Valuable Valuable Project Project

ManagementManagementby Shaun Smithby Shaun Smith

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'Mr. Winston Churchill, sir, to what do you attribute your success in life?' and he said without hesitating: 'Economy of effort. Never stand up when you can sit down, and never sit down when you can lie down.' And he then got into his limo."

Value?Value?

• Warren Buffett reads six hours a day, around 500 pages during that time.

• He only makes a couple of decisions during the rest of his time.

• Is this a productive uses of someone’s time?

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YES!YES!

• Yesterday 7/10/2013 Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK-A) stock was $172,605.00 a share.

• Forbes magazine 2013 – Warren Buffett’s net worth is 53.5 billion dollars.

• Planning can create a lot of value.

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AgendaAgenda

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Understanding SuccessUnderstanding Success Quality = Successful ProjectQuality = Successful Project

Requirements & Requirements & Goals/ObjectivesGoals/Objectives Define Measure & VerifyDefine Measure & Verify

Types of ProjectsTypes of Projects Methodology PhilosophyMethodology PhilosophyIterative ProjectsIterative Projects Controlling ProjectsControlling ProjectsMeasuring ProgressMeasuring Progress Multi Project ManagementMulti Project Management

Initiation PhaseInitiation Phase Project Management Project Management ChecklistsChecklists

Change RequestsChange Requests Planning PhasePlanning PhaseRisk ReductionRisk Reduction Lessons LearnedLessons Learned

Executing PhaseExecuting Phase Controlling PhaseControlling PhaseClosing PhaseClosing Phase

What Is A Project?What Is A Project?• “It’s a temporary group activity designed to

produce a unique product, service or result” – (PMBOK).

• A project is temporary in that it has a defined beginning and end in time, and therefore defined scope and resources.

• And a project is unique in that it is not a routine operation, but a specific set of operations designed to accomplish a singular goal. So a project team often includes people who don’t usually work together – sometimes from different organizations and across multiple geographies.

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Understanding SuccessUnderstanding Success• In order to measure success, we must first define

what success is.

• Too often, teams focus on technical aspects of the project only to find themselves divorced from the “sometimes not too obvious” real business benefit desired by the users.

• Project success requires a combination of product success and project management success.

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What Does A Successful What Does A Successful Project Do?Project Do?

•A successful project facilitates organizational change.•This organizational change should be in the form of a clear benefit to the organization •The benefit to the organization must be measurable and verifiable so it can be presented to the project sponsors.•Measure and verify the difference, caused by a positive change, between the baseline environment, before the project started, and the new environment, after the project has finished.•Baseline environment + positive change = new environment (measurable verified success).

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What Is Required For What Is Required For Project Success?Project Success?

• Clearly defined goals and objectives.• Specifically defined roles.• Open clear communication.• Verifiably defined deliverables.• Detailed success factors which equate into a

definition of “WHAT DOES DONE MEAN?”

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Mindset Of Project SuccessMindset Of Project Success

• Providing “specific technical functionality” is not as important as delivering organizational benefit.

• The term organizational benefit can be defined as an outcome of an action or decision that ...o Contributes towards meeting organizational objectives.o Has positive value for the organization.o It answers the “What’s In It For Me” for the organization.

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Quality = Successful Quality = Successful ProjectProject

• The ability to satisfy the needs of the customer and users determines the quality of a product.

• Successful projects produce high quality products.• As quality increases project success increases.• Quality is defined by requirements and project

success factors.

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Defining Project GoalsDefining Project Goals• Describe, in a few sentences, what project success

or the positive organizational change looks like?• Describe, in a few sentences, how you know you

have completed the project?• Describe, in a few sentences, how you know you

have done a great job on the project?• Describe, in a few sentences, how you will clearly

verifiably measure project success or the benefit to the organization?

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Requirements & Requirements & Goals/ObjectivesGoals/Objectives

• Each requirement or use case must be tied or relate to a project goal or objective.

• This will product scope control and stop gold plating.

