Smarter Project Management

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2 Contents Document Purpose... 5 Background to Delta EPM... 5 Delta EPM Overview of the Solution... 5 Delta EPM Overview of a Typical Implementation... 6 PMO Site... 6 Programme Site... 6 Project Site... 7 Yammer Integration Programme / Project Social Engagement... 7 Delta EPM Online... 8 Upgrade Path and Software Updates... 8 Delta EPM Standard... 9 Upgrade Path and Software Updates... 9 Accessing the Solution... 9 Browser Based Access... 9 Access Devices... 9 Components of the Solution Our Approach to using Delta EPM The Delta EPM Vision Design Approach Delta EPM Programme Template Capability Overview Programme Management Dashboards Integration with Excel Web Services Document Management Search Programme Sites and Stakeholder Management Communications Vision and Desired Outcomes Delivery Roadmap Programme Governance Team Structure and Roles and Responsibilities Benefits Overview Programme Management Tools The Programme Plan Programme Risks and Issues Management

3 Programme Action Management Decision Management Yammer Integration Delta EPM Project Template Capability Overview Management Dashboards Integration with Excel Web Services Document Management Search Managing Projects Phased Based Management Idea Phase Initiation and Planning Phase Delivery Phase Closure Phase Delta EPM Tools Accident Reporting List Authority to Proceed List Calendar Change Log Project Contacts List Critical Success Factors (CSF s) List Decisions Log Deliverables List (Project Plan) Exception Report Highlight Report Holiday Calendar Issue Log Lessons Learned Log Objectives Log Project Status List Project Managers Announcements Quality Issue Log Risk Log Stakeholder Log Tasks

4 Timesheets Status Reporting within Delta EPM Example of Real Time Reporting Status Reporting Reported Elements Resource Management within Delta EPM Use of Resource Management Tools and Delta EPM Design Scope Resource Links Project Governance Delta EPM Development and Modification Design & Development Services Requirements Look and Feel Design Development Deployment Service Support Service Support Scope Support Costs License Costs for Delta EPM Delta EPM Online / Standard Licensing Model

5 Document Purpose The purpose of this document is to outline the functionality and general capabilities of the Delta EPM PMO, Programme & Project Management Solution for Microsoft SharePoint / Office 365. Background to Delta EPM Delta EPM has evolved over the last eleven years. It was originally developed by the founder of DMPC Limited as a tool to support his work as a Programme Office Manager (PMO) at the Home Office. He was working with SharePoint 2003 at the time, and felt that he could build a better solution than the tool he had been given to work with. As a result of that effort, WMC s SharePoint Project Central was developed and marketed, with clients procuring that solution across a number of sectors including Visit Britain and NHS based organizations. Note - The overall justification for developing Delta EPM has always been to enable Smarter Project Management, focused on having the right tools to hand, faster project initiation and consistent levels of process. The concept to enable the successful integration of tools, process and templates combined on an industry standard collaboration and document management platform. Later versions of SharePoint (e.g. 2007) resulted in a move to the new software, a name change to Delta EPM and further development of its capabilities to support programme management environments (on a bespoke basis). This upgrade was developed in conjunction with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and their cooperation with the Department for Health. Delta EPM Standard has now evolved using the later version of SharePoint provisioned within Office 365 SharePoint Online. An Example of a Delta EPM Project Landing Page Delta EPM Overview of the Solution The Delta EPM solution is based on Microsoft SharePoint and works either in the cloud on Office 365 (SharePoint Online) or on SharePoint locally installed at the clients data centre. Delta EPM uses a 5

6 mix of templates and bespoke configured SharePoint sites to deliver a rich collaborative environment for the management of a change portfolio. The look and feel of the solution is slightly customized from that of SharePoint out of the box however we recommend that clients avoid complex changes to the overall user interface in terms of excessive branding and styling changes although this can be done within the boundaries of Microsoft s recommended approach for SharePoint Online. Delta EPM Overview of a Typical Implementation A typical implementation of the overall solution is based upon having the following key components: PMO Site The PMO site is a root site of the solution and is implemented at the initial stage of the deployment. This site can be based upon a standard out of the box team site template or we can completely tailor this component to have programme portfolio dashboards, template libraries and information on programme / project delivery methodology. The approach to deploying this site is completely flexible and in all cases is designed to meet the client s requirements. Often, this site is focused on the foundations of their approach to the implementation of a P30 environment within their organization. Programme Site The Programme Site is the home of a change programme, the main landing page for all programme specific information which includes navigation to the various projects within its portfolio of delivery. Based upon our standard Delta EPM Programme Site template, we usually design and build the client a bespoke Programme Site template that meets the needs for programme management tools, dashboards and stakeholder management information requirements. In many deployment scenarios, clients choose to implement a Yammer group feed to encourage social collaboration within the programme team and wider stakeholder environment. 6

7 An example of a Delta EPM Programme Landing Page Project Site The Delta EPM Project Site template has significant customizations applied when compared to the standard version supplied by Microsoft. Our template incorporates project management tools, process and access to the centrally managed PMO templates. The Project Site is focused on providing everything a Project Manager would need in terms of management tools when initiating and managing the delivery of a project. The site comes with a built in delivery process which can be adopted as is or designed to match any existing process within the clients organization. The delivery approach within the Project Site is aligned to Waterfall delivery methods but can easily incorporate Agile based methodologies within the delivery phase. The site is packed full of useful features, delivery dashboards for management information, integration with Excel Web Services and also a focus on a personalized view of the user s involvement within the project lifecycle. The Delta EPM Project Site incorporates workflow for its key toolsets (such as Risk and Issues) and also provides a communications platform for those involved in the project as stakeholders and governance representatives. An example of a Delta EPM Information / Site Architecture Yammer Integration Programme / Project Social Engagement We have integrated Delta EPM Online with Microsoft s Enterprise Social platform called Yammer. This can either be licensed free of charge (the non-enterprise version) of licensed through an Office 365 subscription. 7

