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SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
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Project Management
A Blueprint & Playbook Using OOTB SharePoint
SPS
EVENTS
ChicagoSuburbs
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs - June 1st, 2013
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
SharePoint-Powered
Mark E. Vogt
• Principal Architect, SharePoint Practice, Netrix LLC.
• Engineering (Aerospace, Robotics) background
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BS Aerospace – U of MN IT
MS (ABT) Mechanical Engineering/Robotics – U of MN IT
MS Computer Science & Applied Mathematics (Control Systems) – IIT
Lured into Consulting by the challenges
Alternating betwixt consulting & management by fear of boredom
Driven into Project Management by aggravation
Drawn into SharePoint by its revelation, simplicity & power
Inventing & Fly Fishing every other waking minute
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
About the Presenter…
 Attendees understand some key terms
 Attendees see high-level Blueprint with some key representative features
 Attendees see high-level Playbook with some key representative features
 Attendees understand some key “Big Picture” concepts
 Speaker sneaks in some additional insights
 Legend:

Informational/Big Picture slides

Blueprint – related slides

Playbook – related slides
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Session Goals…
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Motivation: a sneak peek at The Solution…
Intranet Home (root)
HR
Operations
Sales
Services
Hardware Group
SharePoint Practice
Software Group
Application Development Practice
eCommerce Practice
Project Sites
We’re going to be building “intelligent” sites…but they have to be used to work!
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Hardware:
• Server Farm (size doesn’t matter)
Software:
• Microsoft SharePoint (year/version don’t matter - Foundation, Standard or Enterprise)
• Microsoft Project 2010 or 2013 (better – very cool features)
• SharePoint Designer
• Visual Studio (optional-but-handy)
SharePoint Constructs:
• Sites
• Libraries & Lists
• Site Content Types
• Site Columns
• List & Library Alerts
• Email-Enabled Lists & Libraries
SharePoint Privileges:
• Site Collection Administrator privileges
• Central Admin privileges (or at least ability to request small-but-critical mods)
A COMPLETE COMMITMENT by your organization to using SharePoint correctly
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
THINGS you’ll need…
Solution must be created primarily from:
 nested websites
 web pages
 lists & libraries (key – use CUSTOM Content Types !)
 site content types – enables creation of columns (properties)
 site columns
 alerts
 workflows (typically declarative LWFs created by SharePoint Designer)
Use this solution to “earn” enhancements & 3rd party tools !
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
APPROACH: Leverage OOTB components…
blue·print
/ bloo- prìnt /
noun
1.a technical drawing with white lines printed on
a blue background, usually of an architectural or
engineering design plan or guide:
2.a plan of action or a guide to doing something
or making something;
Synonyms: plan, drawing, design, outline.
Source: Bing Dictionary
play·book
/ˈpleɪˌbʊk/
noun
1. the script of a play, used by actors.
2. a book containing the scripts of one or more plays.
3. Football. a notebook containing descriptions of all the
plays and strategies used by a team, often
accompanied by diagrams, issued to players for them
to study and memorize before the season begins.
Source: Dictionary.com
BOTH Blueprint AND Playbook are VITAL…
 Blueprint = playing field, environment (how to BUILD it)
 Playbook = players, rules, plays (how to USE it)
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
DEFINITIONS: “Blueprint” & “Playbook”…
Definition of collaboration (n)
Bing Dictionary
col·lab·o·ra·tion
[ kə làbbə ráysh'n ]
1. the act of working together with one or more people in order to achieve
something
