1. Thrive. Grow. Achieve.
Managing Your IT Project:
Tips for Success
Seth Zarny – Raffa Partner
Nate Solloway – Raffa IT Manager
Jay Fridkis – Raffa Project Manager
June 11, 2015

2. WHAT’S ON TAP
 Introductions
 About Raffa
 Managing Your IT Project: Tips for Success
 Setting expectations
 Defining scope
 Managing scope creep
 Resources and project management
 Coordinating hardware/software upgrades
 System configuration
 Data migration
 Sharing Real life experiences
 Questions
Page 2

3. ABOUT RAFFA
 Largest Non-Profit Practice in Washington, DC
Over 250 professional staff (approximately 70 in Outsourcing)
dedicated to the nonprofit sector
More professionals dedicated to the non-profit sector than our
big four and local firm competitors
More than 500 current non-profit clients; thousands over our
history
 Nationally Recognized
“Top 100” largest accounting firms, 2013 and 2012
“Top 10 “Best of the Best” managed accounting firms, 2012
7th Fastest Growing accounting firm, 2012
 BDO Alliance Member
 Microsoft Gold ERP Competency Partner
Page 3

4. MANAGING YOUR IT PROJECT
 There are a lot of moving parts involved in IT
projects:
 Setting expectations and managing stakeholders
 Defining and managing scope
 Project management
 Coordinating hardware and software upgrades
 System configuration
 Data migration
 We will share with you our tips and tricks for
managing a successful Information Technology
project.
Page 4

5. SETTING EXPECTATIONS
 Tips for Success
 Assess expectations
 Establish appropriate expectations
 Manage expectations
 Evaluate and redefine expectations
Page 5

6. DEFINING PROJECT SCOPE
Define scope using the following questions:
Why are we doing this project? What is it's purpose and
value?
Where are we starting? Where will we be when we finish?
When will we start? When will we deliver?
How much will it cost?
Elicit requirements from all customers and stakeholders.
Define scope so that it is objective and measurable.
Detail the scope definition over time using progressive
elaboration.
Page 6

7. MANAGING SCOPE CREEP
The Project Manager must control scope creep and
raise the issue with stakeholders as soon as
possible.
Understand the project requirements.
Identify major and minor milestones within the
project and put them on the timeline.
Include a process for changing scope.
Guard against gold plating.
Page 7

8. STAFF RESOURCES AND STRONG
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
 Ensure that your organization has the staff
resources in place to see the project through to
completion.
 Identify a dedicated project leader and committee for
your implementation.
 Identify a team leader with strong project
management skills.
Page 8

9. COORDINATING HARDWARE/SOFTWARE
UPGRADES
 Out of the box is great, customization is the enemy.
 Trust in best practices.
 Most staff aren’t snowflakes.
 You are not shopping for today, you are shopping
for 5 years from now.
 Minimum requirements are meaningless.
Page 9

10. SYSTEM CONFIGURATION
 Out of the box is wrong.
 Your intern cannot set this up.
 Specialists
 Hardening
Page 10

11. DATA MIGRATION
 Staging
 Measure twice, Cut once
 Scheduling
 Is the big conference next week?
 When are paychecks produced?
 Vacation schedules!
Page 11

12. SOFTWARE PROJECTS
 Managing stakeholders
 Different staff see different things
 Time constraints
 Management goals can differ from team capabilities
 Benefits of PMI approach
 Project Management PlanS
 Scope>Budget>Schedule>Quality
Page 12

13. SYSTEMS LIFE CYCLE
Page 13
Identify Need/
Analyze
Alternatives
Concept
Development
Requirements
Analysis
Test Build Design
Deliver
Operations &
Maintenance
Retirement &
Disposal

14. PROJECT PLANNING
 Project Charter
 Stakeholder Register
 Scope Statement
 Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
 Project Plan components
 HR
 Communications
 Budget
 Risk Register & plan
 Schedule
 Quality control
 Procurement
 May not need all, but choose wisely!
Page 14

15. REAL LIFE EXPERIENCES
What are your real life experiences?
Page 12

16. QUESTIONS
Page 16