8 Yammer is an excellent solution for collaborative working and improving the overall virtual team working environment for teams involved in change delivery. Integration with Delta EPM improves the overall usability of the platform and encourages change team members involvement and adoption of both solutions. A Yammer Group Feed integration with a Project Site Delta EPM Online Delta EPM Online is based upon Microsoft SharePoint Online (which is bundled as part of the Office 365 product). The solution is hosted in the Microsoft Cloud and adheres to all of the governing principles and service levels provided under the Microsoft Office 365 Cloud Service. To use Delta EPM Online, access to the Office 365 service is required as a pre-requisite (including SharePoint Online) with access security provided as per the standard service e.g. Microsoft Online Services accounts are required which are supplied on a monthly subscription basis. Delta EPM Online is provisioned on a per site basis based upon a fixed price for the solution package. Note DMPC Limited are an accredited Microsoft Online Service Provider so that if you need to obtain access to Office 365 services prior to using Delta EPM Online we can supply these along with the project management solution. Upgrade Path and Software Updates The Delta EPM Solution has its own upgrade Path along with adhering to the upgrade path for Office 365 to SharePoint Online. As your version of Office 365 is upgraded your version of Delta EPM will also be upgraded to operate within that newer version of the host software. 8

9 Delta EPM is frequently updated with additional capabilities and any known issues resolved. These updates are supplied as a new solution (e.g. SharePoint WSP solution package) however these updates do not update existing installed Delta EPM sites. Newly created sites using the updated solution will have any updates applied to them. Delta EPM Standard Delta EPM standard is based upon a local on premise hosted version of Microsoft SharePoint The solution is provided as a solution package (SharePoint WSP) and installed by the client into their Solution Store within a Site Collection of their choice. Note the solution is not provided on a subscription basis but is provided as a code delivered product for the exclusive right of use by the purchasing organisation. The solution requires: SharePoint 2013 installed on a suitable SharePoint Server (various farm configurations apply) o Note the standard Microsoft pre-requisites and server specifications apply SharePoint site collection owner permissions to enable installation of the solution into the SharePoint solution store Upgrade Path and Software Updates The Delta EPM Solution has its own upgrade Path along with adhering to the upgrade path for SharePoint. Delta EPM is frequently updated with additional capabilities and any known issues resolved. These updates are supplied as a new solution (e.g. SharePoint WSP) however these updates do not update existing installed Delta EPM sites. Newly created sites using the updated solution will have any updates applied to them. Accessing the Solution Browser Based Access Delta EPM is accessible via a web browser. Browser compatibility is based on Microsoft s browser compatibility standards for SharePoint / Office 365. However, the most up to date browsers from Microsoft, Google, Safari and Firefox are all suitable but we would recommend the latest Microsoft browser for the best all round experience. Our recommended screen resolution for Delta EPM is 1920 x Access Devices The latest computer work stations and laptops are obviously suitable for accessing Delta EPM. We would also recommend tablet devices for general usage (probably not at the administration level) but we don t at this stage recommend general access on mobiles due to the nature of the content and the way that SharePoint sizes information in its lists etc. 9

10 Delta EPM is accessible via Workstations, Laptops and Tablet Devices. Components of the Solution Delta EPM (Online and Standard) uses core Microsoft SharePoint functionality and capabilities as its technical and functional baseline. The solution has been significantly configured to adapt existing out of the box tools to provide project management focussed capabilities. In addition, we have enhanced core SharePoint functionality and aligned that to support smarter project management within a typical Programme / Project delivery environment. It is important to note, that although the solution has taken a considerable time and man-day effort to produce is does not contain customised code. All capabilities have been delivered through configuration of the browser based design interface with a heavy use of Microsoft SharePoint Designer. We have not adopted a custom development approach for this solution so that we can more easily support Microsoft s upgrade path to future versions of SharePoint. Delta EPM is built upon the following: Team Site Template with a customised theme and master page Multiple use of customised SharePoint Lists Use of multiple lookup configurations Adaptation of existing out of the box web parts to enable a more useful Project Management utilisation Use of customised images to support the overall user interface The overall solution is packaged into a SharePoint WSP and is then loaded into the Solutions Gallery where it is then activated and made available to use within the appointed SharePoint Site Collection. Delta EPM uploaded to a SharePoint Solutions Gallery within Central Administration Our Approach to using Delta EPM Using tools to expedite and manage projects has been happening for a number of years. There are many solutions on the market that claim to enable more effective project delivery. However, the 10

11 reality in our view is that many of these tools are good providing functionality but they often lack the required usability needed to encourage adoption and return on investment. Delta EPM is different, it s been designed and built by experienced PMO, Programme and Project professionals who understand the needs of the sector. The Delta EPM Vision The Delta EPM vision is to Enable smarter project management through allowing for faster project initiation, more effective delivery management and improved communications, focussed on the integration of tools, process and templates Design Approach Delta EPM has been designed to be simple and easy to use. Our approach has always been focussed on: Keeping it simple to use and adopt into an organisation Giving the basic tools to users when they need them in a fast and consistent way Providing practical support in terms of process and methodology Improving visibility of project progress and delivery management issues Providing the necessary support and interface for existing and well adopted tools that will always be used in such environments e.g. o Microsoft Office o Exchange o Microsoft Project Delta EPM uses a flexible approach to managing phased based delivery from an Idea to Completion There are two major design aspects within Delta EPM 11

12 Phased Based Management (Delivery Process) the solution supports the management of delivery in phases, with delivery gates, tasks and process that can be aligned to your existing way of managing project delivery Tools and Templates the solution provides a set of simple but effective tools and templates to enable the effective management of a project. These directly support faster project initiation and improved quality and consistency of delivery approach. Note many of the tools and templates are based loosely on PRINCE2 however they can be adapted to suit the specific needs of the organisation as required. The final key component of our design approach was to adopt the functionality and capability of core SharePoint to enable smarter project management. In particular we have used document management, workflow and search along with personalisation features to provide the basis of a highly effective project management solution. 12

