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SMART Application Project Life Cycle Management

Overview

Integrating PPM and ALM improves visibility across projects throughout their life cycles. It ensures project managers and developers can follow their own methodologies supported by different productivity tools, while remaining seamlessly connected with each other.

Challenge

Managing all work requests in an IT organization involves connecting Project Portfolio Management with Application Life Cycle Management. These two disciplines often live in disconnected worlds, so bringing them together is a challenge, specifically in the following areas:

  • Aligning IT projects with business strategy
  • Maximizing productivity
  • Executing projects efficiently
  • Enhancing teamwork

Solution

Microsoft’s EPM Solution and Visual Studio Team Foundation Sever helps organizations to better connect the two worlds of Application Lifecycle Management and Project Portfolio Management. Both tools are already used by many organizations to support PPM and ALM. Integrating these tools allows the development team to work in a familiar environment, maximizing productivity and focusing on quality, while ensuring all required data is provided to the project manager to facilitate project and portfolio reporting.

The solution subjects the project to the appropriate governance controls throughout its life cycle. The main governance phases are described below:

1. Initiate Phase

  • The Initiate phase focuses on capturing project requests from across the organization and developing business cases in accordance with governance workflows.

2. Select Phase

  • The Select phase focuses on prioritizing, optimizing, and selecting a project portfolio that best aligns with the organization’s business strategy.

3. Plan Phase

  • The Plan phase focuses on scheduling, resource planning and task assignment. The integrated solution ensures the project manager can capture high level tasks for the development work and collaborate with the development lead who is responsible for defining the granular activities and assigning members of their team.

4. Execute Phase

  • The Execute phase primarily focuses on tracking the project to a successful conclusion. The integrated solution allows the development team to utilize familiar tools and methodologies and focus on releasing a high quality product, without being diverted with administrative tasks and project reporting. Likewise the solution ensures the project manager and stakeholders have visibility and insight into the development activities and progress.

Benefits

The following are benefits of using Microsoft EPM Solution and Microsoft Visual Studio Team Foundation Server to manage software development projects:

Align IT with the business

  • Transform IT from a “cost center” into a value add
  • Integrate governance controls into processes; minimize the risk of non-compliance
  • Facilitate smooth projects with standard processes

Enhance resource utilization

  • Increase return on investment (ROI) by using resources more effectively
  • Maximize limited IT resources by leveraging the right people on the right projects
  • Gain insight into resource gaps/strengths; know when to hire or train


Improve project execution

  • Deliver high-quality projects on time, within scope, and on budget
  • Gain visibility into project performance across the portfolio
  • Make more informed and timely decisions

Effective Collaboration

  • Bridge the gap between the PMO and development teams
  • Allow teams to spend more time developing and less time in overhead activities
  • Allow teams to work in familiar tools that support team and company objectives