2. working with enemy: the betrayal of others by working with an enemy,
especially an occupying force
Synonyms: cooperation, teamwork, partnership, association, alliance, relationship
Hinges on an understanding of what “working together” MEANS.
Surprisingly HARD to actually put into PRACTICE-able terms!
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
DEFINITION: Collaboration…
Definition of collaboration (n)
Diktionary der Vogt
col·lab·o·ra·tion
[ kə làbbə ráysh'n ]
1. The definition, assignment, negotiation, execution & tracking by a team of
people of a set of well-defined tasks and related items which, taken as a whole,
signify the accomplishment of a set of aligned goals.
Collaboration is achieving goals through team-managed tasks & lists.
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
DEFINITION: Collaboration…
Project Management
the discipline of planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling resources
related to projects.
Project
a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end (usually timeconstrained, and often constrained by funding or deliverables), undertaken to
meet specific goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or
added value.
Successful Project Management requires Effective Collaboration!
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
DEFINITION: Project Management…
Project-as-workplan has DISADVANTAGES 
• requires MS Project – typically only few have this
• not easily concurrently manipulated – typically held hostage by the PM
• cannot “contain” documents (SOW, charter, reports, deliverables, etc)
Project-as-document (e.g. spreadsheet/report) has DISADVANTAGES 
• cannot “contain” workplan or any other documents
• not easily concurrently manipulated
Project-as-website has numerous ADVANTAGES 
• can aggregate literally everything about a project into a single construct!
• can possess its own set of properties (in a list called Project Metrics)
• can act as a container for multiple lists & documents
• can be manipulated concurrently by all team members (not solely the PM)
• can be intelligent, reacting to events via Alerts, WFs, Timer Jobs, web parts
• can automate key project processes and/or process management
• can “roll-up” key information in a hierarchical structure to form DASHBOARDS
• can be templated (encapsulating both content AND process intelligence)
SharePoint is unique in empowering the project-as-website metaphor !
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
BIG PICTURE: Metaphors for “Project”…
virtual Program Management Office
website taking the place of a physical PMO
PMO (sometimes PgMO)
Program Management Office
• often confused/combined with PM COE (Center of Excellence)
• serves as a point of aggregation (dashboards) for multiple related projects
• can manifest as a single website or multiple websites (whatever works)
• Intranet
• vPMO/PMCOE
• Projects
OR
• Intranet
• PMCOE
• Departments
• vPMOs
• Projects
Our solution incorporates either solitary or multiple vPMOs and a COE…
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
DEFINITION: vPMO…
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
The BLUEPRINT…
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
blue·print
/ bloo- prìnt /
noun
1.a technical drawing with white lines printed on
a blue background, usually of an architectural or
engineering design plan or guide:
2.a plan of action or a guide to doing something
or making something;
Synonyms: plan, drawing, design, outline.
Source: Bing Dictionary
play·book
/ˈpleɪˌbʊk/
noun
1. the script of a play, used by actors.
2. a book containing the scripts of one or more plays.
3. Football. a notebook containing descriptions of all the
plays and strategies used by a team, often
accompanied by diagrams, issued to players for them
to study and memorize before the season begins.
Source: Dictionary.com
BOTH Blueprint AND Playbook are VITAL…
 Blueprint = playing field, environment (how to BUILD it)
 Playbook = players, rules, plays (how to USE it)
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
DEFINITIONS: “Blueprint” & “Playbook”…
Intranet Home (root)
LISTS:

