Responsibility: Units
Prepared by: AMT
Work Instruction Number: WI-EP-10
This work instruction contains the following sections:
Create project plan
This work instruction should provide guidance to the PIs and staff on reconciling the proposed project with the negotiated sponsor agreement. In accordance with §200.202 Program planning and design, PIs should take into consideration the importance of developing a strong project plan and design to set the stage for demonstrating program results. All facets of the project should be considered (budget, scope of work, planning, large purchases with sponsor funds, fulfilling cost share requirements, etc) and planned for, in order to meet the needs of the PIs, the project and the sponsor.
Please note that plans should be consistently reviewed and updated in order to accommodate for changes during the project period.
1. Confirm with Lead Investigator that current budget/budget justification and scope of work conform with their plan of research action and that all rates (ERE, Tuition, recharge facility) are current and correct.
2. Break down the budget into monthly/periodic segments for the duration of the project, to make monthly/periodic reconciliation easier and forecasting possible. Schedule recurring activities and responsibilities for this project. Include who is responsible and to whom the output will go:
- Payroll cycles/hire dates
- Annual cost share reconciliation
- Tech report submission
- Subcontract activities
- Note effort reporting periods this project will be active
- [other things]
- (Include deadlines for input from researchers, such as names of graduate students to be hired, or other limitations imposed by the university or circumstances.)
3. Schedule one time or more activities:
- Major equipment purchases
- Conferences
- Travel
- Include, where applicable, that a small business and diversity programs plan is required and notify the Small Business and Diversity Program Office (SB&DP) of the requirement by sending a copy of the award so that they can perform the required steps to support this requirement.
4. After discussion with the Lead Investigator, include significant project milestones in schedule. This would include tasks that future tasks are dependent upon, as well as what will be needed for successful completion of the project.
5. Arrange for P-cards or arrange for purchasing procedures.
Project plan outlines
PIs may wish to consider:
- producing a dated summary of important dates for this project by role and distribute to team members, or
- incorporating this project’s important dates into the portfolio for the team members involved and sharing with them.
These summaries may include the following:
- Define the work to be accomplished. This is determined from the specifics of the proposal and constraints of the award.
- Identify project milestones
- Identify personnel responsible for achieving milestones and communicate roles and responsibilities to them
- Define activities associated with each milestone
- Intellectual property concerns
- Reporting requirements
- Communication plans
- Identify key resources associated with each milestone. This includes but is not limited to the following:
- Personnel in house or to be hired
- Facilities
- Equipment
- Locations to be utilized
- Link the work breakdown structure to dependencies. This involves taking project pieces (i.e., budget, timeline, personnel) and coupling them with other project pieces that are dependent on the outcome of the initial step.
- Link the work breakdown structure document to duration. This involves taking project pieces (i.e., budget, timeline, personnel) and identifying the length of time each of these pieces will take to completion.
- Link list of equipment to dependencies and durations. Add a purchase plan.
- Create a list of major equipment and facilities used over the course of the project, other projects that may be tangentially involved in the success of this particular project, product developments that are intertwined with the project.
- Identify the duration for each of the previously described steps.
- Combine the information from all steps to create a schedule that includes dependencies and duration for all aspects of the project.
- Add a Risk Management plan.
- Complete purchasing plan.
- Incorporate hiring plan for appropriate roles according to work breakdown structure.
Include, where applicable, that a small business and diversity programs plan is required and notify the Small Business and Diversity Program Office (SB&DP) of the requirement by sending a copy of the award so that they can perform the required steps to support this requirement.
Detailed hiring plan
1. Principal investigators will work directly with the unit’s Human Resources representative. PI will complete a job description and forward to the unit’s HR representative. The unit’s HR representative will work directly with ASU’s HR.
2. Once approved and posted to ASU’s job website, the position will close after two weeks.
3. All applications will be forwarded to the designee on the submitted paperwork. PI must check with the unit’s HR representative to clarify who this is.
4. If the applications are not adequate, the position may be continued for an additional two weeks if ASU’s HR is contacted prior to 5pm on the date of the position’s close. If the position is closed and not filled, the position must be reopened through the unit’s HR representative.
5. The PI will coordinate interviews with all applicants and forward the top candidates to the unit’s HR representative.
6. ASU’s Human Resources will prepare and send an offer letter to the selected candidate. Candidate will accept or decline the offer letter.
- If accepted, new hire information will be forwarded to Human Resources.
- If declining, the next appropriate candidate will be sent an offer letter, or a position will be opened for more applicants.
7. New employees will receive an email from ASU’s Human Resources detailing the next steps for hire, such as attending a new employee orientation, downloading and completing insurance information.