Every project you manage needs a process of some sort, shape or size. If the project has the right process to start with, there is a fair chance it will come home successfully!  For many organizations the effort to develop a process for managing projects is just too large. Over the past 12 years Microsoft have worked with customers large and small and have developed a set of project management models that today are freely available to you to download from the Microsoft web site.  The models are contained in a family labelled the "Microsoft Solutions Framework".  These models cover traditional application development and also agile solution delivery. The models also have a Project Management discipline and a Governance model, much of which was influenced by the practices at Microsoft and their customers and other leading industry standards.

Presented By: Michael S. V. Turner, DSc, PMP from Microsoft

Module 1 in the PMO webcast series reviewed the MSF models as a fast-start resource for teams who want to plan and manage projects in a process driven nature.  This webcast will review how SharePoint 2007 can be adopted and used to accelerate the management of one or more projects using MSF style processes and approaches. In summary, if MSF is providing the process foundation then SharePoint can provide the tooling foundation.

Presented By: Éamonn McGuinness, CEO, BrightWork

What is the best way to organize a team to maximize project success? But what is success? How you organize a team and divide up project work is critical regardless of how you define success. Refined over many years, the Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) offers a model and proven practices for organizing teams. This module will describe a scalable and extensible teaming strategy that comprehensively represents stakeholder interests while leveraging an inherent set of natural checks and balances to help increase quality, decrease risk and minimize bureaucracy.

Presented By: Michael S. V. Turner, DSc, PMP from Microsoft

Module 2 in the PMO webcast series, “Optimizing Teams”, discussed how the MSF models and it’s proven practices help maximize project success. This webcast will demonstrate how SharePoint 2007 can help you get the most out of organizing teams effectively and dividing up project work efficiently. In summary, SharePoint is one of the best ways you can organize a team to maximize project success, increase quality, decrease risk and minimize bureaucracy.

Presented By: Éamonn McGuinness, CEO, BrightWork

What is the right level of process for your project? Too much process could hinder success - too little process might lead to chaos. This module will explore considerations to better understand what is an appropriate process and for different situations.

Presented By: Michael S. V. Turner, DSc, PMP from Microsoft

Module 3 in the PMO webcast series “Pragmatic Process Management”, reviewed how the decision points to decide on the level of process needed to manage projects of various types.  This follow-on webcast will show how these decisions can be implemented in SharePoint 2007.  The webcast will show how process and governance decisions made once can be “baked-in” to the collaborative platform that is SharePoint.

Presented By: Éamonn McGuinness, CEO, BrightWork

Held on April 1st , 2008 Properly managing scope would be easy if the requirements were clearly stated at the beginning of a project and would not change throughout.  Unfortunately, that is rarely the case.  This module will explore sensible ways to manage scope to help avoid requirements creep, a popular and often harmful way of handling scope.

Presented By: Michael S. V. Turner, DSc, PMP from Microsoft

Module 4 in the PMO webcast series “Managing Scope and Requirements Creep” discussed the tendency for product or project requirements to increase during the project beyond those originally foreseen.  Module 4 detailed sensible mechanisms of managing scope to avoid getting the project in trouble.  This follow-up webcast will show how SharePoint 2007 can be used to pragmatically implement these mechanisms and thus keeping the project out of trouble.

Presented By: Éamonn McGuinness, CEO, BrightWork

Held on May 1st, 2008 The phrase “agile project management” means many things to many people.  It does not help that one person’s “agile” is another person’s “formal”.  In this module, we will take a step back from the buzzwords and explore the practical side of being flexible, adaptable and iterative in a world that seems less than agile.

Presented By: Michael S. V. Turner, DSc, PMP from Microsoft

Very few people like writing status reports.  Even fewer like reading them.  Time spent producing status reports is time that could be spent managing the project or developing the solution!  So how do you make sure you get the right information to the right people at the right time with minimal effort yet with maximum effect?  In this webcast, we will discuss a few strategies for effective status reporting.

Presented By: Michael S. V. Turner, DSc, PMP from Microsoft

Effective solutions delivery is balancing people, process and tools.  You can adopt a proven process.  You can buy good tools. What about the people?  Usually you do not have the money to hire the “dream team.”  This module will explore how to maximize effectiveness from a people perspective.

Presented By: Michael S. V. Turner, DSc, PMP from Microsoft

Every project you deal with will have some amount of risk, issue and bug management associated with it.  This eighth module in the PMO series will examine the factors that contribute to these and show you how best to manage them both effectively and efficiently.  Flexible models for risk and issue management will be presented.  We will also briefly show how risks, issues and bugs can be effectively managed in SharePoint.  We will close by answering your questions on issue and risk management.

Presented By: Michael S. V. Turner, DSc, PMP from Microsoft