This document discusses how to build a change control system in SharePoint using workflows. It introduces change control and describes how to leverage the three-state workflow and build custom workflows using SharePoint Designer. The document outlines how to automate a change request process and develop a sophisticated change control system without coding through custom SharePoint Designer workflows.

1. How to Build a
Change Control System
in a SharePoint PMIS
Innovative-e Dux Raymond Sy, PMP
Hyatt Regency SFO
January 28, 2009
1.00pm – 2.15pm

2. Have You Ever Experienced …
 Customers adding scope halfway through the project?
 Management cutting your project budget?
 Project resources performing unplanned project tasks
because the customer says so?
What Do You Do?

3. Session Objectives
 After completing this session, you will learn how to:
 Leverage the benefits of a change control system
 Create an automated change request process utilizing
the Three-State Workflow
 Develop a sophisticated Change Control System with
custom workflows in SharePoint Designer without coding

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: LinkedIn.com/in/meetdux
 Blog: Meetdux.com
 Twitter: @meetdux

5. Agenda
 What is a Change Control System?
 SharePoint Workflows
 Utilizing the Three-State Workflow
 Custom Workflows in SharePoint Designer
 Summary

6. Controlling Change
 Change control is a set of procedures that defines how
changes would be addressed in a project
 Tracking change involves
 The number of requests
 The person or group requesting the change
 What needs to be changed
 Impact of the changed
 Approval or rejection
The change-control procedure must force management
to assess the total impact of a change and
agree to the cost before ordering it to be implemented.

7. Change Control Process
Proposed
change
Do now
Inform
Log
originator
details
Impact
analysis
and
Schedule
Yes
priority
Log
Management
No
decision
Gather info
Log and
Later schedule
review

8. Agenda
 What is a Change Control System?
 SharePoint Workflows
 Utilizing the Three-State Workflow
 Custom Workflows in SharePoint Designer
 Summary

9. Human Workflows
 Businesses depend on processes
 Automating interactions among the people who
participate in a process can improve how that process
functions, increasing its efficiency and lowering its error
rate.
 Examples of project workflows
 Expense Reimbursement
 Change Control
 Regulatory Compliance
 __________________________
 __________________________

10. SharePoint Workflows
 Supports the automation of human workflow
 Enables collaboration by automating the movement of
document or list items through a specific sequence
of actions
 Based on Windows Workflow Foundation
 WSS includes a predefined Three-State workflow
 MOSS provides other workflows
 SharePoint Designer and Visual Studio .NET
can be used to create custom workflows

11. Agenda
 What is a Change Control System?
 SharePoint Workflows
 Utilizing the Three-State Workflow
 Custom Workflows in SharePoint Designer
 Summary

12. Enabling Three-State Workflow
 Can be applied to any list or document library
 The issue tracking list template has the three-state
workflow enabled
 For other lists, workflow settings can be updated by
going to the list settings
 Requires a list to use a choice column with three or more
values
 Serves as the state the workflow tracks

13. Implementing Three-State Workflow
 Three-state workflow can be applied to any list or
document library
 It requires at the most three states to enable the
workflow
 For example: Initiate, Review, Approve
 Steps to implement a Three-state workflow:
1. Go to a specific list or library
2. Define Workflow Settings
3. Test the workflow

14. A Simple Change Request System
1. Enter Change Request 3. Task assigned to review the change
request and make a decision
Decision
Submitted In Review
Made
2. Task assigned to confirm the change
request has been received

15. Interactive Demonstration
Building a Change Control System with
Three-State Workflow

16. Agenda
 What is a Change Control System?
 SharePoint Workflows
 Utilizing the Three-State Workflow
 Custom Workflows in SharePoint Designer
 Summary

17. Three State Workflow: Realistic?
 Out of the Box SharePoint Workflows are generic
 Almost always doesn’t support specific organizational
processes
 Custom workflows can be developed
 SharePoint Designer
 No Programming required
 Visual Studio .NET
 Programming is required

18. SharePoint Designer
 Creates and customizes SharePoint sites
 Provides professional tools for building interactive
SharePoint solutions without writing code
 Key features
 Customize the look and feel of a SharePoint site
 Incorporate data from a wide variety of industry
standard data sources
 Build custom workflow with built in Workflow Designer

19. SharePoint Designer

20. Workflow Designer
 Used to build custom workflows visually

21. Steps in Developing a Custom Workflow
1. Specify the list or library where the workflow will be
assigned to
2. Define the condition
3. Specify the action
4. Add more conditions and actions as necessary
5. Add further steps as necessary

22. Interactive Demonstration
Building a Change Control System with
SharePoint Designer

25. Agenda
 What is a Change Control System?
 SharePoint Workflows
 Utilizing the Three-State Workflow
 Custom Workflows in SharePoint Designer
 Summary

26. Summary
 You are now able to:
 Leverage the benefits of a change control system
 Create an automated change request process utilizing
the Three-State Workflow
 Develop a sophisticated Change Control System with
custom workflows in SharePoint Designer without coding

27. Thank You!
Innovative-e
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