SDLC

Contracting Organization

The Contracting Organization contracts with the performing organization to develop the product using a project discipline.  The Contracting Organization represents two departments: Product and Technical Support.  Product is divided into Sales and Advertising, Marketing and Product, and Strategic Development.  A brief description of each area follows.

• Sales and Advertising: The area that sells to ISPs, affinity groups, and advertisers, in both the domestic and international markets.

• Marketing and Product: This area manages the portfolio of features and functionality for outbound marketing.

• Strategic Development: Research and Development group viewing opportunities in emerging markets and up-selling existing accounts.

• Technical Support: Technical Support performs two roles in the current environment: Training and customer support.  As the Service Organization they provide customer support to ISP (second level) and end users (first level).  In their role as the Training Organization they provide training to ISP field and service engineers.

Customer

A Customer is the individual or organization who will use the project product.  Note that there is a distinction for SDLC between the true customer and the Contracting Organization that acts as the customer’s representative within SDLC.

Office of the Chief Executive

The Office of the Chief Executive is the executive management team at SDLC.  They establish business strategy and commission projects.

Owner

The Owner oversees the completion of work at a gate.  They may be from the Product, Content, Technical Support, or Development areas depending on the project activities underway.  The Project Sponsor assigns owners at the beginning of a project.

Each gate has an Owner who is accountable for tracking the gate requirements, maintaining the status of the gate and taking corrective action to ensure that the gate is met in a timely manner.  The gate owner is also responsible for convening a meeting of the appropriate review board to approve passage of the gate. In the case of gates that have associated management phase reviews (see glossary), the gate owner convenes the review meeting and facilitates the decision making that is required at that gate.  In the event that an exception arises at a gate that does not have any associated management phase review, the owner is responsible for escalating the issue to the appropriate management phase review board for resolution.

Performing Organization

The Performing Organization is generally the Engineering Department.  The Engineering Department consists of Development (Sustaining, Advanced and Strategic), Validation/Quality Assurance, Operations (OCC, Release Engineering, Database Administration, Network and Operations Engineering), Systems Engineering/Architecture and project management.

Program Manager

The Program Manager is the individual who oversees multiple projects that are related by a type of service delivery or by feature and functionality.  The Program Manager is accountable for the program and is empowered by the Office of the Chief Executive to make decisions affecting the successful outcome of the program.

 The Program Manager takes an enterprise view.  The Program Manager is responsible for determining the schedule for deployment of company resources and achieving the objectives of a specific program.  The role includes the following additional responsibilities:

• Managing project managers

• Producing milestone progress reports

• Initiating issue and risk mediation

• Scheduling and conducting status meetings

•      Preparing status reports

•      Ensuring the project is on time, within budget program deliverables.

Program Management Office (PMO)

The Program Management Office (PMO) monitors, supports and reports on SDLC's programs and projects.  Program Managers provide defined periodic updates to the PMO.  The PMO consolidates the efforts of all programs and technology specific projects and delivers these reports to the OCE.

The PMO is responsible for issuing standards and guidelines for planning, tracking, and reporting, and for providing project support to individual project teams.  Accountability for project delivery will remain with the individual Project Manager and Program Manager.

Project Manager

The Project Manager is accountable for the project and must be empowered to make decisions affecting the successful outcome of the project responsible for managing a project.  This should not be confused with the project management function that exists within many organizations.

Project Managers are responsible for determining the deployment schedule for their specific project.  This role includes the following additional responsibilities:

• Reviewing progress reports

• Taking corrective action in problem solving

• Scheduling and conducting status meetings

• Preparing status reports

• Ensuring that change control procedures are being followed

Review Board

The Review Board is composed of representatives from both the Performing and Contracting Organizations, as well as the Project Sponsor, Project Manager and Program Manager.  Review Boards assess the deliverables at each gate in the System Development Life Cycle to insure that requirements have been met.  Also, the Review Board’s specific knowledge of the project’s goals and status allow it to make informed decisions to which they are held accountable.

Milestone/Gate reviews provide the mechanism for the management of the Performing Organization and the Contracting Organization to make decisions concerning the scope, cost and schedule of the project.  At each review, the members of the Review Board are required to make decisions that are in the best interests of SDLC.  These decisions may involve making tradeoffs to arrive at an optimal decision.  It may be necessary to omit or remove scope in order to satisfy cost and schedule constraints.  Additional cost may be approved to maintain scope and schedule commitments.  A schedule delay may be agreed upon to enable required scope to be delivered within existing budgets.  Each case is unique and must be considered on its specific merits.

Service Organization

The Service Organization is the unit that that provides deployment support services to the Contracting Organization for all SDLC products.  Services include provision and support of deployment tools, software load support, problem resolution, phone support and deployment planning support.  At SDLC the Service Organization is generally Technical Support.

Training Organization

The Training Organization is the organization that provides customer installation and operations training to the Contracting Organization for all SDLC products.   This generally refers to Technical Support.

Cycle Time

The number of days or hours it takes to complete requirements for a SDLC Business Gate and/or milestone.

