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Clik here to view.My blogs about using SharePoint to improve project delivery have been focused on processes and collaboration at the project team level. At the project team level, SharePoint can be used to streamline processes, increase team collaboration, and more effectively measure project performance. This is where most clients start to drive improvements in project delivery performance.

There is also a great opportunity to use SharePoint to improve the effectiveness of your Project Office, with different areas of focus, and different resulting benefits. At the Project Office level, SharePoint can be used to improve visibility of your project portfolio, govern the way work gets done across the portfolio, and uplift the project management processes and tools utilized by project teams. These improvements drive stronger relationships with your key customers, better control of projects throughout the project life cycle, and consistent application of more effective and efficient project management practices.

Portfolio Reporting

Maintaining project profile and performance information at the project team level provides the ability to “roll-up” the project information to a project portfolio dashboard. Portfolio reporting is utilized to communicate to key customers the status of projects supporting their business unit strategies. SharePoint enables portfolio dashboard reporting without creating overhead or redundant processes within your Project Office. It also provides the ability for customers to consume more detail about individual projects by providing links to project sites and project status reports.

Below are a couple very simple examples of the portfolio dashboard, one sorted by project phase and the other by business unit. Key project information can be communicated on the dashboard (project name, business unit, project phase, project status, budget status, actual spend to-date, target date, % complete, project manager), as well as a link to the project status report and/or project site to obtain additional information. With some minor help from your SharePoint Development staff, the look and feel of your dashboard can be further enhanced to include things like stoplights for the project status.

Active Projects by Project Phase

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Active Projects by Business Unit

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Governance

Many of my colleagues hate the concept of governance. To them it represents overhead and “red tape” that slows down the process of getting actual work done. To me, governance represents an enabler that makes it easier for customers to initiate projects, as well as establish a process that ensures that projects delivered meet customer expectations. SharePoint can be utilized to implement workflow and reporting around the project intake process. The project intake process allows customer to submit projects ideas directly, increase the visibility of project requests, and reduce the cycle times associated with the project initiation phase of the project.

SharePoint also provides the capability to manage portfolio and milestone reviews with key customers. This can be accomplished by creating a Project Office level calendar, and leveraging meeting workspaces to collaborate on key deliverables and manage follow-up actions. Strong processes in this area helps ensure that your teams are working on the right projects (aligned well with business strategies), and that projects delivered are meeting the expectations of your customers. Below is an example of the Project Office calendar of events.

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Project Office Processes & Tools

The SharePoint collaboration platform can be leverage to uplift the processes and tools utilized across the project portfolio. A very simple example of improving tools at the Project Office level is creating a list to manage project manager assignments. A contact list with metadata added to collect information about project manager assignments can be added to the Project Office site to improve the cycle time associated with assigning a project manager for a new project. Below is a summary view of the project manager assignments list.

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Another example of leveraging SharePoint to upgrade Project Office processes and tools is creating a central repository (using document libraries) for maintaining project management processes, tools and reports. This central repository enables more consistent application of key practices across the project portfolio. Collaboration amongst project managers facilitates sharing of processes and tools “in-line” with completion of project work. Project Office resources leverage the information captured during the project managers’ collaboration to implement continuous improvements to the project management process and tools. Metadata added to the process library helps organize the documents by process area, document type, and status of the document. Below is an example view of the process and reporting libraries.

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5 Ways SharePoint Improves the Effectiveness of the Project Office

• Portfolio Dashboard – The project dashboard represents a “roll-up” of key project information maintained on project sites. Without introducing redundant processes, the Project Office can provide improved visibility of projects throughout the project life cycle to key customers.
  
• Project Intake – Customers have the ability to easily submit project requests in SharePoint. Implementation of workflow associated with the project requests provides improved visibility of the requests, and reduces the cycle time associated with the project initiation phase.
  
• Portfolio Governance – The Project Office calendar and meeting workspaces are utilized to effectively manage customer interactions associated with on-going portfolio reviews, as well as specific project milestone reviews.
  
• Team Utilization – The Project Office site can be utilized to manage project manager assignments and utilization across the project portfolio.
  
• Centralized Process & Tools Library – Document libraries can be utilized to establish a central repository for project management processes, tools and reports. The Project Office drives improvements to these processes and tools in parallel with completing project work.

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