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EIF Interview Questionnaire

Instructions: To use this questionnaire, first, make any changes you desire. Do not edit the Question ID column,
however. Note that we recommend you not delete any questions and that you ask the existing questions of all
noted parties.

Next, make a copy of the spreadsheet for every person whom you will interview. Use a standard naming scheme
for the spreadsheets to allow you to identify the interviewees. For example, give the sheet the same name as the
interviewee, or give the sheet a prefix based on the user type (PMO, S) followed by the user's last name.

Finally, for each user, use auto-filters to filter for questions containing the user's role (PMO, S) and interview the
user asking the questions appropriate for their role. Record answers in detail and obtain examples and further
documentation, where indicated.

WARNING: This workbook contains validations which are set up on the last tab, titled Validations. Do not edit this
tab. It is locked by default.

Question ID Role

G1 PMO,S
G1a
G1b
G1c
G1d
G1e
G2 PMO,S
G3 PMO,S
G4 PMO,S
G5 PMO,S
G6 PMO,S
G7 PMO,S
PMO,PM
G8
PMO,S
G9
G10 PMO,S,IT
G11 PMO,S
G12 PMO,S

PMO,S,PM

PMO1
PMO,S,PM
PMO2
PMO
PMO3
PMO4 PMO,S,PM
PMO,PM
PMO5
PMO6 PM
PMO7 PM
S,PMO,PM
PMO8
PMO,S,PM
PMO9
PMO,S,PM,TM

PMO10
PMO,S,PM
PMO11
S,PMO,PM
PMO12
PMO13 PMO,PM
PMO14 PMO,PM
PMO14a
PMO14b
PMO14c

PMO14d
PMO,PM
PMO15
PMO,PM,TM
PMO16
PMO,PM
PMO17
PMO,PM

PMO18
PMO,PM,S
PMO19
PMO,PM,S

PMO20

PMO,PM
PP1
PP1a PMO.PM
PMO,PM
PP2
PP2a
PMO,PM
PP3
PP3a
PP4 PMO,PM
PP4a
PP5 PMO,PM
PP5a PMO,PM
PMO,S,PM
PP6
PMO,PM

PP7
PMO,S,PM
PP8
PMO,PM
PP9
PMO,PM
PP10
PP11 PMO,S,PM
PP12 PMO,S,PM
PMO,S,PM
PP13
PMO,S,PM
PP14
PP15 PMO,PM,TM
PP16 PMO,PM,TM
PP17 PMO,PM,TM
PMO,PM,TM

PP18

S1 PM,TM
S2 PMO,PM
S3
PMO,PM

S4
PMO,PM
S5
PM,TM
S6
PM,TM
S7
PM,TM
S8
PM,TM
S9
PM,TM
S10
PMO,S,PM
S11
PMO,S,PM
S12
S13 PMO,PM
S14 PMO,S,PM
PMO,S,PM
S15
PMO,PM
S16
S16a PMO,PM
PM
S17
PMO,PM,TM
S18
S18a
S19 PMO,PM
S19a
S20 S,PM,TM
S,PM
S21
PMO,PM
S22
PMO,PM

S23
PMO,PM
S24
PMO,S,PM
S25
PMO,S,PM
S25a
PMO,S,PM

S25b
PMO,PM
S26

S26a
S27 PMO,PM
S27a PMO,PM
S28 PMO,S,PM
S28a PMO,PM
TM
S29
S30 TM
PM,TM
S31
S32 PMO, PM
PMO,PM
S33
PMO,PM

S34
PMO,PM
S35
PMO,PM

S36
TM

S37
PMO,PM
S38
PMO,PM
S39

R1 PMO,PM
PMO,PM
R2

PMO,S,PM
C1

C1a
PMO,PM
C1b
PMO,PM
C2

C2a
C3 PMO,PM
C4
C5
C5a
PMO,PM
C6
PMO,PM
C7

T1 PMO,S
T1a PMO,S
T1b PMO,S,PM
PMO,S,PM
T1c
PMO,S,PM
T1d
TM

T2
PM,PMO
T3

IT1 IT
IT2 IT
IT3 IT
IT4 IT
IT5 IT
IT6 IT
IT7 IT
EIF Interview Questionnaire

s questionnaire, first, make any changes you desire. Do not edit the Question ID column,
ecommend you not delete any questions and that you ask the existing questions of all

e spreadsheet for every person whom you will interview. Use a standard naming scheme
allow you to identify the interviewees. For example, give the sheet the same name as the
sheet a prefix based on the user type (PMO, S) followed by the user's last name.

se auto-filters to filter for questions containing the user's role (PMO, S) and interview the
ns appropriate for their role. Record answers in detail and obtain examples and further
ndicated.

ook contains validations which are set up on the last tab, titled Validations. Do not edit this
ult.
Topic Area/
Question

General Requirements:

How many users will there be of these types:


project managers:
team members
resource managers
executives
other
How many projects do you expect to have ongoing at any one time?
What is the average duration of a project (in number of days)?
What is the average size of a project (in number of tasks)?
What is the largest project you expect to have?
If timesheet reporting will be used, how many people will use it?
Do you think users need general project management training?
What specific problems or issues do you have with your current project
management software or tools?
Provide documentation or examples of current policies, procedures and
standards for projects.
What is the general timeframe for having the system operational?
How large a pilot implementation will you have?
Is there a standard resource identification scheme?

