ICT-Governance-Framework-Application

A019 - ICT Governance Framework Collaboration Protocols

Document Control Information

Document Information
Document Title	Collaboration Protocols
Project Name	ICT Governance Framework
Document Version	1.0
Document Status	Final
Created Date	December 19, 2024
Last Updated	December 19, 2024
Document Owner	ICT Governance Program Manager
Prepared By	Project Management Office
WBS Code	1.1.3.1.3
Activity ID	A019
Dependencies	A018 - Define Roles & RACI

Purpose and Scope

This document defines the specific collaboration protocols, tools, and procedures for the ICT Governance Framework implementation team. It establishes standardized approaches for team collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and cross-functional coordination to ensure effective project delivery.

Collaboration Framework Overview

Collaboration Principles

• Unified Platform Approach: Leverage integrated collaboration tools for seamless workflow
• Stakeholder-Centric: Design collaboration around stakeholder needs and preferences
• Transparency: Maintain open and visible collaboration processes
• Efficiency: Optimize collaboration to minimize overhead while maximizing value
• Scalability: Design protocols that can scale with project growth and complexity

Collaboration Ecosystem

┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│   Microsoft     │    │   Azure         │    │   SharePoint    │
│   Teams         │◄──►│   DevOps        │◄──►│   Online        │
│   (Communication)│    │   (Project Mgmt)│    │   (Documentation)│
└─────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘
          │                       │                       │
          └───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┘
                                  │
                     ┌─────────────────┐
                     │   Power         │
                     │   Platform      │
                     │   (Automation)  │
                     └─────────────────┘

Communication Protocols

1. Primary Communication Channels

Microsoft Teams Configuration

Team Structure:

• ICT Governance Council: Strategic oversight and decision-making
• Implementation Team: Core project team collaboration
• Domain Working Groups: Specialized domain expertise
• Stakeholder Engagement: Broader stakeholder communication

Channel Organization:

ICT Governance Framework Team
├── General (Team announcements and general discussion)
├── Project Management (Schedules, milestones, status updates)
├── Architecture & Design (Technical discussions and decisions)
├── Security & Compliance (Security-related collaboration)
├── Change Management (Organizational change activities)
├── Documentation (Document reviews and collaboration)
├── Issues & Risks (Issue tracking and risk management)
├── Policies (Policy development and review)
├── Metrics (Performance metrics and reporting)
├── Training (Training materials and schedules)
└── Social (Team building and informal communication)

Email Communication Standards

• Subject Line Format: [ICT-GF] - [Category] - [Brief Description]
• Priority Levels:
  • High: Urgent decisions or critical issues
  • Normal: Standard project communication
  • Low: FYI or non-time-sensitive information
• Distribution Lists:
  • Core Team: All core team members
  • Extended Team: Include domain experts and stakeholders
  • Executive: Project sponsor and steering committee

2. Meeting Protocols

Meeting Types and Cadence

Meeting Type	Frequency	Duration	Participants	Purpose
Daily Standup	Daily	15 min	Core Team	Status updates, impediments
Weekly Team Meeting	Weekly	60 min	Core Team	Detailed planning, issues resolution
Bi-weekly Stakeholder Update	Bi-weekly	45 min	Core Team + Key Stakeholders	Progress updates, feedback
Monthly Steering Committee	Monthly	90 min	Executives + Project Leadership	Strategic decisions, governance
Quarterly All-Hands	Quarterly	120 min	All Project Participants	Major updates, alignment

Meeting Management Standards

Pre-Meeting:

• Agenda published 24 hours in advance
• Pre-read materials shared with agenda
• Meeting objectives clearly defined
• Required vs. optional attendees identified

During Meeting:

• Start and end on time
• Follow agenda structure
• Encourage active participation
• Document decisions and action items
• Manage time effectively

Post-Meeting:

• Meeting notes published within 24 hours
• Action items tracked in project management system
• Follow-up communications sent as needed
• Meeting effectiveness feedback collected

