As iCIT continues to improve the way we do business, project management is playing a key role. Greater customer satisfaction, better resource allocations, and effective solutions are all benefits of improved project managment. With this in mind, iCIT is taking a strategic approach to project management.
Kent Steinike, iCIT’s Project Management Officer, is helping iCIT develop a successful project management culture and working with iCIT team members to implement effective project management practices. Part of this initiative includes implementing a comprehensive web-based project management software system which provides complete management, tracking and collaboration platforms.
The goal of this project is to streamline and automate the project management lifecycle within the iCIT area. This will result in improved project planning, resource projecting, project estimation, project prioritization, project collaboration with clients, and an automated method for monitoring and tracking project tasks.
A secondary objective is to provide the management team with a centralized location for monitoring and tracking work requests and tasks. This provides managers an automated tool for assigning project tasks and validating progress. A final objective is to create an automated process which allows staff an easier method to follow predetermined procedures.
The system will provide better coordination with project initiation, project assignment, scope, requirements, time reporting, and internal & external collaboration. Areas that will be covered in the project include but are not limited to project management, customer work flows for electronic submittal of project requests, timesheet submittal, and collaboration of documents and calendars.
Workflows in the system will be based on the iCIT project approval process. The project management software system will be used internally within iCIT first, then gradually rolled out to the Functional Offices and the Schools & Colleges.
The comprehensive project management software system and process will provide several key business benefits:
• Set the stage for introducing more formal project management concepts & workflows throughout UW-Whitewater.
• Provide better and more accurate time management, resource allocation, & forecasting.
• Provide iCIT management with a centralized project repository while reducing paper requests.
• Improved collaboration with Functional Areas and the Schools & Colleges.
This project will proceed in phases throughout the coming year.