University of Delaware Information Technologies (UDIT) has launched its dedicated UDIT Project Management Office (PMO) website, introducing the new IT Project Management Framework to the campus community. Designed to foster consistency, transparency, and collaboration across campus, the platform provides project leaders and stakeholders with a structured, repeatable methodology to plan and execute technology projects, with clearly defined governance structures, roles, responsibilities, and decision making throughout the project lifecycle

Central to this launch is a new suite of standardized project management templates embedded directly into the framework lifecycle. These self-explanatory templates capture critical data across four core lifecycle phases: Initiation, Planning, Delivery, and Closeout. Designed to support project teams across the university, the templates are available for anyone across campus to download and use as needed. For projects supported by the UDIT PMO, select templates are required as part of the project management process. 

Core templates required for all UDIT PMO supported projects include:

• Project Charter & Estimation Tool: Formally authorizes project scope and provides multi-year implementation and operational cost estimates.

• Project Planning Document & Organizational Change Management Plan: Establishes schedules, resource assignments, risk strategies, and organizational change management plans to transition stakeholders smoothly.

• Project Health Status Model & Closeout Report: Tracks ongoing project health (Green, Yellow, Red) based on budget, timeline, and risk thresholds, concluding with key successes and lessons learned at closeout.

To ensure flexibility and prevent unnecessary administrative burden on smaller initiatives, streamlined "Light" versions of key core templates—such as the Project Charter Light and Organizational Change Management Plan Light—are available for small projects. Additionally, specialized optional templates support complex project needs, including Business Cases, Requirements Gathering Documents, Test Plans, Test Scripts, Acceptance of Deliverables, and Change Request Documents.

"Good project management starts with shared expectations," said Heather Jones, Manager of the UDIT PMO. "This framework gives project leaders and stakeholders a common language and a clear view of where every project stands. We want this to be a two-way conversation, so we encourage anyone working with the templates to tell us what's working and what isn't."

All templates and framework resources are now accessible on the UDIT PMO website. For guidance or questions regarding the new templates, project leaders can contact the UDIT PMO directly at it-pmo@udel.edu.