Description and Methodology. Clearly describe the Supplier’s overall approach and plans to implement VITA’s services. VITA believes a phased implementation plan with appropriate overlap of activities for different services will enable migration at a manageable risk level.
Description and Methodology. Yes CenturyLink will organize a Project Management Office (PMO) to manage the implementation of VITA’s network. The charter of the CenturyLink PMO is to lead CenturyLink's commitment to contract compliance and service delivery during the implementation phase of VITA’s network. The Enterprise Project Manager (EPM) essentially serves as a "general
Description and Methodology contractor" of the CenturyLink infrastructure and any 3rd party vendors, and as the single point of contact for service delivery. To achieve the mission, the CenturyLink EPM works to achieve the following objectives: Provide high quality services to the customer through efficient, resourceful, and responsive project management of network implementation and service management Ensure compliance with the terms of the contract Increase customer retention by improving customer satisfaction Track and report on performance to ensure that the project meets all schedule and technical requirements Manage closely all external suppliers, vendors, and 3rd party contributors to the project Allow for a rapid response through change/configuration management. Network Implementation In alignment with our roles and responsibilities, the CenturyLink PMO will interact with all internal and external organizations to successfully complete the implementation and meet our service level agreements from implementation through to steady-state operations. We accomplish that through the following phases of the project: 1. Pre-implementation Coordination During the pre-implementation phase, the CenturyLink team will identify and coordinate with our internal resources to gain support for the final design and implementation of the VITA network. The team will orchestrate a series of pre-implementation meetings between VITA and our internal resources to outline roles, responsibilities, and deliverables. The EPM will document the results of this coordination as part of a comprehensive implementation plan, which will be disseminated to all members of the project team. A comprehensive project schedule will be developed using an industry-standard project management tool (e.g., MS Project), which will outline the specific tasks and lead times for completing each task. 2. Implementation Management CenturyLink s PMO will be responsible for the overall implementation of VITA’s network. The Enterprise Project Manager will ensure that internal organizations and 3rd party vendors work in harmony to implement VITA’s network according to contract specifications. To ensure that the implementation is meeting requirements, the Enterprise Project Manager will track all activities against a baseline schedule and project implementation plan. Contract Compliance The PMO is responsible for compliance with contractual commitments during the implementation and for conducting a detailed audit prior to declaring th...
Description and Methodology. VITA-designated project representative. When implementation is completed, the account team will lead a comprehensive review of all contractual requirements and compliance with them. This review will also ensure that the billing process is working to the mutual satisfaction of CenturyLink and VITA. The PMO will document any variances and develop plans of action to bring them into compliance. Customer Satisfaction The Enterprise Project Manager and Account Team solely responsible for customer satisfaction during the implementation of the services provided. The PMO is in continual contact with VITA to understand their needs. Through regular project reviews, VITA interacts with the PMO to discuss project status, upcoming plans, and potential issues. Should issues or problems materialize, the PMO is the single point of contact for the customer. At the completion of major milestones in the project, the PMO will solicit formal feedback from the customer. Performance Tracking and Reporting The PMO will track project metrics daily. The project baseline schedule will be maintained in a secure, web-based, project portal (MS SharePoint) that will be updated with actual completion dates as respective functional groups complete their tasks. CenturyLink’s and VITA’s project teams will have access to view these updates to measure on-time performance rates. Supplier Management When 3rd party vendors or suppliers are required to help complete the project, CenturyLink will ensure that their performance meets or exceeds the specifications of the contract, just as we do for internal members of the project team. If required by the contract, CenturyLink will solicit bids, encouraging competition to get the best price, while also considering past performance to ensure the best value. Once CenturyLink has selected a vendor, service level agreements will be developed outlining contract requirements. CenturyLink will also require regular vendor reports, both written and verbal, both to monitor performance and to enable proactive improvement of processes and procedures driving performance. Change/Configuration Management If a customer-requested change is made, CenturyLink’s PMO responds by following an established disciplined process to review the request and redirect the project to comply with the new scope. First and foremost, the PMO works to understand VITA’s needs. VITA should identify sites that are critical to operations, and must be moved with minimal downtime, such as the he...
Description and Methodology communicate the new direction and objectives to the entire project team and to VITA, particularly to representatives at each affected location, so all affected parties are aware of planned activities. The PMO holds regular status updates with the project team and VITA to measure performance against the approved plan. The PMO reports performance metrics in regular management reports to ensure that CenturyLink is tracking activity proactively to foresee potential slips or other issues, that we are modifying while the plan accordingly. Finally, the PMO puts the project plan into tight change controls to ensure that changes are proposed, analyzed and assessed, formally approved, and properly communicated to the project team.
