Project Categories

IT projects are sorted into four categories. This categorization determines the level of project management applied. Additionally, the category determines the governance review required for the project.

Project Type	Characteristics
Enterprise	Significant enterprise-wide impact and a high level of risk Involving several functional and technical areas Sponsored by the CIO and at least one of the Executive VPs Requiring significant project documentation Approved by IT Governance Executive Committee Example: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Modernization
Standard	Medium level of departmental impact, scope, risks Sponsored by Division of IT CIO or CIO direct report Approved by IT Governance Advisory Committee Requiring typical project documentation Example: Software upgrade or implementation with medium level of risk (such as upgrading ServiceNow to add new functionality available to the entire community)
Specialized	Focused impact (one or two units) and low risk due to their straightforward or routine nature and limited dependencies Effort primarily from one area within the division Requiring minimal project documentation Shared with appropriate IT Governance Working Group Examples: Pilot projects; Enhanced Endpoint Management for IT devices
Operational	Projects that need to be tracked mostly for reporting or effort tracking purposes Requiring only periodic reporting of lifecycle status Reported as a portfolio to appropriate IT Governance Working Group Assigned Project Manager reports to PMO on status and lifecycle phase Examples: Routine software upgrades and patches to enterprise systems