The purpose of the Department of Energy (DOE) IT Project Management, Engineering, and Quality Assurance effort is to lead and provide guidance to information technology programs, and to support the successful development and maintenance of Departmental site-specific information systems.  This is accomplished by fostering and mentoring continuous growth and maturity in the use of best practices for project management, software systems engineering, and quality assurance and soliciting DOE-wide participation and successes for sharing.

IT Project Management, Engineering, and Quality Assurance is a component of the “DOE Enterprise Architecture Program” and “Capital Planning and Investment Control process.”

IT Project Management

Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools techniques and resources to project activities to meet or exceed stakeholder needs and expectations.  It is the discipline of planning, managing, and executing a project to ensure that the products or services are produced according to specifications, on time, and within budget.  Project management entails carrying out a project as effectively as possible with respect to these dimensions.

A sound project management strategy integrated with a proven systems engineering methodology and a commitment to quality are the primary ingredients in producing successful information technology projects that are delivered operationally effective.

IT Software and Systems Engineering

The OCIO is dedicated to supporting the development and maintenance of DOE Department wide and site-specific software and IT systems engineering initiatives.  This webpage contains resources, checklists, templates, and samples that can be downloaded, plus links to many other informative web sites.
In particular, the Department of Energy has issued the DOE Systems Engineering Methodology (SEM), which documents the minimum software and IT systems engineering practices that should be implemented on DOE projects, as well as other accompanying guidance documents. The DOE SEM is the Department’s standard lifecycle methodology.  It integrates IT systems engineering, software engineering, project management, and quality assurance processes into a lifecycle that is controllable, predictable, and repeatable.  The lifecycle processes are divided into stages, activities, and tasks that can be combined or modified as necessary to fit the needs of various types and sizes of projects. 

IT Quality Assurance

Quality, error-free work holds down costs. Avoiding mistakes and rework saves valuable time, effort, and materials. Quality assurance provides the mechanisms for paying close attention to details so that tasks are completed correctly and accurately every step of the way. A quality assurance role should be established for all projects.

Last Reviewed: 3/26/2008