Microsoft Project Server Hosting, support, PMO setup, PMO consulting, PMP

1. Envisioning services, Proof of Concept and Pilot.
By Steve Wagner, ProEPM www.proepm.com
The above image is a basic online project server pilot, whit the ProEPM Hosted solution you will achieve
goals in a shorter time.
Online Project Management Services
ProEPM have implemented 40 online PMO over USA just in the year 2009. Whit our envisioning, Proof
of Concept and Pilot services your EPM implementation is typically where key members of the
organization are introduced to the EPM toolset. During this phase, workshops are held that cover the
EPM toolset implementation from a variety of perspectives and enable frank discussions as to how
Project Server 2007 may be used in the organization. What comes out of this envisioning is a rough
view of what this beast called EPM will look like once it is ultimately implemented in the organization.
The following are some of the items to be realized from envisioning.
• Short/long term vision of EPM in your environment
• Functionality PMO, IT, product development, engineering, enterprise, global
• Processes and technology
• Timing
• Goals and strategy
• Challenges, pain points, and benefits
Proof of Concept Services (2-4 weeks, 2 Project Manager, 5-20 Resources)
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2. ProEPM have a server ready for your PMO; however you may require help whit the envisioning phase
and first steps to project server. ProEPM will help you to improve your already or new Project
Management Office (PMO). During the envisioning phase, a test server may be created to help
familiarize members with the environment and the tools involved. This proof of concept (Proof of
Concept) is typically the first iteration of the ProEPM Proof of Concept. During this time, a single
project with a handful of resources begins using Project Server and Project Web Access. Feedback is
captured from the Proof of Concept group in the areas of deployment/functionality of the client
components, the process of entering time, the quality of the reports generated, and the overall user
experience. This Proof of Concept project typically runs for three to five weeks with regular
communication and feedback.
Proof of Concept Types and Descriptions
• Custom demo (very short with expert help)
• Conference room pilot (quick and dirty to demonstrate capability)
• Functional Proof of Concept
• Requirements-based Proof of Concept (show that the project can accomplish its objective, based on
use cases)
• Prove concept and demonstrate value to a small group of key stakeholders only; can be done without
direct user involvement for configuration and operation.
Proof Of concept Implementation Team
The proof of concept team might include the following roles to provide organizational insight and
decision making:
Role Responsible
Executive sponsor Client
PMO representative(s) Client whit help of ProEPM
Departmental (resource) management Client
Technical resource from the organization ProEPM
Trainer ProEPM
External consultant ProEPM
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3. • Executive sponsor. Your organization must include at least one senior executive who is able to
provide overall guidance to the team and fill the role of executive sponsor. Note that at a minimum, this
person should have decision authority at least as broad as the components of the organization that will
be impacted by the project. Having this person participate in various implementation meetings not only
provides a communication conduit to the executive strata in an organization, but also reinforces to the
rest of the team that the executives are behind this effort. Whether this sponsor provides cheerleading
or executive mandates, his or her participation is crucial to keep momentum behind the EPM
implementation effort. This sponsorship is a critical success factor to most significant initiatives,
especially when they require process discipline and organizational change.
• PMO representative(s) This representative should be very closely linked with the implementation
effort. The implementation’s processes and standardized project management methodologies are what
the PMO lives by, and they determine how users are trained and how the EPM toolset is configured.
Because the PMO is generally recognized as the “owner” of the EPM system, the PMO member
should have a broad understanding of the technologies involved. It is possible to succeed without a
PMO, but it will be more challenging.
• Departmental (resource) management This role provides valuable input into the reporting
requirements and cultural impact issues that the implementation effort will encounter.
• Technical resource from the organization Within the scope of the EPM implementation effort, this
person is the conduit to the IT department to help acquire physical resources (servers, software). The
technical resource also possesses a deep technical understanding of the existing network to enable
him or her to make decisions and provide implementation technical support. Specific skills include
database, infrastructure, and application support, as well as Information Systems security.
• External consultant Many companies choose to hire an EPM implementation specialist to help guide
them through the technological and cultural issues that are normally encountered. The implementation
specialist can also provide a fresh perspective on the organization and give frank advice while
remaining independent (as much as possible) from the internal politics of the enterprise. This specialist
will have deployed Project Server 2007 previously at a similar organization and will provide guidance
for the successful implementation of the successive iterations of your EPM deployment.
• Trainer Training will play a large role in your implementation efforts. To provide EPM training for your
users, you can choose from many avenues, ranging from online training, to bringing an EPM training
expert to your location, to providing customized training for your users.
Many franchise training companies will offer Microsoft Project Professional training during which your
beginner project managers will learn how to create a schedule and to work with the Project
Professional 2007 scheduling engine. This training may provide your users with a basic understanding
of one piece of the EPM toolset. However, a critical component to training your user base the right way
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4. the first time is to teach them how to accomplish tasks and manage projects based on your company’s
project management methodologies. One organization, Milestone Consulting, has developed an
approach to EPM training called “Your Job, Tool’s Job” (YJTJ). This curriculum is based on interaction
with Project Professional 2007 and the information that it requires to be a truly effective scheduling
tool. In addition, the curriculum can also be tailored to your company’s specific project management
methodologies and standards to ensure that your users are using the tool efficiently to provide the
powerful reports that the executives in your organization expect.
Planning and the Pilot (6-8 weeks, 10-20 Project Managers, 40-100
resources)
After running the Proof of Concept, aggregating all feedback data, and defining your organization’s
critical success factors for EPM, you can start planning for the system that you previously envisioned.