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Client Centered Instead Client Centered Instead Of User Centered ProjectOf User Centered ProjectA client centered project has the following:•Arbitrary judgments•No market or user based research (SME Requirements)•No metrics tracking who clicks on what•No user feedback (UAT)A successful project is the opposite of a Client Centered Project. A successful project is a User Centered Project

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Define Success FactorsDefine Success Factors• Is it ok to be one day late, one week, or one

month?• What is the priority of requirements?• Are we measuring against the original schedule or

the current baseline?• Do individual activities have to be on-time for the

project to be on-time (Critical Path)?• Make success factors easy to understand so people

will accept them.

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Can or Can’t InfluenceCan or Can’t InfluenceAs an IS department, you must determine what you can and cannot influence when deciding on success factors:

Can Influence Can’t InfluenceUnit Cost Organizational Based DecisionCompliance Organizational Based SavingsTraining

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Clearly Defined RolesClearly Defined Roles

• Each resource on the project needs to have a clearly defined published project related job description.

• Each resource on the project needs to know their job description.

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Team ResponsibilitiesTeam Responsibilities

Project

Project Management

Training

Development Infrastructure

Who does what?What perspective does the job description come from?What specific skills do you see absolutely necessary?

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Types Of ProjectsTypes Of Projects• Large Project: An internal team size of thirteen or greater, and a level

of effort of more than an ideal year. (Many Iterations)

• Medium Project: An internal team size of six to twelve, and a level of effort of an ideal six months to a year. (Few Iterations)

• Small Project: An internal team size less than six, including team members who switch between this project and others on a daily basis, and a level of effort of less than an ideal six months. (Couple Iterations)

• Change Request Project: Any task that is executed by one or two internal team members only, with a level of effort measured in ideal weeks. (Change Request)

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Process AdaptationProcess Adaptation

Achieved through:•rightsizing the process to match project needs.•Adapting the degree of process ceremony to lifecycle phase.•Continuously improving the process.•Balancing project plans and associated estimates.

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Change Request ProjectChange Request Project• Receive a request for change• Ask for the request in writing or confirm your

understanding of the request (Project Proposal).• Assess the change’s potential effects on all aspects

of your project and other impacted projects.• Write down the necessary steps to implement the

change.• Create brief project’s plan to reflect any schedules,

outcomes, or resource budgets.• Put team together and include appropriate

stakeholders.

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Methodology PhilosophyMethodology PhilosophyNo matter the methodology the most important feature of a methodology, when not managing a Change Request Project, is its iterative and incremental nature.

• Regardless whether use-cases, scrum-meetings, feature-driven development, design by test approach or others, an iterative approach will greatly assist in producing predictable results.

• Iterative development is characterized by small mini-projects (iterations) designed with a clear set of objectives producing a measurable executable (product) objectively assessed that incrementally advances a product of increasing business value.

• The objective of this approach is simply to maximize chances for project success.

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Good Things About Iterative Good Things About Iterative ProjectsProjects

• Iterative approach provides greater ability to see what’s happening during development.

• Force issues to be dealt with immediately and not put off to the end of the project.

• Feedback is folded into the planning of the next iteration.

• Have time to take action to resolve issues and risks.• Iterative projects produce prototypes almost

immediately.• Changes are addressed and captured during

each iteration.

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Iterative Projects And Iterative Projects And Change Change

• In iterative development, the project may be adapted to changing requirements as changing understanding of what constitutes success as the project progresses.

• An iterative approach helps us avoid the possibility of a project viewed as a failure by some yet a success by others.

• We need to measure project success by focusing on desired organizational success and not necessarily on pure functionality.

