CISL WIPpresentation by

Jeff CustardNetwork Engineering and Telecommunications Section

(NETS)

NETS Project Management

19-Mar-2014

"A carelessly planned project takes three times longer to complete than expected; a carefully planned project takes only twice as long.”

-- Unknown

NETS PM – the way it was

• Used Microsoft Project to create PDFs that got emailed around- In addition to various spreadsheets and various team

and individual methods

- Usually only one or two people could update (and email/status process was cumbersome)

• Never met NETS needs- MS specific, not multi-platform

- Not intuitive, required training

- Required client software

Needed a new and better way

• For managers and project managers

• Began mid-2010 with initial installation of scaffolding plugin on Atlassian Confluence Wiki

• Worked through various options including spreadsheets, chart plugins, gannt chart options, gliffy diagrams, calendars, time tracking, and so on

• Needed something simple and basic that everyone could use and understand- Drilled down to the minimum elements we really needed to keep track of

- Multi-platform solution, intuitive, no client

• Lots of work and time on https://test.wiki.ucar.edu/- BIG thanks here to Joel Daves who has helped all along the way with this

in terms of version loading/testing and setup/testing questions (on test and production wiki)!

Define a project

• projects end

• otherwise it is an ongoing activity- http://nets.ucar.edu/nets/ongoing-activities/

Define a template• Project phases

- Initiation, planning, implementation, closeout

• Project status indicators- Red: project held up/some problem or issue

- Yellow: potential risk/unforeseen delay

- Green: on track/progressing as expected

- Blue: inactive status/has gone cold

• Common format and tracking elements- Including owner at top level (manager easily knows who to go to first)

Same framework - ongoing updates

• Dec-2013 – wiki code upgrade- This is a work in progress (including process, template

and reporting updates)

• Plugins required purchase

• Usual challenges of build versus buy- Tradeoffs of control versus support requirements

• Futures?- Keep using wiki?

- Google options?

- Other local or cloud based tools?

Resources

• NETS project page: https://wiki.ucar.edu/x/Zg2AB

• NETS project template definitions: https://wiki.ucar.edu/x/WJBCB

• Scaffolding plugin:- https://docs.servicerocket.com/display/SCAF/Scaffolding+Plugin

• Composition:- https://docs.servicerocket.com/display/COMP/Composition+Plugin

• Reporting:- https://docs.servicerocket.com/display/REPORT/Reporting+Plugin

• Linking:- https://docs.servicerocket.com/display/LINK/Linking+Plugin

"A project is complete when it starts working for you, rather than you working for it."

-- Scott Allen

Wrap-up / questions

• Any questions or further discussion?

• http://nets.ucar.edu/nets/intro/staff/jcustard/