3. Stakeholder Communication Protocols

Stakeholder Segmentation and Engagement

Stakeholder Group	Communication Method	Frequency	Content Focus
Executive Sponsors	Executive briefings, dashboards	Monthly	Strategic progress, decisions needed
ICT Governance Council	Formal presentations, reports	Bi-weekly	Governance decisions, policy updates
Domain Owners	Working sessions, workshops	Weekly	Domain-specific implementation
End Users	Newsletters, training sessions	Monthly	Impact, training, support
External Partners	Formal communications, meetings	As needed	Integration, compliance

Communication Templates and Standards

• Status Reports: Standardized template with RAG status indicators
• Decision Documents: Structured format for decision rationale and approval
• Change Notifications: Template for communicating changes to stakeholders
• Issue Escalations: Formal escalation process and documentation
• Stakeholder Updates: Regular update format with consistent messaging

Collaboration Tools and Platforms

1. Microsoft 365 Integration

SharePoint Online Configuration

Site Structure:

ICT Governance Framework Site
├── Project Management
│   ├── Charter and Planning Documents
│   ├── Schedules and Timelines
│   ├── Status Reports and Dashboards
│   └── Meeting Minutes and Decisions
├── Framework Documentation
│   ├── Governance Policies and Procedures
│   ├── Technical Architecture
│   ├── Implementation Guides
│   └── Training Materials
├── Stakeholder Engagement
│   ├── Communication Plans
│   ├── Stakeholder Feedback
│   ├── Change Management
│   └── Training Resources
└── Quality Assurance
    ├── Review and Approval Workflows
    ├── Testing Documentation
    ├── Issue Tracking
    └── Lessons Learned

Document Management Protocols:

• Version Control: Automatic versioning with major/minor version tracking
• Approval Workflows: Automated approval processes for key documents
• Access Control: Role-based permissions aligned with project RACI
• Metadata Standards: Consistent tagging and categorization
• Search Optimization: Structured content for easy discovery

Microsoft Teams Integration

Collaboration Features:

• File Collaboration: Real-time co-authoring in Teams channels
• Meeting Integration: Teams meetings with automatic recording
• App Integration: Project management apps embedded in Teams
• Workflow Automation: Power Automate flows for routine tasks
• External Access: Secure guest access for external stakeholders

2. Azure DevOps Integration

Project Management Configuration

Work Item Hierarchy:

Epic: ICT Governance Framework Implementation
├── Feature: Governance Policy Development
│   ├── User Story: Policy Template Creation
│   │   ├── Task: Research industry standards
│   │   ├── Task: Draft policy template
│   │   └── Task: Stakeholder review
│   └── User Story: Policy Approval Process
├── Feature: Technical Platform Implementation
└── Feature: Change Management and Training

Board Configuration:

• Kanban Boards: Visual workflow management
• Sprint Planning: Agile sprint management for development work
• Backlog Management: Prioritized backlog with stakeholder input
• Reporting: Automated progress reports and burndown charts

Integration with Collaboration Tools

• Teams Integration: Work items and boards accessible from Teams
• SharePoint Integration: Documents linked to work items
• Power BI Integration: Advanced analytics and reporting
• Automated Workflows: Status updates and notifications

3. Power Platform Automation

Workflow Automation

Automated Processes:

• Document Approval: Automated routing for document approvals
• Status Reporting: Automated collection and compilation of status updates
• Issue Escalation: Automatic escalation based on priority and age
• Stakeholder Notifications: Targeted notifications based on stakeholder preferences
• Meeting Scheduling: Automated meeting scheduling and coordination

Power Apps Solutions:

• Stakeholder Feedback App: Mobile-friendly feedback collection
• Issue Tracking App: Streamlined issue reporting and tracking
• Resource Request App: Standardized resource request process
• Training Registration App: Training session management

Cross-Functional Collaboration

1. Domain Working Groups

Working Group Structure

Each domain maintains a dedicated working group with:

• Domain Owner: Strategic leadership and decision-making
• Technical Lead: Technical implementation and architecture
• Business Analyst: Requirements and process design
• Subject Matter Experts: Domain-specific expertise

Collaboration Protocols

• Regular Sync Meetings: Weekly coordination with core team
• Cross-Domain Sessions: Monthly sessions for integration topics
• Escalation Process: Clear path for cross-domain issue resolution
• Knowledge Sharing: Regular sharing of domain insights and lessons learned