HR Announcements

HR Events
HR
Operations
Sales
LIBRARIES:

HR Documents
LISTS:

HR Announcements

HR Events

HR Processes

HR Tasks

HR Discussions
LISTS:

Operations Announcements

Operations Events

Operations Processes

Operations Issues

Operations Tasks

Operations Discussions
LIBRARIES:

HR Documents
LIBRARIES:

Operations Documents
Projects (PMO Site)
LISTS:

PMO Announcements
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PMO Events (Calendar)

Projects Metrics Dashboard

Projects Issues Dashboard

Projects Processes

PMO Tasks

PMO Discussions
Project 001
Project 002
LISTS:
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Project Metrics
Project Announcements 
Project Events (Calendar)

Project Goals

Project Risks

Project Issues

Project Processes

Project Decisions

Project Questions
Project Snippets
Project Stories
Project Needs
Project Requirements
Project Tasks
Project Tests
Project Defects
Practice Discussions
LIBRARIES:

PMO Documents

PMO Private Documents
LIBRARIES:

Project Documents

Project Manager Documents
Project 003
...
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Option: vPMO-as-container (of projects)…
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Option: Department-as-container (of projects)…
Intranet Home (root)
HR
Operations
Sales
Department ABC
Application Development Practice
Hardware Group
LISTS:

Group Announcements

Group Events (Calendar)

Group DASHBOARDS

Group Issues

Group Tasks

Group Discussions
Software Group
LIBRARIES:

Group Wiki

Group Documents

Group Manager
Documents
Projects (PMO Site)
LISTS:

PMO Announcements

PMO Events (Calendar)

Projects Metrics Dashboard

Projects Issues Dashboard

Projects Processes

PMO Tasks

PMO Discussions
Application Development Practice
eCommerce Practice
Project 001
Project 002
LISTS:
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Project Metrics
Project Announcements 
Project Events (Calendar)

Project Goals

Project Risks

Project Issues

Project Processes

Project Decisions

Project Questions
Project Snippets
Project Stories
Project Needs
Project Requirements
Project Tasks
Project Tests
Project Defects
Practice Discussions
LIBRARIES:

PMO Documents

PMO Private Documents
LIBRARIES:

Project Documents

Project Manager Documents
Project 003
...
Jeet Kun Do of PM: If it works… use it. If it doesn’t work… don’t use it.
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Projects (PMO Site)
LISTS:

PMO Announcements

PMO Events (Calendar)

Projects Metrics Dashboard

Projects Issues Dashboard

PMO Tasks

PMO Discussions
Project 001
Project 002
LISTS:
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Project Metrics
Project Announcements 
Project Events (Calendar)
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Project Goals
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Project Risks
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Project Issues
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Project Risks

Project Decisions

Project Questions
Project Snippets
Project Stories
Project Needs
Project Requirements
Project Tasks
Project Tests
Project Defects
Practice Discussions
Project 003
...
vPMOs are primarily for managers
Project Sites are primarily for project staff
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
LIBRARIES:

PMO Documents

PMO Private Documents
LIBRARIES:

Project Documents

Project Manager Documents
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Blueprint: a closer look at a vPMO…
Projects (PMO Site)
Project 001
LISTS:
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Project Metrics
Project Announcements
Project Events (Calendar)
Project Goals
Project Risks
Project Issues
Project Processes
Project Decisions
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Project Questions
Project Snippets
Project Stories
Project Needs
Project Requirements
Project Tasks
Project Tests
Project Defects
Practice Discussions
LIBRARIES:

Project Documents

Project Manager Documents
Project 002
...
Project Sites are not magic; they’re designed to be natural, intuitive & organized…
Project 999
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Project Site: a closer look…
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ORDER lists to reflect
methodology…
Project Overview/Status
Project Announcements
Project Calendar
Project Goals
Project Issues
DISPLAY only lists relevant
Project Risks
to current project phase…
Project Decisions
Project Questions
Business Needs (or User Stories)
Solution Requirements
Project Tasks
DISPLAY “Landing Page
Project Tests
View” of each list…
Project Defects
Project Snippets
Project Documents
Landing Pages only look vast, but swiftly become invaluable…
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Landing Page: A closer look…
This is an actual list, making all the
data accessible in SPD as if they
were properties of the site!...
BEST PRACTICE: project staff share news
HERE, letting built-in alert send out emails.
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Landing Page: A closer look…
BEST PRACTICE: project staff interact
HERE, updating, status-ing, etc. This may
be the MOST important list in the site !
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Landing Page: A closer look…
USEFUL: it’s easy to discern where the
current attention is/should be – it’s the first
incomplete task  …
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Landing Page: A closer look…
USEFUL: all key info about tests is provided in an
easy-to-skim display; additional details are NOT
required here, but ARE available in “Details” view…
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Landing Page: A closer look…
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Key List: Business Needs…
TRACK state of
each story…
PRIORITIZE functionality to
keep developers focused…
DON’T say “no” to
functionality… say “not
yet”, and capture as a
future version…
Everything about business needs starts and stays in a traceable list…
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
TRACE each req
back to a NEED…
TRACK state of
each req…
PRIORITIZE functionality to
keep developers focused…
CONDITION enables
“flagging” problems…
DON’T say “no” to
functionality… say “not
yet”, and capture as a
future version…
BEST PRACTICE: Begin all reqs with single
UPPER CASE ACTION VERB; remainder
of description must be CLEAR, SUCCINCT,
ATOMIC and MEASUREABLE…
Everything about a solution requirement starts and stays in a traceable list…
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Key List: Solution Requirements…
TRACK state of
each story…
PRIORITIZE functionality to
keep developers focused…
DON’T say “no” to
functionality… say “not
yet”, and capture as a
future version…
Everything about user stories starts & stays in a traceable list…
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Key List: User Stories…
BEST PRACTICE: when in doubt,
DEFINE the task but do NOT assign
it; It will appear HERE, as homework
for the PM to assign  …
EL CHEAPO (but cool) –
a simple visual indicator
of % complete is actually
quite handy…
BEST PRACTICE: LET
everyone see what everyone
else is currently doing – then
they can ASSIST…
BEST PRACTICE: on any
given day, no one should
have more than 2-3 “A”
tasks… (PM’s job)
BEST PRACTICE: Begin all tasks with single UPPER CASE
ACTION VERB; remainder of description must be CLEAR,
SUCCINCT, ATOMIC and MEASUREABLE…
Tasks is the most-used list in an entire project site…so make it work for your team!
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Key List: Tasks…
PM
Task Sync enables individual project members to update their tasks concurrently in
a SharePoint LIST, yet have that effort automatically feed the PM’s workplan!
Project Members
MS Project Workplan
While not ideal (yet), this IS very welcome
best-of-both-worlds functionality for those
seeking to use SharePoint for Effective
Project Management…
Task Sync
Project Site
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
COOL MS Project 2013 Feature – Task Sync !
Process Workflow(s)
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Key List: Processes…
Task
Workflows
Library
Workflows
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Process-as-item metaphor enables “State Machine” Workflow
Projects involving repeated, complex processes can be readily tracked
Complex processes can be automated in smaller, re-usable WFs
Complex processes can be partially automated, but the management fully automated
Numerous people can “feed” these items (unlike MPP files)
Numerous documents (deliverables) can be involved in a single process
Numerous stages can be readily tracked
Numerous criteria for completion can be readily & intuitively tracked
This is called “Embedding” Methodology in the website
The website contains (retains) the process – freeing the workers to work!
Capturing Key Project Processes in lists sets the stage for “embedding” methodology!
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
2 types of workflows are required:
1. triggered by events occurring on a single item/document:
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Item or Document Created
Item or Document (properties or content) Changed
2. triggered regardless of an event occurred (scheduled tasks)
Typically SPD Workflows (Declarative) can only be triggered when an item is created and/or changed.
Triggering SPD Workflows to run on a scheduled basis requires a custom timer job
CHALLENGE: Sometimes custom timer jobs are NOT always possible
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•
Organization doesn’t have development capability
Organization policy prohibits deployment of custom timer jobs into PROD farm
Useful Workaround:
Leverage the nightly timer job
already built-into the Information
Management Feature!
Create a Retention Stage which
repeats a selected WF daily, starting
immediately after creation  …
With both event-triggered and scheduled WFs, much is possible…
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
A bit on Workflows…

System

Item


ABCItem

ABCProject

ABCProjectGoal

ABCProjectRisk

ABCProjectIssue

ABCBusinessNeed

ABCSolutionRequirement

ABCSolutionStory

ABCProjectProcess **

ABCProjectTask

ABCSolutionTest

ABCSolutionDefect

ABCSolutionEnhancement

…
Document
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ABCDocument
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ABCProjectDocument
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
Use THESE content types instead of “item” in lists
DEFINE these at (at least) at the site collection level
Don’t OVER-solve your needs

