Empower As-built Overview
Background
The Empower PPM solution is a Project Online configuration utilizing the latest technology in PowerApps, Flow and Power BI.
The solution provides a client with an environment which is deployed to be operational from day one. Empower PPM is preconfigured with a range of core configuration that enables a client to achieve traction and align with industry best practices. The Empower PPM solution also includes pre-defined reports for Project Intake and Prioritization, Resource Capacity and Demand Management, Budget and Cost Tracking, Project Planning and Collaboration, Project Status and Portfolio Reporting, and PMO Governance.
Empower PPM solution is beneficial to those clients who do not have a PPM solution in place and need to rapidly establish a PPM Tool, and those clients who wish to leverage the Empower PPM as a starter to then plan further enhancements.
The Empower PPM solution is aligned with the Project Management Institute's (PMI) practice standards for Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) and Project Scheduling. In addition, configuration of the Empower PPM is based on proven elements from successful PPM deployments.
Empower PPM enables the client to reap the benefits other successful PPM deployments, in alignment with PMI standards, to get up to speed quickly with the program management tools and integrate them into the client's program management organization.
Solution Overview
The following section describes the high-level architecture of the solution components and how it will fit in a customer tenant.
Empower PPM is based on Microsoft Project Online and SharePoint technology. It introduces improvements in user experience and interface in terms of how the project manager and team members interact with the system. All the collaboration registers including Risks, Issue, Change Requests and Benefits are having user interface based on the latest Microsoft technology, PowerApps. Canvas Apps (PowerApps) are part of the solution that provides a wrapper around SharePoint lists of these collaboration registers that are not centrally presents replacing the SharePoint subsites (project sites).
Furthermore, Microsoft Flow is the automation tool used in the solution for different process and workflows. Project life cycle management workflow and the Change Requests approval workflow are using MS Flow as well. Microsoft Power BI is the technology of choice for reporting needs.
Finally, all reports including Project level and Portfolio reports are built using Power BI. The centralized data repository for the entire data model in the Empower solution is eventually reporting hub and provides the services for integration to import and export the data from the PPM system.
High-Level Components Architecture
Empower PPM is an evolution of Project Online deployment to leverage advances in the Online Services available to most existing Office 365 subscribers.
Complimentary Sensei components are deployed with Project Online inside Office 365 to enhance the functionality available and promote best practices.
Office365 Groups/Teams
In Addition, Sensei Components includes Project Online Configuration for Empower PPM, based on best practices for Project Online configuration. Project Groups Integration is used to provision O365 Groups and Teams.
Using Office 365 Group Sites provides advantages over Project Sites:
Modern Site Experience.
Collaborate with a wider audience. Group Sites can be easily shared with other internal users and External Guests from outside your organisation.
Avoid the SharePoint 2,000 web site collection limitation.
Teams integration.
Planner integration.
Office 365 groups are created automatically by the solution on creation of projects. The group names are based on the project names. The ownership and membership of groups can be managed by project managers.
Additional Components of Empower PPM
Furthermore, Empower PPM is enabled with:
Sensei Project Group Integration providing customers with the ability to utilise Office 365 Group Sites in place of Project Sites that are usually provisioned as sub-webs in the Project Online Site collection.
Power Apps and Flows Various PowerApps for project related information are deployed into the customer environment to allow an intuitive user experience when managing and updating Project related information, workflows and financials.
PPM Essentials as a suite of webparts to improve user experience inside Project Online.
Learning Hub enabling users to quickly learn about Microsoft Project and Project Online features, functions and best practices. It is available directly inside Project Web App from the Knowledge Centre.
Reports provided via the Reporting Hub and Embedded Power BI Modules.
Project Online Sync for Word is utilised in the O365 Group Sites for acquiring and synchronising Project related information into Word documents.
Solution Technology Footprint
Empower PPM delivers its intuitive functionalities by leveraging the customer tenant to host the components in the solution. PowerApps, Flows and end to end configuration will be delivered into the customer environment. Projects, Office 365 Groups and Teams will be created in the customer environment based (triggered) on the user interaction with the system.
