Project Schedule (WBS) with Baseline Review Checklist Checklist Description: This checklist captures common elements that should be present in University Services Project Plan. MS Project is the tool expected to be used within University Services to define and track projects. The MS Project Plan Review is required by the PMO for Large projects during the project Definition Phase, but recommended for all projects periodically to stimulate thought, guide brainstorming, and to ensure the tasks, activities, and resources required for a successful project delivery per stated business case objectives are defined. Project Name: Review Date: Assessment and Recommendations: Approved with revisions Approved with recommendations Not approved Notes: Reviewer: Signature: Artifacts Reviewed: Combined Project Charter/Plan Project Schedule (WBS) with baseline Prioritized Requirements Matrix Target Stakeholder List Project Management Plan Business Needs Assessment MS Project Plan Review Project Team Pre-requisites Comments Prepare and provide the following print materials for each reviewer: Summary MS Project Gantt diagram condensed to 1 page Detailed Task List (Enterprise Gantt View) with % Complete column inserted and Notes at the end of the MS Project Plan (Gantt diagram not printed). Resource Usage Sheet Summary (no detailed tasks) with Timescale set to Years (Middle Tier) and Months (Bottom Tier) Project Issues/Action Item log Provide the MS Project Plan on-line via laptop or overhead projector for additional views or details as required. Host a project team facilitated review using this checklist PRIOR to the scheduled PMO MS Project Plan Review. MS Project Plan (Enterprise Gantt View) Best Practices Comments Is the MS Project Plan based on the PMO Large/Enterprise or Fast Track project template (i.e. broken out by SDLC and includes appropriate project administration tasks? Are major project deliverables identified in the WBS and appear complete given the current knowledge and understanding of work required? Are tasks/activities that do not have a qualified work effort estimate so indicated with a ‘?’? Are there tasks/activities define and resource any unqualified estimates or unstaffed activities? Do key summary tasks include a closing milestone or key deliverable? Is the project team using MS Project productivity enhancements, such as the Task Usage report found in Reports -> Custom and defined within a specific date range of the current week plus 1-3 weeks out to provide a time-based detailed work plan for each resource? Is there adequate time for project administration activities, such as project team © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. Revised March 6, 2016 Page 1 Project Schedule (WBS) with Baseline Review Checklist meetings, issues resolution, etc? Have qualified work effort estimates been generated by staff expected to perform the work? Has a systematic approach been taken by the project team to develop the summary tasks (Work Breakdown Structure – WBS) within the appropriate SDLC phases? Have summary tasks (WBS) been described as a Noun to signify a specific and tangible deliverable (e.g., Communication Plan) while detail tasks have been described with Action Verbs to describe activities required to deliver the WBS component (e.g., Develop statement of work for contract developer)? Are there any single tasks/activities estimated to be over 40 hours or under 8 hours in duration? - Can it be explained? Have the Estimate To Completion (ETC) amounts in the project plan been converted to the project budget and funding established? Does the MS Project Plan have a specific owner responsible for changes, updates and management? Are project team members engaged in ANY activities that are not described in the MS Project Plan or that do not roll up to a WBS summary task? Does the core project team understand the concepts of base lining and change control management to manage the approved plan going forward? Does the project manager understand the 3 Tasks Types (Fixed Work, Fixed Duration and Fixed Units) and how each impacts the MS Project Plan? Have all the MS Project Outline Codes been set and updated, such as Program alignment, % Funded, SDLC and sponsorship information? Are the final schedule and work effort estimates actionable and realistic? If not, are the underlying risks and issues called out for resolution in the project Issues/Action Items log? MS Project Plan (Resource Usage) Best Practices Comments Are any resources scheduled to exceed 150 hours in any month during the project schedule? Are there generic resources on the MS Project Plan? - What roles are not yet staffed? - What tasks are not yet assigned? - Why? Are any resources assigned to the project less than 25%? Is this identified as a project risk (significant numbers of core project resources assigned thin across many projects indicates a factor of delivery risk – including quality – and dependency on other projects that needs to be recognized)? Are non University team members (consultants and contractors) costed at their contract rate? Is actual contract labor validated from actual invoices against MS Project Plan estimates as part of contract invoice approval for payment? Have materials and non-labor costs been calculated in included? Does the core project team have a plan for recording extended team member time into the plan – primarily business users or other SMEs not expected to directly enter time using the MS Project web access timesheet? © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. Revised March 6, 2016 Page 2