Laws on governance and management of Information Technology resources
The Government of Québec requires that all public bodies report on the evolution of certain parameters of the projects under their responsibility. This ensures public transparency, an optimized management of information resources and proper protection of information.
All universities in Quebec are required to submit information regarding the governance and management of Information Technology resources to the Quebec Ministry of Education (Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur, MES), in respect to the ‘’ (LGGRI).
The Système Intégré de Gestion des Ressources Informationnelles (SIGRI) collects this information. All projects executed by 鶹AV with IT investments over $100,000 in capitalized funds must be captured and reported on SIGRI.
鶹AV’s IT PMO is responsible for recording and updating active projects on SIGRI with the most recent information: This includes projects’ status and health, progress on timeline, and costs. All projects must be updated on SIGRI at least once a year at the end of August. Other updates are required if a project changes phase or encounters a major change. Project updates on SIGRI are reviewed and approved by the Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur (MES).
Reporting for qualified projects
The Government of Québec pays particular attention to projects defined as "projets qualifiés en ressources informationnelles” (in English: projects qualified in information resources) as these projects require their authorization to be executed. A project is considered “qualifié” if it meets the two following criteria:
-
Its total capitalizable cost is equal to or greater than $500,000 and
-
It involves one or more of the following:
- The addition or implementation of a new information system, a new solution, or a business service that may cover development, acquisition, or subscription;
- The replacement of an existing information system;
- The addition of functionalities or the improvement of an information system, a solution, or a business service;
- The introduction of new services in technological infrastructures.
To foster informed decision-making when authorizing qualified projects, the Government requires a series of regulatory documents written in French: a Business Opportunity, a Business Case, a Benefits Plan and a Closure Report. These reports are detailed below:
Required reporting for the Government of Québec |
Description |
Reporting frequency by project type |
|
---|---|---|---|
Projet qualifié |
Projet non-qualifié |
||
SIGRI update |
Provides project’s status and health, progress on timeline, and costs. |
Yearly, plus at every phase or key changes |
Yearly, plus at every phase or key changes |
Business Opportunity / Dossier d’opportunité (DO) |
Justifies the goal of the project, and exposes its initial budget, high level schedule and potential solutions. Government’s sign off provides the authorization to move forward with the planning phase and the elaboration of the Business Case |
Once |
Not required |
Business Case / Dossier d’affaires (DA) |
Provides refined scope, timeline, budget estimate and a thorough plan for resources. It provides justification for undertaking the project, and a rationale for the preferred solution when applicable. Government’s sign off provides the authorization to begin the execution of the project |
Once |
Not required |
Benefits Plan / Plan de matérialisation des bénéfices |
Helps define and track specific and quantifiable measures of success for the project and 鶹AV. Focuses on desired project outcomes for the 5 years following the project's delivery. Supporting document to the Business Case. |
Once (with DA) |
Not required |
Closure report / Bilan projet |
Enables a review of the project goal and objectives and details how the clients’ expectations were met. It also includes a retrospective on the management process, and highlights improvements, adjustments, or changes which can be implemented for improved results on future projects. Must be uploaded on SIGRI no later than 6 months after all deliverables have been completed and the project is transitioning to operations/clients. |
Once |
Not required |
Project authorization guidelines
These documents are required at specific project stages and serve as an official checkpoint for approval. Obtaining both 鶹AV’s and the Government’s authorization for these documents is mandatory before advancing to the next project phase, hence the importance of accurate needs forecasting. (see the IT Project process section on the IT Project Governance pagefor details).
鶹AV authorization
-
鶹AV authorizations ofBusiness Opportunities, Business Cases and Benefits Plans are provided by the IT Business and Project Sponsors and IT CIO for all projects.
- Projects exceeding certain limits require approval as follows:
Government authorization
Government authorizations of Business Opportunities and Business Cases also depend on the qualified project’s budget envelope:
Approving Government Authority |
Project Document for Approval |
|
---|---|---|
Business Opportunity |
Business Case and Benefits Plan |
|
Information Officer (Dirigeant de l’information) from the Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur (MES) |
projects under $20M |
projects under $5M |
Secrétariat du Conseil du trésor (SCT) |
projects between $20M and $50M |
projects between $5M and $50M |
Gouvernement du Québec |
projects above $50M or government-wide interest projects |
projects above $50M or government-wide interest projects |
Templates for these reporting documents are provided by the Government of Québec. 鶹AV is responsible for using the latest available reporting templates and uploading the completed copies for each individual project to SIGRI. For the latest templates, please contact ITPMOat gcp.pmo [at] mcgill.ca.