What is an IT Project?
An IT project is defined as any request of IT resources that is estimated to require 140 or more hours of IT effort to complete and the request results in a total cost of over $25,000. This definition also includes new requests that involve the purchase or development of a new system, service or software that is not currently in existence at BC regardless of the number of man hours - Basically, anything that is not an enhancement or correction to an existing system or service.

All project requests must be tie-in to Institutional Effectiveness.  Therefore, all requests for IT support should be documented and approved by the unit’s VP through the College’s strategic planning process known as TaskStream.

How do I request an IT Project?

To formally request an IT project you must complete the following steps:

1. Provide the project request to the unit’s VP for approval and alignment with the College’s strategic planning process known as TaskStream. Define Operational Objective in TaskStream.  If an Outcome requires IT support, than initiate a Project Overview Statement.
2. Download and complete the  Project Overview Statement form . On the form you will be required to provide essential project information, the name of the project initiator / sponsor (usually the person requesting the project) and the name of the Executive sponsor (who should be a President's Cabinet member).  The project initiator is responsible for completing SECTION I, II, III, and IV of the POS form.
3. E-mail the completed form to the Project Management Office (PMO) or the Helpdesk within the IT department. Within two weeks of receiving your request, an IT representative will contact you and schedule a meeting to further discuss the scope and deliverables of your project. In that meeting, the POS form will be reviewed for completeness and a preliminary estimate of budget cost and Non-Financial benefits is formulated.
4. After meeting with IT, the Initiator / Sponsor provides the final Project Statement Overview form to the Executive Sponsor for signature approval.

What happens next?
Upon approval of the Executive Sponsor, the Project Management Office (PMO) facilitates the initial request review by the IT Project Review Board (PRB) to validate the project information provided by the Initiator, identify the IT project manager, and strategically align resources. During this meeting, the Initiator presents to the Project Review Board the merits of the proposed request along with the benefits expected to the College. The Project Review Board recommends whether or not to proceed forward or request additional information.

Following the Project Review Board (PRB) review, the IT project manager will assist the Initiator to develop the Business Case which will be presented by the Initiator / Sponsor to the Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) for project prioritization and selection.

The College’s President Cabinet provides the final approval of the project based on the Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) recommendations.   The project can be approved, deferred, or cancelled by the College’s President Cabinet.  The Project Management Office (PMO) is notified of the final decision for planning and scheduling. The initiator / sponsor is notified by the Project Management Office (PMO).