SUBCLASS document content types only when genuinely needed!
Just a few content types can be very effective for project management…
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Content Types for Project Management…
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System
MUST NOT be modified!
Item
MUST NOT be modified!
Document MUST NOT be modified!
SharePoint itself uses these content types in internal WFs etc
Changing these content types can BREAK SharePoint!
• DERIVE organization-specific “ABCItem” subclass
• SUBCLASS all list content types from this pseudo-root class
• DERIVE organization-specific “ABCDocument” subclass
• SUBCLASS all library content types from this pseudo-root class
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STORE all custom content types under “Custom ABC Site Content Types”
STORE all custom columns under “Custom ABC Site Columns”
CREATE abstract (“placeholder”) content types as needed
ASSIGN properties to abstract content types to leverage inheritance
USE tabs, color and [ ]’s to differentiate content types, properties & values
Let’s look at a few key content types as examples…
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
VITAL: Do NOT Modify Built-in Content Types !
o System
o Item
•
Title [single line text]
o ABCItem
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•
•
Description [multi-line text]
Priority [A, B, C]
Condition [Green, Yellow, Red]
Notes [multi-line text]
o ABCTask
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•
•
%Complete [number, 0-1, %]
%CompleteBar [Calculated; = REPT(“*”, 10*(%Complete) )]
Status [Unstarted, Started, Pending, Completed, Deferred, Cancelled ]
•
ABCProjectTask
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Client [single line text OR lookup OR managed metadata]
Program [single line text OR lookup OR managed metadata]
Project [single line text OR lookup OR managed metadata]
DON’T use the OOTB Task content type – has “quirks”
Defining OWN Task content types using NO OOTB site columns eliminates these quirks
Use Description field to define actual task
Use Notes field as running series of log/journal entries re: the task; essentially a status report 
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Key Content Type: ABCProjectTask…
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
ABCProjectTask in a Tasks List…
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
o System
o Item
•
Title [single line text]
o ABCItem
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•
•
•
Description [multi-line text]
Priority [A, B, C]
Condition [Green, Yellow, Red]
Notes [multi-line text]
o ABCProcess
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Status1 [Unstarted, Started, Pending, Completed, Deferred, Cancelled ]
…
StatusN [Unstarted, Started, Pending, Completed, Deferred, Cancelled ]
•
ABCProjectProcess
•
•
•
Client [single line text OR lookup OR managed metadata]
Program [single line text OR lookup OR managed metadata]
Project [single line text OR lookup OR managed metadata]
• DON’T model process-as-document (or document-as-process) - often leads to constraints!
• DO model process-as-content type derived from Item – not Document
• Can have multiple statuses representing stages, conditions, etc for completion
• Can have multiple documents associated with a given process instance
• Multiple events all over site collection trigger multiple (small) WFs but update single process instance
• (This is essentially a “State Machine Workflow” capable of being coded by SPD instead of VS)
• Information about process is explicit & visible rather than hidden inside SharePoint
• Processes list literally becomes a dashboard into the overall status of the processes
• DO create MULTIPLE Process content types – one for every process required by a project!
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Key Content Type: ABCProjectProcess…
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
ABCProjectProcess in a Process List…
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
The PLAYBOOK…
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
blue·print
/ bloo- prìnt /
noun
1.a technical drawing with white lines printed on
a blue background, usually of an architectural or
engineering design plan or guide:
2.a plan of action or a guide to doing something
or making something;
Synonyms: plan, drawing, design, outline.
Source: Bing Dictionary
play·book
/ˈpleɪˌbʊk/
noun
1. the script of a play, used by actors.
2. a book containing the scripts of one or more plays.
3. Football. a notebook containing descriptions of all the
plays and strategies used by a team, often
accompanied by diagrams, issued to players for them
to study and memorize before the season begins.
Source: Dictionary.com
BOTH Blueprint AND Playbook are VITAL…
 Blueprint = playing field, environment (how to BUILD it)
 Playbook = players, rules, plays (how to USE it)
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
DEFINITIONS: “Blueprint” & “Playbook”…
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Play: Project Site Creation & Configuration
Play: The Daily Skim
Play: The Daily Update
Play: Task Assignment
Play: Task Negotiation
Play: Issue Handling
Play: Risk Handling
Play: Goal Defining
Play: Asking Questions
Play: Sharing Snippets
Play: Preparing Documents (deliverables)
Play: Participating in Processes
Play: Discussions
Play: Testing
Play: Defect Tracking
Surprisingly few properly executed plays can produce VERY effective project management !
These plays must be understood and executed by EVERYONE – not merely the PM !
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Key “Plays” for effectively using project sites…
PM via EMAIL
PM via FILE SERVER
OBSERVATIONS:
• “Communication” is NOT “Collaboration” (Project Management)