13 Delta EPM Programme Template Capability Overview In this section we have outlined the overall capabilities of the solution aligned to typical programme management requirements and the pragmatic adoption of software within a change management environment. Programme Management Dashboards The overall solution is designed to be dashboard centric, providing an overall delivery dashboard combined with personalised views of tasks, deliverables and key components such as risks, issues and changes. The Delta EPM Programme Site is a bespoke solution, which means that we utilise the power of SharePoint to enable various levels of dashboards based upon the specific requirements of the client. We typically roll-up project level information to a bespoke programme dashboard, demonstrating delivery management and financial information. These types of dashboards deliver excellent management information, enabling key stakeholders to make more informed decisions regarding the progression of the programme portfolio and highlights areas that are potential issues / blockers to progress. Note All of this information is fed in real time from tools within the Programme Site and information held at the project levels. Programme Delivery Dashboard Combines output from projects tools and Excel feeds Integration with Excel Web Services The programme level dashboards can be driven by both SharePoint lists and information captured and managed within Excel. E.g. the financials dashboard can be automatically updated via the updating of the budget spreadsheet linked to project level spreadsheets, all done in real time saving time and effort in copying, pasting this data into other applications such as PowerPoint. Note our team can customise your dashboards to meet the management reporting needs of your organisation as part of our initial setting up of the solution. 13

14 The Programme Financial Dashboard can combine information from across the portfolio of projects Document Management The Delta EPM Programme Site utilizes SharePoint s excellent capabilities to manage electronic based documentation. Document Management facilities within this site that are highly configurable and able to effectively manage the security and integrity of the client s programme level documentation. All Delta EPM Programme Sites have built in Document Management facilities, we enable version control by default and also configure document libraries for check in / check out so that document integrity is maintained when collaborating in teams. Document external sharing can be enabled so that documents can be securely shared with the client s delivery partners and external stakeholders. We use a simplified meta data tagging system for the tagging of documentation so that we can more easily sign-post documentation to end users and retrieve them via the built in search facility. Search The ability to effectively search for documentation is vital when handling large amounts of information in delivery portfolios. Delta EPM uses the power of SharePoint Search and its metatagging design for document libraries to ensure that documents can easily be retrieved via searching within Programme Sites. The search facility also returns results of data stored in the important management tools (e.g. Risks and Issue Logs) so that data within SharePoint lists can easily be found. 14

15 Example of search results that also include visual clues as to the relevance of that content Programme Sites and Stakeholder Management Communications One of the main benefits of using Delta EPM is that you are always offering visibility of the Programme to your stakeholder community. Our approach to this is relatively simple in that we offer communications tools for the following: Vision and Desired Outcomes There is an area at the Programme level for the Programme Manager to display the overall vision statement and then list the proposed desired outcomes of the programme. This is an excellent way of setting the scene for the programme delivery and ensuring that stakeholders understand the basics of what the programme is about. Programme vision statement and access to the Desired Outcomes list 15

16 Delivery Roadmap Most stakeholders like to see a plan on a page for the delivery of the programme, so within Delta EPM we have included a page for the inclusion of the delivery roadmap, either done via PowerPoint or using other tools such as Microsoft Visio. Delivery Roadmap can be included as a plan on a page Programme Governance Users of Delta EPM at the programme level need to be clear on the programme governance structure and the timings etc of key governance meetings. We have dedicated a page to the explanation of the programme governance which includes being able to view governance meetings that are scheduled and also review key decisions that have been made. In addition, we have included a specific actions register for the Programme Board team that is uses to keep track of actions coming out of this important meeting. Additional information is available on governance team members and their contact information. Team Structure and Roles and Responsibilities A typical programme definition (aligned to methodologies such as MSP) requires the delivery team to be well defined and understood along with a description of the associated roles and responsibilities that are undertaken within the programme. Delta EPM provides a page for the Programme Manager to update the stakeholders on this important aspect of programme definition. 16

17 Team structure diagrams are an important step in gaining an understanding of the programme Benefits Overview As part of the overall definition of the programme, the Programme Manager needs to keep their stakeholders informed as to the projected benefits, the plan for realisation and also the status of the monitoring of their realisation during later phases of delivery. Note It would be useful to include Excel feeds that demonstrate the monitoring and realisation of the benefits throughout the lifecycle of the programme. Delta EPM can easily accommodate this within the user interface. The Delta EPM Programme Site has a page for this purpose and can be used to offer stakeholders an excellent high level view of the overall business case for the programme. Programme Management Tools The Delta EPM Programme Site has a number of excellent tools designed for managing the programme built into the SharePoint user interface. The Programme Plan Programme Managers can manage their high level delivery plan using the built in Programme planning tool within Delta EPM. This is based upon a customised task list providing Gantt, Milestone and personalised views of the plan. The tool is very easy to use with the use having no requirement for Microsoft Project, however the plan can be updated using this software if required. The plan demonstrates dependency and RAG status. Visual representation using the timeline feature of SharePoint is also an addition user interface function that assists with the visibility of programme deliverables. Out from this tool is shown on the overall delivery dashboard for the programme. 17

18 An example of a high level programme plan with dependency and milestones Extract of the Programme Dashboard Showing milestone status driven directly from the Programme Plan 18

