Information Quality and Large Scale Project Budget Tracking

The acceptance of the “E-Russia” project by the government of the Russian Federation presents a significant challenge to existing management structures. Particularly apparent is the need to be able to optimize the financial aspects of a project of this magnitude. Large project budget monitoring and control, including effective warnings regarding impending trends and deviations, is an imposing task. In normal circumstances this is done retrospectively and with minimal predictive capability. By implementing appropriate analytical techniques along with determinations of non-linear instability in existing trends, dramatic improvement in project control can be attained. Additionally, appropriate models exist that enable the availability of public funding sources to be more accurately analyzed and projected. The risk factors in both the expense and funding components are more readily visible and early corrective measures may be applied to mitigate these risks. These techniques offer the potential to more readily assess the relevance and impact of the data normally collected and yields pertinent information that exposes a much more accurate view of the project from a management and financial perspective. EXTENDED ABSTRACT The government of the Russian Federation has proposed and accepted the principle objectives of the project “E-Russia.” This project intends to significantly expand the scope and reach of computer communications throughout the federation and foster the development of three key objectives: • Enhance educational opportunities • Promote business development • Provide individuals with access to information The acceptance of this project has been subject to considerable discussion and controversy. Some of the pertinent criticism has centered on the need to develop improved auditing and management of projects of this size and scope. While information quality now approaches ISACA (Information Systems Audit and Control Association) standards in many areas, the accumulated experience and judgment within government and industry to effectively manage and cope with the implications of a project of this size may be somewhat lacking. This paper is part of a series of steps intended to foster increased awareness of strategic management of information and its quality pertinent to large scale IT projects. For “E-Russia” as with all large scale projects there are several elements of methodology that are essential to the organization and management of the project. First, the ‘Maturity Model’ Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Information Quality