Defining the Business Case of a Project
To define the business case for a project:
1. Click the Projects > Projects navigation menu.
2. In the edit area, click the Projects tab.
3. Display “All projects”.
4. Click the project concerned to open its properties.
5. In the project properties window, click the Business Case page.
Transformation objective
A project has an objective with respect to the capabilities of the enterprise (as defined in a capability map); it can:
• deliver the means to acquire a new capability (innovation)
• extend the coverage of a capability already held (improvement)
• restrict or abandon the coverage of an existing capability (rationalization).
To add a transformation objective to the project:
1. In the Transformation Objective section, click New.
The creation dialog box for a transformation objective opens.
2. Specify:
• its name
• the transformation type (Innovation, Improvement, Rationalization)
• the capability transformed
3. Click OK.
Project deliverables
A project deliverable defines the result of a project and its impact on or its contribution to the architectural solution landscape of the enterprise.
It is defined by a solution block (example: an organization, an application, an infrastructure element) delivered by the project in the target architectural landscape. Within the framework of a project deliverable, a block can be:
• New: the project delivers a new block to the target architectural landscape.
• Updated: the project modifies an existing block in the current landscape, for example by extending its lifecycle, and delivers the updated version to the target architectural landscape.
• Deleted: the project deletes an existing target architectural block, which will therefore not be part of the target landscape.
To add a deliverable to the project:
1. In the Deliverables section, click New.
The window for creating a deliverable appears.
2. Specify if you want to:
• create a new block
• update an existing block
• decommission an existing block
3. Click Next.
4. Specify:
• the deliverable name
• the deliverable type
• the deliverable production dates
5. Click OK.
Deliverable production dates
To model component change scenarios for elements in your portfolio without impacting the life of components in place, you will associate an object life with the deliverables.
The object life is a set of time periods representing the updated calendar of object life cycle states.When the project is terminated (via the corresponding workflow command), the life cycle of deliverables is automatically transferred to the objects concerned.
To define the life of a project deliverable:
1. In the Deliverables section, select the deliverable in question.
2. Click Properties.
The properties window of the deliverable appears.
3. Click the drop-down list then Object Life.
4. Click New.
The creation of object life dialog box appears.
5. Specify the following characteristics:
• the life cycle that defines the list of possible object states.
For more information on proposed life cycles, see Defining Life Cycles.• a Begin Date and an End Date which enable positioning of the object life in time.
6. Click OK.
A Gantt char is used to view the steps of the life cycle of a deliverable.
On the project, the Gantt char for the lifecycle of the project deliverables details the lifecycle of the project deliverable.
Project dependencies
A project can depend on other projects:
• In a "positive" sense: a project can have another project as a prerequisite, of which one of the deliverables is necessary to build a deliverable of the dependent project (this is the equivalent of an AND logic: both projects must be conducted jointly to reach the final result).
• In a "negative" sense: two projects can be concurrent and mutually exclusive (this is the equivalent of the OR logic: only one of the projects must be managed, not both).
To associate a dependency with the project:
1. In the Project Dependencies section, click New.
2. Specify:
• The name of the dependency
• The project required
• The type of dependency: "Exclusive" or "Prerequisite".
3. Click OK.
Project costs
The specification of the costs of a project take place through the cost lines.
One or more cost lines can be associated with a project.
A cost line enables identification of cost kind and type. A cost line is characterized by:
• a type: operating or capital;
• a nature: infrastructure (for a deployment), license (for an application), service, manpower;
• state of the cost line .
Associated with a cost line can be:
• a periodic expense
• one or several fixed expenses
Creating a cost line
To create a cost line for a project:
1. Expand the Costs section.
2. Under Cost Line, click New.
The Creation of a cost line box opens.
3. To create a single cost line, select option Create only one cost line.
4. Click Next.
5. Specify the Name of the cost line.
6. Select the Cost Type.
7. Select the Cost Nature.
8. Select the state of the cost line.
The states proposed in the drop-down list are the states of the life cycle associated with the object life.9. Click Next.
10. Define the periodic expense.
Fixed expenses, which can be multiple, are defined separately. For more details on fixed expense creation, see Adding a fixed expense.11. Click OK.
The new cost line appears in the Cost Line.
Adding a fixed expense
To associate a fixed expense with a cost line:
1. In the Cost Line section, select the cost line that interests you.
2. In the Cost Line Expensessection, click New.
The Creation of Expense dialog box opens.
3. Specify:
• the Name of the expense
• the Date of the expense,
• the Amount of the expense.
4. Click OK.
The new expense appears in the Fixed Expenses section.
Project benefits
You can specify:
• the Qualitative Benefits: to be entered as a comment.
• the Financial Value of the project: in currency = project NPV (net present value), calculated outside the tool according to the standards of the enterprise.
• the Return on Investment: calculated attribute, as a %
(Financial value - Budget) / budget
(Financial value - Budget) / budget
• the Forecast Return on Investment: calculated attribute, as a %
(Financial value - Estimated total cost) / Estimated total cost
(Financial value - Estimated total cost) / Estimated total cost
• the Actual Return on Investment: calculated attribute, as a %
(Financial value - Real total cost) / Real total cost
(Financial value - Real total cost) / Real total cost
Project risks
With Hopex IT Portfolio Management, you can identify the risks linked to a project. Each risk is associated with a single project.
To create a project risk:
1. Expand the Risk section.
2. Click New.
The risk creation dialog box appears.
3. Enter the name of the risk and the type of risk (cost, deadline, quality).
4. Click OK.
To assess risks, see Assessing the Risks of a Project.