19 Programme Risks and Issues Management Delta EPM Programme Sites have built in risk and issue lists that are customised to enable the programme team to document risks and issues aligned to the best practice approach for logging them. The tools are configured for basic approval workflow so that anyone within the team can add a risk or an issue but these don t appear on the reporting dashboards until they have been validated by the Programme Manager. Typically, the Programme Manager would have an alert set up on these lists so when anyone adds one or modifies the details of the existing risk or issue they are notified immediately. Risks and Issues also have visual displays based upon the rating and impact etc. Programme risk log with visual flags for rating categorisation Programme Action Management Delta EPM incorporates two key tools in action management at the programme level. Programme Actions This actions tracking tool is designed to capture general programme management actions that occur during the day to day delivery management of the programme. Instead of producing meeting minutes and then sending these out, the concept focusses on the team use of the actions tracking functionality, avoiding duplication of effort and producing review dashboards so that everyone can see their actions and status. Note - The Programme Site landing page has a personalised view so that every user can see their actions. 19

20 Personalisation is used to keep track of the user s actions Programme Board Actions This action tracking tool is specific to the main governance group (e.g. a Programme Board) and is used to track the specific actions that come out of the key governance meeting that steers and manages the programme. Again, this can be used to collate all meeting actions and prevent the need for sending out separate meeting minutes. Access to this tool is available to all board members and actions are listed on the main governance page for the Programme Site. Decision Management A key requirement for every Programme Manager is document and ensure that all decisions are visible to the team and wider stakeholders. Output from decision making governance meetings are recorded within the Decisions Log and visible on the Programme Site Delivery Dashboard. Decisions Log output is visible on Delivery and Governance Dashboards within the Programme Site. Yammer Integration Our client s typical wish to include a Yammer Group feed within the Programme Site template. This is of course an option and we can locate this either on the landing page or create a specific page for that purpose as per your requirement. Note - By default, this isn t included but can be provisioned on request. 20

21 Delta EPM Project Template Capability Overview In this section we have outlined the overall capabilities of the solution aligned to typical project management requirements and pragmatic adoption of software within a change management environment. Management Dashboards The Delta EPM Project Site is designed to be dashboard centric, providing an overall delivery dashboard combined with personalised views of tasks, deliverables and key components such as risks, issues and changes. Delta EPM is a bespoke solution, which means that we utilise the power of SharePoint to enable various levels of dashboards based upon the specific requirements of the client. We typically rollup project level information to a bespoke programme dashboard. This type of dashboard delivers an excellent set of management information, enabling key stakeholders to make more informed decisions regarding the progression of the programme portfolio and highlights areas that are potential issues / blockers to progress. The Delta EPM project level solution comes packaged with a customisable status report that has a detailed dashboard view of the project delivery status. It also provides a phase specific view of delivery and a personalised view of actions, deliverables as well as ownership of risks / issues etc. Integration with Excel Web Services The project level dashboards can be driven by both SharePoint lists and information captured and managed within Excel. E.g. the financials dashboard can be automatically updated via the updating of the budget spreadsheet, all done in real time saving time and effort in copying, pasting this data into other applications such as PowerPoint. Note our team can customise your dashboards to meet the management reporting needs of your organisation as part of our initial setting up of the solution. A typical project financial dashboard displaying integrated Excel content within the SharePoint Project Site 21

22 Document Management Delta EPM utilizes SharePoint s excellent capabilities to manage electronic based documentation. Document Management facilities within the solution that are highly configurable and able to effectively manage the security and integrity of the client s documentation. All Delta EPM Sites have built in Document Management facilities, we enable version control by default and also configure document libraries for check in / check out so that document integrity is maintained when collaborating in teams. Document external sharing can be enabled so that documents can be securely shared with the client s delivery partners and external stakeholders. We use a simplified meta data tagging system for the tagging of documentation so that we can more easily sign post that documentation to end users and retrieve that document via the built in search facility. Search The ability to effectively search for documentation is vital when handling large amounts of information in delivery portfolios. Delta EPM uses the power of SharePoint Search and its metatagging design for document libraries to ensure that documents can easily be retrieved via searching within Programme and Project Sites. The search facility also returns results of data stored in the important management tools (e.g. Risks and Issue Logs) so that data within SharePoint lists can easily be found. Managing Projects Phased Based Management Within Delta EPM we have split the management of a project into four phases (a typical delivery process): Idea Phase Initiation and Planning Phase Delivery Phase Closure Phase Note Organisations can adapt Delta EPM to accommodate more or less phases and name changes if this is required. Note - These phases can also be aligned to Waterfall or Agile delivery methodologies as required. Idea Phase The focus of the Idea (a typical project inception) Phase is to take the project forward from an initial idea (it may be a conversation of more formal decision via a Project Mandate) through to a decision to proceed to initiating the project and spending the time and effort required to plan for its successfully delivery. Within the Idea Phase, the Project Manager (PM) works with their sponsor to identify what the project is about, what the criteria for success is and the specific objectives it has to achieve. Work is done on the outline business case for the project and this is reviewed with key stakeholders. 22

23 The solution provides a working environment to manage these activities, within the phase certain tools are utilised (as they are throughout the project lifecycle) such as the Objectives List and the PM starts to report (via the Status Report page) how the project is progressing. Within the phase, the process allows for the identification of deliverables (Management and Specialist) and tasks can be assigned to project team members (users of Delta EPM). Personalisation features allow for easy access to your allocated tasks and other information such as risks and issues that you may be assigned to the ownership of. Idea Phase Home Page Phase status is always available via the RAG status indicator on the phase home page (see Fig 4 above). Once the phase is nearing completion the phase based deliverables (these are prepopulated project management deliverables) requires an Authority to Proceed (ATP) into the Initiation and Planning Phase of the project lifecycle. Initiation and Planning Phase During this phase the PM has a documented activity flow and set of deliverables required in order to take the project forward into delivery. Initiation and Planning Phase Activity Flow within Delta EPM 23

