The methodology adopted by IDIS Production Department, is based on the fact that Project Management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements. A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. Temporary means that every project has a definite beginning and a definite end. Unique means the product or service is different in some distinguishing way from all other products or services.

IDIS methodology is based on the widely used and acknowledged standards set by the 'Project Management Institute' PMI, and PMBOK 2000 edition.

This methodology caters/supplies to all IDIS customers, irrespective of the size & volume of the undertaken project, enabling the customer to experience a smooth transition towards e-Technologies.

Project Life Cycle

Project Management is accomplished through the use of the processes such as initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing. The PM process covers all phases within the life cycle of any project.

It is important to note that many of the processes within project management are iterative in nature. This is in part due to the existence of and the necessity for progressive elaboration in a project throughout the project life cycle.

Each phase is marked by a completion of one or more tangible deliverables, which aims in achieving a better understanding of the project and well-informed & trained project team. Phases are logically and sequentially organized linking each phase by what is delivered during the previous phase (artifact). However these phases are not totally exclusive. They consist of overlapping activities too, and can partially run in parallel during the project life cycle.

Initiation Phase

This phase marks the beginning of the project or phase and formally authorizes the project. For a successful project, the objectives and requirements should be well defined at the start of the project. Hence in this initiation phase, IDIS Production Team identifies the customer's key business objectives and solution requirements in detail, if not already specified by the customer. This is made possible by interviewing key business staff, and/or through workshops specially designed and conducted by the team, with a recommended list of consultants. Depending upon the project, questionnaires may also be prepared and submitted to gather information from the customer.

IDIS assigns the most convenient and available Project Manager (PM) for a project. It is mandatory that the customer nominates a project coordinator from his side in addition to formulating a project team. IDISPM clearly documents the project objectives and deliverables, and hence the scope of the undertaken project. The PM documents all constraints and major assumptions made at this stage that could affect project deliverables.

Identifying and managing potential Project Risks in advance to reduce their effects is essential in any project. All identified Potential risks are to be documented in that Project Charter.

The document also includes the roles and responsibilities of the key members of the project like the stakeholders, Production Manager, Project Manager, Account Manager, assigned resources. 'Project Charter' also describes the methodology that will be used to manage the project through out the life cycle.

Project Stakeholders are individuals and organizations that are actively involved in the project, or whose interest may be positively or negatively affected as a result of project execution or project completion, they may also exert influence over the project and its results.

Planning Phase

The planning phase involves elaborating the project scope identified in the Project Charter and translating it into project work. It is recommended that at this stage a detailed Requirement and Analysis Specifications may need to be further documented and agreed upon. The "Requirements and Analysis Specifications" document, produced by the Project Manager, will include some or all of the below mentioned:

A detailed System Requirements Specifications document is to be communicated to the Project Team members and must require the PM stakeholder sign-off to indicate the acceptance and agreement.

PM translates the detailed scope into 'Work Breakdown Structure'. A WBS document lists deliverables and identifies all activities required to produce the project deliverable. This is a critical document as it forms input for many other management processes like resource management, time management, cost management and risk management.

WBS is utilized to:

Potential risks are to be further identified and documented, they will be managed as a team during the project execution. As a final result a complete Project Plan (PP) is developed. The PP sums up all of the above by assuming a project start date if not previously agreed upon.

During this phase, the PM carries out the project management processes in areas such as resource management and risk management as well. If required, a resource requirement document is produced and distributed for prompt resource acquisition by the stakeholders.

Execution Phase

The objective of this phase is to ensure that the above prepared PP is properly executed. Execution may also involve procurement management & a part of quality assurance management.

Project Manager ensures that the assigned activities are being carried out on schedule by the responsible resources.

Control Phase

Project performance must be monitored and measured regularly to identify variances from the project plan. Occasionally, current projects of the on-line era, also demand a change in an objective or a deliverable. Hence the methodology is equipped with a flexible yet well-defined process to control and manage the changes being requested to the project scope and objectives, and allows revisiting of the above phases anytime during the project life cycle.

Closing Phase

A project's operational success depends much on the outcome of this phase. Quality Management is performed during this phase to ensure that the project has been executed with high quality. The implemented system will undergo various levels of testing including the final system acceptance test to be performed by the project stakeholders. Upon successful testing, the stakeholders will formally accept the system. Following this, the system can be put into live production environment.

Agreed trainings where required will be imparted along with a proper documentation of the implementation and the system.

The system will be formally handed-over to the stakeholders for future maintenance. A delivery Notice is to be signed by the Stakeholders accepting the project final delivery.