The documents provided below are for use on any Montclair State University project or initiative. The documents are organized according to each phase of the project life-cycle. Click on each link to download the document which will include appropriate sections along with the instructions of what information to include.
For help with using any of our templates please email Sharif Akkara at akkaras@montclair.edu.
Initiation
- Project Discovery Initiation Document: This document will help to define and evaluate the project.
- Business Case: This is a formal document that will provide an argument justifying undertaking a project or a program. It will present an evaluation of the benefits, cost and risks of the proposed project. It will highlight alternate solutions with a rationale for the preferred solution.
- Project Charter: This document will outline the purpose of the project, the way the project will be structured and how it will be successfully implemented.
- Cost Estimating Sheet for Project Definition Document: This excel workbook will guide you through estimating the cost of your project.
- Requests for Technical Support, Enhancements, Project Initiation and Scope Changes flow: This flow diagram details the steps requestors should follow to initiate any changes.
Planning
- Project Charter:This document will outline the purpose of the project, the way the project will be structured and how it will be successfully implemented.
- Project Plan Templates: This document will clearly define project scope, cost, schedule and work organization.
- Request for Proposal (RFP) Template: This document will be used to elicit bids from potential vendors for a desired IT solution. It will include needs of the University as well as an evaluation criteria for assessing the proposal.
- Business Requirement Document: This document will provide details on the business solution for a project including the documentation of customer needs and expectations.
- Vendor Selection Document: This document will help with the process of selecting a vendor.
- Architecture Checklist: This document lists all the elements that should be present in the system architecture and application design.
- Test Plan: This document will outline the test strategy, objectives, resources required for testing, test schedule, test estimation and test deliverables.
- Test Strategy: Use this template to document the necessary information required to effectively define the approach to be used in the testing of the project’s product.
- Training Plan: This document will provide details about the training which includes describing the purpose and objective of the training, objectives and curriculum overview.
- Test Case and Expected Result Template: This document is a template of a Test Case and Expected Results document for a project.
- Communication Plan: This document will help you clarify how the project team will communicate with each other and others regarding the project.
- Requirements Traceability Matrix: The Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM) is a tool to help ensure that the project’s scope, requirements, and deliverables remain “as is” when compared to the baseline.
Execution
- Vendor Selection Process Framework: This document will help with the process of selecting a vendor.
- Test Case and Result: This excel spreadsheet will help you to track test cases along with the results.
- Defect Tracker: Use this template to document all issues/defects uncovered during the process of system validation. This template includes a ‘ReadMe’ sheet and a couple of other reference worksheets to explain the standards/process to be followed along with the template itself.
- Meeting Agenda: This document will provide an outline of the items to be covered during a meeting.
- Minutes Template: This document should be used to document the details of a meeting.
- Stage Gate Review: Gates and Gate Reviews also provide a formal means of controlling project risk, monitoring scope changes, and maintaining stakeholder interest.
Monitoring and Controlling
- Project Plan Updates: This document is the same as the project plan template. Use it to update any changes to the scope, cost etc.
- Project Scorecards: This document is used to assess a project’s risk and complexity.
- Project Scope Change Document: This document will help you manage, review and get approval for project changes that affect budget, schedule, resources and vendor statement of work.
- Action Log: This document will help keep a log of all the action items including responsible person(s) and due dates.
- Risk Log: This document will help you capture the risks and mitigations along with impact and severity.
Closing
- Operational Handover: This document is a checklist/worksheet that will help to ensure the proper transfer of project into operations.
- Lessons Learned Template: The Lessons Learned template can be used to document and analyze the lessons learned from a project to apply them to future projects throughout the organization.