lessons learned from using sharepoint for program management: planning and implementing a pmis for a...

Lessons Learned from Using SharePoint for Program ManagementPlanning and Implementing a PMIS for a Federal PMO (Mgmt 200)

SharePoint Saturday

Session Fri-S2C-114

August 12, 2011

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Agenda

1. Program Management

2. Selection of SharePoint as a Program Management Tool

3. SharePoint for PMO Case Studies

4. SharePoint Solutions and Challenges

5. Lessons Learned Overview

6. Discussion and Q&A

7. Process for PMIS Setup and Management

8. Resources

@brandondart @morganfranklin #spstcdc

2011 ©MorganFranklin Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

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Program Management

@brandondart @morganfranklin #spstcdc 2011 ©MorganFranklin Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Program Management Office (PMO) Models

A variety of Program Management Office (PMO) models exist to meet different organizational needs.

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Selection of SharePoint as a Program Management Tool

In operating a PMO, We Sought a Toolset to Help Us:

• Centralize and store information using document repositories (with controlled access)

• Facilitate communication and feedback

• Foster inclusion and collaboration

• Monitor, control, and report project activities

• Analyze and forecast project performance

• Develop reports and disseminate to relevant stakeholders

• Automate business processes

SharePoint Features Meet Many Common PMO Needs:

• Document repositories

• Meeting facilitation

• Institutional knowledge capture and transfer

• Program reporting capabilities

• Controlled access (permissions)

• Business process automation



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SharePoint for PMO Case Studies



Federal PMO Focused on Enterprise System Acquisition and Implementation

MorganFranklin team members served as PMO SMEs in designing and planning a refresh for the PMO’s SharePoint sites as the migrated to SharePoint 2007 and sought to support more PMO functions, incorporate external users, and more fully utilize SharePoint capabilities, including:

• Document management using version control and libraries

• Business process automation through workflows

• Collaboration and meeting management through meeting workspaces

Federal PMO in the Acquisition Domain

MorganFranklin was engaged to establish and manage a PMO for a large Federal headquarters office. This project includes supporting the development of a SharePoint Program Management Information System. Features requested and developed include:

• Document management and libraries

• Content roll-up and reporting

• Metrics tracking for executives using dashboards

• Custom lists and workflows

• Task tracking

• Training repositories for knowledge management and retention

Corporate Program Management

MorganFranklin is taking an enterprise program management approach to manage its business and leveraging SharePoint for:

• Action management and approval workflows

• Task tracking

• Collaboration through team workspaces

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Challenges & Lessons Learned: Knowledge Capture & Transfer

Client Asked For :

Develop solutions to capture institutional knowledge; help the organization consolidate and share information as well as better withstand turnover and reorganization

We Delivered:

Formal and informal ways for institutional knowledge capture and transfer:• Centralized PMO library creates a space where users can post and collaborate on content• Utilized blogs to provide less formal ways to document and explain processes• Created discussion boards to serve as project-specific discussion spaces (keep the conversation out of your

inbox)

Challenge:

Getting everyone to participate, share, and document. May require users to learn a new (but more efficient) way of doing their job

Lesson Learned:

Don’t leave anyone behind, engage users; be proactive, anticipate turnover



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Challenges & Lessons Learned: Document Repositories

Client Asked For:

A document library in a centralized location, version control, metadata, effective permissions, document collaboration and electronic signature capabilities

We Delivered:• Centralized PMO library• Version control (versioning managed through a prescribed artifact

management process)• Custom document type (so all column metadata is consistent across

libraries)• Modified two out-of-the-box workflows (Collect Feedback & Collect

Signatures) to handle collaboration and approval of PMO documents between us and the client

Challenge:• Client had initial hesitation to utilizing managed metadata, so we worked

with the client to create column metadata• Managing versions in SharePoint requires that everyone participates, and

documents are not sent via email for review; this required changing ingrained habits and support/backup from business sponsor

Lesson Learned:

