Project Information Framework

Introduction

• The Project Information framework offers a solution for delivery status reporting outlined in the playbook guardrails
• The project information framework provides a set of artefacts for continuously communicating key project information that is close to, or being implemented asynchronously with colleagues across the organisation
• If you are unsure of how to leverage the PIF framework to communicate project information with your colleagues, the following guidance contains a default approach
• Teams are encouraged to experiment with, define and evolve their own mechanisms / workflows for managing and maintaining the framework whilst operating within the stipulated minimum viable guardrails (link here)
• It is expected that the framework will evolve over time as we collaborate with colleagues across the business to surface new requirements and opportunities for improvement
• Any updates to the framework will be documented and shared with colleagues as and when the changes are agreed and implemented

PIF Subject Matter Experts

• Alex Rae / Agile Delivery Manager: alex.rae@amdigital.co.uk
• Helen Duriez / Head of Product: helend@amdigital.co.uk

Responsibilities

Owner	Board(s)	Responsibility
Problem Owner	- Project Update Processes / Stakeholder Map	Accountable for ensuring the project update processes board is current, effective and being adhered to by the delivery team
Delivery Owner	- Delivery Governance Mechanisms	Accountable for asserting delivery governance for the problem by ensuring the delivery governance mechanisms are clearly defined, effective and are being adhered to by the delivery team
Product Lead	- Project Information Sharepoint Page / Project Overview	Accountable for ensuring the 'Project Overview' board remains current and accurate
Engineering Owner	- Delivery Status Report	Accountable and Responsible for ensuring the delivery status reports are continuously managed and routinely updated
Agile Delivery Manager	- N/A	Accountable and Responsible for the project information framework, ensuring its effective, providing value and evolving appropriately and for collating and sharing the fortnightly status email update
Lead Engineer / Product Manager	- After Action Reports	Accountable and Responsible for planning and facilitating after action review events and producing after action reports

Tooling

We currently use a combination of Microsoft Sharepoint and Loop

Microsoft Sharepoint

• Acts as the point of entry for stakeholders and single source of information for all current 'planned' platform development projects

• Colleagues looking to find information on project status / progress can link out from here to the relevant status boards in Loop

Microsoft Loop

• Houses the project information workspace and pages - which includes the following:

  • list of projects with their subsequent project information and delivery status boards

• Glossary of terms

  • use this to find definitions for any of the terminology used throughout the framework

• Default templates folder

  • houses all 'default' templates
  • project information framework guidance

How to setup your project in the Project Information Framework

When should you setup your project? - As soon as a problem is identified in the discovery zone, the project is assigned a name, and information is available that is of interest to internal and external colleagues

Warning

Beware of problems that contain potentially sensitive information, where discretion is required, contact the assigned ‘Problem Owner’ or a member of DMT to define parameters for what can / can’t be communicated

Step-by-step guide

1. Setup project in Microsoft Sharepoint
   • Access the Microsoft SharePoint PIF space here
   • Click edit in top right corner
   • Copy the layout / format exactly as seen for each project
   • Add a short ‘few sentences’ laymans summary of the project, including what we’re hoping to achieve and why
   • Copy the quick links section and title the links required for each available page in loop
   • You can then edit each quick link and add in the URL to the corresponding page in loop
     • (ensure that 'open link in new tab' option is selected')
   • For each quick link navigate to your corresponding loop page and click share in the top right-hand corner
     • then click page link
     • then click settings
     • navigate to more settings and select can view (this will set permissions to view only)
   • Duplicate the Get in Touch section and add in your Problem Owner, Product Lead and Engineering Owner
   • Be sure to use the line breakers as seen between projects
   • Contact either Alex Rae or Helen Duriez to sign-off the structure
2. Setup Project in Microsoft Loop
   • Setup your project folder structure in the 'project information workspace' in Microsoft loop
     • name the folders and replicate the icon's as currently set
   • Copy and paste the contents of each 'required' board from the default templates folder here into your folder structure in Loop
     • be sure to read the green text for guidance and delete when necessary
   • Populate the pages with information available - be sure to refer to the guardrails below for what is required as a minimum

Best Practice Approaches

Note

Please find the Platforms definition of minimum viable guardrails here (add to KB and link)

