Program Management
and Support Solutions
achieve your project goals.
In today's fast paced business environments nearly three-quarters of all programs or projects experience some form of failure. Harkcon is dedicated to helping our clients achieve their program and project goals by providing a broad range of services:
Through our innovative consulting services, we deliver high value solutions that ensure our clients' project objectives, schedules and cost expectations are met.
Program Management
Harkcon PMI® Certified Project Management Professionals can help you prioritize and coordinate resources across projects to best manage the interdependencies, conflicts, and resource and knowledge sharing between the projects and the overall costs and risks of the program.
As organizations work to improve their performance and transform themselves in today’s ever changing environment, they quickly realize that this on only possible through great program management capabilities. Looking across the multiple layers of an organization and at the projects and work they are doing, Harkcon PMI® Certified Project Management Professionals can help you to prioritize and coordinate resources across projects to best manage the interdependencies, conflicts, and resource and knowledge sharing between the projects and the overall costs and risks of the program.
At Harkcon, we believe there are nine critical success factors behind every successful program. Our critical success factors are:
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Governance
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Alignment
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Assurance
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Management
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Integration
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Finances
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Infrastructure
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Planning
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Continuous Improvement
Harkcon Program Managers have years of experience preparing complex reports, spreadsheets and other data requiring expert analysis, meeting rigid milestones for the timely delivery of complex services and program deliverables, creating and implementing strategic and business plans, coordinating planning, providing logistical and travel support, developing, training and exercising standard operating procedures, and evaluating program performance.
Project
Planning
The objective of our Project Planning Service is two-fold, to deliver a project plan that will ensure the effective and cost efficient management of our client's projects and to provide a well-defined and repeatable process methodology that our clients can use for their future projects.
Research indicates that inadequate project planning and incomplete or changing project requirements are the two primary issues that lead to failed project deliverables, schedule delays, and cost overruns.
To address these issues, Harkcon works collaboratively with our clients to establish well defined project plans using the latest project management methodologies. Our process oriented planning approach starts with a facilitated assessment of your organization's business needs, the enterprise environmental factors that may influence the project, and the organizational process assets/systems that will be used in the execution of the project. We then develop formal project plans that address every phase of the project management lifecycle from project initiation through project close-out.
The objective of our Project Planning Service is two-fold, to deliver a project plan that will ensure the effective and cost efficient management of our client's projects and to provide a well-defined and repeatable process methodology that our clients can use for their future projects.
At Harkcon, we believe there are five critical success factors behind every successful project and that effective Project Planning and Integration of people and processes are the keys to project success. Our critical success factors are:
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Formal project initiation and senior management support
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Thorough project planning and documentation that includes all stakeholders
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Well-planned systematic project execution by the project team
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Effective monitoring & control by the Project Manager and/or the Project Management Office
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Well-defined project closing procedures that ensure customer satisfaction and project acceptances
Project Integration is the implementation of these critical success factors to ensure the seamless merger of information, project management processes, and resources to provide optimal outcomes for our clients. As Project Integrators, we can help your organization define and execute the processes and activities that integrate the many elements of the project management lifecycle. Harkcon has extensive project management experience and is well versed in:
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Project Integration Management
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Scope Management
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Project Time Management
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Cost Management
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Quality Management
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Human Resource Management
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Project Communications Management
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Project Procurement Management
Harkcon's PMI® Certified Project Management Professionals have managed hundreds of large and small projects in areas such as strategic planning; organizational design and stand-up; manpower planning; process reengineering; IT systems implementation; weapons safety; offshore business migration; and special project research, development, and implementation.
Need expert project integration and management help? Harkcon stands ready to team with your organization to ensure efficient and effective project outcomes.
Risk
Mitigation
Harkcon's risk management practice helps our clients proactively identify, mitigate, and manage risk. We help our clients plan for and mitigate risks that could have adverse impacts on their businesses and to proactively increase the probability of events that will have positive impacts.
