The Federal Council Instructions on ICT projects in the Federal Administration and the ICT Portfolio define which projects are classed as key projects and what specific rules they have to comply with.
Federal Council Instructions on ICT projects in the Federal Administration and the ICT Portfolio
Definition and determination of key projects
A key project is a project or programme in the Federal Administration, which due to its requirements in terms of staffing and budget, its strategic importance, its complexity, its impact or associated risks, requires a greater degree of leadership, steering, coordination and control. Based on these criteria and after consulting the Conference of Secretaries General, the Federal Chancellor determines which projects or programmes are to be classed as key projects. Responsibility for key projects rests with the principal and the project team, as well as with superior management bodies.
Current key projects in the Federal Administration
The DTI Sector ensures that the list of key projects is regularly updated.
SFAO audits
The Swiss Federal Audit Office SFAO carries out periodic and systematic audits of key projects. Its task is to assess the project’s state of progress and the associated risks, and to evaluate the implementation of any measures ordered to mitigate risk and to ensure that the objectives are achieved. The SFAO produces a report after each audit.
Half-yearly reporting
The administrative unit responsible for a key project provides a progress report to the DTI at the end of June and December each year. The DTI then draws up a consolidated report on the status of all key projects, which is acknowledged by the CSG and passed on to the Control Committees and the Finance Delegation of the Federal Assembly. The DTI may propose appropriate measures. After consulting the CSG, the Federal Chancellor decides whether to submit these measures to the Federal Council for decision.
Project manager pool for key projects in the Federal Administration
In order to ensure that the necessary human resources are available to manage key projects in the Federal Administration, the DTI has a central pool of internal and external project managers with the appropriate expertise. A WTO tender ensures that demand bottlenecks can be managed by external project managers. Those offering their services must have, among other things, HERMES 5 certification and proven experience in complex ICT programmes or projects.
