the types of project advisory and quality review activities that we propose to perform as part of the engagement to ensure effective project execution: 1 • Work Plan Development, Analysis and Tracking. Development, analysis and tracking of the project work plan are key components of developing an effective project structure and project management. GFOA will review the proposed project plan that makes the most effective use of your organization's resources. Our prior experience will help you assess the logic and comprehensiveness of the plan as it is created, finalized, and maintained. Too often we have found project plans that have been developed without the customer in mind. For example, dependencies have not been outlined; insufficient review time has been allocated for deliverables; or not enough detail is provided in the plan. GFOA will work with your Project Manager and Technical Manager as well as the Lawson Project Manager to ensure an acceptable project plan. Once the base project plan is complete, GFOA will work with the Project Managers to identify key milestones where GFOA consultants will review activities completed to-date and review any potential project risks. We usually recommend reviewing activities at the beginning and end of the project preparation phase; the beginning, middle, and ending of the design phase; the beginning of the training phase; the beginning and ending of the test phase; the beginning of the deployment phase; and the beginning of the support phase. The GFOA's review process should then be added to the base project plan. Essentially, GFOA's role is to provide an "early warning mechanism," to your Project Manager at various points in the implementation process by carefully tracking the progress of activities within the project plan. 2. Implementation Plan Management. Development of a thorough implementation plan is an important component to the development of an effective project structure. Furthermore, throughout a complex enterprise system installation, implementation plans must be revised and appropriate controls must be present as part of effective project management to minimize deviations from the timeline and/or budget. GFOA can work with the Lawson and City project managers to monitor project status, resolve project scope and approach issues, and provide input on improving the logic of the overall plan. We would also keep the vendor on-track with the overall objectives of the organization as established in the contract agreements. 3. Review of Implementation Deliverables. Implementation vendors often require clients to "signoff 'before proceeding to the next step as part of project management. Our review of all project deliverables, if needed, will ensure contract compliance, verify that the deliverable is complete and consistent with the scope of work and functionality documented in the contract, includes acceptable content, and meets your organization's standards of quality. GFOA is able to provide you with analysis of information to increase your confidence in approving deliverables. 4. Business Process Design. Vendors typically prepare a "to-be" design document that outlines how the software will be configured to meet your organization's needs. The new designs often require changes in business processes that need to be documented sufficiently. This responsibility typically falls within project management. GFOA recommends that the design processes incorporate business process maps and descriptions of the new changes. This ensures that the logic of the design has been reviewed appropriately. To augment the implementation process, GFOA also recommends that test scripts and functional/technical requirements be mapped to each step on the business process map. That way, the appropriate test scripts can be