Project Governance

Recognising that each client and each project has unique governance requirements, we offer three levels of project management:

• Designated project manager: ownership of the project plan, task list, RAID list, coordination with third parties, preparation of the Operating Committee (OpCo) & Steering Committee (SteerCo) reports and attendance of meetings (Approx 2 days per week)
• Support to the project manager: regular input into dependencies, lead times, risks, issues and input into the OpCo& SteerCoreports and attendance of meetings (Approx 1 days per week)
• Light touch: assistance to the project manager with lead times, dependencies, risks, issues and input into the OpCoand SteerCo (Approx ½ day per week) 

An activity typically led by the vendor, but our involvement enhances quality and helps avoid pre-contract delays. We achieve this through several methods:  

• Analysis of existing artefacts, such as trade contract terms, financial covenants, facility agreements, intercompany loans
• Documentation of existing spreadsheets and system reports
• Pre-empting the vendor’s scoping questions, allowing time for adequate internal discussion:

                   -How much historic and accounting data will be required?

                   -What are the minimum business continuity requirements?

• Raising non-functional requirements which the vendor might not focus on, such as single sign-on and performance KPIs
• Validation of the final requirements and scope, which informs the number of modules and implementation cost
• Facilitating cost benefit analysis of specific requirements
• Ensuring that quality assurance stage gates are identified and managed throughout the project

The first major project activity is data gathering and cleansing. This can take many weeks and is a period when the project shows little evidence of progress. 

We recommend starting during the contract negotiation stage, to hit the ground running on the first official day of the project. We can also make the process more efficient and robust, in the following ways:

• Automation of data extraction from the existing systems, to simplify initial upload. The same techniques are then re-used for reconciliation after loading and later during the parallel run 
• Reviewing the validity of data and coordinating data analysis with key stakeholders 
• Ongoing monitoring of audit logs within the existing TMS and education of users, to ensure changes after initial extraction are identified and replicated. From initial data extraction, the two systems will need to remain aligned until go-live 

The vendor or implementation partner is responsible for configuration and training, but the client is responsible for attending training, testing, documentation and data capture. 

Many clients find the additional workload a challenge, particularly during busy periods. Thorough process documentation can also be more time consuming than clients expect.

We can provide the additional resource to maintain momentum on the project, ensuring that:

• Unit testing is executed during the build phase, to identify problems early and reduce the number of UAT cycles 
• Mapping of processes to Treasury and IT controls, with internal audit engagement during build, rather than after the project 
• Professional quality process notes and system documentation 
• Planning for benefits realisation reporting  

We have extensive experience managing and executing testing services, including both functional and technical testing, and can assist during all phases of your project governance. Working within your IT governance framework, we will provide all the necessary test evidence and documentation. During all phases of testing, we can: 

• Produce any necessary documentation, such as Test Plan, Test Strategy, and Cut-Over Plan.
• Produce test cases either in Excel or a tool such as TestRail.
• Define test scenarios based on your historic data and documented requirements, including data cleansing processes.
• Document traceability between requirements and test cases.
• Liaise with stakeholders to gain test case sign-off.
• Execute testing, ensuring that all necessary evidence is captured.
• Provide defect tracking and reporting.
• Liaise with stakeholders to gain test cycle closure/signed off, along with hypercare support during the solution build.

Parallel run is often challenging for clients, since there is a significant increase in workload. There is also a project risk if activities are not precisely replicated in the new system. We can assist in this vital activity by providing:

• Daily monitoring, to ensure automated processes have run correctly and the two systems are fully aligned. Identifying issues early will significantly reduce their impact 
• Execution of specific tasks, such as trade capture 
• Providing additional support and training as users attempt tasks for the first time, speeding up processes and reducing execution errors  

Vendor Hypercare is usually not a proactive service, meaning they will assist with queries and issues, but won’t actively monitor the solution. Our Hypercare includes:

• Daily monitoring, to ensure automated processes have run correctly 
• Providing additional support and training to users on request 
• One-to-one training sessions, stepping through newly established processes, to trouble-shoot and provide shortcuts 
• Confirming that users understand the maintenance and monitoring tasks they are responsible for 
• Ensuring all processes are documentation and approved by process owners 
• Assistance with any IT change policy documentation and internal audit approval 
• Assistance with post-project Benefits Realisation Reporting and all project closure requirements  

With the client’s permission, we will keep a record of the implementation, in order to assist with future change projects:

• Training new joiners 
• Integration with banks or new service providers 
• Implementation of new modules 
• Interfacing with an enterprise reporting tool, such as Power BI 
• Audit and assurance engagements, such as evidencing of controls 
• Advice around new modules and features