State of Texas
Department of Information Resources
Leadership for Texas Government Technology

Review Gate: Project Implementation

• Description
• Key Questions
• Tools and Deliverables
• Activity Flow

Description

The Project Implementation Review Gate includes development, testing, and deployment based on project planning activities and deliverables. Development includes any activity that is necessary to make the product and/or service ready for operations. Development activities may involve activities such as hardware configuration, system configuration, software development, and system design. Technology aspects of the project, such as requirements and product descriptions, are translated to operationalize the product and/or service. Testing is performed to help ensure the product and/or service is ready to be operationalized. Implementation activities that relate directly to technology aspects of the product and/or service vary according to the desired project results.

Project planning, management, and implementation are iterative processes. Technology-based plans initiated during project planning are completed, reviewed, finalized, and executed as part of project implementation. For example, technology-based plans may include deployment, test, and/or operations and maintenance plans. Project implementation relies on the project management practices (e.g., change control, project monitoring, performance management) defined in the Project Planning Review Gate. For example, monitoring and control processes defined as part of project planning in the Project Planning Review Gate are used throughout the project life cycle until project closure.

Stakeholder representatives must agree the product and/or service can transition to an operational status. As part of implementation, project deliverables must be accepted prior to deployment in order to clearly indicate buy-in to business outcomes resulting from use of the product and/or service.

As part of concluding the implementation of the project, final product and/or service acceptance is addressed as part of project closeout. The stakeholder representatives are given another opportunity to specifically focus on whether the stated business goals and objectives were met prior to the project closeout. Project closeout is then executed to conclude implementation of the project, including archival of project documentation for future reference, reassignment of project resources, and identification of lessons learned.

Before assessment of benefits realized through delivery of the project (next review gate), the agency head must approve the business outcomes at that specific point during project delivery. Approval indicates the agency head agrees the state should conclude investment in delivery of the project.

Key Questions

Key questions that must be answered during Project Implementation include:

• What business needs used to justify the project changed?
• How is the project aligned with business requirements?
• How does the project meet defined technical requirements?
• What are the planned milestones/deliverables that were and were not met?
• How has the vendor met defined performance requirements?
  

Tools and Deliverables

Several deliverables are completed during the Project Implementation Stage. Templates are provided as tools during development of these deliverables.

Activity Flow

The Project implementation Review Gate Activity Flow shows each major activity, the tools for use during this stage of project delivery, required approvals, and required submittals. Refer to the Framework Quick Reference to identify required approval authority for each deliverable.