"leveraging sharepoint for project management" for sptech conference sfo
TRANSCRIPT
Hyatt Regency SFO January 27, 2009 1.30pm – 5.00pm
Innovative-e
Leveraging SharePoint For Project Management Success
Dux Raymond Sy, PMP
Activity: The Reality of Project Inefficiencies On a sheet of paper, identify three challenges in
managing project information
For example:
Multiple tools used
Cannot keep track of document versions
Cannot define access control
Swap this sheet of paper with another person
Edit their challenges
Add your challenges
Class Objectives After completing this class, you will be able to leverage the
benefits of utilizing SharePoint as a Project Management Information System (PMIS)
In addition, you will be able to
Build a SharePoint PMIS
Identify relevant PMIS components
Customize project stakeholders’ access requirements
Monitor and analyze project schedule, risks and milestones
Generate on-demand project status reports
Synchronize common project management tools
Dux Raymond Sy, PMP
Managing Partner, Innovative-E, Inc.
Author, “SharePoint for Project Management” by O’Reilly Media
Contract Author & Instructor, Learning Tree International
For more information, connect with Dux
E-Mail: [email protected]
LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/meetdux
Blog: Meetdux.com
Twitter: @meetdux
Agenda
Why SharePoint?
Setting Up a SharePoint PMIS
Adding PMIS Components
Including Project Stakeholders to the PMIS
Supporting Team Collaboration
Project Tracking and Reporting
Adapting SharePoint to Your Project Environment
Summary
Share
+
Point
What’s SharePoint?
Allows individuals in an organization to easily create and manage their own collaborative Web sites
Simplifies how people find and share information across boundaries, and enabling better informed decisions
Seamlessly integrates with Windows and MS Office
Does not refer to a specific product or technology
Using the word “Microsoft SharePoint” is like using the word “Microsoft Office”
Refers to several aspects of Web-based collaborative solutions
Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) 3.0
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007
WSS and MOSS
WSS is the core technology of Microsoft SharePoint
If SharePoint is a car, WSS can be considered the “engine”
Provides the core technology that supports document management and team collaboration
WSS is available for free as long as your organization is utilizing Windows Server 2003 or above
MOSS extends the capabilities of WSS
Going back to our car analogy, MOSS provides extended capabilities such as GPS, a DVD system, Voice Commands
Extended features include Enterprise search, Personalization, Enterprise Content Management, etc.
Unlike WSS, MOSS is not available for free
What’s a PMIS?
A standardized set of automated project management tools available within the organization and integrated into a system
Used by the project management team to
Support the generation and maintenance of project artifacts
Facilitate communication and feedback
Monitor project activities
Control project changes
Analyze and forecast project performance
Contains real-time information essential for initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing a project
What’s out there?
Microsoft SharePoint
Microsoft Project Server
Clarity
Primavera
Web-based
Google Team Site
Basecamp
Zoho
SharePoint as a PMIS
Individual projects can have a collaborative web site
Access can be limited to the project team and appropriate stakeholders
Project artifacts can be centrally stored and maintained
Project communications can be streamlined
Relatively easy to use
IT intervention is minimal
Based on familiar tools and technologies: Web, Windows, Microsoft Office
Agenda
Why SharePoint?
Setting Up a SharePoint PMIS
Adding PMIS Components
Including Project Stakeholders to the PMIS
Supporting Team Collaboration
Project Tracking and Reporting
Adapting SharePoint to Your Project Environment
Summary
Laying the Foundation
As soon as the project gets started, a PMIS should be created
In SharePoint, the first step is to create a site
SharePoint Site Hierarchy
SharePoint sites are organized in a hierarchy
Top-level site
Sub-site
Site Collection
Top-level site
Sub-sites
Deciding PMIS Hierarchy
With your organization, choose one of the two high-level PMIS hierarchy options:
Single site collection that includes a top-level PMO site and all project sites are sub-sites
Multiple site collections where each project site is an independent site collection
Site Creation
Two main ways of creating a SharePoint sub-site
Directly from a top-level site using a Web browser
From any Microsoft Office application
Steps to create a sub-site:
1. Go to the Create page
2. Select Sites and Workspaces
3. Specify Site Creation Settings
Workshop 1: Creating a SharePoint PMIS
Please refer to the Workshop Manual
Refining the PMIS
Determine if any organizational standards exist for
PMIS look and feel
Navigation
Usability
Project-specific needs
Regional settings
Site usage
Auditing needs
Regulatory compliance
Agenda
Why SharePoint?
Setting Up a SharePoint PMIS
Adding PMIS Components
Including Project Stakeholders to the PMIS
Supporting Team Collaboration
Project Tracking and Reporting
Adapting SharePoint to Your Project Environment
Summary
PMIS Should Enable a Project Team to
Centralize project information
May include project contacts, calendar, documents, templates, forms, and checklists
Maintain history & define access privileges
Facilitate project communication and collaboration
Collaborative activities such as scheduling a meeting, jointly developing a proposal or informally brainstorming on project strategies should be supported
Automate project processes
In SharePoint, information is stored and organized in lists and libraries
SharePoint Lists
A collection of shared information items
Most of the information in a SharePoint site is organized and stored in lists
Everyone who has access to the site is able to view lists
Viewing a list is comparable to viewing information in a spreadsheet
Common Lists in a SharePoint PMIS
Calendar
Contacts
Project task
Issue tracking
Custom List
Components of a List
Lists are composed of two key sections
1. List toolbar
– New
– Actions
– Settings
– View
2. List item(s)
Creating a List
Two types of lists that can be created
Out-of-the-box list
Custom list
Steps to create a list:
1. Go to the Create page
2. Select the type of list to be created
3. Specify the list settings
Workshop 2: Creating and Populating Lists
Please refer to the Workshop Manual
Libraries
Files are stored and organized in libraries
Similar to storing files in folders
Provides a centralized location
Document storage
Controlled access of documents
Libraries are advanced lists
Features and functionalities in lists are mostly applicable to libraries
There are four types of libraries
In a PMIS, you would typically use a document library
Creating a Document Library
Multiple ways to create a document library
From the browser
From Microsoft Office
Steps to create a list:
1. Go to the Create page
2. Select Document Library
3. Specify the list settings
Workshop 3: Creating a Document Library
Please refer to the Workshop Manual
Agenda
Why SharePoint?
