Establishing a Decision Point Baseline

When a Decision Point Baseline is created for a technology project there are subtle but distinct uses to the Project Manager and the Portfolio Manager. Once a Technology Project has been baselined in Decision Point, then each Project/Branch has addressed or achieved the following:

The Project Manager:

  • Initiated the Project.
  • Determined the Project position in the Technology Maturity Lifecycle.
  • Developed the set of Metrics on the Project.
  • Drafted a Decision Point checklist for the current phase, negotiated with the performer, and has approval from management.
  • Established Requirements Traceability (requirements may be derived).

The Portfolio Manager:

  • Determined position of the Project in the Branch Portfolio.
  • Requested a current Technical Review Status brief consisting of:
    • Project Overview
    • Technical Specification
    • Schedule
    • Lifecycle Status
    • Development Strategy
    • Risks/Challenges
    • Project Quad

A Technology Project is considered to be baselined in Decision Point when:

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The Project has been Initiated

Establishing a project structure is important to reduce inefficiencies in workflows. Due to the wide interaction between various departments and people, this can be best accomplished by pursuing business process automation software, such as PR Tracker, that can facilitate the workflow of project and contract package creation allowing dramatic efficiencies for the project manager.

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The Project’s position is determined in the Technology Maturity Lifecycle

Position is determined by identifying the most recent technology maturity level the Project has accomplished and locating the next Technical Decision Point where the Project technology will be evaluated for technical progress.

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The Project Manager populated the Metrics for the Project

Decision Point has defined a set of metrics that attempt to quantify the overall risk to a given project across a wide set of program attributes that include requirements, measures of effectiveness, cost, transition agreement, transition timeline, timeline to next TRL, risk, and Technology Advancement Degree of Difficulty. Knowing where the Project falls in these metrics will give a Project Manager a better understanding of what is needed to move the Project forward.

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The Portfolio Manager positioned the Project within the applicable Technology Portfolio

Technologies are “racked and stacked” in the portfolio view based on the technical domain (and sometimes the problem being addressed). To do that, the technical maturity has to be assessed and understood. Once the technology is placed in a partition of the portfolio, the manager can make some determinations regarding the technology distribution. At-a-glance it shows the Distribution of Projects by maturity level within Portfolio/Capability Area. Another benefit is the groupings which show redundancies while any major gaps or holes show potential Investment Needs.

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A Decision Point checklist is drafted for the current phase, negotiated with the performer, and is approved by management

  • Readiness is determined for each of the checklist sections by doing a self evaluation on the activities expected for each aspect of the project.
  • Sections of the checklist include: Program Management, Technical Management, Software Development, Algorithm/Model Development, Transition Management, MRL Activity, Validation Activity.

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Requirements Traceability established (may be derived requirements)

  • The Portfolio Manager should maintain a coverage matrix that identifies the Capability needs that are being addressed by technology solutions.