As the global economy develops, business and government interaction increases, and as the pace of change continues to quicken, risk management is becoming more important to Harkcon's commercial, government and defense clients.
Harkcon's risk management practice helps our clients proactively identify, mitigate, and manage risk. We help our clients plan for and mitigate risks that could have adverse impacts on their businesses and to proactively increase the probability of events that will have positive impacts.
To achieve this goal, Harkcon works closely with our clients to implement a systematic and repeatable risk management process that encompasses five key processes:
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Risk Management Planning
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Risk Identification
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Qualitative and Quantitative Risk Analysis
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Risk Response and Contingency Planning
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Risk Monitoring and Control
Harkcon's Project Management Professionals have extensive experience in the private sector assessing the risks of establishing operating units and have helped companies develop new onshore business operations; offshore business migrations strategies; offshore risk assessment and mitigation strategies; procedures for complying with foreign regulations such as business licensing, export/import laws, and tax compliance; third world infrastructure risk assessment and contingency planning; foreign labor laws compliance; severe weather response planning; and other risk mitigation strategies.
In today's risk laden world, Harkcon is ready to help our clients gain peace-of-mind by mitigating risk before it happens and by turning risks into opportunities.
Large change initiatives require three elements in order to be successful: visible, continuous leadership by senior executives who sponsor the initiative through to its implementation; adherence to project management discipline to produce quality, timely deliverables; and a comprehensive change management plan. A fundamental principle of change management is that all people in your organization: senior leadership, middle managers, and employees want (and need) to understand the nature of the change and the risk to them and to the organization if there is no change.
Harkcon helps your organization's people by creating and helping you to implement change management plans that emphasize the people side of change, thereby helping you to drive an initiative to successful implementation. Using the Prosci© ADKAR® Model, Harkcon change management specialists will create customized, tailored change management plans built on the five building blocks of change: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement.
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Awareness for the need to change. A credible source explains what must change in the current state and why this is important to each individual in the organization.
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Desire to change. The individual's assessment of the initiative relative to their own needs and to the context in which they work, ultimately leading to the person's decision to support the change.
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Knowledge required for implementing the change. Individuals have or are given the education and training on the skills and behaviors required to develop and implement the initiative, to operate the new process or system, and to understand the roles and responsibilities that they and others will execute after the change.
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Ability to change. The individual and the organization as a whole can implement the initiative and reach the desired level of performance.
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Reinforcement of the change. Individuals and entities within the organization are recognized for actual accomplishments, and positive behaviors supporting the initiative are not punished. Accountability mechanisms also exist to monitor implementation and to prevent backsliding.
Plans will emphasize:
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Preparing for Change. Here we help you define your change management strategy; build, assess, and coach the team that will develop and execute your change management program; and create a roadmap for leading, implementing, and reinforcing change.
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Managing Change. Here we help you through the change process by developing and implementing plans for communication, sponsorship, coaching, training, resistance management, and reinforcing the change.
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Reinforcing the Change. The final component of a good change management program is reinforcing the change. Here we help you collect and analyze feedback; diagnose gaps and manage resistance; implement corrective action; and celebrate successes.
Facility Security Support
Harkcon supports small and medium-sized businesses with personnel and facilities security needs as required by the National Industrial Security Program. We offer a wide range of customized security services designed to meet the requirements of the National Industrial Security Program Operations Manual.
Harkcon supports small and medium-sized businesses with personnel and facilities security needs as required by the National Industrial Security Program. We offer a wide range of customized security services designed to meet the requirements of the National Industrial Security Program Operations Manual.
