Quick Start Guide

10 steps to get started with TALAIA OpenPPM

Feel free to contact the TALAIA OpenPPM Team at sales@talaia-openppm.com

INVESTMENT

AND

PROGRAM

MANAGEMENT

RISK

CHANGE

KPI

MANAGEMENT

ALL

INFORMATION

CONSOLIDATED

SYSTEM

THINK BY

AND FOR

PROJECT

MANAGERS

BASED ON

PMI & ISO

STANDARDS

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Thank you for start using TALAIA OpenPPM !!

Before you start using our software let me explain the trial environment that we created for you:

Users:

We have created a bunch of default users with different profiles that you can use through-out your trial period so

you don´t need to create new ones if not necessary.

We grouped the users by profiles.

Profiles Contact Name

Chief Executive (CEO) Don Draper

Portfolio Manager (PfM) Stacey Brewer

Investment Manage (IM) Janet Ferrell

Ralph Harker

Project Manager (PM)

Bob Sullivan

Cindy Fulton

David Mabry

Tom Ford

PMO John Smith

Resource Manager (RM)

Carl Craven

Darren Collins

Lee Irvine

Tracy Porter

Functional Manager (FM) Sandra Glover

Program Manager (PgM)

Dana Chandler

Fred Perry

Sue Brown

Sponsor (SP)

Amy Belton

Ann Gordon

Randy Davis

Stakeholder (SH)

Amy Belton

Ann Gordon

Randy Davis

Team Member (TM)

Bob Sullivan

Bruce Moore

Carla Bishop

Cindy Fulton

Daniel Long

David Mabry

Edwin Foley

Fiona Haynes

Ian Corbett

Lesley Lewis

Lisa Burton

Michael Miller

Natalie Low

Peter Meadows

Phil Hooper

Rachel Dempsey

Sarah Barrows

Terri Nichols

Tim Cook

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In order to login with these users, please check the attached file named “trial users login” received with your

“Personal access details TALAIA OpenPPM” notification email.

Projects:

To make your experience discovering our solution as easy as possible, you will find pre-defined projects in different

status (Initiation, Planning, and Execution). Please navigate through those projects in order to have an idea on how

your company’s projects would look like without having to fill information.

Of course, we invite you to create your own programs, projects so you can add your own data and information.

In order to do so we created this quick user guide with a few easy steps to get you started, going through the life

cycle of a single project in 10 steps, from the initiative approval until the project closure.

Start managing & create your own project

In our case, we will manage a single project scheduled to be performed in a 1 month period and broken down into

2 control accounts activities performed by 2 resources within a budget of 13.200. Although this example is far from

a real project, it is a good and simple exercise to understand and learn how to use the main functionalities and

features of the tool with 4 major used roles: PMO, Program Manager, Project Manager and Stakeholder.

In our trial environment, you will be the PMO and use your own login credentials that you have received. For the

other role, as mentioned earlier please check the attached file named “trial users login” received with your

“Personal access details TALAIA OpenPPM” notification email

You are now ready to get started and cover the process on your own; all you have to do is follow the further 10

steps.

Step 1: Create a new project:

The first step consists in creating a new Project or investment. Anybody with the PMO, IM and/or PM role can

create a new Project and start creating basic information of it.

Log in the tool as a PMO to the performing organization called Digital Transformation:

• Login as PMO and Create a new project:

The tool brings you by default to the Project module. Here you can create a new Project by clicking the button

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We can create a project and start filling at least the mandatory fields (identified with a *)

In the high-level view of its portfolio, the PMO is able to see that a new project has been created, showing in an

initiating status, as it is still pending for approval:

PMO sees as well a Schedule Chart view with the baseline start/finished planned of his newly created project but

also all the other projects which are under his the responsibility.

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Step 2: PM completes initiating information:

Let’s continue with our exercise and see how the Project manager assigned to a project is able to manage the

information associated to it. Please switch off and log in as PM.

• Login as a PM:

The Project Manager assigned to this project, can log into the tool. He is able to see straight away all projects for

which he is or will be the Project Manager.

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You can at this stage, for instance complete the Project charter and identify and register the stakeholders.

For this double click in the project you have just created or click in the

You will then see PMBOK processes, grouped in 7 tabs that contain the information you need to manage your

project.

• Identify the Stakeholders:

In the Initiation tab, the Project manager can include internal or external project’s stakeholders. To add a new

stakeholder click the button in the stakeholder section. Click on the lookup next to the contact field and

choose a stakeholder.

