SP Summit 2009: Leveraging SP for PM PPT Montreal, QC April 6, 2009

1. Leveraging SharePoint for
Project Management Success
Dux Raymond Sy, PMP
Managing Partner, Innovative-e, Inc.

2. 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
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3. 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
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4. 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: dux.sy@innovative-e.com
LinkedIn: meetdux.com/li
Blog: meetdux.com
Twitter: twitter.com/meetdux
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5. 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
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6. Share
+
Point
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7. 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
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8. What if SharePoint is a Car?
Car SharePoint
Purpose: Purpose:
What’s required? What’s required?
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9. WSS vs 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
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10. SharePoint Geek Vagen
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11. 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
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12. What’s Out There?
Microsoft SharePoint
Microsoft Project Server
Clarity
Primavera
Web-based
Google Team Site
Basecamp
Zoho

13. 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

14. 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
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15. 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
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16. SharePoint Site Hierarchy
SharePoint sites are organized in a hierarchy
Top-level site
Sub-site
Top-level site
Sub-sites
Site Collection
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17. 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

18. 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

19. Workshop 1: Creating a SharePoint PMIS
Please refer to the Workshop Manual

20. 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

21. 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
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22. PMIS Should Enable the 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

23. 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

24. Common Lists in a SharePoint PMIS
Calendar
Contacts
Project task
Issue tracking
Custom Lists
Resource List
Budget

25. Components of a List
Lists are composed of two key sections
1. List toolbar
– New
– Actions
– Settings
– View
2. List item(s)

26. List Creation
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

27. Workshop 2: Creating and Populating Lists
Please refer to the Workshop Manual

28. 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

29. Library Creation
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

30. Workshop 3: Creating a Document Library
Please refer to the Workshop Manual

31. 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
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32. 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?

33. Example: Project Kona Communication Needs
Chief Executive Officer
Regular e-mail updates on project milestones and risks
Chief Financial Officer
Access to project budget information
Reviews and updates any change to project finances
Chief Compliance Office
Monitors project process compliance
Reviews and updates project risks
Program Manager
Reviews project tasks, milestones, and risks
Other Project Managers
All project managers will review and update project information from
other teams to share lessons learned and satisfy continuous
improvement process

34. 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

35. Permissions
Two ways to assign site 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
Multiple permission layers
Site
List or Library
Item-level
Best Practice: vast majority of users will have Contribute
permission

36. Example: Project Kona Communications Plan
Change
Stakeholder Contacts Issues Tasks Calendar
Control
CEO C R R C R
PMO
Other PMs
Finance
FC = Full Control D = Design C = Contribute R = Reader

37. Workshop 4: Adding Stakeholders
Please refer to the Workshop Manual

38. 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
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39. Collaboration 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

40. 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

41. Workshop 5: Updating a Project Document
Please refer to the Workshop Manual

42. 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

43. Example: Clarifying Requirements

44. Integrating Microsoft Office 2007
Outlook
Synchronize calendars and contacts
Display tasks, libraries, discussion boards
Excel
Synchronize spreadsheets to SharePoint lists

45. 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
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46. 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
 _____________________
 _____________________

47. 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

48. Workshop 6: Project Tracking
Please refer to the Workshop Manual

49. 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

50. Workshop 7: Creating a Project Dashboard
Please refer to the Workshop Manual

51. 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
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52. The Challenge of a Major Technology Rollout Is …
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
Remember, people can change as
The change is worthwhile
It would bring great benefits primarily at a personal level then at
the organizational level

53. 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

54. 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

55. 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
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56. 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

57. Thank You!
For more information, connect with Dux
E-Mail: dux.sy@innovative-e.com
LinkedIn: meetdux.com/li
Blog: meetdux.com
Twitter: twitter.com/meetdux
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