The Enterprise Project Management (EPM)
Professional
March 28th, 2007
Brendan Giles, BSc., PMP, MOS, MCP (EPM)
The Key to Successful Adoption of Enterprise Project Management
ProjectWorld Presentation
Slide Slide 22
Overview
What is an EPM Professional? Why does our PMO need one? Can a Project Manager fill the role? Why an EPM Professional is crucial to the
success of an EPM environment and promoting rapid adoption?
Why recruitment and training of the EPM Professional is crucial to adoption of the EPM Environment
Summary
Questions and Wrap-up
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Overview of Acronyms
PMP
Project Management Professional Certification issued by the Project Management Institute
MOS
Microsoft Office Specialist Certification issued for each of the Microsoft Office Applications including Microsoft Project (New Certifications to be released in 2007)
MCP
Microsoft Certified Professional Program available for all Microsoft Software
EPMEnterprise Project Management. Centralized control, Shared Resources, Portfolio / Project Reporting and tracking at the enterprise level.
PMO
Project Management Office. Responsible for project delivery, best practices and support of Project Management Environments such as EPM.
MDX
Multi-Dimensional query language used with Online-Analytical Processing (OLAP)
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Why does our PMO need one?
Program Manager
Resource Managers
EPM Professional
Central Project Knowledge Repository
Project Teams
Project Managers
Stakeholders
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Program Manager
EPM Specialist Project Managers
…because organizations demand transparency from the PMO
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Microsoft Enterprise Project Management
Microsoft is a leader in providing Enterprise Project Management Software to Clients
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Microsoft Enterprise Project Management
Microsoft continues EPM Leadership in 2007
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Can a Project Manager Fill the Role?
No. A Project Manager manages projects not EPM environments
Project and Program Managers can rely on the support of an EPM Professional
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The EPM Professional
A EPM Professional is a Project Management Technology Role
An EPM Professional supports the PMO An EPM Professional supports the
technology required to gain access to crucial project knowledge
A well trained EPM Professional is crucial to a strong PMO in the 21st Century
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Why is an EPM Professional Crucial?
Project Knowledge must be shared by many people within the enterprise space
A “Stand-alone” project rarely exists
Resources must be shared among project initiatives
Organizations demand that their resources are used wisely and effectively…..and they want proof
Failed projects are costly…..delivered projects wasteful of resources with the wrong objectives are just as costly
PMO portfolio reporting must be accurate, quick and available upon demand
The EPM Professional if trained properly can support the tools needed to run an effective PMO
Confidence in the PMO and its reporting comes from within via a properly trained EPM Professional
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Reasons Given for Slow Adoption of EPM Environments
“…We can’t share project information with sponsors they might ask too many questions”
“….I know we don’t have a process but things work out in the end, they always have….so report little during execution”
“I don’t have time to maintain a project plan I sure don’t want it published to a shared repository”
“An EPM environment is too complicated and we can never find anyone who is trained to run it”
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Reasons Given for Slow Adoption of EPM Environments
“Enterprise reporting is like yelling our weaknesses to the whole company”
“Its not a priority…..besides we are too busy collecting data from all these Project Managers who never tell each other what they are doing”
“We like our sponsors to pay a fixed price for projects and not be involved on how we spend the money”
“Can’t we just use e-mail instead of all this other interactive stuff”
“EPM environments are complicated and besides the Project Manager we assigned to run it doesn't seem to know much about it”
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Addressing Slow Adoption of EPM
1. Communicate the benefits of Enterprise Project Management at ALL levels within the organization
2. Clearly define the skill set that an EPM Professional needs
3. Identify roles within the PMO clearly
4. Integrate the EPM Professional into the PMO before adoption
5. The EPM Professional must be involved in implementation and support
Training the EPM Professional
Is crucial to EPM
Adoption
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Addressing Slow Adoption of EPM
Recruit and Train EPM Professionals before implementing an EPM Environment
Show how an EPM Professional is as crucial a part of the PMO as a Project Manager, Portfolio Manager or Standards Analyst
Show how EPM Professionals can be invaluable during audits
Show how Microsoft is a leader in EPM software and works closely with training partners
The EPM Professional must be involved in implementation and support
Training as an EPM Professional can evolve into specialization in any of it’s technology areas later in your career.
Training the EPM Professional
Is crucial to EPM
Adoption
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Addressing Slow Adoption of EPM
Microsoft EPM Partners must have EPM Professionals on staff
Microsoft EPM Partners must offer support services to In-House EPM Professionals
Microsoft offers the EPM Software but Training partners must supply EPM Professional Training
Microsoft offers the EPM Certifications but Software partners must supply EPM Professionals for hire or EPM Support Services.
The EPM Professional is not a PM or DBA or Developer but a distinct role within the PMO.
The EPM Professional is needed now to ensure that organizations feel comfortable adopting a Microsoft EPM Environment
Training the EPM Professional
Is crucial to EPM
Adoption
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Recruitment and Training of an EPM Professional
Identify the Microsoft Software that makes up an EPM Environment
Design an all in one training program
Include additional software tools to assist the EPM Professional in supporting the environment
Include some soft skills
Plan for upgrades
Design a PMO integration plan
Include Certifications
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Recruitment and Training of an EPM Professional
Recruit Professional Trainers to deliver the EPM Professional Course Material
Engage in PMO Readiness
After successful completion of the program have the EPM Professional implement the EPM Environment
Ensure the EPM Professional has Technical support from Microsoft Partners
Monitor success and rapid adoption
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EPM Professional Profile
Software Installer Microsoft Project Server
Administrator Sharepoint Administrator Microsoft Office Specialist VBA Developer Project Portfolio Report Specialist Microsoft Project Professional
power user
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EPM Professional Profile
Project Management Professional (PMP®) Database Administration OLAP Cube Design Windows and Web Development
This sounds like a lot……but the EPM Professional is not an expert DBA, Project Manager, Developer …..they are General Practioners of these disciplines
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EPM Professional Training
Administration Microsoft Project Server Windows Sharepoint Services Sharepoint Server Portfolio Server SQL Database Fundamentals SQL Analysis Services
Fundamentals
Development Visual Basic for Applications Microsoft Visual Studio 101 Visual Studio Tools for Office Microsoft Office Specialist MDX Fundamentals (OLAP) Project Guide Development
Project Management Microsoft Project Power User Fundamentals of Scheduling Plan Templates Best Practices Project Methodologies
Installation Microsoft Project Professional Windows 2003 Server Windows Sharepoint Services Sharepoint Server Portfolio Server Microsoft Project Server
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My Vision for the EPM Professional
My Vision for the EPM Professional outlined here is something I have under development
Microsoft Training Partners and EPM Partners will be reviewing it
Customers can also participate
The EPM Professional will be an all round professional and can easily specialize in any of the disciplines mentioned as a future career path. They will be in demand
EPM Professionals will lead to rapid adoption of EPM
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My Vision for the EPM Professional
The EPM Future is now
With the right tools the EPM Professional will be crucial to rapid adoptionThe race to adoption is on