TASSCC 2008 Annual Conference
August 11, 2008
How the Texas Project Delivery
Framework Can Chart the Course for
All Your Application Development
Purpose:
• To illustrate the positive results gained by
the Texas Lottery Commission after
adopting the Texas Project Delivery
Framework as the standard methodology
for implementing all internal software
technology projects regardless of size
The Agenda
• Introduction
• Where We Were
• Our Goals
• The Solution
• Questions???
Texas Lottery Commission
•East 6TH Street , Austin
•Comprised of Bingo and Lottery
•Lottery - Over $15 billion for State of Texas since inception in 1992
•Lottery – Over $10 billion went to Foundation School Fund
•Lottery - Over $1 billion to Foundation School fund in 2007
•Bingo – 18.1 million people played Bingo in 2007
•Bingo - $32 million in charitable distributions in 2007
A little about me – Gary Mayes
Worked extensively in software applications design and
support for 20 years
Started in IT in 1988 as a computer programmer with SP&GSC
Spent 10 years supporting Licensing Agencies with SP&GSC
and DIR
Outsourced in 1998 to Northrup Grumman
Hired by the Lottery in 1998 as a computer programmer
Currently assigned as the Quality Assurance and Systems
Analyst Coordinator
Where We Were: What needed improvement
•Standards – non-existent
•Systems Documentation – yeah right
•User Documentation – “It’s your system, don’t you know how it
works?”
•Project Management - “Who me, I’m just a developer?”
•Development Methodology – hodgepodge of different views
•Stakeholder Trust - “That’s not what I wanted and why did it take
so long?”
How did we get there?
• Small shop
• Differing skill sets
• Multiple hardware and software environments.
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Mainframe, MS servers, MS software
applications, Oracle applications
Stakeholder’s need it now mentality
Single point of support ( analysis, development
and production ) for each application with a “Do
it my way” attitude
The Goals of the Project – Charting
the Course for Success
• Adopt a standard methodology for software
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development
Improve software standards
Improve system documentation
Generate user documentation
Increase user involvement in their own projects
Create an environment of trust with the project
stakeholders
Deliver projects more efficiently
IT management made a decision...
• Adopt the Texas Project Delivery Framework as the
standard methodology for implementing all internal
software technology projects.
Why? What Were the Intended Benefits?
What course do we take?
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Scalable
Affordable
Project Management
Systems Documentation
User Documentation
Change Control
User involvement and acceptance
Training
Audit Requirements
Scalable - How many masts does
our ship need?
• We could adapt the
•
•
needed framework
gates according to the
size of the project.
Only use the gates
necessary.
From a dingy to a
schooner, the right
size for the right job.
Affordable – What’s this
trip gonna cost?
• Direction and framework training provided by DIR
• Able to reorganize current staff to meet the needs
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Quality Assurance and Systems Analyst team
Two Development teams
Web Design team
Database Administrator team
• Transition of systems to integrated hardware and software platforms.
•
Significant costs for hardware / software upgrades, but we needed this
anyway.
Staff development
– Used current training budgets
– Mentoring program
• Transition of the way we did business. Retrofitting existing projects
caused some delays. Decisions had to be made.
Project Management
• Required by design.
• Team leads became project managers.
– Attended Project Management training
– Mentored other staff
• Framework gates and document templates are
•
stepping stones to good project management
Provides a System Development Life Cycle guide
–
http://www.dir.state.tx.us/pubs/framework/extensions/sdlc/sdlcguide/sdlc-guide.pdf
Systems Documentation
• Framework provided the
tools.
– Templates – modified to
fit our needs
• Project Charter
• Project Plan
• Software Requirements
Specifications
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Data Dictionary
User Roles and Privileges
Process Flow Diagrams
Use Cases
Screen Prototypes
Report Prototypes
• Project Acceptance
• Others as needed
User Documentation
• Tweaked existing
•
•
software
requirements and test
scripts to provide
basic user
documentation
Turned these
documents over to
business analysts in
the corresponding
departments
Business analysts
added business rules
to create functional
user process flows.
Change Control
• Software requirements are agreed to and
signed off by user project manager
• Changes to requirements are now obvious
to the user
User Involvement and Acceptance
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Charter and Project Plan signed by users
JADs – user involvement, management and staff
Budget
Software Requirements Document
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Business Process Flows
User Privileges
Use Cases
Screen Design
Report Design
• Change Control
• User Acceptance Testing
• Signoff
Meets Audit Requirements
• Documentation, documentation,
•
documentation. Can’t say it enough.
Systems Security
– SRS document defines access and roles
• Separation of duties.
– Developers have no access to production
– DBAs move code
– Users must request system access in writing
• Approval of project documents in writing
Training
• Sent Analysts to DIR Framework instruction
• Cross trained Quality Assurance Analysts and
Systems Analysts
• Sent Analysts, QA Analysts, Developers and Users
to Use Case Training
• Detailed User Acceptance Testing provides system
training for the core user group ( Train the
Trainer )
• The Trainer then trains the rest of the staff on
new systems
Summary – Avoided most obstacles
along the way and reached our
destination
• Accepted Life Cycle
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Methodology
Standards
Systems Documentation
User Documentation
Project Management
Security & Controls
Meets Audit
Requirements
User Involvement
80-20 rule & Efficiency
Contact Info
Gary Mayes
QA/Systems Analyst Coordinator
Texas Lottery Commission
gary.mayes@lottery.state.tx.us
(512) 344-5311