Project Management

A group of professionals discuss a project while seated around a conference table — Inspiring and leading innovation in education—one well-executed project at a time!

our services

SDCOE supports local school districts and charter schools with project management through its Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO). The team strives to:

Make project management simple and valuable
Promote best practice standards, quality, and methodologies, with an emphasis on organizational change management for benefits realization

We provide the following resources and training for San Diego County educational agencies:

EPMO toolkit with templates and samples - See the Resources section for more
K-12 project management workshops (specialized topics)
K-12 Project Management Academy (full methodology)
K-12 Project Management Conference

Project management is a crucial part of delivering projects on time, on budget, and within scope. But there are so many more benefits, like creating a vision for success, uniting teams, building strong partnerships, and achieving common goals.

Upcoming Events

The project management training opportunities listed below are designed for K-12 IT employees. For upcoming events, please click the session title for details and registration.

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Past Events

SDCOE K-12 PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE 2024

Two people working on a puzzle in a brain

EQ FOR IT PROJECTS (4/17/24)

EFFECTIVE OCM STRATEGIES FOR YOUR PROJECT (3/27/24)

K-12 PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE 2024

More than 450 K-12 IT staff across California joined together to learn and share strategies to improve the quality of our collective IT projects. Check out the recorded sessions and access the handouts.
Password: epmo

View Event

Self-Study Course

Need to learn the bare minimums of project management? This free self-study course will introduce you to core topics throughout the planning, execution, and closure phases of project management.

Take the Course

Contact Us

Have a question?
Looking for more?

EPMO@sdcoe.net

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is a project?

What is project management?

According to the Project Management Institute, "project management is the use of specific knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to deliver something of value to people."

Project management focuses on planning, organizing, and executing the processes necessary to reach a project's objectives while working within the primary constraints of schedule, budget, and scope.

To learn more, visit pmi.org.

What is the purpose of a project charter?

The project charter is the document that formally authorizes the project and provides a high level view of the project plan. The charter is typically written by the project manager and signed by the project sponsor.

The charter should be simple, straightforward, and short, but should contain these key elements:

People involved
Project description
Project scope
Objectives or success criteria
Project deliverables
Identified risks and mitigation strategies
Project schedule and milestones
List of which tools will be used in the project

To learn more, see the Resources section.

Do I need to apply all of the project management methodologies and tools?

Not at all. The beauty of project management is that you choose the methodologies and tools that can enhance your work. If a specific methodology or tool doesn't fit the project you are under no obligation to use it.

If you're looking for somewhere to start, the project charter is one of the most effective tools you can use to improve the outcome of your projects. To learn more, see the Resources section.

Can you manage my project for me?

Can you teach my team to manage projects?

We provide the following resources and training to San Diego County local educational agencies:

EPMO Toolkit with templates and samples - see the resources section for some examples.
K-12 Project Management Workshops (specialized topics)
K-12 Project Management Academy (full methodology)
K-12 Project Management Conference

If you'd like to learn more, email us at EPMO@sdcoe.net.

Do you recommend any particular project management software?

Resources

Intro

Project Charter

Project Plan

Status Meetings and Reports

Execution and Launch

Closure

Soft Skills

Soft skills are abilities and behaviors which enable us to align our projects to organizational objectives and inspire our teams to work together, solve problems and deliver results that contribute value to our LEA and those we serve. Project Management Institute (PMI) calls them “power skills” instead of soft skills to signify the value they bring to project teams and organizations. According to PMI, power skills are a critical part of our toolkit.

PMI analyzed data from nearly 3,500 project professionals who responded to the Annual PMI Global Survey and found greater project success and less scope creep in organizations that prioritize power skills. See the PDF below for a summary of the report and some ways to help you bring even more power skills to your next project.

To read the full report and explore more articles, templates, and tools, check out PMI's Power Skills Resource Hub.

Soft Skills Assessment and Action Plan [PDF]

PM Toolkit

SDCOE has created an 82-page Project Management Toolkit based on Project Management Institute's tools and procedures. This toolkit is free to use and includes samples and templates that are designed to help you complete projects on time, in scope, and under budget.

