New Tools Available to Project Teams

November 2, 2021 -  Defence Stories

Keeping Projects within scope, on schedule, and on budget is always a challenge. At National Defence, there are hundreds of Projects in progress at any given time, staffed by personnel with various degrees of knowledge and understanding of the departmental Project Approval Process (PAP). With this in mind, two new tools have been developed to help Project Team personnel understand and follow the processes that enable project success.

The Project Approval Directive (PAD) governs the PAP and must be followed from the time a capability requirement is acknowledged in the Identification Phase, through to the Implementation Phase and ultimately the Close-Out Phase. The PAD provides comprehensive guidance on the PAP, which is tailored to meet the needs and requirements of the Department of National Defence/Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF).

Because the PAD contains a lot of information, it can be a challenge for new users to navigate. Therefore, a new interactive version has been created with easily accessible sections, menus to access different parts and references, and a new feature that organizes content according to Project Team roles. This allows users to find the materials and templates which are relevant to them. The new version is located on the PAD SharePoint site (accessible only on the National Defence network) that is accessible to all departmental personnel. The site also has instructional materials, references, and resources.

In addition, Project Team personnel can access the new Project Approval Process (PAP) Fundamentals course on the Defence Learning Network (DLN) (accessible only on the National Defence network).  It provides an overview of the issues, concepts, steps and governance of managing Project Approvals in DND, which makes it particularly helpful to new personnel assigned to a Project Team.

The PAP Fundamentals course is a pre-requisite to the Project Approval Course (PAC). The PAC is being offered virtually, twice/month, using the Saba Meeting 8 platform until the COVID-19 pandemic is resolved.  More information on the PAC can be found on its intranet page (accessible only on the National Defence network).

Personnel involved in managing a DND/CAF Project need the right tools to succeed. Successfully delivering Projects is challenging, and Project Teams need every advantage they can get. The new PAD and the PAP Fundamentals course were designed with this in mind. Whether you are part of a Project Team or simply interested in how Project Approvals are managed in the department, you are encouraged to take advantage of these new tools.