Defects

Instances of failure to pass specific tests or quality measures or to meet specification/acceptance criteria. These are recorded and assessed throughout a project and reported at the end of the project. 

Change Agents

Individuals who analyze a process and recommend ways to improve it, successful or not in its adoption, will be reported to Engineering Department management.  These individuals will receive recognition for their effort to compress cycle times and/or improve quality.

  Click Image to Enlarge

Project Strategy Lock-Down

Governance

Governance determines business strategy through the development and analysis of:

• corporate strategy

• mission (Form: Mission Characteristics)

• business structure (Form: Organization Map/Chart)

• value chain (Form: Business Unit Service Profile)

• position (market, competitor, suppliers, customers, etc.) (Form: Enterprise Competitors)

Governance

Governance develops the following through an iterative process supported by functional areas:

• potential changes/ opportunities (Form: Current Information System Support for Business Processes)

• change drivers /critical success factors (Forms: Enterprise Performance Framework, Business Process Performance Framework, and Process Design List)

•  strategic alignment (Form: Current Information System Support for Business Processes)

Technical and Product Support

Technical Support and Product support the development of business strategy through competitive analysis and campaigns for new customers and markets.  (Forms: Strategy Characterization: Market Segment Selection, Strategy Characterization: Market Segment Approach, and Market Share/Market Growth Model)

Engineering

Engineering Department supports the development of business strategy through competitive analysis and information on emerging technologies. (Forms: Current Information System Support for Business Processes and Event List)

Governance

Governance defines the initial value proposition by synthesizing data from analysis and forms.

• value of benefit

• cost factors of the solution

• high level cost benefit analysis

Governance

Governance prepares first cut vision of opportunities and direction

• criteria for decision making

• prioritized potential opportunities

• assumptions, issues, and constraints

• opportunities for further investigation

Project Manager

The Project Manager establishes project controls and monitors completion of work for management review prior to moving forward.

• project plan management

• document control

• risk and issues management process

Requirements Scope Lock-Down

Governance

Governance conducts a market evaluation (evaluates market attractiveness) establishing performance measures and targets for decision making (Form: Enterprise Competitors)

Governance

Governance identifies relative strengths and weaknesses (SWOT [strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats])

Technical and Product Support

Technical Support and Product support the market evaluation and SWOT by preparing appropriate analysis (Forms: Enterprise Customers, Customer Requirements, Weighted Requirements Ranking, and Application Development Strategy)

Engineering

The Engineering Department receives the SWOT analysis and provides to Governance “information” for Systems Diagnostic,” including, but not limited to the areas of Configuration Management, Capacity Management, and Site Monitoring. (Forms: Application Development Strategy, Equipment Facility Requirements, IT Infrastructure to Information Cross Reference, and IT Component Costs)

Engineering

The Engineering Department conducts an IT Infrastructure Diagnostic (Forms: Process Dependency Diagram and Current Infrastructure Strengths and Weaknesses)

Governance

Governance consolidates and analyzes the Information Systems Diagnostic (Form: Information Systems Strategic Grid)

Governance

Governance analyses the IT Infrastructure Diagnostic, the output of which includes:

• issues and opportunities  (Form: Current Infrastructure Strengths and Weaknesses)

• assessment of current state (Form: Information Systems Strategic Grid)

• improvement goals (Form: Information System Audit Grid)

• process evaluation (Form: Relationship Matrix)

Governance

Governance prepares situation assessment, expectations and requirements:

• prioritized customer requirements (Forms: Customer Requirements and Weighted Requirements Ranking)

• qualitative customer research

• critical performance matrix (Form: Critical Performance Matrix)

Project Manager

The Project Manager updates the plan and monitors completion of work for management review prior to moving forward.

• project plan management

• document control

• risk and issues management process

  Click Image to Enlarge

Preliminary Strategic Options

Governance

Governance creates a preliminary strategic options document

Governance

Governance determines customer and product profitability

• product line

• channel

• etc.

Governance

Governance assess competitive intensity:

• entry/exit cost

• competitor financial position

Technical and Product Support

Technical Support and Product Support the Profitability Analysis and assessment of competitive intensity (Forms – Updated/Revised: Strategy Characterization: Market Segment, Strategy Characterization: Market Approach, Market Share/Market Growth Model, Enterprise Customers, Weighted Requirements Ranking and Application Development Strategy)

Engineering

The Engineering Department supports the Profitability Analysis, assessment of competitive intensity and develops preliminary strategic options (Forms: - Created/Updated: Application Development Strategy, Current Information System Description, IT Component Inventory, IT Component Costs, and Equipment Improvement Matrix)

Project Manager

The Project Manager updates the plan and monitors completion of work for management review prior to moving forward.

• project plan management

• document control

• risk and issues management process

System Requirements Definition

Product and Technical Support

Product and Technical Support subject matter experts support assessments and analysis.

Engineering Department

Engineering Department management and functional areas support information needs and provide experts to research and recommend options.  Also, functional subject matter experts consider configuration, capacity, monitoring, etc. issues and opportunities throughout the strategic planning process.