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Key Characteristics Of A Key Characteristics Of A Successful Iterative ProjectSuccessful Iterative Project

• Demonstrable, objectively measured progress (wireframe, demos, prototype)

• Incrementally increasing functionality (features built on completed features)

• Continually improving quality (continual refinement of requirements)

• Continual risk reduction (testing early in the project)• Increasingly accurate estimates (Incorporating lessons

learned from previous iterations)• Reducing levels of change (avoiding water fall)• Convergence on a accurate business solution

(continual reviews and phase audits during each iteration)

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Creativity & ControlCreativity & Control

• To much open creativity stifles control in the latter phases of a project (Not Enough Measured Progress).

• To much control stifles creativity in the beginning phases of a project (To Much Measured Progress).

• Encourage creativity in earlier phases of lifecycle.• Enhance predictability by having more control in

later phases.

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Measured Progress Measured Progress • Examples:

• Number of products / documents produced• Number of Lines Of Code produced• Number of activities completed• Amount of budget consumed• Amount of schedule consumed• Number of requirements verified to have been

implemented correctly.

• Most Important: number of requirements verified to have been implemented correctly• We must test before releasing and we must record the

amount of verified requirements!• Requirements verified vs. project schedule • It’s about the planning not the plan.

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When Management Of Projects When Management Of Projects Goes WrongGoes Wrong

• Not enough visibility because task being performed are not detailed enough.

• Not enough time to attend meetings involving the tracking of tasks and milestones.

• Limited resources.• Conflicting priorities among different projects.• Project start dates and end date not clear or

accurate.• Not enough communication regarding status of

project tasks.

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Good Project Good Project Management Is?Management Is?

• You cannot micromanage every single task as a program manager. Review milestone and sub-milestones, phase audits, demos, testing, and do it often.

• Create project checklists.• Prioritization of projects • Check progress of every project on a daily basis

through stand-up meetings. • Breakdown milestones and task so they can be

sequenced accurately.• Create a project dashboards.

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Buckner Project LifecycleBuckner Project Lifecycle

For more in-depth information about the Buckner Project Lifecycle, please refer to the Buckner International Project Lifecycle found in the SharePoint BI Site Collection under the Buckner IT PMO Document Center.http://portal/sites/projects/BucknerITPMODocumentCenter/default.aspx

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Five Process GroupsFive Process GroupsThe five PMBOK process groups are:

•Initiating•Planning•Executing•Monitoring & Controlling•Closing

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Initiation Phase DeliverablesInitiation Phase Deliverables

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Initiation PhaseInitiation Phase• To understand the desired outcomes you MUST

have an Initiation Phase to start the project.• The Initiation Phase must consist of some type of

proposal which includes high-level goals and objectives. Some type of feasibility study (if needed) to see if the project is right for the organization at this time, and a project charter to give authority and budgeting to the project manager, so they can move forward with the project.

• Each of these deliverable must be signed off on by the sponsors of the project.

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Missing Initiation PhaseMissing Initiation Phase

If the Initiation Phase of a project is missed, it is a MAJOR risk to the project, because the Initiation Phase is where the project’s scope is defined, the budget of the project is established, and authority is given to manage the project.

Don’t build your project on shifting sand…

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Project Management Check ListProject Management Check List

Check off the Initiating Phase deliverables on the Project Management Check List when completed.

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Example Of Project Management Example Of Project Management

Check ListCheck List<Project Name> Project Management Check List(If any of the deliverables below will not be needed during the project, an explanation of why the deliverable is not going to be needed should be written below the check item.)  INITIATING PHASE□ The Project Proposal has been completed and signed by the project’s sponsor(s) and the Buckner Steering Committee Board Members?□ The Project Feasibility Study has been completed and signed by the project’s sponsor(s) and Buckner Steering Committee Board Members (If needed)?□ The Project Charter has been completed and signed by the project’s sponsor(s) and Buckner Steering Committee Board Members?PLANNING PHASE □ The Project Management Plan has been completed.□ The Critical Success Factors have been completed.□ The Work Break Down Structure has been completed.□ The Project Schedule has been completed.EXECUTING PHASE□ Actual Efforts are being collected.□ Project deliverables are being completed.