Engage users / don’t leave anyone behind; avoid unnecessary customizations @brandondart @morganfranklin #spstcdc


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Challenges & Lessons Learned: Meeting Facilitation

Client Asked For:

The ability for users to easily create and manage their own meetings via SharePoint; roll-up of action items from the workspaces to an overarching site

We Delivered:• Meeting space prototype that could be replicated by users• Version control and easy access to documents for meeting • Action Item and meeting decision tracking and roll-up for recurring executive governance

meetings• Collaboration on meeting agenda items

Challenge:

While client liked the idea, they were concerned about usability by executives, and public posting of information. The meeting space was not used for the recurring executive governance meetings, but proved to be a good collaboration tool for internal PMO teams

Lesson Learned:

Re-engage the executives/leaders for each new feature roll-out; consider information-sharing concerns and sensitivity of client and address them early on



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Challenges & Lessons Learned: Program Reporting

Client Asked For:

Develop a way to support and facilitate the reporting of information (e.g., dashboards, status reports, logs, etc.); make the reports useful, interesting, and visual

We Delivered:• A site to maintain tracking sheets/logs in SharePoint custom lists with

workflows that automate alerts when certain thresholds are met• Dashboards built with Chart Web Parts used to display program data

—requires SharePoint Server 2010 Enterprise; also used Easy Tabs (JavaScript) to help consolidate the look and display more information

Challenge:

Obtaining clear requirements related to how data should be displayed and how workflows should work

Lessons Learned:

Build in sufficient time: out-of-the-box SharePoint provides some powerful features (e.g., Chart Web Part), but not always intuitive. Recently established PMO’s may have more revision cycles as they are establishing baselines and rethinking elements



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Challenges & Lessons Learned: Controlled Access (Permissions)

Client Asked For:

A role-based permission hierarchy that is able to accommodate sensitive information, but also avoids fine-grained permissions

We Delivered:• Careful balance between creating sites to avoid fine-grained permissions, but also preventing the need for

users to click around to find content• Utilized 3rd party permission management tools (CodePlex Permissions Manager 2010) to audit our

permission levels and keep it clean

Challenge:

Keeping permissions clean and organized and avoiding fine-grained permissions for library items

Lesson Learned:

Permissions; governance



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Challenges & Lessons Learned: Business Process Automation

Client Asked For:

Replace existing, cumbersome processes with automated solutions. More efficient and cost-saving ways to coordinate meetings, maintain communication with stakeholders, and report on ongoing progress

We Delivered:

Automated workflows to facilitate processes for document approvals that span across business units

Challenge:

Some clients had trouble using version control; the process wasn’t initially designed to consider all the possibilities of use

Lesson Learned:

Get the whole picture; build for today and plan for tomorrow



Meetings

Communication

Reporting

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Lessons Learned Overview

Engage

• Engage an Executive Sponsor

• Engage new users

• Develop power users

• SharePoint is a shared journey, don’t leave anyone behind

Guide

• Governance

• Advise against pet projects

• Be a leader, manage expectations

• Avoid unnecessarily customized solutions; keep it simple

Plan

• Build for today and plan for tomorrow

• Be proactive, not reactive

• It takes a village, but you may only have a small team

Tactical

• Get the whole picture

• Avoid workflow errors

• Version control is not instinctive



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Process for PMIS Setup and Management



Sponsorship and Business

Case

Resource and

Governance Planning

Design and Development

Train and Roll-Out Solution

Maintenance

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Process for PMIS Setup and Management



Sponsorship and Business Case

Resource and Governance

Planning

Design and Development

Train and Roll-Out

Implement Solution

Maintenance

Executive Sponsorship

• Identify sponsor who can serve as the sponsor, an evangelist

• Garner resources and ensure support required from sponsor

Business Case: Goals and Objectives

• Identify stakeholders

• Gather initial requirements

• Create a project charter and plan with major milestones (prioritize)