Governance

Governance evaluates strategic options

Governance

Governance synthesizes market attractiveness by

• assessing market factors

• evaluating the profitability of key market segments (Forms: Strategy Characterization: Market Segment and Strategy Characterization: Market Approach)

• preparing market share / market growth models (Form: Market Share/Market Growth Model)

• identifying issues and opportunities (Forms: Market Share / Market Growth Model, and Potential Target Application Benefits and Risks)

• preparing a competitive environment assessment (Form: Enterprise Competitors and Business Unit Incentive/Reward Profile)

Engineering

The Engineering Department assesses existing and potential vendors/partners (Form: Enterprise Suppliers)

Governance

Governance assesses

• supplier / partner relationships (Form: Enterprise Suppliers)

• organizational impacts (Form: Business Unit Budget, Target Application Support for Business Processes, Potential Target Application Benefits and Risks, Job Definition, and Business Unit Service Profile)

• engineering process impacts (Form: Data Entity Usage by Location / Target Application, Job Definition, Process Dependency Diagram, and Business Unit Service Profile

• security

• SWOT

Governance

Governance determines information needs and derives IS opportunities

• effectiveness  (Form: Information System Audit Grid, Information System Strategic Grid and Information System Strengths and Weaknesses )

• support for MIS  (Form: Target Environment Definition Summary)

• process support  (Forms: Target Application Support for Business Processes, Process Design List, and Process Dependency Diagram)

• assumptions and constraints  (Form: Information System Strengths and Weaknesses )

• IS opportunities   (Forms: IT Infrastructure to Information System Cross Reference, IT Component Costs, IT Component Inventory, and Current Information System Strengths and Weaknesses, )

Project Manager

The Project Manager updates the plan and monitors completion of work for management review prior to moving forward.

• project plan management

• document control

• risk and issues management process

Estimate Lock-Down

Product and Technical Support

Product and Technical Support subject matter experts support assessments and analysis.

Engineering

Engineering Department management and functional areas support information needs and provide experts to research and recommend options.  Also, functional subject matter experts consider configuration, capacity, monitoring, etc. issues and opportunities throughout the strategic planning process.

Governance

Governance envisions the changed organization

• defines the changed organization (Forms: Enterprise Performance Framework, Organization Map/Chart, Envisioned Cultural Elements)

• considers alternative structures (Form: Organization Map/Chart)

• defines roles and responsibilities (Forms: Business Unit Service Profiles, Job to Task Cross-reference, Business

• defines performance measures and targets for each business unit (Forms: Business Unit Budget, Business Unit Incentive / Reward Profile, Business Process Performance Framework, Event List, Process Design List, and Vision / Performance Measures, Targets)

• identifies issues and opportunities (Forms: Process Elimination List, and Infrastructure Strengths and Weaknesses)

• prepares organizational design approach

Governance

Governance develops the business system architecture

• reviews IS issues and opportunities for improvement (Form: Current Infrastructure Strengths and Weaknesses)

• develops initial business architecture (Forms: Target Application Support for Business Processes and Preliminary Functional Requirements)

• refines business architecture

Technical Support

Technical Support supports the development of the proposed Business System Architecture (Forms: Target Application Support for Business Processes, Cost Summary Matrix, Target Application Estimated Costs, Application Development Strategy, Process Design List, and Facility Improvement Matrix)

Governance

Governance builds the business case

• assesses options - Build vs. Buy (Approaches: Discounted Cash Flow, Net Present Value, Opportunity Cost, Internal Rate of Return, etc.)

• summarizes business benefits, issues opportunities, cost, market intelligence, etc. (Forms: Gap Analysis, Target Application Support for Business Processes, Cost Summary Matrix, Target Application Estimated Costs, Application Development Strategy, Process Design List, Customer Requirements and Facility Improvement Matrix)

Project Manager

The Project Manager updates the plan and monitors completion of work for management review prior to moving forward.

• project plan management

• document control

• risk and issues management process

Strategy Selected

Product and Technical Support

Product and Technical Support subject matter experts support assessments and analysis.

Engineering

Engineering Department management and functional areas support information needs and provide experts to research and recommend options.  Also, functional subject matter experts consider configuration, capacity, monitoring, etc. issues and opportunities throughout the strategic planning process.

Governance

Governance determines usage and business support

• determines process and target application systems (Form: Target Application Support for Business Processes)

• prepares unit usage matrix (Form: Relationship Matrix)

• determines usage by location/system (Form: Data Entity Usage by Location / Target Application)

• assesses strategic impact of target applications (Form: Target Applications to IT Component Cross Reference)

Governance

Governance finalizes functional requirements

• develops detailed functional requirements (Form: Preliminary Functional Requirements [with detailed functional specifications attached supporting this top level presentation])

• prioritizes and classifies functional requirements (Form: Weighted Requirements Ranking)

• reviews requirements dimensions

  Click Image to Enlarge

Governance

Governance determines IT Infrastructure Requirements using data and analysis collected throughout the project and related to the following:

• processing

• data

• deployment

• interfaces

• connectivity

• security

• contingency/

• recovery

• physical

• management

• operations

• support