Best Practices in Managing SharePoint Projects

Best Practices in Managing SharePoint Projects

Dux Raymond Sy, PMP

Recorded presentation: http://vimeo.com/16138581

Twitter: @meetdux #sptechcon #pm4sp

Presentation Objectives

¡  In this presentation, you will learn the essential components of managing and delivering successful SharePoint projects

¡  In addition, you'll learn key techniques in:

¡  Establishing Project Success Criteria

¡  Collaboratively Engineer a Solution

¡  Developing Relevant Project Plan

¡  Executing and Controlling a SharePoint Project


Dux Raymond Sy, PMP

¡  Managing Partner, Innovative-E, Inc.

¡  Author, “SharePoint for Project Management” by O’Reilly Media

¡  For more information, connect with Dux

¡  E-Mail: [email protected]

¡  Twitter: twitter.com/meetdux

¡  LinkedIn: meetdux.com/li

¡  Blog: meetdux.com


Agenda

¡  Can’t We Just Focus on the Technology?

¡  Establish Success Criteria


¡  Develop Relevant Project Plan

¡  Execute and Control the SharePoint Project

¡  Questions and Answers


SharePoint Implementation Continuum

Draconian IT Control Empowerment Wild Wild West

Chaos


Typical Implementation Scenarios

¡  Pilot deployment for IT then magically it becomes an enterprise production deployment ¡  No planning

¡  Everything is ad-hoc

¡  No budget earmarked

¡  Heavily customized implementation by techies lacking SharePoint skillz


What are the key steps?



¡  Define Project Objectives




Agenda









¡  Why is SharePoint being implemented?

¡  What is the Priority? ¡  Time

¡  Cost/Budget

¡  Scope

¡  Identify Key Stakeholders ¡  Sponsor

¡  Customer

¡  Team

Key Steps to Define Project Success


¡  Project Phases ¡  Initiation

¡  Planning

¡  Execution

¡  Control

¡  Closing

¡  Roles and Responsibilities

¡  Project Communication

¡  Project Tracking

Establish Rules of Engagement


Agenda









Executive SharePoint Ignorance is Not Bliss

¡  Execs ordered SharePoint to be deployed ¡  Do they REALLY understand the value of SharePoint to the

organization?

¡  Is the budget realistic?

¡  As the enlightened ones, it’s our responsibility to raise executive awareness about SharePoint

¡  Read “5 Reasons Why Executive SharePoint Ignorance is Not Bliss” http://go.meetdux.com/393b


Educate and Engage the Business

¡  SharePoint is more than just a glorified network share ¡  Stress that SharePoint is a platform

¡  Tip: Address their pain points ¡  Provide high-level technology overview

¡  Discuss business challenges

¡  Map it to a SharePoint Solution


Don’t Call It SharePoint!

¡  Generic Solutions ¡  Corporate Intranet

¡  Content Management

¡  Specific Solutions ¡  Employee Onboarding System for Human Resources

¡  Conference Room Scheduling System for Facilities

¡  Project Management Information System for PMs

¡  System Integration

¡  Custom Application Development


Keep Priorities In Order

¡  You can’t do it all! ¡  What business need should you solve first?

¡  What are common features that can be deployed?

¡  Project scope must be limited and specific ¡  What’s important? Time? Budget? Functionality?

¡  Tip: Involve decision makers in planning and prioritization

¡  Read “How to Prioritize Business Needs When Implementing SharePoint” http://go.meetdux.com/sbyv


Example: Prioritizing SharePoint Features


Proper Requirements Development

Watch: Best Practices in Gathering Requirements for SharePoint Projects http://bit.ly/cwdCBp


Agenda









¡  A clear, quantifiable statement of project intent ¡  Why is the project being undertaken?

¡  What will the project achieve?

¡  Who is the customer?

¡  When is the deadline?

¡  Where will the project be implemented?

¡  Any constraints?

Define Project Goal


Project Goal Example

The current SharePoint 2007 intranet will be upgraded to SharePoint 2010 throughout the university in order to increase adoption and reduce IT support requirements. The upgrade should be completed a month before Fall semester begins.


¡  Apart from the end product, what are the essential project artifacts and or milestones that needs to be completed?

¡  For example: ¡  Governance Plan

¡  Training

¡  Content Migration

¡  SharePoint 2010 Installation and Configuration

Identify Relevant Deliverables


Agenda









Define the Work Needed

¡  A WBS is a deliverable-based grouping of project tasks and an effective way to define and organize all of the work required to complete a project

SharePoint 2010 Upgrade

Governance Training Content

Migration Install &

Configure


What Are You Estimating For?

Duration Work Resource

Attend SPTechCon

Paint This Room

Install SharePoint 2010 on Single Server


Create the Network Diagram

¡  Identify task dependencies

Watch: Project Planning 101 http://bit.ly/3Md01E


Create the Schedule


IT, Can You Handle This?

¡  Implementation ¡  Do you have the relevant skillsets

to plan, engage with the business, deploy SharePoint?

¡  Are key processes for release management, disaster recovery, auditing in place?

¡  Support and Maintenance ¡  What does the support structure look like?

¡  Resources available for maintaining related technologies?

¡  Future Releases


Staff Your SharePoint Project Realistically

IT group • SharePoint developer • SharePoint infrastructure

specialist • SharePoint architect

Business group • SharePoint business analyst • SharePoint trainer • SharePoint designer

Committed Sponsor +

Project Manager


Agenda









How Do You Track Progress?

“The only man who behaved sensibly was my tailor; he took my measurement anew every time he saw me, while all the rest went on with their old measurements and expected them to fit me. “

— George Bernard Shaw, Essayist and Nobel laureate


SharePoint 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? q  Schedule

q Risks

q Changes

q  _____________________

q  _____________________

§  Tracking with percentages doesn’t mean jack squat


Key Steps in Project Tracking

¡  Monitoring Progress

¡  Analyzing Status

¡  Correcting the Schedule

¡  Managing Changes


Example: Tracking Progress Effectively


Agenda









Questions?

E-Mail: [email protected]

LinkedIn: meetdux.com/li

Blog: meetdux.com

Twitter: meetdux

How did you like the presentation? http://meetdux.com/feedback/

Thank You!