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Chapter 8 • Program and Project Management 239

CASE 8-2
Real-World Case
Human Resource Implementation at the Institute

Source: Based on the Smithsonian Web site: www.si.edu/ocio/PDFs/SITP2006-2011.pdf.

BACKGROUND
The institute employs several thousand employees. It is the home of museums, research
centers, and offices. Millions of people each year, ranging from visitors to scientists, visit
the sites. Like most institutes, it has grown over the years and has outgrown its informa-
tion technology infrastructure. The aging application systems were based on technology
that had become very difficult to change and adapt to the increasing needs of the insti-
tute. To address the need for change, the institute developed a vision and plan to update
the IT environment. The vision included all areas of the institute. This case study will
focus on the governance structure and the implementation of a human resources manage-
ment system.
Governance
At the institute, an IT governance structure was put in place to address the modernization.
This included the following:
•The Information Technology Advisory Committee (ITAC) advises and assists the
CIO in establishing and implementing IT management policies, procedures, and
practices.
•The Change Control Board (CCB) for hardware and software changes to the IT infra-
structure. The CCB addresses the impact of changes to the infrastructure and ensures
minimal disruption in services and operations.
•The primary objectives of IT Management Review Board (IMRB) are to address pro-
ject success factors and ensure that risk is managed by completing assessments at key
project milestones.

This structure ensures consistency throughout the institution by standardizing
hardware, software, and data. The following four governing strategies represent funda-
mental principles for managing IT resources and meeting the information needs of the
institute:

1. Project management, including a proven implementation methodology and support
process, baselined project plans in order to evaluate project progress and ensure the
proper mix of functional and technical resources are available and working together
on the project.
2. Application software and business process reengineering, thereby minimizing
modifications.
3. Data management standards to ensure the interoperability across systems.
4. IT infrastructure: hardware, network, and system software that is current, secure,
scalable and consistent across applications.