CONTROLLING□ Project performance status reports are being created and presented.□ Corrective actions are being taken to make sure scope creep is not taking place.□ Measurement metrics are being used to measure success factors.□ Change requests are being submitted, reviewed, voted on, and implemented.□ Risk management and issue management is taking place.CLOSING PHASE □ Deliverables are being accepted. □ Lessons Learned are being captured.

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Change Request Project Change Request Project Lifecycle (Waterfall)Lifecycle (Waterfall)

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Iterative Project Time boxIterative Project Time box

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Iteration LifecycleIteration Lifecycle

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Executing PhaseExecuting Phase• The Executing Phase is the engine that

drives the project.• The engine can be changed into an

Agile, Scrum, or Iterative methodology.

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Planning PhasePlanning Phase

The Planning Phase involves filling out the Project Plan.

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Nine Knowledge Areas Nine Knowledge Areas The Project Plan covers the Nine Knowledge Areas of PMBOK:

•Project Integration Management•Project Scope Management•Project Time Management•Project Cost Management•Project Quality Management•Project Human Resources Management•Project Communication Management•Project Risk Management•Project Procurement Management

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Project PlanProject PlanINTRODUCTIONFUNDING AND SOURCESCONSTRAINTSDEPENDENCIESASSUMPTIONSPROJECT MANAGEMENT APPROCHPROJECT MANAGEMENT LIFECYCLEDELIVERALBE APPROVEL ATHORITY DESIGNATIONDELIVERABLE ACCEPTANCE PROCEDUREPROJECT SCOPEPROJECT SCOPE MANAGEMENT STRATEGYCOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT STRATEGYCONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT STRATEGYVERSION CONTROLPROJECT REPOSITORY (PROJECT LIBRARY)PROJECT GOVERNANCE STRUCTURESTAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT STRATAGYORGANIZATION/DEPTPROCUREMENT MANAGEMENT STRATEGYMILESTONE LISTSCHEDULE BASELINE AND WORK BRAKEDOWN STRUCTURESTAFF AND RESOURCE STRATEGY

EXECUTIVE REPORTING STRATEGYSCHEDULE MANAGEMENT STRATEGYCHANGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGYCOST MANAGEMENT STRATEGYQUALITY MANAGEMENT STRATEGYDELIVERABLE QUALITYAGENCY/CUSTOMER SATISFACTIONRISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGYRISK REGISTERYISSUE STRATEGYSTAFF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGYCOST BASELINEPROJECT CLOSEADMINISTRATIVE CLOSECONTRACT CLOSE

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Completing The Project Completing The Project PlanPlan

• Every section of the Project Plan should be completed.

• If a section of the Project Plan is not needed, tell why it is not needed in writing.

• If a vendor supplies the Project Plan, make sure it meets Buckner’s requirements by comparing it to the Buckner Project Plan Template!

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Key Project Plan ContentsKey Project Plan Contents• Critical Success Factors?

o Now you know what done is.

• Work Breakdown Structure?o Now you know how, or what steps to take in order to reach a done state

in the project.

• Project Schedule?o Now you know what the milestones of the project are, and what to

communicate and present to project sponsors.

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5 Basics Of Project 5 Basics Of Project PlanningPlanning

• Final Outcome – What is the end required result?• Methodology – How will you get to the final

outcome?• Resources – What type of team do you need for the

methodology to work?• Evaluate – How and who will evaluate the final

outcome?• Monitor – How will you monitor and control the

methodology?

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Risk Reduction Risk Reduction

• We know that healthy projects address risk up front by testing early, as this reduces the likelihood of project failure.

• We divide projects into iterations to gain greater control over the project and mitigate risk.

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Increasingly Accurate Increasingly Accurate EstimatesEstimates

• Accurate estimates for both short-term and long-term activities must be predictable.

• All estimates have an element of probability in them.

• Iterative projects do better due to revised estimates based on real progress measures / verified each iteration.

• We constantly revised our estimates and hence converge more quickly to actual costs

• As time progresses, the closer we get to actual results

• Margin of error decreases as time moves on in the iterative approach.