The toolkit covers these subjects:

SDCOE Project Management Toolkit v5.0 [PDF]

More Resources

Our Portfolio

CURRENT PROJECTS

Conference Technology Upgrade and Renovation Project: Full refresh of all meeting room technology in SDCOE's most heavily used meeting spaces with focus on supporting a hybrid workforce
FIS Migration to the Cloud FCM: Migrate to a new cloud-based FCM solution which will be simple for stakeholders to use, and provide streamlined, secure access to the data
Santee Phone and Paging Project: Support full modernization of the phone and paging system at district and school sites
K-12 Project Management Academy (Cohort 4, Fall 2024): Conduct three all-day training sessions for the third cohort of the Academy. The Academy is a “deep dive” into how to effectively plan, execute, and close tech projects for IT staff from LEAs from within San Diego County and beyond, with curriculum designed by the EPMO.
PeopleSoft Recruiting Project (Phase 2): Assist districts with the full-scale adoption and deployment of the Recruiting technology and other related system functionality or technology platform(s)
SDCOE Identity and Access Management Project: Establish a centralized identity control platform with single-sign on and multi-factor authentication for our internal and external users that is easy to use, secure, streamlined, optimized, automated as well as scalable
Workplace Scheduling Solution Project: Implement a modern integrated workplace management system that will empower employees and community members to reserve meeting spaces, enable employees to book individual desks on-demand, and provide workplace analytics

PAST PROJECTS

Infrastructure and Security

Red Herring Marketing Project - Final Report [PDF]: Enhanced Red Herring, SDCOE’s phishing simulation software, and created videos, FAQs, and presentations to support its marketing
SDCOE Secure Access / MFA Project (Wave 1) - Final Report [PDF]: Discovery, testing, training, organizational change management, and implementation of multi-factor authentication (MFA) for over 1,000 permanent employees at SDCOE
Unified Communications Project - Final Report [PDF]: Implemented Microsoft Teams and a unified communications system for calls, video conferencing, chat, and file sharing for all SDCOE employees, including the deployment of new desk phones and phone numbers, early adopters, training, and an Advisory Team with representatives from all divisions to facilitate communication and feedback about the project

Software and Systems

Adobe Sign Implementation Project - Celebration [PDF]: Implementation of the Adobe Sign software and conversion of existing forms to Adobe Sign forms, web forms, and workflows for all full-time employees at SDCOE, including training, communication, and organizational change management through the support of Division Leads, or representatives from all divisions
Electronic and Digital Signatures Data Collection - Stakeholder Presentation [PDF]: Collected and reviewed all existing forms and routing workflows from SDCOE divisions for conversion to Adobe Sign forms, web forms, and workflows
Electronic and Digital Signatures Vendor Product Assessment - Stakeholder Presentation [PDF]: Determined requirements and business needs, then evaluated various electronic and digital signature software to make a selection for the entire organization
HR Systems Integration Project (Fallbrook Elementary) - Kickoff Meeting [PDF]: Created an integration from PeopleSoft HCM to Infinite Campus SIS to eliminate the need for double-entry of staff demographic and assignment data in the SIS
Monday.com Rollout Project - Case Study [PDF]: Developed templates, identified standard use, created a Champions team, and trained the entire SDCOE ITS division on how to use Monday.com to manage project-based work
PeopleSoft ACH for Vendors Project - Final Report [PDF]: Provided functionality for districts to pay goods and services provided by their suppliers using electronic payment (ACH) and eliminating physical handling and mailing of paper commercial warrants
PeopleSoft Users Conference 2023 - Celebration [PDF]: Supported planning of annual users conference. Over 600 attendees attended more than 40 sessions across two days
PeopleSoft Correct History Project - Celebration [PDF]: Supported the discovery, implementation, and training to provide districts and charter schools the ability to make corrections to their PeopleSoft HCM data
PeopleSoft Job Data Modernization Project - Project Website [Web]: Supported the planning and implementation of modernization to PeopleSoft job data
PeopleSoft Recruiting Project (Phase 1) - Kickoff Meeting [PDF]: Implementation of the PeopleSoft Recruiting solution for 10 districts, encompassing onboarding, offboarding, and implementation of integration framework tools such as activity guide composer, and smart forms
PeopleSoft Tools 8.58 - Project Charter [PDF]: Implementation of Tools 8.58 for SDCOE and all PeopleSoft LEAs to modernize the interface and improve PeopleSoft’s security, ease of maintenance, system performance, reporting, lifecycle management, usability
Planning and Budgeting Cloud Solution Project - Kickoff Meeting [PDF]: Replaced the on-premises, legacy Hyperion system with the new Oracle Planning and Budgeting Cloud Solution for 17 districts
ServiceNow Education for SDCOE Employees Project - Final Report [PDF]: Enhanced ServiceNow, developed support materials, and educated SDCOE employees on how and why to use ServiceNow to submit tickets for tech issues and requests
ServiceNow Request Management Project - Final Report [PDF]: Revamped the ServiceNow request functionality, including streamlined forms, issues resolution, and new catalog items, workflows, and notifications
SIS Online Registration Implementation Project (Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District) - Stakeholder Survey [PDF]: Implemented online registration at one high school and created a blueprint for rollout to the rest of the district's schools
Video Streaming System Project: Supported the discovery and implementation of SDCOE's new live and on-demand video streaming platform