2. External Stakeholder Collaboration

Vendor and Partner Engagement

• Formal Communication Channels: Designated points of contact
• Regular Review Meetings: Scheduled progress and issue reviews
• Collaborative Workspaces: Shared workspaces for joint activities
• Integration Testing: Coordinated testing and validation processes
• Documentation Sharing: Secure document sharing and collaboration

Regulatory and Compliance Collaboration

• Compliance Reviews: Regular reviews with compliance officers
• Audit Preparation: Collaborative audit preparation and documentation
• Regulatory Updates: Monitoring and communication of regulatory changes
• Risk Assessment: Joint risk assessment and mitigation planning

Quality Assurance and Governance

1. Collaboration Quality Standards

Review and Approval Processes

• Peer Review: Mandatory peer review for all deliverables
• Stakeholder Review: Structured stakeholder review and feedback
• Quality Gates: Defined quality checkpoints throughout project
• Approval Workflows: Automated approval workflows with clear criteria
• Version Control: Comprehensive version control and change tracking

Collaboration Metrics

• Participation Rates: Meeting attendance and engagement metrics
• Response Times: Communication response time tracking
• Stakeholder Satisfaction: Regular stakeholder satisfaction surveys
• Collaboration Effectiveness: Team collaboration effectiveness assessments
• Tool Utilization: Usage analytics for collaboration tools

2. Continuous Improvement

Feedback Mechanisms

• Regular Surveys: Monthly collaboration effectiveness surveys
• Retrospectives: Bi-weekly retrospectives for process improvement
• Stakeholder Feedback: Quarterly stakeholder feedback sessions
• Tool Feedback: Regular feedback on collaboration tool effectiveness
• Process Optimization: Continuous optimization of collaboration processes

Adaptation and Evolution

• Protocol Updates: Regular updates based on lessons learned
• Tool Evaluation: Periodic evaluation of collaboration tools
• Best Practice Adoption: Adoption of industry best practices
• Innovation Integration: Integration of new collaboration technologies
• Scalability Planning: Planning for collaboration scalability

Security and Compliance

1. Information Security Protocols

Data Classification and Handling

• Classification Levels: Public, Internal, Confidential, Restricted
• Handling Procedures: Specific procedures for each classification level
• Access Controls: Role-based access controls aligned with data classification
• Encryption Requirements: Encryption standards for data in transit and at rest
• Retention Policies: Data retention and disposal policies

Secure Collaboration Practices

• Authentication: Multi-factor authentication for all collaboration tools
• Authorization: Principle of least privilege for system access
• Monitoring: Continuous monitoring of collaboration activities
• Incident Response: Defined incident response procedures
• Regular Audits: Regular security audits of collaboration systems

2. Compliance Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

• Data Privacy: GDPR and other data privacy regulation compliance
• Industry Standards: Compliance with relevant industry standards
• Audit Requirements: Maintaining audit trails for all collaboration activities
• Documentation Standards: Compliance documentation requirements
• Reporting Obligations: Regular compliance reporting

Internal Governance

• Policy Compliance: Adherence to organizational policies
• Approval Requirements: Formal approval processes for key decisions
• Risk Management: Integration with organizational risk management
• Change Control: Formal change control processes
• Quality Assurance: Compliance with quality assurance standards

Protocol Maintenance and Evolution

Review and Update Process

• Regular Reviews: Quarterly review of all collaboration protocols
• Stakeholder Input: Regular collection of stakeholder feedback
• Performance Analysis: Analysis of collaboration effectiveness metrics
• Best Practice Integration: Integration of emerging best practices
• Continuous Improvement: Ongoing refinement and optimization

Change Management

• Change Requests: Formal process for requesting protocol changes
• Impact Assessment: Assessment of change impacts on team and stakeholders
• Approval Process: Defined approval process for protocol changes
• Implementation Planning: Structured implementation of protocol changes
• Communication: Clear communication of protocol changes to all participants

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Implementation Note: These collaboration protocols will be implemented progressively, starting with core team collaboration and expanding to include all stakeholders. Regular assessment and refinement will ensure the protocols continue to meet project needs and support effective collaboration.

Document Control:

• Owner: ICT Governance Program Manager
• Approved By: Project Team and Key Stakeholders
• Review Date: Quarterly
• Next Review: [Date + 3 months]
• Version Control: Maintained in SharePoint with version history

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