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SM-14-006 Project Integrator

Issue Date:  11/01/2013

Revision Effective Date:   11/01/2013

PURPOSE

Many agencies have a need to work with multiple vendors and stakeholders as part of their IT project implementation. As the owner of these projects, agencies must oversee and coordinate all activities across vendors, service providers and stakeholders to ensure the success of the project. This practice, known as “integration” is recognized as a project management best practice. In the State of Georgia, for business applications and business systems the project integrator role responsibility rests with the sponsoring organization. Georgia’s experience indicates that the success rate of agency projects that had a strong Integrator was much higher than projects that did not.

This document outlines a standard role and responsibilities of the Integrator.

STANDARD

An agency that is the primary sponsoring organization for a project involving multiple vendors, service providers and/or multiple stakeholders will be responsible for assigning the role and responsibilities of Project Integrator to one or more individuals in support of the project effort. In most cases, this role will be performed by one individual. However, when more than one individual is assigned the responsibilities of this role, one individual shall be designated as the lead Project Integrator and have responsibility for successful delivery of the project. In addition to those traditional responsibilities of a Project Manager that are not otherwise assigned, the Project Integrator shall have the following added responsibilities:

1.  To be the single point of contact for coordinating all project communications to multiple vendors and service providers.

2.  To review the integrated project management schedule and other major project deliverables, such as the communication plan, to ensure it covers all project activities, deliverables, interdependencies and ensure the schedule has been reviewed and accepted by vendors and service providers.

3.  To review the standard issue tracking and problem resolution process to ensure it is used among all project parties. The Project Integrator shall review all project change requests (PCR), communicate them to all vendors and service providers, and ensure they are incorporated into the integrated project schedule.

4.  To facilitate review of agency procurement documents (including GETS Requests for Solution) to ensure requirements are complete and that they align with state technical standards and direction.

5.  To ensure that testing plans and the operational readiness and cutover plans from all vendors and service providers are comprehensive and complete.

6.  To perform as the technical integrator (SME) for the project to advise, guide and collaborate with all project entities to enhance overall project success.

TERMS and DEFINITIONS

Integration Management is a collection of processes required to ensure that the various elements of the projects are properly coordinated. It involves making trade-offs among competing objectives and alternatives to meet or exceed stakeholder needs and expectations. (Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide 5th Edition).

RELATED PSGs

GM-14-007 Project Integrator Statement of Responsibilities Guideline