Anaheim, CA | February 2-5, 2014

Dan Smith – Deputy CIOAaron Ott – Windows AdministratorMarquette University

Upgrading to Project Server 2013

PC304

• Where we Started• How we use Project Server• Reasons for Project Server 2013• Technical Upgrade• Functional Improvements• Workflow• Issues and Challenges

Agenda

• Approximately11,000 students• 2,500 faculty and staff• Centralized IT Services staff size of ~80 FTE• 6 full time PM’s that report to the PMO• Standardized on Project Server 2013• SharePoint, MS Excel & Word Templates• Approx. 15% IT Projects, 85% Institutional

UNIVERSITY Stats

• Project Center• Project Server 2007• Only in progress projects

• Project Server 2010• All projects• All project information

The Start

Using Project ServerPM methodology

• Project Management requires adherence to a well-defined process

• Tracking against a schedule is necessary, but not sufficient

• Cost, Schedule, and Performance are inseparable

• Communication is the #1 success factor

Hope is NOT a Strategy

7/26

Marquette Best Practices• Use of templates for

• Project Plan• Budget

• Use of Project Server• Standardizes many aspects of project mechanics

• PM Training (in house and external)

• PM incentive to obtain PMP

• Project Management Plan (PMI, PMBOK®)• A formal, approved document that defines how the project is executed,

monitored and controlled. It may be summary or detailed and may be composed of one or more subsidiary management plans and other planning documents

• Project Schedule• Listing of project tasks which attempts to model the project and predict

the future

Project Management Plan vs. Schedule

Elements of the Plan• Project scope and

objectives• Start-up plan• Project Tracking Plan• Budget Control• Issue Control• Reporting• Project Metrics

• Risk Management Plan• Communication Plan• Closure plan

How we use Project Server• Publish Projects• Collect project information• Collect task information via

the Web

• Views make lists very usable• Make great use of lists• Issues• Risks• Communications plan• Change orders

• Project Workspaces• Single place for all project

information• Document Management• Prevent stepping on others changes• Version control

• Manage Issues and Risks• Defined attributes• Can be linked to specific tasks

• All Project Managers are expected to abide by:• Project Plan completed as necessary• Detailed project schedule developed, with resources assigned, and

published to Project Server• Project schedule updated at least weekly with current status • Documents associated with the project posted to Project Server• Project issues and risks entered into Project Server• Weekly project status reports submitted on all active projects

Project Mechanics

Project Workspaces

• Something that is or will stop forward movement• A problem• A decision that needs to be made• A question that needs to be answered

• When do we need to log it in Project Server• Open for greater than 1 business day• Cross functional – need to involve others for resolution

What is an Issue?

Issue AttributesStatus(1) Active(2) Postponed(3) Closed

Category(O) Request for Change -- Out of Scope(R) Request for Change -- In Scope(Q) Question or Concern(I) Other

Priority(0) Blocking(1) High(2) Medium(3) LowPost Project

ClosureClosure not approved yet(T) Project Team(P) Project Manager(G) PM Working Group(S) Steering Committee

Issues list

Finance Needs

Finance NeedsShort termNeeds a “Projects Database”Needs project rational in a common formatNeeds budgets in a consistent formatNeeds better more timely budget forecasts

Longer term Needs a better way to prioritize projects

Project Server

UMT 360Project Server

UMT 360

Project Server

Solution

• Collect Project Information• Common format• Retain Historical information• Document approval• Reporting

• Project Selection Recommendation• Provide for a more visible and transparent process

Two Major Initiatives

• Allowed to track budget in Project Financial Server

• Facilitates forecasting• Tracking actuals• Seamless integration in Project Server

UMT 360

Project Server Upgrade

Reasons to Upgrade• Improved performance• Browser support• Improved workflow• OneNote notebook• Improved client• Client reporting • Project timeline Web part• Database consolidation

• Single App/Web server• SQL backend• 3rd party portfolio

management app with custom workflow

Project Server 2010 Environment

• Multi-tiered farm• Better (virtual) hardware• Upgraded SQL backend• Latest Windows OS• Latest Cumulative Update• Latest release of 3rd party portfolio

management app• Migrate workflow from 3rd party to native

workflow

Target Environment

• Lots of reading on Technet, blogs, Social forums

• Lots of test VMs• Notes (lot of them)• Inventory your current environment• Lots of practice upgrades• More practice upgrades• Take more notes

Preparation

• Microsoft TAPs & RDPs• Use OneNote to track everything• Create your own installation guide• Create your own upgrade guide• Try to break your builds

More ways to prepare

• Coordinate with teams• What the upgrade means to a PM and

projects• What happens to PWA 2010?• How do PMs get to upgraded PWA?• Double-check target farm, notes,

everything• What if it all blows up?

Upgrade Execution Plan

• BACKUPS• Begin upgrade process• PWA and project sites take a while• Check logs constantly• Migrate what needs to be migrated

Upgrade Execution

• Test everything• Release to users• Something will probably break• Keep checking logs• Keep checking farm performance• Keep your test environment

Post Upgrade

Workflow Improvement• Easy to setup using SharePoint designer • More options for e-mail notifications• Can use workflow in other SharePoint environments

Stage 2Department

Approval

Stage 3Pending

Stage 5Budget Select

Approve

Stage 7Project Approved

Not Approved

Approved

No

Stage 6Portfolio Selection

Capital Selection

Lack of Information

Selected

Stage 8Setup Accounts

Stage 11PM Assignment

Stage 12Manage

Stage 13Closure Request

Stage 14Closure Activities

Stage 15Financial Closure

Stage 16Project Closed

No

Yes

Stage 1Department ReviewNew Project

Stage 4Deferred

Stage 10Dept/Budget

Spend Approval

Budget entered on an annual basis

Budget entered on a monthly basis

Budget locked

Pending/Deferred Stage

System send e-mail

Active Projects

Reporting• SQL Reporting Services

Integration with Oracle Financials

Project Server

Oracle EBS

Project BudgetsForecasts

Actuals

Budgets

Actuals

Reports

• Converted Project Sites or using Custom Templates • Notebooks do not light up automatically• Deliverables Web part does not look correct

• Changing e-mail recipients in Workflow• Default workflow task list did not work• Required fields do not work as expected

with Workflow (DCR)

Issues/Comments

• Other departments adapting to a PM methodology• We need to get the data to be trusted

• Project Prioritization• Started to use the tool this FY for the first time• Establish committee• Redefining drivers to align with Strategic Plan • Discussing how to handle maintenance projects vs “new” projects

Challenges

Questions?

• Project Server provides great collaborative environment

• Great value to have all projects in one place for capital projects

• In place archiving • PMs can run more simultaneous projects• No specific tool is a panacea • Cultural change more of a challenge than

technology change

Closing Thoughts

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