The following PowerApps are part of the solution that will be deployed in the customer environment.
Sensei Project Ideas.
Sensei Workflow.
Sensei Project Risks.
Sensei Project Issues.
Sensei Project Deliverables.
Sensei Project Change Requests.
Sensei Project Progress.
Sensei Benefits Management.
Sensei Financials.
Sensei My Risks and Issues.
Solution Technology Fundamentals
Empower PPM delivers its seamless project register capabilities by leveraging the end to end capabilities in Microsoft PowerApps and Microsoft Flow.
The following is an example of how the above technology stack utilises SharePoint features to create, maintain and provide visibility on data via Power Bi Reporting functionality.
Base Build Configuration
Overview
This section covers off the base build configuration for the Empower solution. It has been broken up into the following sections to aid the reader in understanding the configuration;
Portfolio ConfigurationAll configuration relating to the Empower environment at the Portfolio level. This also includes all the administrative settings and environmental configurations that have been applied. |
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Project ConfigurationConfiguration applied to projects in the Empower environment. This also includes the configuration applied to the project site, which is attached to each project in the solution. |
Solution Components
The Empower solution utilises and brings together the following Microsoft technologies;
Project Online |
Teams |
SSRS reports |
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PowerApps applications |
Flow Workflows |
Power BI dashboards |
OneNote Online |
Planner Boards |
SharePoint Online |
Portfolio Configuration
Overview
The follow section covers off how the portfolio-level configuration in the Empower solution. The diagram below illustrates how these configuration items relate to each other and provides context for the subsequent sub-sections of this part of the document.
Projects configuration is covered off in further detail in this section of the document.
Quick Launch menu
The quick launch menu in Empower is configured as follows;
Name | Custom Name | Custom URL | Display |
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Project Intake | True | ||
Ideas | Ideas | /sites/pwa/ideas/Lists/Project%20Ideas | True |
Ideas Centre | Ideas | /sites/pwa/Lists/SenseiProjectIdeas/AllItems.aspx | True |
New Proposal | New Proposal | /sites/pwa/_layouts/15/pwa/Wizards/CreateProject.aspx | True |
____________________ | ____________________ | <blank> | True |
My Activities | My Activities | /sites/pwa/default.aspx | True |
Tasks | My Tasks | <blank> | True |
Timesheet | My Timesheet | <blank> | True |
My Issues & Risks | My Risks and Issues | /sites/pwa/SenseiAssets/My%20Project%20Register.aspx | True |
Approvals | Task Approvals | True | |
Flow Approvals | Flow Approvals | http://australia.flow.microsoft.com/manage/approvals/received | True |
____________________ | ____________________ | <blank> | True |
Dashboards | Dashboards | True | |
PMO Center | PMO Center | /sites/pwa/PMO | True |
Resources | Resource Center | <blank> | True |
Project Center | Project Center | <blank> | True |
Knowledge Center | Knowledge Center | /sites/pwa/Knowledge Centre | True |
____________________ | ____________________ | <blank> | True |
Strategy | <blank> | <blank> | True |
Driver Library | <blank> | <blank> | True |
Driver Prioritization | <blank> | <blank> | True |
Portfolio Analysis | <blank> | <blank> | True |
____________________ | ____________________ | <blank> | True |
Knowledge Centre | Knowledge Center | /sites/pwa/SitePages/Knowledge%20Center.aspx | True |
Enterprise Project Types
Enterprise project types are used to define the settings for groups of related projects. The Empower solution has five enterprise project types configured, which are;
Name | SharePoint Workflow Association | SharePoint Task List Project | New Project Page | Departments | Position | Default |
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Enterprise Project | No Workflow | No | Project Summary | 1 | Yes | |
Major Project | No Workflow | No | Project Summary | 2 | No | |
Minor Project | No Workflow | No | Project Summary | 3 | No | |
Program | No Workflow | No | Project Summary | 4 | No | |
Agile Project | No Workflow | No | Project Summary | 5 | No |
Workflow Phases and Stages
Phases
The Empower solution has been configured to utilise five phases which are utilised by the Major and Minor workflows.
