IT Project Management Policy FAQs

IT Project Management Policy for UC Berkeley Effective Jan. 2017

The campus is implementing the new IT Project Management Policy for the University of California - Berkeley that will take effect Jan. 1, 2017. Please take time to read the policy and provide feedback that you would like including comments about the support that you or your staff need to successfully implement the policy. Answers to frequently asked questions about the policy are provided below.  If you have any additional questions, please contact Jon Conhaim, Manager of the Technology Program Office, by email at conhaim@berkeley.edu or telephone at (510) 643-2255.

Why was the campus IT project management policy created?

The policy has been created to improve the success of campus IT projects by utilizing the most successful project management practices and by employing the lessons learned by campus staff who lead successful IT projects on the UC Berkeley campus. By establishing common IT project management practices and requirements , the policy will enable campus staff to collaborate more effectively on campus projects to deliver IT services that:

  • Meet the needs of campus community.
  • Deliver efficient high-quality IT services.
  • Help advance the university’s mission of research, teaching and learning, and public service.
  • Help the campus achieve its strategic goals.

How was the policy created?

The policy was drafted by experienced IT project management professionals servings on the Campus Project Management Methodology Group with representatives from:

When will the policy take effect?

The policy will take effect January 1, 2017.

How can members of the campus community provide feedback about the project management policy?

The Office of the CIO is soliciting feedback from campus employees about the policy and the support that they need to implement it successfully. To provide feedback about the policy, please complete this online feedback form. The feedback will be reviewed by the Office of the CIO to identify any adjustments that may need to be made to the policy and support that campus employees need to prepare for the implementation of the policy.

What is the definition of a project according to the policy?

The definition of a project for the policy is:
  • A temporary endeavor with a beginning and an end.
  • Creates or enhances a unique campus IT product or service or prepares members of the campus community for the shutdown of an existing IT service.
  • Is progressively elaborated – the project requirements, plans, and schedule become increasingly detailed over time as the project is better understood.
  • Requires the participation of four or more project team members for a duration of 1 month or greater.

What project criteria determine when the policy is to be applied?

This policy applies to all UC Berkeley IT projects that meet any of the following conditions:
  • Has a project budget of $500,000 or more including campus staff expenses.
  • Requires an ongoing operational budget of $250,000 or more annually for the service(s) created by the project.
  • Has a 5-year lifecycle cost including both the project and ongoing operational expense that is estimated to be $1,500,000 or greater.
  • Involves the handling or modification of Data Class Protection Level 2 or 3 data.
  • An IT Governance Committee requests, through a vote of the membership, that the policy be applied.
The policy does not apply to research projects led by campus faculty or lecturers. The policy does apply to campus funded projects led by campus faculty or lecturers that are conducted to create campus IT services for which the operation and maintenance are also funded by the campus.

Does the policy apply to campus IT research projects?

Sound project management practices can be beneficial for all campus projects. However, this policy does not apply to research projects led by campus faculty or lecturers. The policy does apply to campus funded projects led by campus faculty or lecturers that are conducted to create campus IT services for which the operation and maintenance are also funded by the campus.  

Who is responsible for the administration of the policy?

The campus Chief Information Officer, Larry Conrad, is responsible for the administration of the policy.

What project management frameworks meet the requirements for the policy?

The campus recognizes two types of approved project frameworks for conducting campus IT projects:

  1. The Project Management Institute’s framework as described in the latest edition of the Project Management Institute’s Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).  A minimum set of required project management practices for this framework is specified in the Introduction to the UC  Berkeley Project Management Methodology.

  2. The Scrum project management framework as described in the Scrum Guide by Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber.

What are the required roles for projects that meet the criteria of the policy?

A project must have a project manager and at least one project sponsor for the duration of the project.

The project manager is the person who is responsible for the overall project management processes and the successful initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closing of the project. The project manager reports to the project sponsor for the duration of the project.

The sponsor is the person who has the highest level of authority over the project.  The sponsor provides the project team with high-level direction for the project and is ultimately responsible for the project’s success. The sponsor is also responsible for project funding and resolving critical organizational issues required for the success of the project. The sponsor approves the project charter, scope changes, and major deliverables.

Are there any exceptions to using an approved project management framework?

If the project sponsor believes a project has a unique need to employ project management practices that do not comply with the policy, the sponsor can submit a request to the Information Technology Strategy Committee describing the project practices to be used and why these practices are required for the successful completion of the project. The Information Technology Strategy Committee will review and approve or deny the project practice exception request. If approved, the exception will only apply to the specific project for which the exception was approved.

What are the required project documents that must be created and maintained for projects that meet the criteria of the policy?

