Policies & Procedures

I. DEFINITIONS

1. Project: "A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result," as stated in the most current edition of the Project Management Institute's A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge.
2. Project Management: Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to mitigate risk, control budget and manage scope of tasks.

II. POLICY OWNER

The Vice President for Strategic Operations oversees this policy. Information Technology Services (ITS) is responsible for monitoring compliance with the policy and taking any necessary corrective action.

III. PURPOSE

Longwood University is committed to continually improving the delivery of Information Technology (IT) solutions within budget, on schedule, within scope and in such a way as to best contribute to accomplishing the university's mission and strategic plans. This policy furthers that goal by establishing the common and consistent application of project management best practices in the management of IT projects.

The Commonwealth of Virginia Restructured Higher Education Financial and Administrative Operations Act of 2005 grants institutions additional authority over financial and administrative operations, on condition that certain commitments to the Commonwealth are met. Chapters 824 and 829 of the 2008 Virginia Acts of the Assembly and Longwood's Memorandum of Understanding with the Commonwealth provide full delegated responsibility for management of the institution's IT project management and project auditing activities. This delegation includes the authority to conduct these activities in accordance with industry best practices appropriately tailored for the specific circumstances of the university, in lieu of following Commonwealth-determined specifications. This policy documents the industry best practices with which the university will align its project management and project auditing activities.

IV. POLICY

IT projects will be managed in accordance with best practices promoted by the nationally recognized Project Management Institute, appropriately tailored to the specific circumstances of the university. Projects that engage leading IT consulting or software development firms to assist with project management may apply additional best practices provided by these firms.

Methods used for project auditing, such as Independent Verification and Validation, will be aligned with industry best practices, consultant expert guidelines and known industry accepted standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standard for Software Verification and Validation, the International Standards Organization series and the Software Engineering Institute Capability Maturity Model. These methods will be tailored to the higher education environment by internal departments and in coordination with consultants as warranted.

Project managers will possess professional credentials and/or an appropriate level of project management training or experience.

This policy is established to support the university community in the management of IT projects by application of standardized project management principles, tools and methods. A uniform project management framework promotes consistency and better control of IT projects, thereby reducing risks and increasing project successes.

V. PROCEDURES

Related policies, standards and guidelines may be maintained internally by Information Technology Services.

Approved by the Board of Visitors, September 11, 2009
Updated, December 13, 2019