Phase | Description |
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1 - Initiation | Project information is captured in this phase. |
2 - Selection | For the selected projects, an execution plan will be detailed out in this workflow phase. |
3 - Planning | Projects are in the initial planning phase. |
4 - Execution | Projects in execution are monitored in this phase. |
5 - Closing | Projects are completed and closed out in this phase. |
Stages
The Empower solution has the following stages configured;
Stage | Visible Toggles | Custom Fields | Approval Required |
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Initial Business Case A new project has been created. Please complete any required information then click 'Submit' (above) when you are ready to submit for Departmental Review. |
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How confident do you feel about the Success? Comments |
Yes |
Departmental Review |
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Reviewer Comments |
Yes O365 Group: Department Approvers |
Steering Committee Review |
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Reviewer Comments |
Yes O365 Group: Steering Committee Reviewers |
Detailed Scope and Schedule The project is currently being scheduled in detail. When the schedule and scope are finalised, and the project plan has been baselined, click 'Submit' (above) to move the project into Baseline Schedule Review stage. |
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How confident do you feel about the Success? Comments |
Yes |
Baseline Schedule Review |
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Reviewer Comments |
Yes O365 Group: Baseline Schedule Reviewers |
Project Execution The project is currently being executed. When the project has been completed, click 'Submit' (above) to move the project into Project Closure Review stage |
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How confident do you feel about the Success? Comments |
Yes |
Project Closure Review |
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Reviewer Comments |
Yes O365 Group: Project Closure Reviewers |
Enterprise Custom Fields and Look Up tables
In the Empower solution, custom fields for the project online components exists at three different levels. These are articulated below:
Project Custom fieldsThese custom fields are used to capture additional information for projects. Note – the Project registers utilise SharePoint fields are documented in a subsequent section of this document. |
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Task Custom fieldsTask custom fields are used in the project schedule to capture additional metadata for each task such as the Task Schedule KPI field. |
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Resource Custom fieldsResource custom fields are used to tag enterprise resources with additional information such as their role and skill base. |
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Look Up tablesWhen a choice field is utilised, it will have an associated look up table. This look up table contains all the available values which will be serve up to the user to choose from. |
Project Custom fields
Project Name Field | Data Type | Required | Description and Details | Values |
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Organisational Change Impact | Text | No | Custom: What change impact does this project have to the organization? |
Lookup Table: Investment Category Default Value: None Allow multiple values to be selected: No Values:
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ROI | Number | No | Custom: Return on Investment. Calculated as Benefits/ Proposal Costs. |
Formula: IIf([Proposed Costs] = 0, 0, [Financial Benefits] / [Proposed Costs]) |
Location | Text | No | Custom: Field defined for use in Power BI Reporting. No PWA views contain this field. | The project location where the majority of the work is to be completed. Enter in the format of City, ST. |
Proposal Costs | Cost | No | Custom: What are the proposed Costs of the project? |
Custom Attributes: None Values to Display: Data |
Project Phase | Text | No | Custom: Signifies the current phase the project is in. This is a manual setting that needs to be set on save and publish if not using workflow. |
Lookup Table: Project Phase Default Value: None Allow multiple values to be selected: No Values:
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Project Name Field | Data Type | Required | Description and Details | Values |
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Schedule KPI | Text | No |
Custom: This is a key metric for reporting the status of the project with respects to the baseline finish date. Baseline Finish vs. Finish. Graphical Indicators for Non-Summary Rows: (Show data values in ToolTips: Yes)
Graphical Indicators for Project summary:
Graphical Indicators for Summary Rows: Inherit criteria from non-summary rows. |
