Project Office Checklist

For [Project Name]

Document Control
Document Information

Information
Document Id [Document Management System #]
Document Owner [Owner Name]
Issue Date [Date]
Last Saved Date [Date]
File Name [Name]

Document History

Version Issue Date Changes

[1.0] [Date] [Section, Page(s) and Text Revised]

Document Approvals

Role Name Signature Date

Project Sponsor

Project Review Group

Project Manager

Quality Manager
(if applicable)

Procurement Manager
(if applicable)

Communications Manager
(if applicable)

Project Office Manager

(if applicable)

Copyright 2000 Method123 Ltd i

Template Guide

What is a Project Office Checklist?

The Project Office is the physical premises within which Project Administration staff (e.g. the
Project Manager and support staff) reside. The Project Office also contains the
communications infrastructure and information technologies required to support the project.

A Project Office Checklist is a document which lists the items required to establish a Project
Office and review its on-going operation.

A Project Office Checklist contains a series of questions used to establish:

Whether the premises are fit for purpose

If there is sufficient equipment available
If all required project roles have been documented accordingly
If appropriate standards have been documented and adhered to
If formal project processes have been defined and are being conformed with
Whether document templates have been created and are being used.

Although it is usual for a project team to be based in one central location (i.e. one physical
project office), a project team may be dispersed throughout different countries around the
world. In this instance, a virtual project office is formed. With the modern age of technology,
virtual project offices are becoming more frequent as communications issues are more easily
solved through email, internet access, remote network dial-up software, mobile phones,
laptop technologies and hand-held devices.

When to use a Project Office Checklist

A Project Office Checklist is used immediately after the Project Office has been established
to ensure that it includes the infrastructure required to support the project. It is also useful to
review the Project Office operation on a regular basis (using the checklist) to ensure that it
continues to support the project as originally planned.

How to use this template

This document provides a guide on the topics usually included in a Project Office Checklist.
Sections may be added, removed or redefined at your leisure to meet your particular
business circumstance. Example tables, diagrams and charts have been added (where
suitable) to provide further guidance on how to complete each relevant section.

Copyright 2000 Method123 Ltd 2

Project Office Checklist

PROJECT DETAILS

Project Name: Name of the project establishing the Project Office

Project Manager: Name of the Project Manager responsible for the project
Project Office Manager: Name of the Project Office Manager responsible for the Project Office

PREMISES

W ere the requirements for physical premises documented?

Have the physical premises for the project been established?
Are the premises located in a practical location?
Do the premises meet the requirements originally documented?
Is there a formal contract for the lease / purchase / use of the premises?
Do the premises provide sufficient capacity for the project?
Will the premises continue to be available if the project is delayed?
Do the premises require additional fit-out (e.g. partitions, cabling, air conditioning)?
Are the on-site facilities sufficient (e.g. number of meeting rooms, bathrooms)?

EQUIPMENT

Office Equipment

Do the project team have the required office equipment available to manage the project
(e.g. computer hardware, project planning and financial software, projectors, fax
machines, printers, scanners, copiers)?
Are maintenance contracts in place to ensure that equipment remains operational
throughout the project?
Is spare equipment available in case of a shortage?
Is the office equipment functioning as required?

Communications Equipment

Are there sufficient voice and data communications technologies (such as computer
networks, email, internet access, remote network dial-up software, mobile phones,
laptops and hand-held devices)?
Is video conferencing equipment required?
Is the communications equipment functioning as required?

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 ROLES

Have the following roles been appointed?

o Project Director
o Project Office Manager
o Procurement Manager
o Communications Manager
o Quality Manager
o Risk Manager
o Team Leader(s)

Have formal Job Descriptions been defined and agreed for all required roles?
Does each Job Description adequately describe the role, responsibilities and
performance criteria?
Have suitably skilled staff been appointed to each of the roles identified?

STANDARDS & PROCESSES

Have the following standards been defined? Have the following processes been defined?

Standards Processes
Quality standards Time management process
Planning standards Cost management process
Acceptance standards Quality management process
Reporting standards Change management process
Documentation Standards Risk management process
Other relevant standards (e.g. ISO) Issue management process
Procurement management process
Acceptance management process
Communications management process

TEMPLATES

Have the following templates been created? Planning

Project Plan
Initiation Resource Plan
Business Case Financial Plan
Feasibility Study Quality Plan
Terms of Reference Risk Plan
Job Description(s) Acceptance Plan
Communications Plan
Procurement Plan
Supplier Contract
Tender Register

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 Execution
Timesheet Form, Timesheet Register
Expense Form, Expense Register
Quality Form, Quality Register
Change Form, Change Register
Risk Form, Risk Register
Issue Form, Issue Register
Purchase Order Form, Procurement Register
Project Status Report, Communications Register
Acceptance Form, Acceptance Register

Closure
Project Closure Report
Post Implementation Review

SERVICES

Are the Project Office staff adequately performing the following services:

Maintaining project plans by recording actuals against baseline and periodically

calculating forecasts?
Completing project status reports and distributing them to appropriate project
stakeholders?
Retaining all project documentation and undertaking regular project communication?
Maintaining the project timesheet, expense, quality, change, risk, issue, procurement,
communications and acceptance registers?
Conducting regular reviews to monitor and control time, cost and quality?
Providing advice, guidance, mentoring, training and support for project team members?

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