Project Management Organization (PMO/PSO)

Is there an assigned Project Management Office (PMO) or Project Support


Office (PSO)? A PMO typically has responsibility for aspects of specific
projects. A PSO typically provides expert support for other project managers.
If yes, what role does the PMO/PSO play and at what points during
the project life-cycle?
Does the PMO have specific ownership for entire projects or portions
of projects?
Do projects have dedicated teams (rather than matrix-style teams)?

Is project scope broken into phases with individuals assigned to the phases?
Does a work breakdown structure (WBS) exist for each project?
Is the WBS identical for all projects or certain types of projects?
Is there an organizational reporting structure defined for projects that can be
used to control security?
Is there an organizational structure for reporting project status and
information?
Do team members actually follow this structure or do they tend to
bypass it (not report what's really happening to the official project
manager)?
Do you base your acceptance of projects on your ability to staff them (on
available resources)?
Do you adjust staffing or project scope and goals if you find you are
understaffed during the course of a project?
Are project teams co-located?
Are there requirements for security on projects?
Who will be able to edit project summary data?
Who will be able to edit task data on individual projects?
Do you want to limit who can even see projects?
If yes, describe exactly which types of users should be able to see
which projects.
What information do you regularly associate with tasks, besides standard
scheduling and resource assignment information?
Under what conditions do team members need to be notified of changes to
the project plan or schedule?
Under what conditions do project managers need to be notified of changes to
the project plan or schedule?
If team members can make updates or changes to the project plan, under
what conditions do the project managers need to be notified of these
changes?
Are there any particular conditions or changes to a project that you would
want to be automatically notified about?
What data associated with the resources that perform project work would be
useful to capture for filtering and summarization purposes? For example:
resource location, department, special training?

Project Planning

Is there a written organizational policy for planning, tracking, and controlling


projects?
If so, what is it? Please include documentation or examples.
Is a defined project life cycle methodology (SDLC) employed in the planning
process?
What are the major "gates" in the lifecycle?
Are work products (required documents, charters, test plans, etc.) identified
during the planning process?
If so, what is required? Please include documentation or examples.
Is there a formal project requirements gathering process?
If so, what is it? Please include documentation or examples.
Does a written policy exist for managing project scope and changes?
If so, what is it? Please include documentation or examples.
Do changes in scope have to be formally reviewed and accepted by the
project manager and senior management?

Does the organization distinguish between the part of the organization that
requests or finances a project and the department that executes the project?
Is your organization matrixed? That is, does the resource manager assign
people to projects, or does the project manager do so directly?
Do you currently use master/inserted projects and inter-project links in
Microsoft Project 2000 or earlier?
Will you use project versions for what-if simulations or comparisons to original
plans?
How do you determine when to create a project?
Who determines whether a project is accepted?

What kind of information do you require in order to accept/approve a project?


What type of tasks do you include in projects (charge codes, customer
deliverables, work items, milestones)?
Who determines when a resource is available for project work?
Who updates availability information?
Where is availability information kept (Outlook, an HR system, etc.)?
Are there tasks kept in the project plan that don't follow a conventional
schedule? For example, tasks like paint drying, which take a set amount of
time but aren't tied to resource working times?

