IT Investment Management Approach Assessment

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Note: Please answer all questions for the most accurate score.  Unanswered questions are not reflected in the results.

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Selection

	Always	Sometimes	Never
1. Does your organization have a formal IT project selection process?
2. Is the process followed?
3. Is there a management information system or some other mechanism where all key project information is collected and maintained?
4. Are there clearly defined initial requirements that projects must meet in order to be seriously considered for funding?
5. Are project proposals / budget justifications subjected to a "coarse-grained" screening process to determine if they meet minimal acceptance criteria?
6. Are project proposals / budget justifications required to demonstrate linkage with strategic goals or business objectives?
7. Are projects analyzed and ranked based upon benefit, cost, and risk criteria?
8. Do senior managers make decisions about which projects to fund based upon the ranking and supporting analyses?
9. Are approved and funded projects scheduled for regular monitoring by senior management in regular IT project review meetings?
10. Are "review triggers" (e.g., a key project milestone is missed) established that automatically require a management review?

Control [back to Selection]

	Always	Sometimes	Never
1. Does your organization have a defined, documented, and repeatable process for monitoring and reviewing IT projects?
2. Does this process define what the focus of the investment reviews will be (e.g., project status, estimated vs. actual costs to date, estimated schedule vs. actual schedule)?
3. Are data being used to track actual project performance (interim results) against estimates that were used to justify the project?
4. Are gaps or differences between estimates and actuals being analyzed and explanatory factors documented for positive or negative variances?
5. Does the process define who is accountable for acting on review decisions?
6. Are reports containing review results issued to key personnel (e.g., summary information for senior management, and individual project results to IT project managers)?
7. Does the process define how open action items are to be addressed?
8. Are the documentation and analyses used to justify the project updated to reflect current information and knowledge acquired during implementation?
9. Does the organization have procedures for ensuring the accuracy and reliability of project status information (e.g., selective, periodic review of source data)?
10. Does the organization have a process for aggregating data/information across all major IT projects (or spending categories) in order to compile an overall organizational track record on costs and benefits attributable to IT?

Evaluation [back to Selection | Control]

	Always	Sometimes	Never
1. Are projects that have deficiencies or problems identified (actuals exceed estimated levels, risks are increasing, requirements have changed, etc.) specifically submitted to senior management for a decision about what to do with the projects (e.g., cancel, accelerate, etc.)?
2. If decisions are made that affect a project's funding, such as suspending project funds or canceling a project, is there evidence in budget documents and spending information that reflects these decisions?
3. If projects are allowed to proceed when investment review data and analyses raise serious questions about these projects, has documentation been provided detailing how management reached its decision?
4. Has the organization aggregated data in order to assess organizational performance and to identify patterns or trends?
5. Is this information being fed back to decision-makers to help make future decisions?
6. Does the organization have a defined, documented process for conducting post-implementation reviews (PIRs) of IT projects?
7. Does the organization have a standardized methodology for conducting PIRs?
8. Does the organization have procedures for regularly reporting PIR results to senior management?
9. Have project benefits that were obtained been quantified? If not, are qualitative measures being used to determine impact?
10. Are changes to existing processes, operating procedures, and data requirements aligned with conclusions and recommendations documented in PIRs?

 

Back to Q&A About This Self-Test

Revised: January 16, 2003
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