Formula: IIf(IsDate([Baseline Finish] + 0) = 0, "No Baseline", IIf([Finish] >= ProjDateAdd([Baseline Finish], (ProjDateDiff([Baseline Start], [Baseline Finish], [Project Calendar]) * 0.2), [Project Calendar]), "At least 20% over baseline schedule", IIf([Finish] >= ProjDateAdd([Baseline Finish], (ProjDateDiff([Baseline Start], [Baseline Finish], [Project Calendar]) * 0.1), [Project Calendar]) And [Finish] < ProjDateAdd([Baseline Finish], (ProjDateDiff([Baseline Start], [Baseline Finish], [Project Calendar]) * 0.2), [Project Calendar]), "Between 10%-20% over baseline schedule", "Less than 10% over baseline schedule"))) Values to Display: Graphical Indicators Criteria for: Non-summary rows Show data values in Tool Tips: Checked |
Project Departments | Text | No | Custom: List of departments within the organization |
Lookup Table: Department Default Value: None Allow multiple values to be selected: No Values:
Quality Assurance |
Problem Statement | Text | No | Custom: Describe the business problem that this project was created to address. The problem may be process, technology, or product/service oriented. |
Custom Attributes: Multiple lines of text Values to Display: Data |
Project Description | Text | No | Custom: Describe the purpose of the project | |
Program | Text | No | Custom: Program Name which a specific Project is part of. |
Lookup Table: Program Default Value: None Allow multiple values to be selected: No Values:
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Cost KPI | Text | No |
Custom: This is a key metric for reporting the status of the project with respects to the baseline cost. Baseline Cost vs. Cost. Graphical Indicators for Non-Summary Rows: (Show data values in ToolTips: Yes)
Graphical Indicators for Project summary:
Graphical Indicators for Summary Rows:
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Formula: IIf(IsDate([Baseline Finish] + 0) = 0, "No Baseline", IIf([Cost] = 0 And [Baseline Cost] = 0, "No Cost", IIf([Cost] >= ([Baseline Cost] + ([Baseline Cost] * 0.2)), "At least 20% over baseline cost", IIf(([Cost] >= ([Baseline Cost] + ([Baseline Cost] * 0.1))) And ([Cost] < ([Baseline Cost] + ([Baseline Cost] * 0.2))), "Between 10%-20% over baseline cost", "Less than 10% over baseline cost")))) Values to Display: Graphical Indicators Criteria for: Non-summary rows Show data values in ToolTips: Checked |
Expected Benefit | Text | No | Custom: Brief description of the expected benefits to the business or organization. |
Custom Attributes: Multiple lines of text Values to Display: Data |
Investment Category | Text | No | Custom: Identifies the investment category for this project. |
Lookup Table: Investment Category Default Value: None Allow multiple values to be selected: No Values:
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Project Sponsor | Text | No | Custom: The Project Sponsor of the Project | The Project Sponsor of the Project |
Expected Benefits | Text | No | Custom: What are the expected benefits delivering the project? | What are the expected benefits delivering the project? |
Work KPI | Text | No |
Custom: This is a key metric for reporting the status of the project with respects to the baseline work. Baseline Work vs. Work. Graphical Indicators for Non-Summary Rows: (Show data values in ToolTips: Yes)
Graphical Indicators for Project summary:
Graphical Indicators for Summary Rows: Inherit criteria from non-summary rows. |
Formula: IIf(IsDate([Baseline Finish] + 0) = 0, "No Baseline", IIf([Work] = 0, "No work information", IIf([Work] >= ([Baseline Work] + ([Baseline Work] * 0.2)), "At least 20% over baseline work", IIf(([Work] >= ([Baseline Work] + ([Baseline Work] * 0.1))) And ([Work] < ([Baseline Work] + ([Baseline Work] * 0.2))), "Between 10%-20% over baseline work", "Less than 10% over baseline work")))) Values to Display: Graphical Indicators Criteria for: Non-summary rows Show data values in Tool Tips: Checked |
Project Stage Gate | Custom: The current Stage Gate of the Project | The current Stage Gate of the Project | ||
Financial Benefits | Custom: What is the anticipated Financial Benefit? | What is the anticipated Financial Benefit? | ||
Project Cost Type | Custom: Cost Type Association of the Project |
Lookup Table: Investment Category Default Value: None Allow multiple values to be selected: No Values:
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Project Status | Custom: What is the anticipated Financial Benefit? |
Lookup Table: Investment Category Default Value: "Proposed" Allow multiple values to be selected: No Values:
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Task Custom fields
Project Name Field | Data Type | Required | Description and Details | Values |
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Capital | Flag | No | Custom: Gives the ability to mark a task as Capital rather than Operating task. By default, it is set to No (Operating). |
Type: Flag Custom Attributes: None Department: blank Calculation for Summary Rows: None Calculation for Assignment Rows: Roll down Values to Display: Data |
Task Schedule KPI | Text | No | Custom: This is a key metric for reporting the status of the project with respect to the baseline finish date. Baseline Finish vs. Finish. |
