Government Agency Examples

Project management in government agencies at the federal and local level is often governed by specific and strict policies and methodologies that dictate the configuration of Project 2003. Setting up the project and resource outline codes for projects and resources requires strict adherence to project management methodology and almost perfect synchronization with skill set and roles databases maintained usually by Human Resources departments.

The following sections provide examples of outline codes and fields that can be used for grouping projects and resources.

Project Type

Portfolio managers in any government agency need to always have a clear understanding of what type of projects exists in the organization. This can be easily achieved if projects are grouped by the authority that authorized them. For instance, undertaking a project in response to a piece of legislation can be construed as a "Government legislated" initiative. On the other hand, a project initiated in response to an organization's strategy to improve service can be deemed as "Discretionary," as presented in the following example:

• Government Legislated

• Nongovernment Mandatory

• Discretionary

Project Strategic Alignment

Project Strategic Alignment can be a useful outline code for organizations to make sure that all projects are aligned to major organizational business directives and initiatives. Usually these directives are outlined in the governance documents of the organization. An example of a Project Strategic Alignment outline code is as follows:

• Project Management Quality Improvement

• Improve Web Access for Public Records

• Integration of All eServices Offered on Agency's Website

Project Funding

An important outline code for project grouping is the source of funding. Most government agencies have a mix of public and private funding available for projects. Most projects fit in one of the following three categories:

• Public Funding

• Private Funding

• Public-Private Funding

Project Areas

Government agencies at the federal or local level need to group projects that they undertake by areas of application or activity. These areas sometimes coincide with a major department structure of that agency, and, in this case, it is strongly recommended that the project grouping area follow the structure already in place. If such a structure is not appropriate, consider the following possible grouping:

• Residential

  • Assessment and Taxes

  • Planning and Building

  • Licenses and Permits

• Business

  • Assessment and Taxes

  • Planning and Building

  • Licenses and Permits

Project Scope

Furthermore, projects can be grouped by their scope, which can be identified through sampling of existing projects. An example of a government agency's grouping of projects by scope is presented here:

• City Infrastructure

• City Buildings

• Private Buildings

• Codes and Standards

• Water Supply

• Law Enforcement

• Parking

• Parks and Recreation

• Electricity and Hydro

• Housing