• Determine how success is defined

Staffing and Resources

• Identify staff and other resource requirements

• Consider the requirements and objectives

• Ensure appropriate staff commitment , resources, skills, and hardware configuration

Governance Plan

• Establishes policies, processes, standards, roles, and responsibilities to ensure successful PMIS management

• Develop a Governance Plan customized to your needs; not a blanket policy

Architecture

• Establish taxonomies and hierarchies

• Consider how information is organized

• Determine how users will navigate the site and how you will structure permission settings

Wireframing

• Move the discussion from planning to implementation

• Provide the client with something more concrete to react to

• Acquire approval of design and mock-ups

Development

• Work through the project plan developed during business case phase

• Start with high-priority items

Launch and Training

• Launch prototype or base site

• Roll-out additional functionality slowly or per client’s adaption rate

• Train staff how to use common features

• Encourage power users to share information and discover new uses

Maintenance

• Ensure maintenance resources are in place

• Define tasks with regular maintenance requirements (e.g., maintaining dashboards)

• Document how to perform tasks so that maintenance can transition to others as needed

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Resources

Books• SharePoint for Project Management: How to Create a Project Management Information System (PMIS) with

SharePoint by Dux Raymond Sy• Microsoft® SharePoint 2010 Unleashed by Michael Noel and Colin Spence

Websites• CodePlex – Open Source Community: http://www.codeplex.com/

– Currently utilize Permissions Manager 2010: http://permissionsmanager.codeplex.com/ • Microsoft® TechNet Library: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/default.aspx• MSDN Library: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms123401.aspx• EUSP (End User SharePoint): https://www.nothingbutsharepoint.com/sites/eusp/Pages/default.aspx• Lynda.com (requires subscription): http://www.lynda.com/

Other Helpful Resources• Dux Raymond Sy: http://sp.meetdux.com/default.aspx • Susan Hanley: http://www.susanhanley.com/• Laura Rogers: http://www.sharepoint911.com/blogs/laura/default.aspx • Corey Roth: http://www.dotnetmafia.com/blogs/dotnettipoftheday/default.aspx (detailed post on how to use

the Chart Web Part)• Jim Adcock: http://dlairman.wordpress.com/ • Christophe Humbert: http://www.pathtosharepoint.com (Easy Tabs)



http://www.codeplex.com/

http://permissionsmanager.codeplex.com/

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/default.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms123401.aspx

https://www.nothingbutsharepoint.com/sites/eusp/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.lynda.com/

http://sp.meetdux.com/default.aspx

http://www.susanhanley.com/

http://www.sharepoint911.com/blogs/laura/default.aspx

http://dlairman.wordpress.com/

http://www.pathtosharepoint.com/

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• Founded in 1998• Headquartered in the Washington, D.C., area with a regional office in Chicago• European operations established in London in 2007• Diverse full-time workforce comprised of over 360 industry, global consulting, Big Four, former military,

and government professionals• CPA, CIA, CISA, CISSP, MCSE, RCDD, MBA, Ph.D., PMP• Unique blend of industry and government clients• Industry recognition as a top consulting firm in the U.S.• Recognized for industry-leading workplace best practices



About MorganFranklin

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Contact MorganFranklin

Corporate Headquarters

1753 Pinnacle Drive

Suite 1200

McLean, VA 22201

www.morganfranklin.com

Presenters

Amee Shah

Director, National Security Solutions

703.564.7525

[email protected]

http://www.linkedin.com/in/shahamee

Brandon Dart

Senior Consultant, National Security Solutions

703.564.7525

[email protected]

www.linkedin.com/in/brandondart

@brandondart



http://www.morganfranklin.com/

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.linkedin.com/in/shahamee

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.linkedin.com/in/brandondart

http://twitter.com/#!/brandondart

http://twitter.com/#!/brandondart

lessons learned from using sharepoint for program management: planning and implementing a pmis for a...

Technology

program management toolin

document management

pmo smes

pmo functions

meeting management

knowledge management

sharepoint capabilities

meeting workspacesfederal