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TALAIA allows you to create as well nominal stakeholders (“only name” in the contact field) for people that do not

have access to the software. It is a way to propose a communication plan to the Project Manager. The following

image shows you how the stakeholders would look like at this moment:

• Generate the Project Charter:

In the Initiation tab, the Project Manager is able to fill the project charter information

The Project Charter may as well shows economic information. For instance, if we have an estimated budget of

400 hours of programming human resources at 25 $ / h, you shall introduce this information in the Direct Cost

section.

By pressing the button this cost will be shown in the Project Charter. If this is the only cost and there are no

more expenses, then you can insert the net Budget and the production hours planned for this project:

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At this stage, you can as well generate the project charter by clicking:

Step 3: PM completes the project planning:

• Scope planning:

Once all the requirements have been collected, the project planning process starts. Let’s imagine that the Project

consists in 2 working packages to build your Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).

A project is a control account (budget associated) by default, just click on and uncheck the control account.

Then by pressing the button, you create a new node. Click the control account check if this node is a control

account (budget associated). Repeat the same action to create more project control account activities

Note that both nodes created are control account nodes. The sum of both control accounts matches with the

Budget declared in the Project Data section (BAC=13200).

The graphical display of the Work Breakdown Structure graph panel:

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• Schedule Planning:

Enter the activity description and baseline start / finish in the schedule section of the planning tab:

Schedule Chart is now visible in the Schedule chart:

Let’s go one step further. If we want to visualize information as a stakeholder, all we have to do is switch and log in

with the role stakeholder associated to this project.

Step 4: SH visualizes project high level information:

The Stakeholder role assigned to this Project is able to visualize the information already published by the Project

Manager at that moment.

• Login as Stakeholder:

Stakeholder will have the ability to consult all the projects he has been assigned to as a stakeholder in real time and

from any device with internet access.

The view is the same as the Project Manager view but only with a read-only permission.

For instance, the Stakeholder can check the information defined in the project charter, in the scope and schedule

planning.

In order to continue now with the project approval process by the PMO, you have to log-off as a Stakeholder and

log in as a PMO.

Step 5: PMO approves the project:

• Project Approval:

Go to Investment module:

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IM and/or PMO can decide which Investments to approve, set on hold or reject.

PMO approves the project clicking on

Additionally, documents related to this investment can be added here.

To continue with the explanations, switch off as PMO and log in again as a Project Manager.

Step 6: PM completes cost planning:

• Cost planning:

In the planning tab, Plan costs / Planned Value, the Project Manager introduces the follow-up dates and the planned

value following these 2 steps:

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1- Automatic Periodicity Follow up

2- Automatic Calculation of Planned Value

See a graphic display of the Planned Value by opening the Planned Value Chart:

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Step 7: PM manages resource allocation:

• Building the Resource Capacity Planning

Allocate and manage your resources. Assignation approval is automatic by default, but you can choose between 2

options:

1. Resource allocation by the Resource Manager role within a pool management structure

2. Direct allocation by the Project Manager role.

In the planning tab, go to the section Plan Human Resources, find the resource you need and assign it to your project:

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Step 8: Start controlling your project:

• From Planning to Execution status:

At the bottom of the planning tab, the project Manager can click on the button.

This will change the project status from planning to execution. As a consequence, the Control and Closing tab will

become available for the Project manager to manage these 2 process groups.

Step 9: First Status Report:

• Project Manager reports the first Status Report of the Project:

In the control tab, the Project Manager goes to the “Status Report” section, to report status of the project using

the 5 different perspectives “General”, “Risk”, “Schedule”, “Cost” and “Issues” point of view. To do this, we will

first select a date from the drop-down field, simply choose a color, and write an executive comment in the

description field. By clicking the button “save”, this information will be registered and immediately visible by the

PMO, Stakeholder or any other role that have a access to this project.

To continue we will now log off as a Project Manager and log in as a Stakeholder.

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• Stakeholder gets an executive overview over the actual Project situation:

The Stakeholder is able to consult the project information, percentage of completion, schedule variance, risks,

and last project status report in real time.

To continue with the explanation, log off and login as a PM.

Step 10: PM closes the project:

The Project Manager double click on the project to access the project detail information, goes to the closure tab,

and introduce the closing information.

In the Closure Report, the Project Manager introduces information on results and achieved goals. This information

will be filling the closing report that is generated in this section.

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As well in the “closing checklist” section, the Project Manager can follow the required tasks pre-defined to do a

structured closing of the project. The closing checklist can be personalized in the maintenance section of the

solution:

Finally, the Project Manager can add lessons learned in the “lessons learned” tab during all the lifecycle of the

project:

To finalize the project, in the closure tab, the Project Manager clicks on the button.

The Project Manager will be able to add a final assessment from himself and the stakeholder of the project: