Denver IT Project Management

IT Projects are a large part of Slate’s business and are incredibly important on many levels. As a full-service IT firm, Slate takes on projects in a variety of ways.

Some of Slate’s areas of Project Expertise:

Slate works on IT projects in many ways:

• Full-service IT Projects (Management and Implementation):
  For larger or more complex projects Slate will assign a primary project manager (PM) that will plan and coordinate the entire project from start to finish.  For full-service projects Slate also provides the appropriate engineers to execute all the technical aspects of the project.

• IT Project Management Only:
  Many companies have the appropriate staff of technical individuals to complete an IT project, but lack the right manager for the project. In this case, Slate will provide an experienced and talented Project Manager (PM) that will plan the project, set a budget, define a timeline, and manage your resources.

• Implementation Only:
  For projects that already have a project manager and technical staff but need supplemental support, Slate provides implementation only projects. Whether you need to fill gaps in specialized knowledge or just need more high level technical manpower, Slate is a perfect fit for any project.

• Small IT Projects:
  For smaller projects Slate will control the entire project including management and engineering, but does provide a separate project manager. During these types of projects an implementation engineer will assume the role of project manager. This engineer will still use many of the same methodologies as a full project manager, but at a lower level. This is done to reduce the overall project cost.

Slate IT Project Methodology:

Every project manager has their own style and tools that are used for IT project management. Slate continues to have core beliefs and techniques that are used by every project manager.

Initiation Phase:
During the initiation phase, time is taken to properly understand the nature and scope of each project. Slate then builds a preliminary plan which encompasses the following:

• Analyzation of business requirements and needs
• Understanding of existing business processes
• Financial analysis of cost and benefits and setting the budget
• Stake holder analysis to determine the project participants and identify their strengths and weaknesses.
• Set project definition which provides a preliminary summary of the participants, objectives, budget and timeline.

Planning Phase:
Following the initiation phase the project must be properly and thoroughly planned. The primary focus of the planning phase is to calculate time, cost, and resources along with setting a timeline.

Steps a Slate project manager will take during the planning phase will include:

• Develop a scope statement
• Identify the planning team
• Identify all deliverables and create a work breakdown
• Identify the activities needed to complete the deliverables
• Estimate the resource requirements for completing the activities
• Estimate time and cost for completing the activities
• Develop a schedule
• Develop a budget
• Plan for risk
• Gain formal approval to begin project

Execution Phase
The execution phase includes implementing the previous planning phase and accomplishing the projects required deliverables.

During this phase your Slate PM will perform the following tasks:

• Allocate individual responsibilities to resources
• Address the project’s scope
• Adjust project plan based on unforeseen variables
• Pay close attention to costs and make sure the project remains within budget
• Manage resources and communicate progress to all involved parties

Monitoring and Control Phase
During the monitoring and control phase of a project, the Slate project manager will observe the project execution so that potential problems can be identified in a timely manner and corrective action can be taken, when necessary, to control the execution of a project.

The steps your Slate PM will perform during this phase:

• Monitor the execution to assure the project plan is adhered to and executed properly
• Identify corrective actions to address issues and risks properly
• Monitor and manage project variables like cost, effort and scope against the project plan.

Closure Phase:

The closure phase begins when all activities are brought to a completed status. All documentation is then handed off to the appropriate staff members and all questions are answered as needed. During this phase your Slate PM will verify all deliverables meet the scope and bring the project to an end.

 Slate Projects Values:

• Set realistic expectations
• Divide into smaller projects when applicable
• Simplify complexities using experience, logic, and knowledge
• Communicate clearly on all levels
• Always act professional
• Mediate risks
• Plan for the worst, deliver the best
• React swiftly and intelligently
• Be proud of your work
• Never lie