• Email (a communication tool) originally served a purpose; now it’s detrimental
• “File Sharing” is NOT “Collaboration” (Project Management)
• File Servers (file sharing tools) originally served a purpose; now they’re detrimental
• Both technologies have a place in Project Management, but not for true collaboration
The sooner the (r)evolution to SharePoint, the more effective the Project Management
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
CRITICAL PLAYS to PERFECT…
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Players:
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Scenarios:
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Describe the mechanisms/tools used in executing this play
Actions:
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Describe the base actions using upper case “actions” verbs
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(e.g. “BROWSE blah blah blah”, “TYPE blah…”, “CLICK blah”…)
Outcomes:
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Describe the scenarios (when) in which this play occurs
Mechanisms:
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List players
Describe the possible/typical outcomes
Notes:
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Provide any miscellaneous notes which may be of interest toward successful execution of this play
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Standard Play Outline: PlayABC
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Players:
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Scenarios:
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Whenever a new project is about to start
Mechanisms:
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Project Manager
Website Access
Actions:
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BROWSE to vPMO location (URL will be communicated)
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NAVIGATE to Site Content > Create Site
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CHOOSE appropriate Project Site Template (there may be several) & COMPLETE details
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=> New project website created
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ADD project members
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CONFIGURE Landing Page with appropriate lists for beginning of project lifecycle
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UPLOAD any already-existing content to appropriate lists & libraries
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COMMUNICATE existence of new project site to relevant parties
Outcomes:
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Project site is ready for use by project players
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Project content automatically begins “feeding up” into dashboards in sites above it
Notes:
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Play: Project Site Creation & Initial Configuration
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Players:
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Scenarios:
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Website Access
Actions:
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BROWSE to Project Site URL
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SKIM entire Project Site Landing Page from top to bottom, noting those items with “new” icon
Outcomes:
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Every day. No exceptions.
Mechanisms:
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All project players (employees, managers, clients, partners)
Performer is caught-up on current status of The Project
Notes:
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Landing Page should contain instances of only those lists which are relevant for the current project phase
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Refrain from attempting to avoid the Daily Skim by configuring email alerts
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Play: Project Site Daily Skim
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Players:
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Scenarios:
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Every day. No exceptions.
Mechanisms:
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All project players (employees, managers, clients, partners)
Website Access
Actions:
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BROWSE to Project Site URL
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NAVIGATE to each list requiring updates
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ADD/CHANGE/UPDATE each list item requiring updates (typically News, Issues, Questions, Tasks, others)
Outcomes:
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Project Site is current for other project teammates
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Project Site’s Alerts & WFs react to updates
Notes:
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Landing Page should contain instances of only those lists which are relevant for the current project phase
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When in doubt – UPDATE; better to have content which can later be adjusted, than MISSING info!
Project Teams which perfect this single play will immediately begin seeing results !...
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Play: Project Site Daily Update
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Players:
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Scenarios:
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All project players (employees, managers, clients, partners)
Whenever any project player perceives a project-relevant task needs doing
Mechanisms:
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Website Access
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Email Access (for players without direct access to project site) e.g. ProjectABCTasks@NetrixLLC.com
Actions:
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ADD new Task (or email ProjectABCTasks@Company.com)
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COMPLETE Task Form, using Description field to succinctly describe the task, and Notes for journal entries
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SUBMIT
Outcomes:
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Performer is alerted (immediately or daily) via Email
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Performer pro-actively (daily at least) reviews Task List
Notes:
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EVERYONE is permitted and EXPECTED to define & assign tasks
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WHEN in DOUBT, DEFINE task but leave UN-assigned
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EXPECT initial task to evolve
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Play: Task Assignment
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Players:
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Scenarios:
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A Project Member receives a newly-defined & assigned task (from ANYONE)
Mechanisms:
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Task Performer and Task Requester (could be anyone in The Project)
Website Access
Actions:
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REVIEW the assigned task for Clarity, Measure-ability, Brevity and Atomic-ness
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REVIEW Priority, Requested Timeframe and Appropriateness-of-fit
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CHANGE any of the values as needed (this is the negotiation part of workflow – and it’s NECESSARY); OR
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CHANGE Task Status to “In-Progress”, signifying acceptance.
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SAVE changes
Outcomes:
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Performer has new task
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Requester receives Alert-based or WF-based email of changes
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Requester counter-negotiates task
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REPEAT as needed
Project Teams which perfect this single play will immediately begin seeing results !...
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Play: Task Negotiation
BEST PRACTICE:
DESCRIBE task as series of UPPER
CASE ACTION VERBS, with predicate
being:
1. Unambiguous;
2. Succinct;
3. Atomic; and
4. Measureable (as completed)
BEST PRACTICE:
EVERYONE associated with this task
uses the Notes field to keep a journal
of events related to the task… This
becomes an easy, painless “Status
Report” for the task…
If done as a team (no troglodytes), this fast becomes “organic” as a behavior !...
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Task Form – example...
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Players:
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Scenarios:
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Any Project Member perceives a project-relevant issue has been identified
Mechanisms:
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Website Access
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Email Access (for players without direct access to project site) e.g. ProjectABCIssues@NetrixLLC.com
Actions:
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ADD new Issue (or email ProjectABCIssues@Company.com)
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COMPLETE Issue Form, using Description field to describe the actual issue and Notes for journal entries,
discussions, suggested steps-to-resolve.
Outcomes:
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All project players (employees, managers, clients, partners)
Performer is alerted (immediately or daily) via Email
Notes:
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EVERYONE is permitted and EXPECTED to define & assign issues !
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WHEN in DOUBT, DEFINE issue but leave UN-assigned
Project Teams & PMs which perfect this play will immediately begin seeing results !...
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Play: Issue Handling
 Effective Managers (PMs) “manage by exception”
 Challenge often is how to DETECT these exceptions?
 Defining Issues, Challenges, even Tasks as Content Types EMPOWERS
SharePoint to do this vigilance FOR the PMs:
 CQwp’s in “dashboard sites” above project sites aggregate issues, defects,
challenges, risks, questions for easy detection and swift response
 Alerts & WFs within project sites react immediately to new/changed issues and
send emails (reactive)
PMs which encourage teams ‘feeding’ numerous lists get to focus all their energy on
handling exceptions rather than detecting them !...
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
The Big Picture – EXCEPTION HANDLING…
Intranet Home (root)
CQwp’s or Custom Search Results
wp’s can be used to create VERY
effective dashboard components,
delivering different metrics &
exceptions to different audiences at
different levels in the site collection…
HR
Operations
Sales
Department ABC
Hardware Group
Software Group
Application Development Practice
eCommerce Practice
Management at all levels benefit from project management-via-lists…
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
The Big Picture – dashboards are possible…
Intranet Home (root)
Imagine:
HR
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Operations