24 Faster project initiation is achieved using the built in tools provided as they do not have to be designed and then subsequently developed by the PM or PMO. The fact that there is a suite of tools available also drives consistency and overall management quality improvements within the project management environment for the organisation concerned. The objective within this phase is to develop the Project Initiation Document (PID) and obtain its approval which in effect is the contract between the Project Board and the Project Manager for the delivery of the project. Project Milestones are captured as part of the planning process Delta EPM directly supports the development of the PID with a pre-populated set of tasks and management deliverables designed to achieve the necessary planning information needed for a PID development. Tools are available to the PM to document risks, issues and project milestones. The Deliverables List (Project Plan) is a key tool is fully utilised within this phase which effectively forms a project plan. This plan can either be used in isolation or exported to Microsoft Project using the exporting capabilities of Microsoft SharePoint. 24

25 The Project Plan area of Delta EPM displays the Deliverables List in a Gantt chart format The solution is also populated with template documents to support this important phase of the project. During this phase other areas of the solution are used for key management activities such as forming the Project Governance, setting up the project communications, identifying Stakeholders and producing Status Reports. Throughout the phase, the user can easily access their specific tasks and note the progress of risks, issues and changes that they have raised. The phase home page offers personalisation features and obviously a RAG status for the phase delivery. The built-in process moves the phase forward until an ATP is received via the formal governance group (e.g. a Project Board). As with other phases, this is tracked formally and workflow can be used to obtain a formal approval process for this key stage gate in the project lifecycle. Note For Agile projects, the project plan can be easily modified into a Product Catalogue and managed as a toolset within the delivery phase using a plan based around sprints, show and tell sessions and updates to the product backlog that can again be managed within the solution Delivery Phase This is the crucial phase where the specialist deliverables are produced and most of the project objectives tend to be delivered. Within Delta EPM, this phase is flexible as it operates on a loosely pre-designed set of activities that would normally support project delivery at this point. 25

26 Delivery Phase Home Page The key emphasis of this phase is to effectively delivery manage the project outcomes and specialist deliverables. Allocation of project tasks will therefore be crucial as will the definition and allocation of work packages to internal teams or suppliers. Process management is vital in ensuring that Risk, Issue, Change and Quality Management is considered and managed appropriately. Delta EPM fully supports all of the required processes needed to effectively manage the project through delivery. Status Reporting During Delivery Once the project has been committed to deliver it becomes even more vital to report project status accurately and as often as stakeholders require. Delta EPM supports real time reporting with the reporting dashboards always available to project stakeholders. These dashboards pull in data from many tools within the solution, providing a simple graphical representation of project progress, process status and written reporting capability though the built in Highlight Report. Note - The Status Report page within Delta EPM provides the home for all status reporting during all phases of the project. This has the flexibility to include the integration with Excel Web Services as required. Note - The Status Report page within Delta EPM provides the home for all status reporting during all phases of the project. 26

27 An example of a Status Report Home Page combines Excel feeds with output from SharePoint lists Once the project delivery has been completed, the project can then (via an ATP from the governance group) be moved forward into formal Project Closure. Closure Phase The formal closure of projects is often overlooked within many organisations. However, it is important to formally close a project in order to demonstrate what the project has achieved, report on its delivery, benefit from lessons learned during the project and then subsequently archive the project management deliverables appropriately. Key activities are outlined within the Project Closure Phase with Delta EPM. Tools are used such as the Lesson Learned Log to develop the End Project Report. It is then possible to utilise the Delta EPM solution as a means of archiving the project and keeping a permanent record of everything that went on in that project for future reference. In particular the Decisions Log is a vital tool for keeping track of why and how the project progressed in the way that it did and who made the associated decisions along the way. Delta EPM sites that have closed projects can either remain in their native installation configuration or they can be effectively be closed down through the appropriate use of security configuration controls that exist for native SharePoint. Note - Other archiving options can be used if the organisation has an existing archiving tool for SharePoint 27

28 Closure Phase Home Page Delta EPM Tools Delta EPM has a rich set of tools that enable the effective initiation, planning and delivery management of programmes and projects. These tools also drive real time reporting data via the reporting dashboards in the Status Report area. Note All tools come as standard within Delta EPM and clients have the choice as to how they choose to adopt them aligned to their approach to using Delta EPM in support of their overall deployment. Each of the tools is outlined in alphabetical order below: Accident Reporting List Although not considered as a primary tool within Delta EPM, this tool is used to manage any accident reports that may need to be captured during the delivery of the project. Information is then displayed on the Resources area home page along with the list itself. 28

29 Accident Reporting Data Entry View Authority to Proceed List The purpose of this list is to document the required decisions needed in order to move between phases of the project. This can be used to capture key Governance decisions. This list uses workflow to set up a group of approvers e.g. the Project Board who can approve the ATP entry. The PM raises the ATP entries and initiates the workflow as a result of the raising a new entry. Note - security is normally restricted on this list so that the PM only has contributor level access. 29

30 Authority to Proceed List Data Entry View Calendar This is effectively the Project Calendar for the project team to use to plan meetings and project events. It uses standard SharePoint Calendar capability and has extra columns of information around the type of meeting / event that is taking place. This can be used to categories these events / meetings, create custom views of that data (such as governance meeting on the Governance Home Page). As with all SharePoint Calendars, they can be synchronised with Outlook so that you get a simpler user experience when tracking project related events and meetings. This has not been heavily customised within Delta EPM but could be further enhanced if required to meet any specific and bespoke requirements. 30

31 Project Calendar Data Entry View Change Log The Change Log is considered to be a primary tool within Delta EPM. The tool is a heavily customised SharePoint list designed to capture information about changes to the project scope and deliverables. It includes a visual status flag based upon the status of the change that helps to identify how changes are being progressed within the project and are visibly in the log and associated dashboards. 31

32 Delta EPM Change Log The Change Log uses lookups to other lists / logs within the solution to pull in a rich set of data in support of the management of Change within Delta EPM. As with most of the primary tools within Delta EPM, this tool uses approval workflow so that any submitted changes are reviewed first before formal entry into the Log. Management of Change within Delta EPM assumes that the organisation follows a formal change process (e.g. ITIL) but as the tool is built in SharePoint it can easily be amended to reflect specific management flows, data requirements and change status if required. 32

