Project Sizing

We use the answers to the following questions to size our projects. Larger projects go through a more thorough initiation and planning process.

Sizing Questions

	Question	Options
1	What is the total budget for this project?	$0-$10,000 $10,000-$25,000 $25,000-$50,000 $50,000-$100,000 $100,000+
2	What percentage of the overall project budget is for procurement?	No procurement is required < 25% 26%-50% 51%-75% > 75%
3	How would you describe the size of the budget relative to other projects in your organization? Note: Total budget includes capital and operating costs.	Small Medium Large
4	What is the estimate for the number of resources required to complete this project? Note: Resources include full-time and part-time staff, as well as contractors, consultants and vendors.	< 10 10-20 20-40 40-60 > 60
5	What is the estimated duration of the project ?	< 3months 3-6 months 6-12 months 12-24 months > 24 months
6	What parts of the organization will this project impact?	A single business process Multiple business processes Multiple functions or departments Multiple locations The entire organization
7	Does the project align with business objectives?	The project directly aligns with one or more business objectives. The project indirectly contributes to one or more business objectives. The project does not clearly contribute to one or more business objectives.
8	Do the business benefits of the project provide value to the organization?	The business benefits are compelling, and the value is clearly understood and documented. The business benefits seem to provide some value, but further clarification is required. The business benefits do not provide value or are not well understood and documented.
9	Are key stakeholders engaged in the early stages of project planning?	All key stakeholders are identified, engaged and consulted during early project planning. Stakeholders are identified, but not fully engaged or consulted during early project planning. Stakeholders have not been identified or engaged during early project planning.
10	What type of communication plan will be required?	Simple communication plan, with a few key stakeholders. Multiple stakeholders, with different information requirements. Many stakeholders, both internal and external, that need frequent communication in a variety of formats.
11	How would you characterize the commitment of senior management to the project?	All business and IT stakeholders are fully committed to and engaged in the project. A project champion is engaged at the senior management level. A project sponsor is identified and fully engaged in the project. There is a project sponsor, but this person is engaged in other projects and activities. There is no project sponsor and no clearly identifiable executive commitment.
12	How available are required vendors or suppliers?	There are many vendors that can satisfy procurement requirements or no procurement is required. There is a limited number of qualified vendors or suppliers. There is only one qualified vendor or there are no qualified vendors that can meet procurement requirements.
13	How many separate vendor contracts will be required for this project?	One contract; or no procurement is required. 2-5 contracts > 5 contracts
14	Do you anticipate resource or skill set constraints with the project?	Required skill sets are expected to be available for the duration of the project. Some turnover is expected, but a suitable replacement is expected to be available on short notice. Required skill sets are expected to be tight in terms of availability.
15	How do you expect team workload allocation to impact project timelines?	Team members will be fully allocated to the project. Team workload presents no risk to the project timeline. Team members are part-time on the project but have the required availability. Team workload presents minor risk to the project timeline. Some or all of the team members are over-committed. Team workload presents serious risks to the project timeline.
16	What prior experience does the project team possess with regards to this type of project?	This project has been done before by the organization. This project has not been done before, but has a proven approach. This is a new type of project for the organization and has not been proven.
17	Has the assigned Project Manager worked on a project of this size and complexity before?	Yes No
18	Does the project require an organizational change management plan?	There are no significant change management requirements. A basic change management plan is required. Minor changes to job roles and reporting relationships will occur. Significant change management will be required. There will be considerable changes to organizational structure.
19	What is the level of customer involvement required for this project?	No customer involvement is required for project success. Limited customer involvement is required for project success. Moderate customer involvement is required for project success. Extensive customer involvement is required for project success.
20	Are project requirements clear and documented?	All requirements are clearly articulated and documented. At least 50% of total requirements are clearly articulated and documented. Less than 50% of total requirements are clearly articulated and documented.
21	Are project requirements expected to remain stable?	All project requirements are expected to remain stable. Most project requirements are expected to remain stable. Some project requirements are expected to change after the project is launched. Many of the project requirements are expected to change during the lifetime of the project. Project requirements are expected to be highly unstable during the lifetime of the project.
22	Are any other projects dependent on the outputs or outcomes of this project?	Yes No
23	Is this project dependent on the outputs or outcomes of any other projects?	Yes No
24	What degree of integration with other projects, systems, infrastructure, or organizations is required (i.e. integration with things external to the project)?	There are a few integration requirements. There are a moderate number of integration requirements. There are many integration requirements.