For both approved project management frameworks, the project manager must create and maintain the following six documents for each campus project subject to the policy:

  • A project charter that defines the project’s business case, scope, goals, metrics of project success, major milestones, high-level risks, and identifies the key stakeholders and the project team members including the roles they hold. The charter must define the responsibilities of the project manager and the sponsor. The project cannot proceed until the sponsor approves the charter and accepts the responsibilities of their position by signing the charter.

  • A budget that estimates the cost of conducting the project and the first five years of operation.

  • A project plan that describes the work to be performed including an estimated schedule of when the work will be completed by whom and identifies dependencies between work tasks.

  • A change management plan that describes the training and communication activities that will be conducted to help faculty, students, and staff use the new service(s) created by the project.

  • A risk plan that identifies project risks and planned responses to manage the risks which are mostly likely to occur and to have a significant adverse impact on the project.

  • Project status reports that are created by the project manager and sent to the project sponsor on at least a monthly basis.

Templates and associated instructions for these required documents are available at http://oe.berkeley.edu/resources/project-management-tools.

What are the requirements to be a project manager under the policy?

Projects that are subject to the policy and have a budget of $500,000 or greater must also be managed by a professional project manager. The requirements to be a professional project manager depend upon the project management framework being used to conduct the project. Table 1 shows the minimum training and experience requirements for projects employing the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) .  Table 2 shows the minimum training and experience requirements for projects employing the Scrum framework.

Table 1: Minimum Training and Experience Requirements for Project Managers Using the PMBOK Framework

Project Budget Amount:Minimum Project Management Training Requirements (at least one of the requirements):Minimum Project Experience:
$500,000 - $999,999
  1. Completed 35 hours of PMBOK framework based project management training from a Project Management Institute registered education provider.
    or

  2. Certified by the Project Management Institute as a Project Management Professional (PMP).
    or

  3. Completed the Certificate in Project Management from UC Berkeley Extension or a comparable project management degree or certificate at a nationally accredited university.

1 year of information technology project experience using the PMBOK framework. Experience with the framework can be as a project manager or other project team member.
$1,000,000 - $4,999,999
  1. Certified by the Project Management Institute as a Project Management Professional (PMP). or

  2. Completed the Certificate in Project Management from UC Berkeley Extension or a comparable project management degree or certificate at a nationally accredited university.

4 years of information technology project experience using the PMBOK framework. Must include 3 years of experience serving as a project manager.
$5,000,000 and greater
  1. Certified by the Project Management Institute as a Project Management Professional (PMP).
    or

  2. Completed the Certificate in Project Management from UC Berkeley Extension or a comparable project management degree or certificate at a nationally accredited university.

5 years of information technology project experience using the PMBOK framework. Must include 4 years of experience serving as the project manager.
Table 2: Minimum Training and Experience Requirements for Project Managers Using the Scrum Framework
Project Budget Amount:Minimum Project Management Training Requirements (at least one of the requirements):Minimum Project Experience:
$500,000 - $999,999
  1. Be a Certified ScrumMaster.
    or

  2. Complete the UC Berkeley Extension’s Professional Sequence in Agile Management.
    or

  3. Certified as a Project Management Institute Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI_ACP).

1 year of information technology project experience using the Scrum framework. Experience with the framework can be as a ScrumMaster or other project team member.
$1,000,000 - $4,999,999
  1. Complete the UC Berkeley Extension’s Professional Sequence in Agile Management or comparable training from a nationally accredited university.  
    or

  2. Certified as a Project Management Institute Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP).

4 years of information technology project experience serving as a project manager including 2 years of information technology project experience using the Scrum framework as a ScrumMaster.
$5,000,000 and greater
  1. Complete the UC Berkeley Extension’s Professional Sequence in Agile Management or comparable training from a nationally accredited university.
    or

  2. Certified as a Project Management Institute Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP).

5 years of information technology project management experience serving as a project manager including 2 years using the Scrum framework as a ScrumMaster.

What resources does the campus provide to help staff meet the training requirements for the project management policy?

Campus employees are eligible take one course through UC Berkeley Extension per year through the Sponsored Tuition Program. UC Berkeley Extension offers a variety of project management courses including courses in Agile project management. In addition, the Office of the CIO will provide a training fund of up to $10,000 per year for three years to pay for campus employees who manage IT projects to take project management courses to meet the requirements of the policy. Learn more and apply for PM training reimbursement.

Are there exceptions to the training and experience requirements to be a professional project manager?

If the sponsor of a campus project wants to employ a project manager who does not meet the professional standards defined in the policy but believes that the proposed project manager is uniquely qualified to lead the project to a successful conclusion, the sponsor can submit a request for an exception to the policy to the Information Technology Strategy Committee. The request must describe the qualifications of the proposed project manager including their training and experience and why the individual must serve as the project manager to lead the project to a successful conclusion.  The Information Technology Strategy Committee will review and approve or deny an exception to utilize an alternate project manager for only the specific individual and project specified in the request.