Our services include:
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Facility Clearance sponsorship preparation and processing assistance including corporate business documents (e.g., Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws, Board/Company Meeting Meetings), Key Management Personnel list, Director and Officer Exclusion, Standard Form 328; Certificate Pertaining to Foreign Interests, DD Form 441
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Develop security program policies, procedures and record keeping including Standard Operating Procedures, Operations Security Planning, Counterintelligence, and Insider Threat policies
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Security program management including personnel and facility clearance processing
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Development and delivery of mandatory security awareness training program consisting of Initial Security Briefings, Foreign Travel Briefings, Annual Insider Threat Briefings, Annual Security Refresher Briefings and Security Debriefing
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Security systems processing and support including Defense Information System for Security, National Information Security System, and the National Background Investigation System.
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Creation and issuance of DD 254s and project-specific and Operations Security (OPSEC) Planning
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Annual Self-Inspection planning, execution, and Defense Security Services (DSS) reporting assistance
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Annual DSS Security Vulnerability Assessment preparation and assistance
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Annual DSS PSI Projection Survey
Harkcon will work with you to build a security program to your security needs.
Insider Threat Program - Development and Management Support
Harkcon can assist your firm to develop and implement an Insider Threat Program that will meet all of the NISPOM requirements. We will help you draft a plan, develop training for your cleared and uncleared associates, and to establish monitoring and reporting procedures that meet all NISPOM requirements.
The implementation NISPOM Change 2 requires government contractors to establish and maintain an insider threat program to detect, deter, and mitigate insider threats. Specifically, the program must gather, integrate, and report relevant and credible information covered by any of the 13 personnel security adjudicative guidelines that are indicative of a potential or actual insider threat to deter cleared associates from becoming insider threats; detect insiders who pose a risk to classified information; and mitigate the risk of an insider threat.
Harkcon can assist your firm to develop and implement an Insider Threat Program that will meet all of the NISPOM requirements. We will help you draft a plan, develop training for your cleared and uncleared associates, and to establish monitoring and reporting procedures that meet all NISPOM requirements.
Printing and
Graphic Support
We provide printing procurement through the Government Printing Office (GPO), graphics design, printing, bindery and product distribution. These services require our highly skilled technicians who offer years of experience delivering creative information solutions that allow organizations to connect with diverse audiences.
Harkcon’s in-house and highly experienced staff offers a comprehensive understanding of the current printing and graphical state within the Federal government and commercially, and recognizes how critical our print graphics support is to the government.
We have established trusted relationships at all levels of the government to support their printing and graphical needs. We have successfully handled quick-turn and emergency situations providing design, layout, printing and delivery of high quality documents and graphics.
We provide printing procurement through the Government Printing Office (GPO), graphics design, printing, bindery and product distribution. These services require our highly skilled technicians who offer years of experience delivering creative information solutions that allow Federal agencies, such as the FBI, to connect with diverse audiences.
Harkcon understands that graphics design is an art form requiring ingenuity, and printing is a technology involving a command of the lithographic process, printing technologies, and substrate. Implementing the right graphical and printing approach will require a team with strong printing and graphical skills.
Harkcon presents a team to work as a catalyst for delivering these printing and graphical solutions to support your mission. We understand the government printing and graphical requests and offer a range of services from analyzing customer printing, publication design layout, and technical graphics, to acquiring additional print services from commercial vendors.
Sharepoint Site Development and Administration
Effective program and project management relies on integrating and coordinating the efforts of program and project team members, finances, and other resources. Organizations are more and more turning to cloud based tools such as Microsoft SharePoint to manage their programs and projects.
Effective program and project management relies on integrating and coordinating the efforts of program and project team members, finances, and other resources. Organizations are more and more turning to cloud based tools such as Microsoft SharePoint to manage their programs and projects.
Harkcon customized and administered SharePoint sites provide our clients with analysis, execution, and budget planning capabilities by allowing them to easily access key budget data and to produce reports from the project level up to the program level across multiple accounts. In turn, these capabilities enable our clients to determine the level of effort required to complete projects, to refine future budget estimates, to prepare multi-year and annual work plans, to maintain a master schedule and work breakdown structure, and measure performance against established standards. Our SharePoint sites support financial planning and budgeting by tracking financial data to provide an instant snapshot of obligated costs and invoiced expenses against funding.
