WP1 : MGT: Project Management Print

MGT: Project Management

 

 

 

 

Contact person : M.L Dubernet

 

 

Objectives :


The VAMDC e-Infrastructure involves 15 partners participants from 6 European Union member states (the CNRS partner involves 6 geographically distributed legal entities), partners in ICPC countries: the Russian Federation, Serbia and Venezuela and external partners in the US. The project will co-ordinate two large Networking programmes; three joint research projects and two supply service activities internally involving some 300 users/providers, and externally providing a transformational set of new services to a wide external audience, during its 42 months programme. The success of the VAMDC e-infrastructure will therefore crucially depend on the effective management and integration of these different elements. The Objective of Work Package 1 is therefore to provide the necessary management structure to implement the VAMDC e-Infrastructure including: handling all administrative matters with respect to EU regulations: assembling and submitting reports, overseeing the audit of the finances, arranging meetings with appropriate staff in Brussels. WP1 will also be responsible for establishing and implementing the higher level strategy of the infrastructure.

WP Lead: CNRS(1)

 

Description of work :


The Management structure will include a number of Boards, each with well defined remits and responsibilities. The designated Boards are:

 

VAMDC Executive Board (VEB):

Comprising the Coordinator of the Network, a Project Manager (to be funded by the e-infrastructure and based at the Coordinator’s institute), a scientific co-chair and a technical co-chair. The VEB will act as the ‘daily’ project management team with responsibility for monitoring the progress of the VAMDC e-infrastructure and ensure decisions taken at the Project Board are implemented. Such a small team is necessary to deliver clear and decisive management on short time scales. The VEB will also act as the direct point of contact for the Commission. The VEB will be delegated necessary powers by the VPB to act on issues that require immediate response but will be answerable for such actions to the VPB.

VAMDC Project Board (VPB):

This Board will be the major strategic decision-making body and will have the prime responsibility for ensuring the success of the project and compliance with the terms of the EU Contract. Membership will consist of one representative from each legal entity signing the contract (Contractual Legal Entity: CLE) , i.e. the nominated ‘Scientist in charge’ as defined by the contract, representatives of the departments within a CLE when they have quite distinct roles within the proposal, representatives of members of a CLE when it is composed of several members, each of which being a separate legal entity. It has final control of the budget and the allocation of tasks and resources. It will meet twice a year face-to-face and at other times as required by teleconference and will be chaired by the Coordinator.

Strategic Advisory Board (SAB):

The SAB will bring together influential international scientists, producers and users of data, databases and software experts as well as representative from international standardisation organisations, with interests relevant to the project, but who are independent of it. It will ensure that the project is engaged with and responsive to developments in Europe and non-EU countries. It will have an important role in ensuring the project achieves its intended impacts in terms of structuring the European Research in connection with non-EU initiatives and International standards, having the power to co-opt/appoint members from other EU/non EU projects with whom VAMDC wishes to engage.

The SAB will also advice on topic such as options for long term sustainability of the VAMDC services. It may also elect selected users of VAMDC e-infrastructure to ensure their feedback on service provision and future service development.

The responsibilities of the SAB are also to advise the project on appropriate collaboration structure, which may involve evolution towards the foundation of it as a legal entity after the end of this FP7 funded programme.

The three main tasks of WP1 are the initial establishment of the management structure and its support communication tools, the regular operation of this structure, and its termination at the end of the project together with the delivery of the final reports.

 

Tasks:

Task1: Initial establishment of the management structure and tools (CNRS(1))

Project Months 1 -3 will be entirely devoted to the set-up of the working structure. First, the core of the executive team (Project Coordinator and Project Manager) will be set-up at the coordinating institute (CNRS/LPMAA), and the team will open the project’s Central Web Page at CNRS/VOPARIS Data Centre. The Executive Board will establish communication with all consortium members and prepare the project kick-off meeting which will take place at PM 3. The kick-off meeting will include meeting of the VPB, which will choose the SAB and approve the VAMDC project plan.

Task2: Project Management (lead by CNRS(1), all partners)

Following the ‘kick off meeting’ the project will enter its phase of regular yearly operations, with annual Project Board (10, 22, 34, 42) and SAB (9, 21, 33) meetings. Detailed annual and final reports will be prepared by the Executive Board for presentation to the Board. The report will include review of all the NA, SA and JRAs and include recommendations and comments by the SAB. The report will be reviewed and ratified by the Project Board for transmission to the Commission. Budgetary reports will be assembled by the Project Manager on the Executive Board with particular attention to detailing the spend patterns in the past year and making forecasts for forthcoming year. Should it be necessary to alter spend patterns in forthcoming year the Executive Board will make recommendations to the VPB for their approval.

Task3: Termination of the project (CNRS(1))

At the end of the project the last task will be the production and delivery to the Commission of the final report and budget.

 

Deliverables: MGT: Project Management
Milestones : WP1