33 Change Log Data Entry View Project Contacts List This list is a primary tool within Delta EPM for logging and managing project contact information. The tool is based upon a standard contacts list web part but has some additional features to display custom views of the information on other areas of the solution, e.g. the Governance Home Page for Project Board Members. As with most primary lists the list requires approval workflow, with the approver normally being configured to the PM. This list is extremely important in managing project team details and that of suppliers and other people associated with the wider project stakeholder groups. 33

34 Project Contacts List Data Entry View Critical Success Factors (CSF s) List The CSF List is used to log the critical success factors for the project during the Idea Phase of the project lifecycle. Project CSF s are identified in conjunction with the project sponsor and other major stakeholders of the project. This data is then used as a starting point for expediting Risk identification and the data is also used to pull into other logs if these CSF s are considered to be impacted by Risk for example. 34

35 Critical Success Factors (CSF s) List Data Entry View Decisions Log This vital log is considered to be a primary tool within Delta EPM. The tool is used throughout the project lifecycle to document major decisions that have been made. This provides an audit trail of decision making that can directly support project auditing, lessons learned, delivery management and status reporting elements. Decisions are normally logged only by the PM or their appointed deputy, with security access locked down appropriately as required. Decisions that impact objectives can also be identified at the point of data entry. Work is enabled so decisions that are captured by other team members can be reviewed before being made publically available to other Delta EPM users. The decisions logged onto the Log are then made available to dashboards and other lists such as the Delta EPM Highlight Report for inclusion in a specific reporting period. 35

36 Decisions Log Data Entry View Deliverables List (Project Plan) This is probably one if not the most important tool within the Delta EPM solution. Management deliverables are assigned to this list as part of the pre-population of the tool. These deliverables form a management plan for the project with deliverables being assigned to the project phases discussed in early sections of this document. The list itself is built upon a task list (SharePoint terminology) which accommodates for tasks (i.e. in this case deliverables) having predecessors, start, end dates etc. Deliverables can be assigned to individuals within the Delta EPM user list and a Gantt chart view is produced. At the time of upload, deliverables can be assigned as being: 36

37 Management part of the overall management deliverables needed to deliver the project, typically project management documentation etc. Specialist these are the deliverables that usually deliver the project outcomes such as software etc. Other attributes can be assigned such as mandatory so that Delta EPM user teams can decide if some deliverables are must have deliverables or be considered as optional as is the case when a portfolio of Management Deliverables is first logged into the plan. Deliverables List Default View Different views of this list have been pre-configured and it is also important to note that the allocation of the deliverable as a milestone means that the deliverable appears on the milestone status reporting. Deliverable status is displayed throughout Delta EPM, within the phases (i.e. by Phase) and in areas such as Planning and Reporting etc. Note there is also a basic search capability to allow for searching for deliverables which is very useful within larger and more complex projects. Interface with Microsoft Project and use for planning SharePoint 2010 allows for users to export a task list to Microsoft Project This is an important feature within Delta EPM as we understand that there may always be a mandate to plan projects using a planning tool of this type. However, to allow for greater collaboration on projects plans we suggest that the planning is done within Delta EPM and Microsoft Project use is limited if it required. The reason for this is that many 37

38 project stakeholders do not tend to have access to the Microsoft Project client software and therefore access to project planning is often at a cost or nor provided at all. The Deliverables List is not the smartest of planning tools but it does allow for effective planning, with basic Gantt charting and dependency identification and impact management. The project plan within Delta EPM can be managed via Microsoft Project (if required) Exception Report Delta EPM follows the approach that in the event of a predicted move out of project tolerance (e.g. time and cost) then an Exception Report is raised. 38

39 Exception Report Data Entry View The report does require approval before being formally dealt with by the PM in the first instance. Exception Reports are reported on the Status Report area and normally result in a need for a project change or issue resolution. Highlight Report The project Highlight Report within Delta EPM is considered as a significant tool in the management and reporting of project status. Although real time status updates are provided by default within Delta EPM (via the Status Report Home Page) the nature of the written Highlight Report add extra context to the project status and recent / planned activities. It is used to document the detail beneath the detail in the various tools within Delta EPM but also pulls in this information (via the various lookups) so that a concise view of the status can be obtained. The Highlight Reports are accessible via the tool bar and via the Status Report Home Page. 39

40 Highlight Report Data Entry View Holiday Calendar This is a supporting tool within Delta EPM designed to manage holiday requests within the project team. The Calendar uses basic approval workflow for new requests and invites the person requesting holiday to document how their absence will be covered and the impact to the project. 40

41 Holiday Requests Data Entry View Issue Log In most project management scenarios the Issue Log is considered to be very important and in this is case within Delta EPM. As a primary tool for the PM, the Issue Log is used to identify and track the issue management activities throughout the project lifecycle. It includes a visual status flag based upon the impact of the issue that helps to identify how issues are being categorised within the project and are visibly in the log and associated dashboards. Issues can be raised by anyone within the user list but are then moderated by the PM (via approval workflow) to ensure that they are indeed an issue or if not are they classified as something else such as a Risk. Issues logged are then given an owner and managed under whatever issue management process is in place within the organisation. Issues are reported on phase home pages and within the Status Report area of Delta EPM. 41

42 Issue Log Data Entry View Lessons Learned Log Effective project management requires the identification of lessons learned throughout the project lifecycle. Delta EPM provides a facility to log lessons learned at any point during the project, these are then subsequently used to complete the end project report during the Closure Phase. When lessons are learned, these are reported on the Status Report Home Page. 42