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Estimating FactsEstimating Facts

• Estimating is so very poorly done because often estimates are dramatically influenced by management; perhaps negotiated.

• Be careful, the reductions in schedule without corresponding reductions in scope have the effect of setting the project up for failure from the start.

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Lessons Learned From Lessons Learned From Estimating Estimating

• We tend to be overly optimistic• There’s very little historical information to base

estimates upon• Teams do NOT continuously revise estimates• But by continuously estimating via learning more,

developing additional business value, assessing, and verification, and, equivalently, developing our own history, our estimates can become much more authoritative and result in more predictable outcomes.

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Convergence on an Accurate Convergence on an Accurate Business SolutionBusiness Solution

The following perspectives converge iteration by iteration: o What the customers think they needo What the customers expect to geto What IT thinks the customers needo What IT expects to delivero What the users actually needo What IT is actually going to delivero What the customers actually going to get

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More on Convergence…More on Convergence…• Reality is that users and business analysts often don’t

know what they really want until they see it.o Too close to the action in many cases…o Too busy; resistance to changeo Often users ‘need’ the world… until they see the

cost and impacts on schedule.

• Nice thing is that early iterations address risk and force early problems to be resolved via demonstrations, proofs of concept, prototyping, etc….before long term project commitments need to be forthcoming.

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Project Management Project Management Check ListCheck List

Check off the Planning Phase deliverables on the Project Management Check List when completed.

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Executing PhaseExecuting Phase• Actual efforts?• Deliverables complete?• Who is responsible?

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Project Management Project Management Check ListCheck List

Check off the Executing Phase deliverables on the Project Management Check List when completed.

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ControllingControlling • Create and present status reports.

o By executing what you documented in the Communication Strategy section in the project plan.

• Manage scope.o Manage scope and feature creep by executing the change control

process documented in the Change Control Strategy section in the project plan.

• Measure success factors.o Success factors are being measured and documented, as described in

the project plan.• Implement change control.

o All changes are being captured on SharePoint, reviewed, voted on, and implemented as documented in the project plan.

• Manage risks and issues.o All risks and issues are being documented on SharePoint as described in

the project plan.

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Controlling Project ResourcesControlling Project Resources

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Controlling Change Controlling Change • Again, there will be change and rework. But it is

a matter of controlling and managing these activities.

• Implement a change control process.• Change and rework generally come at a much

higher expense later on in the project because the architecture is stabilized and so much functionality has been verified and integrated into the project.

• Bringing Change and Rework under control dramatically impacts overall project completion.

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Controlling Change Controlling Change • Early in lifecycle, we expect change – typically

between 35% and 100% - as we become more stable and learn more about the project.

• Rework will then typically decrease and should drop to something below 25%.

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Project Management Project Management Check ListCheck List

Check off the Controlling deliverables on the Project Management Check List when completed.

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Closing PhaseClosing Phase• Deliverables are accepted?

o Sponsors need to sign-off on all deliverables.o All deliverables need to be uploaded to the

SharePoint project site.• Lessons learned are captured?

o All positive and negative project lessons are captured and uploaded to the lessons learned site.

• Ask not “Was the project a success?” ask :How successful was your project?”

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Project Management Project Management Check ListCheck List

Check off the Closing Phase deliverables on the Project Management Check List when completed.

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SharePoint & Project SitesSharePoint & Project Sites• Each project has its own project site on SharePoint

2010.• All project sites include risk, issue, & change control.• All project deliverables are stored in the project

sites.• Deliverable version control is implemented through

the project site functionality.• Project announcements and project status is

communicated through the project site.• Project deliverables can be tracked through the

use of tasks lists on the project site.

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Deliverable TemplatesDeliverable TemplatesDeliverable templates have been created and can be found in the SharePoint 2010 BI Site Collection under the Buckner IT PMO Document Center.http://portal/sites/projects/BucknerITPMODocumentCenter/default.aspx

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Questions?

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