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AAIMS Project Proposal Procedure
Do you have an idea for a project?
If your idea will require the assistance of OIT personnel or other central IT resources such as the network or data center, then you should request approval from the AAIMS committee. Getting started is easy. Complete a Project Concept Form and submit it for consideration by mailing it to PMO@mail.wvu.edu. You'll be invited to the next available AAIMS meeting to present your idea and answer questions about it. This part of the process is a way for you not only to get the support of the university for further study of your idea but to find out about any similar efforts that may be underway elsewhere on campus and to get suggestions from a group of people experienced in working on IT projects on campus.
Once your concept is approved . . .
. . . you can work with OIT personnel and others to develop a more detailed plan to enact your idea. The Project Management Office in OIT can help you determine to whom you should speak and offer other assistance as you refine your plan. The page Who Can Help with My Project? may get you started. If you will be contacting vendors for information about their products or services, then you should be sure to observe customary procedures for such contact. The PMO can advise you or put you in touch with someone from the Purchasing Department.
Ultimately, to receive the final approval to spend money and begin work, you should provide AAIMS with a budget, a high-level project plan with resource estimates for at least the first phase or first three months of the project, and some additional information. Most of the information is gathered in two forms:
The high-level plan and associated resource estimates are entered in our project portfolio management system, RPM. If you propose and manage projects frequently, then the PMO can train you to use RPM yourself. Otherwise, your PMO contact can do the work with RPM for you if you supply the basic information needed.
Final approval
All of the information gathered in the last two forms and in RPM will be submitted to AAIMS and you will be invited again to a meeting to present your proposal and answer questions. A vote of the AAIMS Strategic Oversight Council will be conducted within the week after the meeting. The PMO will inform you of final approval of your project proposal, after which you can get to work.
Process checklist
The Process Checklist can help you keep track of what is needed at each step in the approval process. Don't hesitate to contact the Project Management Office if you have questions.
Updated January 31, 2008