43 Lessons Learned Log Data Entry View Objectives Log Within the Idea Phase of the project the PM is required to identify the smart objectives of the project and document them. The log within Delta EPM provides the tool for doing this and is then used to track the completion of each objective. Objective delivery status is demonstrated on the delivery dashboard of the Status Report Home Page. It includes a visual status flag based upon the delivery status of the objective that helps to identify how objectives are being delivered within the project and are visibly in the log and associated dashboards. Note When objectives are impacted by Risk, Issues, Change and Quality management aspects these are pulled into those logs / lists In addition, the completion of objectives is also pulled into the project Highlight Report. 43

44 Smart Objectives List Data Entry View Project Status List This list is pre-populated with the project phases that are used within the phase pages and the many tools within Delta EPM. The phases are: Idea Phase Initiation and Planning Phase Delivery Phase Closure Phase This list is used to provide phase specific views for the phase management dashboards. Project Managers Announcements This is a basic announcements list which is normally configured for limited access to contribute announcements. The PM uses this list within Delta EPM (accessing it from the Communications area) to announce project updates to the rest of the wider project team (Delta EPM users). 44

45 The latest announcement is also displayed on the right hand side of the Delta EPM Home Page under the image of the PM. This tool is considered to be an important tool in the drive to open up communication using Delta EPM. Team members would be invited to add an alert (using SharePoint Alerts) to this list so that they can be immediately notified via of any important announcements about the project. Project Managers Announcements Data Entry View Quality Issue Log The Quality Issue Log within Delta EPM is considered to be a primary tool and needed to effectively manage the overall quality management of the project. Quality issues can be raised by any user of Delta EPM and they are then moderated by the PM using the built-in approval workflow. The Quality Management process and approach is dependent upon the organisation however this tool provides a means of managing quality issues and ensuring that these issues do not get forgotten about and then subsequently impact the project outcome. It includes a visual status flag based upon the impact of the issue that helps to identify how issues are being categorised within the project and are visibly in the log and associated dashboards. Quality issues are reported on the overall project Status Report Home Page. 45

46 Quality Issue Log Data Entry View Risk Log The Risk Log is a well-known and used tool within most projects. The Delta EPM solution has adopted a typical Risk Management approach to the management of risk. The Risk Log is used to identify, evaluate and then manage the risk. The Log is an on-going tool and is used within all phases of the project. It includes a visual status flag based upon the rating of the risk that helps to identify how serious the exposure is within the project and these are visibly in the log and associated dashboards. 46

47 Project Risk Log in Delta EPM Risks are raised and then moderated by the PM (via approval workflow) to ensure that they are risks, not issues etc. Risks are associated with a critical success factor (identified during the Idea Phase of the project) and are evaluated based upon the impact and likelihood of happening. The Exposure is then automatically calculated and a manual rating of High, Medium or Low can be applied based upon whether or not the PM is concerned by the exposure and proximity of the risk. Risks that are logged and approved appear on phase home pages along with a risk update within the overall Status Report Home Page. 47

48 Risk Log Data Entry View Stakeholder Log Delta EPM supports the Office of Governments (OGC) Managing Successful Programmes approach to the management of stakeholders. We strongly believe that a formal approach is required to document who your stakeholders are, what impact and interest they may currently have around the project and how this may need to change going forward. Delta EPM allows for the capture and management of stakeholder information (access is normally tightly controlled for obvious reasons) and suggests that a management plan is put into place for each stakeholder by an appointed Relationship Manager. We realise that every organisation has their own approach to the management of stakeholders within the programme and project environment but we do feel that this tool provides an excellent resource for the PM and any associated Relationship Managers. 48

49 Stakeholder Log Data Entry View Tasks The Task List within Delta EPM is used to manage project tasks across the full range of project activities. It is particularly useful for managing governance meeting actions along with actions relating to other delivery management meetings. Tasks are allocated to Delta EPM users, with each users tasks being available on a personalised view on the Delta EPM Home Page and within the phase home pages. It includes a visual status flag based upon the focus and priority of the task that helps to identify how important the tasks are and the status of their completion within the project and are visibly in the log and associated dashboards. The Task List is an important tool in the delivery management of projects within Delta EPM. 49

50 Project Task List Data Entry View Timesheets The purpose of the Timesheet list is to enable the capture of man-hours spent on the project by project team members. The tool allows for any Delta EPM user to submit their time based upon a week commencing on a Monday. Hours are logged and a total is automatically calculated. The person submitting the timesheet is asked to specify who their approval manager for this time is (e.g. the PM) and their contact address. 50

51 There is a built in workflow to ask the approval manager to either approve or reject the timesheet. communications take place during the workflow and are dependent upon the status. Timesheet Data Entry Form View Status Reporting within Delta EPM Status Reports are presented on the Status Report Home Page within Delta EPM. 51

52 Project Status Report Home Page Combines Excel integration with SharePoint list data Delta EPM is designed to allow for real time reporting. What is meant by real time reporting? In this case, it means that when a status changes of a data item that is being tracked that change is immediately reflected within the Status Report area of Delta EPM. Note - In this section, we have outlined the reports that are configured as standard. However, due to the flexibility of Delta EPM and SharePoint as a whole many different reports and ways of presenting data can be achieved with minimum effort. Example of Real Time Reporting The logs within Delta EPM are used as active management tools. In this example changes and quality issues are captured and their associated information logged in the aligned list. When this information changes (and when approved) this data is instantly replicated into the overall project status dashboard. Data that is also rolled up to the programme site is also instantly replicated to the Programme Site and other dashboards. 52

53 An example of real time reporting from project logs (Status Report Home Page) Status Reporting Reported Elements The Status Report Home Page reports on many elements of project status: Overall Project Status Overall Project Status is can be represented in many ways depending upon the client s requirement. In the example below, this is taken direct from an Excel feed that is also used to update stakeholder presentations. Overall Project Status 53

54 Project Objectives Project Objectives are reported in terms of their completion or non-completion. This report is driven via a data view of the Objectives List. Project Objectives Status Report Milestone Status Project Milestone Status is driven from the Deliverables List and presented on the Status Report Home Page as a data view with RAG status. Milestone Status Report Recent Highlight Reports Written Highlight Reports are presented on the Status Report Home Page in reverse order with the latest at the top of the list. These reports are generated from the Highlight Reporting tool. Fig 37 Recent Highlight Reports 54