• Keep a consistently accurate and current reflection of delivery status, to ensure colleagues accessing the boards are receiving and acting upon valid information, and therefore must be routinely updated as and when changes occur
• Should be clear, concise and easily accessible by all colleagues, at all times
• Should be for internal (to AM) use only unless clearly specified
• Your project must be setup in both Microsoft Loop and Microsoft
• SharePoint adhering to formatting guidelines provided, prior to sharing with any colleagues:
  • please see delivery status reporting page in the playbook for additional guardrails and guidance

Guidance

Microsoft Loop Guidance (what information should be included)

1. Status summaries (at the top of each page)
   • must be populated, continuously updated and converted to a loop component, tutorial for this available here
2. The project overview board which should include
   • a status summary loop component including: project health status / last updated (date) / list of latest updates
   • a clear problem statement / value proposition / success measures / list of project owners / project health table / links out to all other project assets e.g delivery plans, requirements, RAID logs
3. Delivery status report board which should include:
   • a status report loop component
   • known delivery milestones in table format including: work area / owner / definition / status / target delivery date
   • RAID summary in table format including: title / description / RAID type / Status / Impact Score / Likelihood / Mitigation Plan
4. RACI board which should include:
   • a list of stakeholders including: RACI type (e.g consulted / informed etc) / potential impact on the project / availability
5. After Action Reports Folder should include:
   • mechanisms the delivery team plans to use to indicate when after action review events should occur, how after-action reports will be produced and how and they'll be shared
   • after action reports must be produced after any after action review events and they must be easily accessible / and should be easy to understand

Microsoft Sharepoint Guidance

1. A short summary of the project, including what we're hoping to achieve and why
2. 'Read only' links out to all corresponding loop pages
   • they must be ‘read only’ links
   • ensure that 'open link in new tab' option is selected
3. A list of key project owners
   • Problem owner
   • Product Lead
   • Engineering Lead
4. Completed projects must remain in sharepoint for 3 months (aligning with the product snapshots)
   • project should be moved into the 'completed projects' section at the bottom of the page

Communication

• Let colleagues across the business know the project has been added to the PIF via the teams channel: Platform Development updates for AM channel
• Be sure to communicate the existence, benefits and be prepared to continuously coach the value of the PIF with your stakeholders
• Fortnightly status emails are prepared and sent out fortnightly by the ADM (Alex Rae)

Mechanisms

• Delivery teams are responsible for managing and maintaining the framework and therefore mechanisms are owned by the delivery teams
• There is a useful template available in the default templates section here with examples to assist with planning and capturing your mechanisms
• It is highly recommended that you define and agree these with your teams and routinely review and evolve them as new challenges arise

When to update the framework

• Remain a continuously accurate representation of project status and health
• Routinely as and when things change

Tip

Discuss and define workflows for this with your teams and record them in the mechanisms template in loop

Things to consider

Information captured and shared before delivery has started

• Almost every key role will have gathered some kind of information, be it a technical investigation, user research, a product business case, or something else. Delivery teams will have to think about which conversations are continuing, which are stating and where there is value in communicating this with colleagues across the organisation

Sharing Information

• Each tool / board requires effort from the delivery teams to continuously manage and update. Use only the boards that you need to communicate effectively with your stakeholders
• Recommendation: consider facilitating a stakeholder kick-off session to begin your project, it's an effective way of agreeing preferred communication strategies and touch points up front, and consider documenting this for continuous review and improvement purposes

Roles and Responsibilities

• Consider who will be accountable / responsible for managing and maintaining the information in the framework. You can use the roles and responsibilities table at the top of this page as a guide
• Discuss and define a mechanism to hand off roles and responsibilities during vacations

Sensitive Information

• Some projects and project information may be considered 'sensitive' and therefore we may need to exercise discretion when sharing certain information
• There is currently no guidance or triaging process for this, however, the problem owner should have a good sense of what can and can’t be shared
• If in doubt concerns about sensitive information should be raised with DMT

Coaching the Framework

• consider how to coach the framework to other colleagues. For guidance on how to do this please see the communication guidance plan here

Evolving the Framework

• It is expected the framework will evolve over time as we collaborate with colleagues across the business to surface new requirements and opportunities for improvement
• Any updates to the framework will be documented and shared with colleagues as and when the changes are agreed and implemented

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