Scheduling

Who defines the project tasks (PM, team members, some combination?)
Do you use standard project templates?
Who creates and maintains the templates?
Is the entire project planned in detail from the beginning, or do you use a
rolling wave method to define schedules? (Rolling wave means that near-term
tasks are planned in detail and resources are assigned to them, while later
tasks are planned only at a summary level.)
Are there often logical interdependencies between projects (50% of the time
or more)?
Do the assigned resources for tasks estimate the task duration, or does the
project manager do the estimate?
Do the resources assigned to tasks estimate the task effort (person-hours), or
does the project manager do the estimate?
Are tasks normally estimated in time durations (days, weeks) or effort (person-
hours)?
Do you want team members to supply detailed progress information about
their assignments, or do you want the project manager to do so?
Do you want progress reported as actual hours, or as percent of task
complete plus remaining duration on the task?
Do all projects have detailed tasks (subtasks) or are some projects simply a
project charge number for accounting purposes?
If there are significant numbers of projects with no tasks, can they be grouped
by organization or type?
Are key milestones represented in the project schedule?
What levels of management approve the project schedule?
Is the level of approval tied to project cost, importance, or other specific
criteria?
Is the status of projects normally provided on a periodic cycle (weekly status
reports, etc.)?
If so, what is the cycle?
Is there a requirement to identify and track changes in scope or other issues
when project status changes?
Are there formal reviews of schedule status for team members and
management?
If so, what is the schedule for these reviews?
Do you have procedures for the distribution of project information?
If so, what are they? Please include documentation or examples.
How could the distribution of information be improved?
Are project baselines (comparison of original plan to current plan) used to
assess project performance after completion?
Are comparisons between actual and planned results used to analyze and find
trends or problem areas during the course of a project?
Does the project manager assign individual resources? Or does the project
manager assign tasks to a department or part of the organization, leaving
further delegation to that department?
Are resource requirements compared to availability and are projects
rescheduled based on limited availabilities (resource leveling)?
If you level resources and find that you can't meet scope in the required
timeframe, do you resolve the issue by rescheduling or adding resources?
Is there a formal process that identifies the resource leveling problem and
documents how the problem is resolved?
Is management buy-in required in order to make adjustments to project
priorities, increase resources, or to take other actions to resolve the leveling
issue?
Do procedures exist for performance analysis (earned value analysis, using
metrics to evaluate portfolios of projects, etc.)?
If so, specifically how do you do performance analysis? Please include
documentation or examples.
Do you conduct earned value analysis?
What earned value methods are used?
Have variance thresholds for exception reporting been established?
Are these thresholds based on size of projects, cost, etc.?
When entering progress/actual hours on your timesheet, do you enter it each
day or enter at the end of the time reporting period?
Do you enter most task estimates, or does the project manager do so?
How much time per day, on average, do team members spend on nonproject
work (meetings, e-mail, functional group assignments, etc.)?
Is it important to track time spent on nonproject work?
Do you always assign real individuals to tasks, or do you first assign
placeholders to tasks and then assign the actual people later?
Do you initially know the skill set you need for a task, and then search for a
person who has those skills? Or do you have a limited set of people available
and know who you will assign at the outset?
How many skills or characteristics do you usually associate with a task, for
search purposes?
Do you normally estimate the duration of tasks in person-hours; in a duration
of days or weeks (and assign the person later); or according the rate of usage
(50% of the resources time per day/week, or 4 hours per day/week) that you
believe resources must work on the task?
When tasks are assigned to you or when you estimate them, do you estimate
using the total person-hours required; a duration of time that the task must be
done by (either established by you or the project manager); or the rate
(percent) per day that you will work on the task?
Do you usually assign all the resources that should work on a given task at
the same time, or do you assign some now and some later?
When you add more resources to a task, do you want the task duration to be
shortened proportionally to the total number of resources assigned?

Risk Management

Do you formally identify risks associated with projects?


Does a formal process or procedure exist to identify and track risks on an
ongoing basis?

Costs

Is there a requirement to plan and track project costs in the project


management system?
What types of costs must be tracked? (Only the costs associated with
resources, or also other project costs such as purchases, expenses,
materials, subcontractors, overhead, etc.?)
Do you want to use resources' pay rates/charge rates in combination with
task information to calculate project costs?
Is there a requirement to integrate the project management (PM) system with
other systems, such as accounting or HR?
If so, what types of data must be interfaced? Please include
documentation or examples.
Are original budget baselines preserved for historical purposes?
Are cost baselines maintained as related to changes in scope?
Are cost baselines refined during project execution?
If so, how? Please include documentation or examples.
Are budgets timephased? That is, do you allocate budget against projects on
a periodic basis, without detailed task/cost planning?
How are project cost variances reported and analyzed? Please include
documentation or examples.

Timesheet

Do you use a timesheet for project reporting?


What is the timesheet reporting cycle (in days)?
Does the current timesheet provide for charging hours to projects?
Does the current timesheet provide for charging hours to tasks in
projects?
Does the current timesheet provide for reporting percent complete plus
remaining duration on tasks?

If you were reporting actual hours worked on a weekly basis against projects,
would you complete your time entry daily or do it at the end of the week?
What is the preferred means of reporting the status of projects? Actual hours
worked or percent complete plus remaining work?

IT Environment:

What is your Server OS?


What is you email system?
What is your web farming technique if any?
Are there current network bandwidth issues for remote users?
Do you presently utilize Terminal Services?
What is your minimal desktop hardware/OS configuration?
How are interfaces between corporate systems handled?
stionnaire
Role Legend:
S=Stakeholder
PMO=Project Management Office/Project Support Office
PM=Project Manager
TM=Team Member
IT=Information Technology/MIS

Answer
Yes
No
Follow the reporting structure
Bypass the reporting structure
Define at project start
Rolling wave
Resources
Project Manager
Time
Person-hours
Resources
Project Manager
Combination
Actual hours
Percent complete
All detailed tasks
Some have charge numbers
PM assigns individuals
PM assigns at department level
Only fees
Fees and other costs
Resources
Project Managers
PMO
Stakeholders
Line/Resource Managers
Real people
Placeholders
Search for person matching skills
Know who I will assign
all at the same time
some now, some later
person-hours
a duration of time
a rate of work

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