Formula: IIf(IsDate([Baseline Finish] + 0) = 0, "No Baseline", IIf([Finish] >= ProjDateAdd([Baseline Finish], (ProjDateDiff([Baseline Start], [Baseline Finish], [Project Calendar]) * 0.2), [Project Calendar]), "At least 20% over baseline schedule", IIf([Finish] >= ProjDateAdd([Baseline Finish], (ProjDateDiff([Baseline Start], [Baseline Finish], [Project Calendar]) * 0.1), [Project Calendar]) And [Finish] < ProjDateAdd([Baseline Finish], (ProjDateDiff([Baseline Start], [Baseline Finish], [Project Calendar]) * 0.2), [Project Calendar]), "Between 10%-20% over baseline schedule", "Less than 10% over baseline schedule"))) |
Task Work KPI | Text | No | Custom: The key metric for reporting the status of the Task with respect to the baseline work. Baseline Work vs. Work. |
Formula: IIf(IsDate([Baseline Finish] + 0) = 0, "No Baseline", IIf([Work] = 0, "No work information", IIf([Work] >= ([Baseline Work] + ([Baseline Work] * 0.2)), "At least 20% over baseline work", IIf(([Work] >= ([Baseline Work] + ([Baseline Work] * 0.1))) And ([Work] < ([Baseline Work] + ([Baseline Work] * 0.2))), "Between 10%-20% over baseline work", "Less than 10% over baseline work")))) |
Flag Status | Text | No | Out of the box field |
Type: Flag Custom Attributes: None Department: blank Calculation for Summary Rows: None Calculation for Assignment Rows: Roll down Values to Display: Data |
Reportable | Text | No | Custom: Major Milestone Reportable |
Lookup Table: YesNo Default Value: None Allow multiple values to be selected: No Values:
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Task Cost KPI | Text | No |
Custom: This is a key metric for reporting the status of the task with respects to the baseline cost. Baseline Cost vs. Cost. Graphical Indicators for Non-Summary Rows: (Show data values in ToolTips: Yes)
Graphical Indicators for Project summary:
Graphical Indicators for Summary Rows:
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Formula: IIf([Cost] = 0 And [Duration] = 0 And IsDate([Baseline Finish] + 0) = 0, "Milestone-No Baseline", IIf([Cost] = 0 And [Duration] = 0 And IsDate([Baseline Finish] + 0) <> 0, "Milestone-Baselined", IIf([Cost] = 0 And [Baseline Cost] = 0, "No cost information", IIf(IsDate([Baseline Finish] + 0) = 0, "No Baseline", IIf([Cost] >= ([Baseline Cost] + ([Baseline Cost] * 0.2)), "At least 20% over baseline cost", IIf(([Cost] >= ([Baseline Cost] + ([Baseline Cost] * 0.1))) And ([Cost] <= ([Baseline Cost] + ([Baseline Cost] * 0.2))), "Between 10%-20% over baseline cost", "Less than 10% over baseline cost")))))) Calculation for Summary Rows: Use formula Calculation for Assignment Rows: Roll down Values to Display: Graphical indicators Criteria for: Non-summary rows Show data values in ToolTips: Checked |
Health | Text | No | Out of the box field: Shows the health of a task. Manually determined. |
Lookup Table: Health Default Value: "Not Specified" Allow multiple values to be selected: No Values:
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Resource Custom fields
Project Name Field | Data Type | Required | Description and Details | Values | ||||||||||||||||
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Cost Type | Text | No | Custom: List of Cost types for EmpowerPPM |
Lookup Table: Cost Type Default Value: None Allow multiple values to be selected: No Values:
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RBS | Text | No | Custom: The Resource Breakdown Structure utilizing 3 levels. Corporate, Department (Management), and Department (Team Members) |
Lookup Table: RBS Default Value: None Allow multiple values to be selected: No Values:
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Resource Departments | Text | No | Custom: List of departments within the organization |
Lookup Table: Department Default Value: None Allow multiple values to be selected: No Values:
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Role | Text | No | Custom: Defines the role of the resource. Used in matching when using Build Team functionality. |
Lookup Table: Resource Role Default Value: None Allow multiple values to be selected: No Values:
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Skills | Text | No | Custom: Technical Skills known by the resource. Resource can have more than 1 known skill. Two-level code based on Applications (Commercial, Internal, Databases, Network Protocols, Operating Systems, Programming Languages, Server Software, and Web Tools and Scripting) and specific tools within application definition |
Lookup Table: Skills Default Value: None Allow multiple values to be selected: No Values:
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Team Name | Text | No | Out of the box field: Specify a resource team name. Supposed to create a new lookup table and associate it with this field. |
Lookup Table: Team Name Default Value: None Allow multiple values to be selected: No Values:
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Look Up tables
Below are details of all the lookup tables that have been created for the Empower solution including the custom fields that utilise these lookup tables.
Look Up Table name | Data Type | Values | Associated Custom Field(s) |
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Cost Type | Text |
