In a small project, there is usually not a lot of effort associated with formally defining the work. However, some definition work still needs to be done. The result of this short definition is a one-to-two page document called a Service Request.
In addition to a much shorter defining document (the Service Request), the process for assigning the work is different as well. When the work definition for a larger project is completed, the project is usually ready to begin. However, for smaller efforts, there may be many more Service Requests than can actually be worked on at any given time. Therefore, a process needs to be established for gathering Service Requests and assigning them to team members based on client priorities. Since there will likely be many Service Requests, it is important to have some way to keep track of them, and a way to ensure that the higher priority requests are being worked on.
The following Service Request process can be used:
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Role |
The Service Request process for small projects |
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1 |
Client |
Submit the Service Request. The client, with the help of the project manager if necessary, completes a simple Service Request form that documents the work requested. Even though the work may be small, the Service Request serves as the formal document describing the work to be done and contains the appropriate client approvals. A Service Request typically contains the work that is requested, the priority of the work and the business value of the work. Template: Service Request |
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2 |
Project Manager |
Review and clarify. The project manager (or perhaps a support manager or workload manager) reviews the Service Request to ensure that the work is understood. The project manager asks questions of the client if necessary, to clarify what is being requested. The project manager must also understand the criticality of the request and whether any prerequisite work needs to be completed first. |
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3 |
Project Manager |
Prepare a high-level estimate of effort, cost and duration. · If the project manager understands the work well enough, and if he has the proper level of expertise, he provides a high-level estimate of the effort hours and duration and includes this information on the Service Request. It is possible that once the client sees the estimated effort, he may change his mind regarding the relative priority. For instance, if the effort is much larger than the client realized, the priority may be lowered. If the estimate is much smaller than the client realized, the priority might be increased so that the work can be completed sooner. · If the project manager cannot estimate the work, they assign a team member to create the estimates. If no one on the team has the time or expertise to create a high-level estimate, then the estimation process must itself be placed on the backlog. The client must decide if gathering information to create the estimate is of a high enough priority that they are willing to assign a team member to work on it rather than other Service Requests. This high-level estimate is used for prioritization purposes only. When the work is actually assigned, a more detailed estimate can be prepared, if necessary. |
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4 |
Project Manager |
Assign the request or move it to a backlog. The project manager and client evaluate the request against the other work that is assigned and on the backlog. They also review the available capacity and skills on the team to determine if the work can be started immediately. If the required resources are not available, or if the work is of lower priority than other Service Requests, the new request is placed on a backlog list. The backlog contains all work that has been requested, estimated and prioritized, but is not assigned to begin yet. |
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5 |
Project Manager, Client |
Periodically review the backlogged work. The project manager and client review the backlog on a regular basis, probably weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. During this review, requests on the backlog should be reprioritized, taking into account new Service Requests, completed Service Requests and the current realities. When the priority of a Service Request is high enough and the right resources are available, the work can be assigned to begin. If a Service Request on the backlog is more critical than work that is in-progress, the previously assigned work is placed on-hold, put back on the backlog or used as filler while the new request is begun. |
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6 |
Team Member |
(When assigned) Validate the initial information on the Service Request. When the work is assigned to a team member, the person(s) doing the work should validate that the information on the Service Request is correct and that the estimates are accurate. If they are not, the new information should be documented and discussed immediately to see if it will have an impact on the priority. For instance, the client may want to proceed with a small project of 40 hours. However, if the more detailed estimate ends up closer to 80 hours, he may not want to perform the work at that time. There may be other requests that are more critical and take less time to complete. |
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7 |
All |
The small project is ready to begin executing |
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