Sales
Department ABC
Hardware Group
No More weekly preparing “current” status reports
The Landing Page of a Project Site is the status of The Project
The Landing Page of the PM’s site is the status of all his/her Projects
The Landing Page of the Program site is the status of The Program
The Landing Page of the PMO site is the status of all Programs
The Landing Page for the CxO displays only their needed status
Everyone easily feeds all lists in all sites all day!
Software Group
Application Development Practice
eCommerce Practice
As a Result:
• All Status is current up-to-the-SECOND
• No one wastes time preparing reports
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
The Big Picture: website-as-status report…
 EXECUTING these simple-but-powerful plays as a TEAM !
 Everyone LEARNS The Plays – the “how” and the “why”
 Everyone PERFORMS The Plays - with PERFECT EXECUTION
 No one is a prima donna
 Lack of Knowledge => poor execution => failure as a team
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
KEYS TO SUCCESS…
 Make collaboration as simple as “work the site”…
 CREATE lists/libraries for each part of methodology
 DOESN’T matter which SDLC approach
 LISTS for Waterfall approaches
 LISTS for Agile approaches
 LISTS for Hybrid (public or proprietary)
 KEEP lists at least on QuickLaunch
 ADD lists to Project Site’s Landing Page for convenience
 SHOW lists only for current stage/phase of methodology
 SHOW “landing page” views which limit info to essentials
 ORDER the lists to infer “where The Project is”…
 TEACH users to “work the site” from top to bottom DAILY, ALL DAY
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
The Big Picture: “Embedding Methodology”…
Most projects & methodologies suffer from Completion Ambiguity,
read “HOW do we really know when we’re DONE?
A project-as-container-of-lists metaphor provides (often for the first time
for organizations) a practical Criteria for Completeness for The Project:
WHEN:
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ALL workplan tasks have %Complete = 100%; AND
All (additional) project tasks have %Complete = 100%; AND
All Goals have Status = “Met”; AND
All Issues have Status = “Closed”; AND
…
All Tests have Status = “Completed-Passed”; AND
All Defects have a Status = “Closed-Fixed”…
THEN The Project IS COMPLETE ! 
A project-as-website metaphor puts ALL this criteria on a SINGLE PAGE!
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
A
+B
+C
…
+X
+Y
+Z
= DONE !
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
The Big Picture – Finally a CRITERIA for “DONE”…
Challenge:
• Projects (software in particular) often end up in multiple versions (v1.0, 2.0, etc)
• There are always remnants from the previous project which need to go into next project
• The current version is operational, and needs a mechanism for operational maintenance
Imagine:
• Project sites as “virtual rooms” created even before a project is a project!
• Project sites becomes the sole container of all content for this project
• Project sites “evolve” over to serve different purposes of a project
• Project sites “multi-task” serving multiple concurrent purposes !
•
•
•
•
Pursuit
for v3.0
Project
for v2.0
Operations for v1.0
Project sites possess a
set of “states” indicating
where they are in each
of these cycles:
Result:
• Everything (really) about this project – its entire past, present & future – is here
• A “project” site isn’t really about a “project” any more – it’s about a “solution”…
The question shouldn’t be “Can we do this?”, but “Why aren’t we doing this?”…
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
The Big Picture – Evolving Project Sites…
Imagine:
• Senior staff prepare a standard project site for a new, complex project
• Over the course of The Project the site is “tuned” for that type of project
• Custom lists representing aspects of the methodology employed
• Many lists are now populated with much information that can be re-used
• Processes & expertise are “embedded” into the project site
Result:
• This “flagship” project site can be templated lock, stock & barrel
• The next time a similar type of project is begun, instead of starting with a
standard project site and having to re-customize it, you get the customized
site right from the start!
• This new project site then represents an “experienced” site!
• Less-experienced staff can then simply employ this site and function as if
they themselves were more experienced!
• All projects of this type could then be estimated and executed with greater
duplication, hence greater expectation for success
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
The Big Picture – Templating Intelligent Project Sites
Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
Discussion…
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs
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Copyright © 2013 Mark E. Vogt. All rights reserved.
To Contact the Presenter…
Mark E. Vogt, Principal Architect
Netrix LLC – SharePoint Practice
2801 Lakeside Drive
Bannockburn, IL 60015 USA
mvogt@NetrixLLC.com
SharePoint@NetrixLLC.com
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Cell: 630.781.9978
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Blog: markvogt.VOGTLAND.ws
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Personal Email: Mark_Vogt@hotmail.com
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Twitter: @mark_vogt
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WATCH for 2 new books by Mark Vogt:
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SharePoint-Powered Project Management: A BluePrint & Playbook

Sayings of The Wise Consultant
(available on Amazon.com June 2013)
(available on Amazon.com Summer 2013)
SharePoint Saturday Chicago Suburbs