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Department | Text |
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Health | Text |
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Investment Category | Text |
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Organisational Change Impact | Text |
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Program | Text |
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Project Cost Type | Text |
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Project KPI | Text |
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Project Phase | Text |
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Look Up Table name | Data Type | Values | Associated Custom Field(s) |
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Project Stage Gate | Text |
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Project Status | Text |
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RBS | Text |
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Role | Text |
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Skills | Text |
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Team Name | Text |
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Yes/No | Text |
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Security and Permissions
Overview
Project Online has a comprehensive security model that enables the visibility of, and access to system objects to be tailored to meet an organisations' need. This is, at a high-level, achieved utilising:
GroupsGroups are used to set and control user permissions (e.g. Opening projects, editing projects). Groups will consist of members, which can either be added in via Project Online or populated via a synchronised Active Directory Group. |
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CategoriesCategories control the scope of a user's permissions and access to resource and project objects within Project Online. Categories are also used to control what views a group can see and use within Project Online. |
The Project Online security model can be configured to control what a user can do with their level of access (e.g. A user can publish projects, but only where they are the owner).
The diagram below explains this in further detail by overlaying two additional factors: authentication and views.
Security Groups
Group Name | Group Description | Active Directory Group |
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Administrators | Project Server default Administrators group | No default mapping |
Portfolio Viewers | Project Server default Portfolio Viewers group | No default mapping |
Portfolio Managers | Project Server default Portfolio Managers group | No default mapping |
Project Managers | Project Server default Project Managers group | No default mapping |
Resource Managers | Project Server default Resource Managers group | No default mapping |
Team Leads | Project Server default Team Leads group | No default mapping |
Team Members | Project Server default Team Members group | No default mapping |
Security Categories
My Direct Reports (MDR)
Description | Project Online default My Direct Report category |
Projects | Only include the selected projects: |
Resources |
Only include the selected resources:
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Views |
My Work:
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My Organization (MO)
Description | Project Online default My Organization category |
Projects | Include all current and future projects |
Resources | Include all current and future resource |
Views |
Project:
Resource Assignments:
Resource Center:
My Work:
Team Tasks:
Team Builder:
Timesheet:
Portfolio Analysis:
Portfolio Analysis Project Selection:
Resource Requests:
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My Projects (MP)
Description | Project Online default My Projects category |
Projects |
Only include the selected projects:
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Resources |
Only include the selected resources:
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Views |
Project:
Resource Assignments:
Resource Center:
My Work:
Team Tasks:
Team Builder:
Timesheet:
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My Resources (MR)
Description | Project Online default My Resources category |
Projects | Only include the selected projects: |
Resources |
Only include the selected resources:
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Views |
Project:
Resource Center:
Team Builder:
Resource Requests:
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My Tasks (MT)
Description | Project Online default My Tasks category |
Projects |
Only include the selected projects:
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Resources |
Only include the selected resources:
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Views |
Project:
Project Center:
Resource Assignments:
My Work:
Team Tasks:
Timesheet:
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Security Permission Details
Category Permissions
Name | Description | |
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Project | ||
