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: dux.sy@innovative-e.com
¡  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
¡  Can’t We Just Focus on the Technology?
¡  Define Project Objectives
¡  Questions and Answers

¡  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

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

¡  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

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

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

Questions?
E-Mail: dux.sy@innovative-e.com
LinkedIn: meetdux.com/li
Blog: meetdux.com
Twitter: meetdux
How did you like the presentation?
http://meetdux.com/feedback/

Best Practices in Managing SharePoint Projects

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