Progressive Elaboration in EPM Deployment

PMI defines “Progressive Elaboration” in PMBOK 3^rd Ed as:

 

“Progressive elaboration means developing in steps, and continuing by increments. For example, the project scope will be broadly described early in the project and made more explicit and detailed as the project team develops a better and more complete understanding of the objectives and deliverables. Progressive elaboration should not be confused with the scope creep.”

 

Any EPM project is not perfect from start to finish. One has to go through lots of challenges.

 

There are four key elements for any new system introduction to an environment.

1.       Availability

2.       Reliability

3.       Security

4.       Performance

 

One can either go through all these in one-go, provided you get the required resources or iterate through these one after another over time. With any new system, availability should come first. This makes the system visible to your community. You also get chance of incorporating their feedback (progressively elaborate). Then you progress with other options. Again you make decisions based on resources availability (not MSPS resources availabilityJ) & business demands in your organization.

 

In such situations your best bet is to go with “Progressive Elaboration” of your project. You start with something based on the availability of the resources. Then as the project progresses you keep on elucidating the intricacies of the system. That said you refine it over time.

EPM Buffet Served

Implementing and administering MSPS 2007 - a recommended reading.

http://tinyurl.com/3fh5j5

MS Project & Project Server 2007 SP1

MS Project 2007 SP1

• Download Microsoft Office Project 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
• Description of Project 2007 Service Pack 1 and of Project Language Pack 2007 Service Pack 1
• Issues that are fixed in Project 2007 by Office Project 2007 Service Pack

MS Project Server 2007 SP1

• Deploy software updates for Office Project Server 2007
• The 2007 Microsoft Office Servers Service Pack 1 (SP1)
• Description of the 2007 Microsoft Office servers Service Pack 1 and the 2007 Microsoft Office servers Language Pack Service Pack 1
• Issues that are fixed in Project Server 2007 by the 2007 Microsoft Office servers Service Pack

Office Web Components SP1

• Description of Office 2003 Web Components Service Pack 1 for the 2007 Office system
• Download Microsoft Office 2003 Web Components Service Pack 1 (SP1) for the 2007 Microsoft Office System

Project Portfolio Server 2007 SP1

• Issues Fixed in Microsoft Project Portfolio 2007 Service Pack 1

MSProjectConference2007 Day4

Last day was not as good as other days. The key note session was just ok. I just like the following quotes from his presentation:

"Play the Game" Or "Change the way game is played"

Networking with few folks I've been talking with over phone or have been communicating over emails for quite sometime was great. That was the greatest thing about this conference.

MSProjectConference2007 Day3

The third day started with a key note session from Steve Ballmer. During the key note session highlights of MS Project 14 & Project Server 14 (upcoming version in development) from Microsoft Team were great. The new ribbon style for desktop client (as Office 2007 applcation have) & how easy it would be to work from PWA without ActiveX control were great.

Later on there were great sessions. In exhibit hall, MS partners were offering their solutions. In last conference there was only one partner with EPM hosted solution, this year there were three. That shows the growth in hosted MS EPM solution.