55 Top Risks The Top 5 Risks in terms of their exposure are presented on the Status Report Home Page driven by the project Risk Log. Top Risks Report Risk Exposure by Status and Phase This report outlines in graphical terms how the risks are spread across the phases of the project in terms of their levels of exposure. Risk Exposure by Status and Phase Top Issues This report outlines the top 5 issues across the project based upon their impact. The report is driven by the Issue Log and presented via a Chart Web Part. Top Issues Report Issue Impact by Status and Phase This report presents graphical representation of the Issue impact status across the phases of the project lifecycle. It is driven by a Chart Web Part view of the Issue Log. 55

56 Issue Impact by Status and Phase Recent Current Change Requests This report outlines the most recent changes on the project. The report is driven by the project Change Log. Recent Current Change Requests Recent Quality Issues The most recent Quality Issues that have been raised are stated within the Status Report Home Page and driven by the Quality Log. Recent Quality Issues Recent Decisions The last five most recent decisions that have been logged within the Decisions Log are displayed with the Status Report Home Page. 56

57 Recent Decisions Report Recent Exception Report The most recent Exception Reports are summarised on the Status Report Home Page, driven from a data view of the Exception Report tool. Recent Exception Reports Recent Lessons Learned The most recent lessons learned during the project are summarised on the Status Report Home Page driven from a data view of the Lessons Learned log. Recent Lessons Learned Resource Management within Delta EPM Organisations have many different ways of managing project resources. Delta EPM acknowledges this fact and offers an environment to manage the project team resources but does not prescribe a specific way of doing this. 57

58 Use of Resource Management Tools and Delta EPM Design Scope Delta EPM is not a Resource Management tool in its own right, it is designed to provide a supplementary management tool but does not intend to replace the heavyweight resource management tools that are on the market. From our experience to date, most organisations tend not go down the formal route to implementing these types of heavyweight tools for managing resources. Most organisations are still challenged by the need to manage projects within matrix environments and allocating dedicated resource to projects is often a major issue. Other organisations use project management tools such as Primavera and Microsoft Project for the management of resources but we also find those tools lack the flexibility needed to manage resources effectively. In addition, they do not offer a full scope of management toolsets so inevitably the tendency is to use Office and in particular Excel for resource and costing spreadsheets. Taking all of the above into account we feel that Delta EPM is a supplementary tool and our clients will have their own tried and tested way of managing resources. Resources Area Home Page The toolsets for managing resources within Delta EPM are designed to assist the PM and Project Team. Timesheets The solution has a built-in Timesheet tool to allow project team members to submit their time against the project. This is useful to assist with cost management and also to use a tool for calculating project delivery performance i.e. when calculating earned value. The Timesheet List is an excellent means of keeping track of both internal and external spend on projects, especially when contractors are involved. 58

59 Team Structure Projects can be confusing in nature both from within and when looked at by the wider stakeholder community. It is important for the project to issue an organisation structure so that any ambiguity of role is alleviated and people generally know who is leading what area etc. Delta EPM suggests that you upload your own diagram of the team structure similar to one detailed below. Example Project Team Structure Diagram Secure Documents Area The Resource Home Page offers a means for the PM to store and manage project resource based documentation in a secure area using a locked down SharePoint Document Library. Security would be limited to the PM and appointed Delta EPM users. Health & Safety Delta EPM encourages the documenting of incidents and accidents within the toolset. This is not meant to be used instead of any existing organisation tools but is useful to keep a track record of any health and safety issues encountered during the project lifecycle. Recent Accident Reports are displayed on the Resource Home Page 59

60 Holidays Managing the holidays that people need and book within a project is often a major headache for most PM s. Delta EPM has a built in holiday calendar with approval workflow so that they can be made aware, approve and then track all holidays occurring within the project lifecycle. Project Team Members are required to submit holiday requests via the Delta EPM Holiday Calendar Resource Links The Resource Links are used for quick access to a number of common actions within this area and many other areas. Resource Links within the Resource Area 60

61 Project Governance The development and organisation of project governance is a key requirement in any successful project. Delta EPM has a dedicated area focussed on project governance so that this crucial aspect is given the appropriate exposure to the users of Delta EPM and key stakeholders of the project. The project governance is developed though out the Idea and Initiation / Planning Phases of the project. Governance Area Home Page The justification for having this as a separate and specific area of the solution is that often effective project governance gets overlooked in the urge to deliver. This often leads to problems and then a total lack of understanding of how the project is governed, controlled and how key decisions are being made. The focus of the governance area is to publish information for the wider stakeholder community to have access to. Delta EPM provides placeholders for the project sponsor and PM to upload their picture and tell the stakeholders more about themselves. A view of the Project Contacts List is available that only displays those contacts who are Project Board Members. This is highly useful information for the all users of Delta EPM. 61

62 Project Board Members Contact Details Another key component of information is how the governance is structured. Often it remains unclear as to how the project fits in with other projects and change programmes within an organisation. Delta EPM offers the ability to publish this information on the Governance Area Home Page. Example Governance Structure Governance Meetings are another key aspect of a project that need to be planned and well communicated. The Calendar tool within Delta EPM offers the ability to plan and track these meetings with details being posted on the Governance Area Home Page. 62

63 Governance Meetings View The major Governance Gates within Delta EPM are based upon the Authority to Proceed List that the PM uses to plan and track the progress of approval for key decisions, normally the approval to progress to the next phase of the project. These Governance Gates are displayed within the Governance Area Home Page. Governance Gates Data View Recent Decisions and Governance Documents are also displayed on the Governance Area Home Page so that a full picture of the governance status is available. Recent Decisions and Governance Documents Dashboard 63