The ProEPM implementation team now has a clearer picture of capabilities and has begun the next
iteration of an EPM configuration. In preparation for this phase, the team may enable additional
features or functionality and prepare more team members to be brought into the system.
Whether a single workgroup or an entire department or business unit is being brought into the EPM
system, the goal is to introduce a larger user base to EPM and potentially increase functionality as you
move toward the full rollout of your envisioned environment. During this time, knowledge of and
familiarity with EPM are growing organically in your organization as expertise and comfort with the
toolset grow. The pilot can consist of a couple of project managers running all of their projects through
the EPM system. The idea is that the selected project managers are exposed to EPM in the most
pervasive manner: All of their active projects are brought into the system. The number of resources
varies depending on the size of the organization and the number of resources per project, but these
numbers should be kept small relative to the total number of resources envisioned.
NOTE It is important to recognize the challenges that come when running a Proof of Concept and a pilot for
EPM. Because the benefits of team member efficiency are realized when all of their tasks are
accessible via Project Web Access (PWA), you should prepare your Proof of Concept and pilot team for
additional work throughout the duration of the Proof of Concept, especially if the projects that they are working
on are outside of the scope of the Proof of Concept or pilot.
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5. Envisioning, PMO Setup, Proof of Concept and Pilot Scope of
Services:
Consulting Service *Time delivery Delivery
Envisioning
Short/long term vision of EPM in your environment. 2 hour Word File Document
2 hour Word File Document
PMO Project Server Proposal 2 hour Microsoft Project File
PMO / Project Server Project 2 hour Microsoft Power Point
2 hour Word File Document
PMO Setup Goals and strategy. 2hour Word File Document
PMO Charter Benefits. 2 hour Word File Document
2 hours Excel File
PMO Charter Template Example
PMO Charter Template Instructions
Interview (English)
Proof of Concept
Project Server configuration based interview 2 hours Web Access configuration
Single Project publication, tasks submitting 5 users 2 hours Web Access
Conference room pilot and demo 1 hours Web Access
Pilot
1 Master Project or program and 3 subprojects 2 hours Web Access configuration
Project Server Training
Administration, project publication, task submitting 2 hours Online Training
*based on the size of your PMO
ProEPM Hosted
ProEPM will provide two server environments (test and production). The test server is the server
where you will get training, proof of concept, demo and configuration of Project Server.
Although you may decide that there needs to be an intermediary iteration (or several for large
organizations) between your pilot and full implementation, the methodology will remain the same. Your
full implementation will be a similar process of moving from your Proof of Concept to your pilot, except
for this iteration, you’re involving your entire organization to the production server taking it “live.” Wide-
scale role-based training will have taken place, as the majority of your user base is brought into the
EPM system. Additional features and functionality are implemented and refined based on the feedback
and best practices learned from your previous iterations.
Role of the PMO and ProEPM
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6. When it comes to the implementation of a hosted EPM in your organization, the project management
office can help facilitate standardized adoption and help improve the chances of success and longevity
of EPM in your organization. ProEPM will help your organization to define the processes and
procedures that Project Server will support and give users their standard operating procedures for
interacting with the environment. Being the nexus of project management wisdom in your organization,
the PMO will provide the process development, mentoring, and enforcement whit the initial help of
ProEPM.
The importance of this is often underestimated when implementing a PMO. Although a recognized
PMO is not required for EPM to be successful, you increase your chances of success greatly when
one is involved, or when you have a very disciplined and project-based department whose members
will be the end users of the EPM toolset.
NOTE PMOs come in many different shapes and sizes. In some organizations, the project management office is a
distinct business unit whose members manage medium-to-large projects across the enterprise. In other
environments, it is a subset of a business unit (such as IT) that manages the projects that originate from within
the IT business unit in addition to managing the projects that originate from other business units but require IT
involvement. This team of project managers does not manage resources directly; rather, they manage the
approved schedules and use the resources from the required business units to complete a project. This distinction,
provides additional challenges when describing the relationship among project managers and resource managers
in your organization.
Project Management Maturity
Some organizations that are attracted to the powerful reports and effective tracking capabilities of
Project Server 2007 believe that using EPM is simply a matter of get the hosting services (technology)
and training people how to use it. Although these components are important, what these organizations
miss is the third foundational component of EPM: processes. Normally, the mere existence of a PMO
suggests that there is at least a semblance of standardized processes. These processes are what the
technology is configured to support and enforce, and what your personnel are trained to use.
Having a PMO with mature processes and methodologies upon which Project Server can be built and
training your personnel properly provide your best chance at harnessing the power of your EPM
environment to work toward the overall improvement of your organizational efficiency. A number of
frameworks are available for assessing (and possibly increasing) your organization’s project
management maturity. One of these is the Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3)
offered by the Project Management Institute (http://www.pmi.org ). These types of models provide an
organizational framework by which you can assess the standardization, repeatability, and continuous
improvement capacity of your organization.
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7. Successful EPM implementations share common success factors. Although a PMO will greatly
enhance the adoption of the tool from all levels of your organization, these keys to success are crucial:
• Executive management support
• Definition of scope and requirements
• End-user involvement
• Process discipline at the desired level
• Dedicated and trained users
• A planned and funded implementation
• Defined vision, objectives, and success criteria
The envisioning services, PMO setup, proof of concept and Pilot are additional services that ProEPM
will provide for clients that require it.
ProEPM
Brooklyn, New York.
Contact: info35@proepm.com
Phone: 718-3959363
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