Web and App Development

SDCOE Finalsite Website Redesign: Supported the redesign of the SDCOE website to improve the user experience and have a more modern looking website that represents the innovative work happening at SDCOE
Emergency Apps Project (canceled): Development and deployment of an emergency contacts application with self-reporting capabilities in ServiceNow for SDCOE staff
Statewide Reopening Dashboard Project (canceled) - Celebration [PDF]: Created a web portal and three Power BI dashboards for 36 data points for the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)

Professional Development and Community

ITS Managers Training Program - Final Report [PDF]: Designed, developed, and implemented an interactive three-part training program for ITS Managers, with topics centered around communication, performance management, and coaching and feedback
K-12 Project Management Workshops (2023-24): Designed, developed, and delivered four free and unique workshops to K-12 IT staff in California. Attendees learned about project management tools and concepts such as the soft skills in IT projects, building a project schedule, organizational change management, and more.
K-12 Project Management Academy (Cohort 3, Fall 2023): Conducted three all-day training sessions for the third cohort of the Academy. The Academy is a “deep dive” into how to effectively plan, execute, and close tech projects for 34 IT staff from 25 LEAs from within San Diego County and beyond, with curriculum designed by the EPMO.
K-12 Project Management Conference (2024) - Survey Report (In-Person Conference) | Survey Report (Online Conference) [PDF]: Designed, developed, and delivered an engaging and impactful one-day virtual conference paired with a one-day in-person conference that covered a variety of project management topics to help California K-12 IT departments improve the quality of their tech projects
K-12 Project Management Conference (2023) - Final Report [PDF]: Designed, developed, and delivered an engaging and impactful two-day virtual conference that covered a variety of project management topics to help California K-12 IT departments improve the quality of their tech projects
K-12 Project Management Conference (2022) - Final Report [PDF]: Designed, developed, and delivered an engaging and impactful two-day virtual conference that covered a variety of project management topics to help California K-12 IT departments improve the quality of their tech projects
K-12 Project Management Academy (Fall 2022) - Final Report [PDF]: Conducted three all-day training sessions for the second cohort of the Academy. The Academy is a “deep dive” into how to effectively plan, execute, and close tech projects for 31 IT staff from 23 LEAs from within San Diego County and beyond, with curriculum designed by the EPMO.
K-12 Project Management Academy (Spring 2022) - Celebration [PDF]: Designed, developed, and delivered an all-new K-12 Project Management Academy to 27 IT staff across 18 LEAs in San Diego County. The Academy is a “deep dive” into how to effectively plan, execute, and close tech projects.
K-12 Project Management Workshops (2022-23): Designed, developed, and delivered five free and unique workshops to K-12 IT staff in California. Attendees learned about project management tools and concepts such as the project charter, building a project schedule, organizational change management, and more.

Facilities

Badge and Access Control Project: Supported the implementation of new employee badges for SDCOE staff to check in/out via a scanner when visiting worksites
Project Safeguard: Supported the planning to increase security and safety for SDCOE employees by installing a new alarm system, security cameras, and access control, plus creating a path of travel for ADA compliance

PRESENTATIONS

ACSA Classified Education Leaders Council 2024 - Get Started with Project Management: Starter Kit [PDF]
ACSA Classified Education Leaders Institute 2024 - Get Started with Project Management: Starter Kit [PDF]
CITE Conference 2023 - OCM Strategies for Your Project [PDF]
CITE Conference 2023 - First Steps Toward Agility [PDF]
CASBO Annual Conference 2023 (San Diego) - Get Started with Project Management [PDF]
CASBO Annual Conference 2023 (Imperial) - Get Started with Project Management [PDF]
PeopleSoft Users Conference 2023 - 3, 2, 1, Blast Off! How to Successfully Plan and Launch Your Next PeopleSoft Project [PDF]
CITE Conference 2022 - Get Started with Project Management [PDF]
CASBO Annual Conference 2022 - Design an Effective Survey to Evaluate the Success of Your Project [PDF]
CITE Conference 2021 - IT Project Management Made Easy [PDF]
CASBO Annual Conference 2021 - Project Management Best Practices for Beginners [PDF]
CASBO Annual Conference 2020 - Best Practices for Managing a Project [PDF]

AWARDS

CITE Regional Community Award (2022): In November 2022, the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) received the Regional Community Award from California IT in Education (CITE), a not-for-profit association supporting tech professionals working in schools. The annual award recognizes one information technology team from an educational organization across the state for strengthening their community through their service. The EPMO team was honored to receive this award and strives to continue to share project management resources, strategies, and templates with the K-12 I.T. community. For additional details about the award, please see this article.