For example, on a recent contract, we prepared over 100 project plans. Each project plan included a WBS that defined the work and milestones for completing the work as well as a project budget broken down by the high-level tasks defined in the WBS. The project plans were entered into the SharePoint site and were tracked by Harkcon Program and Project Managers. Our client had 24/7 access to the site to track project status at any time. Information from ongoing project plans was used to generate Monthly Status Reports that provided our client with a roll-up of all the work completed during the previous month, the status of on-going projects, and a summary of completed travel. Monthly Status Reports were rolled up to an End-of-Year Status Report that provided our client with a summary of work completed the previous year.
Our architects have designed SharePoint solutions for demanding clients. As part of the redesign efforts for a Federal Bureau of Investigation system, Harkcon performed the following tasks:
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Migrated from the existing SharePoint 2010 platform to SharePoint 2016. This included migrating to new 2016 versions of Windows Server and SQL Server. These systems were then secured to levels required by the unclassified level.
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Working with client management, internal users and external users, Harkcon redesigned the site to better reflect the changing needs of the systems users with an additional emphasis on evolving subject matter. With the appropriate controls, the system allows for easier submission of data as well as collaborative editing of profiles and information.
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As a principle of design, Harkcon replaced the existing system which was based on custom coding of functions, with a system that predominately is based on out of the box (OOB) functionality. This resulted in a system that can safely be upgraded and secured as well as reduced operating expenses for maintenance.
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Harkcon also provided a mobile access functionality for smart phone and other devices.
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As required by the client, we moved from a client controlled virtual cloud to an Amazon Web Services (AWS) GovCloud with the appropriate security controls in place.
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Based on the revised architecture requirements Harkcon reduced the annual system operating costs from an initial cost of $170,000 annually to $15,000 annually.
Harkcon seamlessly supports all aspects of the procurement process. We use client specific templates and checklists, ensure compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), Justice FAR (JAR), and any special clauses.
We assist in all three phases of the Acquisition Process: Planning, Execution, and Performance. Our Planning includes the effective documentation of purchase details, quantity, delivery options, location, date, recipient, tracking options and any pertinent instructions. In the Execution phase, we maintain the schedule and enforce deadlines, draft official correspondence between the Government and vendors, develop evaluation score sheets, schedule conference rooms for evaluations, and ensure all source selection documents are appropriately stored or disposed of.
We support the Performance of the service by attentively monitoring and evaluating contractor performance, inspecting deliverables before acceptance, supporting invoicing activities, and assisting in closeout at the end of the contract.
Property Management
Property management in U.S. government contracting refers to the processes and procedures involved in the acquisition, use, maintenance, and disposal of government-owned property or assets. This is a crucial aspect of government contracts to ensure responsible and efficient use of resources. The U.S. government, as a major buyer of goods and services, has specific regulations and guidelines in place to govern the management of property acquired under contracts.
Team Harkcon ensures that only the appropriate person gains access to or possession of equipment. We are well experienced with the Asset Management System (AMS) to track all products that exceed $2,500 in value, as well as workstations, laptops, and printers, even though they do not often exceed that threshold. We work with property custodians to track items that are not required to be retained in AMS such as keyboards, monitors, and other types of low cost supplies.
We regularly review all items assigned to our specific cost codes in AMS, preventing errors that sometimes arise when individuals from other offices assign property to our cost codes unintentionally. This regular review allows us to identify and resolve discrepancies, ensuring the accuracy of all AMS data before issues are identified during audits.
Our clients trust us to ensure the information in AMS and our other property tracking spreadsheets is accurate. We maintain 100% inventory accountability, first by providing attentive inventory management support throughout the year, and second, by supporting quarterly and annual inventory activities.
We provide comprehensive logistics support to include communicating with all affected staff about upcoming inventory audits, provide guidance on the development of the audit plan and schedule, and assist in executing the audit.