Introduction
Enterprise IT projects are complex, high-risk undertakings. Without the right structures in place, they often fall short of expectations—cost overruns, missed deadlines, and poor quality are commonplace. Project Foundation provides a practical guide to establishing the conditions necessary for delivery success.
The handbook introduces structured methods for defining roles, delivery models, and responsibilities in enterprise-scale initiatives. It addresses common delivery gaps and proposes clear mechanisms to enhance quality, consistency, and accountability.
Why This Handbook is Different
Project Foundation stands apart from general project management guides by focusing on the specific conditions and delivery challenges of enterprise IT environments. It offers:
- Alignment between project structure and real-world enterprise IT conditions.
- Clarity on how delivery models, service management principles, and role definitions work together across the project lifecycle.
- Defined entry criteria for participants to ensure consistent, standards-based engagement.
- A dedicated Project Assurance Manager role to provide independent quality oversight.
How This Handbook is Structured
Project Foundation is divided into chapters that reflect the key components of enterprise IT project delivery:
- Differentiating Enterprise IT Projects: Defines what sets enterprise projects apart from smaller initiatives, including delivery complexity, resource structure, and strategic context.
- The Human Element in IT Projects: Examines how skills, decision-making, and discipline affect project outcomes, and how misuse of standards or underqualification can compromise delivery.
- IT Service Management and Project Delivery: Explains how ITIL principles, particularly Service Transition, integrate with project phases.
- Project Delivery Models: Compares Waterfall, Scrum, SAFe, and Hybrid models, and their alignment with project phases.
- Project Disciplines and Roles: Describes the specialist roles required, introducing the Project Skills Matrix to align people with project needs.
- Project Deliverables: Outlines deliverables across models and introduces tools to monitor and manage them throughout the lifecycle.
- Project Participants: Defines participant responsibilities, entry standards, and methods for evaluating suitability for roles in complex IT projects.
- Project Assurance: Introduces the Project Assurance Manager as a dedicated quality role, embedded throughout project delivery.
This handbook provides a practical foundation for consistent delivery across enterprise IT projects. It is designed for direct use—project after project—as a reference and planning tool for those responsible for shaping and delivering large-scale solutions.