Setting Up a SharePoint PMIS
Adding PMIS Components
Including Project Stakeholders to the PMIS
Supporting Team Collaboration
Project Tracking and Reporting
Adapting SharePoint to Your Project Environment
Summary
Adapting Communications Requirements
Time and effort are invested in planning project communications
Project communication plan should map to SharePoint access requirements
Information needs of stakeholders
Identify the type of information a stakeholder would need
What is the frequency?
Will they retrieve the information or should it be sent to them?
Stakeholder influence and interest defines PMIS access
How much access would a stakeholder have?
SharePoint Site Access
SharePoint sites are intended for a community of users
It is the responsibility of the site owner to define who the site members are
Typically, site membership is defined when the site is being created
Site membership also defines what the member can do
How are site members added?
1. Site members can be manually added by the site owner
2. Site access can be requested by any user
Site Permissions
Two ways to assign permissions
SharePoint Groups
Individual user permissions
Default permission levels in SharePoint include:
Full Control: has full site control
Design: can add content and customize pages
Contribute: can add content
Read: has read-only access to the site
Best Practice: vast majority of users will have Contribute permission
Workshop 4: Adding Stakeholders
Please refer to the Workshop Manual
Access Level
Site
List or Library
Item Level
Agenda
Why SharePoint?
Setting Up a SharePoint PMIS
Adding PMIS Components
Including Project Stakeholders to the PMIS
Supporting Team Collaboration
Project Tracking and Reporting
Adapting SharePoint to Your Project Environment
Summary
Information Management Challenges
Real-time
Developing or working with information among a group at the same time
Need instant communication among group members
Offline
Collaboration between varying time zones
Discussion and feedback mechanism is needed
Remote access
Making information accessible anytime anywhere
Revisiting Lists and Libraries
Apart from centrally storing documents, lists and document libraries provide several document management features
Check-out/check-in
Version history
Content approval
Workshop 5: Updating a Project Document
Please refer to the Workshop Manual
Collaboration Tools
Wikis A Web site in which users can easily edit any page
In project environments, it provides an easy way to record lessons learned
Discussion boards Similar to online message boards on the Web
Like news groups or Web logs
Provides threaded discussion capability
Participants can reply to any message in the discussion
Example: Clarifying Requirements
Integrating Microsoft Office 2007
Outlook
Synchronize calendars and contacts
Display tasks, libraries, discussion boards
Excel
Synchronize spreadsheets to SharePoint lists
Agenda
Why SharePoint?
Setting Up a SharePoint PMIS
Adding PMIS Components
Including Project Stakeholders to the PMIS
Supporting Team Collaboration
Project Tracking and Reporting
Adapting SharePoint to Your Project Environment
Summary
Project Tracking
Making time to gather intelligence about the progress of the project is a significant priority for the project manager
What critical elements of a project do you track?
Schedule
Risks / Issues
Changes
_____________________
_____________________
SharePoint Project Tracking Components
Project Task List
Define project tasks, assignments, start date, & due date
Indicate task status
Track percentage complete
Display information in a Gantt chart view
Issue Tracking List
Manage issues
Assign responsibilities
Specify progress
Identify solution
Workshop 6: Project Tracking
Please refer to the Workshop Manual
SharePoint Project Reporting Tools
Custom Views
Views that are created to match user or group interest
For example, we are interested in viewing project documents that were modified by the sponsor during project initiation
Web Parts
Customizable software components that serves a particular purpose
Can be used to create project dashboards
Workshop 7: Creating a Project Dashboard
Please refer to the Workshop Manual
Agenda
Why SharePoint?
Setting Up a SharePoint PMIS
Adding PMIS Components
Including Project Stakeholders to the PMIS
Supporting Team Collaboration
Project Tracking and Reporting
Adapting SharePoint to Your Project Environment
Summary
The challenge in a major technology rollout is …
Remember, people can change as
The change is worthwhile
It would bring great benefits primarily at a personal level then at the organizational level
It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out nor more doubtful of success nor more dangerous to handle than to initiate a new order of things.
—Niccolò Machiavelli, Italian statesman and philosopher
Creating and Reusing Templates
An existing SharePoint PMIS can be saved as a site template
All the lists, libraries, views, and Web Parts that were used will be stored
The content can be optionally stored as well
The site template can be used as a basis for the creation of a new PMIS
Provide User Support
Training
Books
Web-based videos
Instructor-led
Self-service help / FAQ
Checklists
Templates
How-to Guides
Feedback mechanism
Gather user ideas, suggestions, comments
Agenda
Why SharePoint?
Setting Up a SharePoint PMIS
Adding PMIS Components
Including Project Stakeholders to the PMIS
Supporting Team Collaboration
Project Tracking and Reporting
Adapting SharePoint to Your Project Environment
Summary
Summary You are now able to leverage the benefits of utilizing
SharePoint as a Project Management Information System (PMIS)
In addition, you are now able to
Build a SharePoint PMIS
Identify relevant PMIS components
Customize project stakeholders’ access requirements
Monitor and analyze project schedule, risks and milestones
Generate on-demand project status reports
Synchronize common project management tools
Innovative-e
Thank You!
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