The VitalSkill cheat sheet (speedyproject) for understanding SharePoint project planning. Note that this diagram shows where governance and taxonomy fit into the grand scheme of things, and what role they play in the SharePoint implementation and operations project.
Over the years I've managed a great many projects and programs. The fundamental principles and best practices remain the same (see www.pmi.org) whether you are building a software system or a building a new bridge over the Mississippi river.
However, having said that there is a need occasionally for fine-tuning project methodologies for a particular technology or task. Not only do I have technology management experience with project budgets up to several hundred million dollars, I am also a fundamentally lazy man. I believe in finding the simplest and most concise method for solving any problem. I was also the lead architect for a $500,000,000 IT outsourcing project, so I have a decent handle on technology planning in general. I also believe that laziness is a virtue in architecture, in that it encourages simplicity and elegance of design.
Anyway, here is my project framework for SharePoint implementation projects. When I developed this framework I had coffee with John Zachman on a couple of occasions and asked him how he created the Zachman framework. for those of you who don't know, John Zachman is the grandfather of computer architects everywhere. Way back in the day he created a simplified framework that would make it much easier to plan and organize technologies in an IT context. He is something of a hero of mine, along with Grace Hopper who invented COBOL. I ran into John Zachman a few times at architecture conferences and we seemed to get along pretty well. For the price of a coffee in the morning, or a beer in the afternoon, he was more than happy to talk about clear thinking, technology planning, and dumb luck (all of which are necessary in developing a meaningful career in technology).
Well, I took John's principles to heart and added them to my own. My goal was to come up with a simple reference tool that would make it much easier to organize a technology project. I also wanted to make it easier for non-project managers to be able to sort through all the jargon and standards to understand what exactly is going on with their projects. it is, in short, something of a cheat sheet on project management.
Here it is. This is my standard project cheat sheet (which I lamely call speedyproject) adapted for use with SharePoint. This little chart will help you organize your thinking with regard to SharePoint planning and implementation. You can still use your favorite methodology. This is not a methodology but a definition of concepts and how they relate-- in other words it is a taxonomy matrix for major project phases and activities.
Here is my matrix. It also shows you how my Governance and Taxonomy Workshop fit into the project management cycle. The Workshop gets your project initiated and moving forward in the context of SharePoint.
©Copyright Mark Ragar Schneider, 2009 All Rights Reserved