Accept Task Update Requests | Allows a user to accept updates on projects without requiring that the user have the Save Project to Project Online permission. | |
Build Team On New Project | Allows a user to add resources to a project that has already been saved to the Project Online database. Grant this permission to project managers who want to use the Build Team feature in Project Pro to staff their projects before they save (and publish) them to the Project Online database. Or, grant this permission to resource managers who want to use the Build Team feature in the Project Center of Project Web App to add resources to a project that has already been saved to the Project Online database. | |
Note |
The following must also be configured:
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Create Deliverable and Legacy Item Links | Allows a user to create, modify, or delete links between Project tasks and items in the project site (documents, issues, deliverables, and risks). | |
Create New task or Assignment | Determines which projects are available when you are creating new tasks. Grant this permission to any group of projects that individual users will be able to create new tasks in by using the Create a new task page in Project Web App. | |
Note | User must be granted the New Task Assignment global permission in order to access the New task page in Project Web App. | |
Delete Project | Allows users of Project Pro to delete a project saved to the Project Online database from the Open from Microsoft Project Online dialog box in Project Pro. Grant this permission to members of your organization to enable them to more closely manage the projects he or she has saved to the Project Online database from Project Pro or by using the "Delete Enterprise Objects" link in Project Web App. Before allowing users to delete projects, you should consider how your organization will recover those projects, should you need to do so. | |
Edit Project Summary Fields | Allows a user to edit only the enterprise project fields shown in the new project fields Web Part. If you do not have this permission but have "Save Project to Project Online" you can still edit project-level fields/custom fields in the project field Web Part. | |
Manage Basic Project Security | Controls whether a specific Project Permission can be set on a single project through the new Project Permissions feature. | |
Manage Resource Plan | Allows a user to edit a resource plan. | |
Open Project | Allows a user to open a project from the Project Online database in read-only mode using Project Pro. Grant this permission to any member of your organization who has to use the Open from Microsoft Project Online dialog box in Project Pro or in the Project Center in Project Web App to open projects that have been saved to the Project Online database. If users are not assigned the Save Project to Project Online permission, then the project will only be open in read-only mode. | |
Publish Project | Allows a user to Publish projects to the Project Online Published database using Project Pro and Project Web App. Grant this permission to all members of your organization who will be publishing projects. | |
Note | User must be granted the Open Project category permission on any project that needs to be checked out from the Project Online database. If the project has changed since opening, the user will be required to have the Save Project to Project Online permission on that project. If not, when a publish occurs, it will only publish the outdated version. | |
Save Project to Project Online | Allows a user to save projects to the Project Online database using Project Pro. Also gives Project Web App users the permission to save schedules and strategic impact data. Grant this permission to all members of your organization who will be saving projects from Project Pro to the Project Online database using the Save to Project Online dialog box or through Server-side projects. | |
Note |
The following settings must also be configured:
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Save Protected Baseline | Allows a user to save a protected baseline or clear a protected baseline associated with an enterprise project published to the Project Online database. Grant this permission to project managers who need to save baselines in their projects. Baselines are saved by using the Set Baseline functionality accessed from the Project Pro ribbon on the Project tab in the Schedule group. Click the Set Baseline button and then select Save Baseline or Clear Baseline. Protected Baselines are in the range of Baseline 0-5 inclusive. Only users who have Save Unprotected Baseline, Open Project and Save Project Category permissions are able to save Baselines in Baseline 6-10. | |
Note | User must be granted the Save Project to Project Online category permission. | |
View Project Schedule in Project Web App | Allows a user to view project information for a specific project in the Project Center from both Project Pro and Project Web App. Grant this permission to users who need to view project details in the Project Center. | |
View Project Site | Allows users to view Risks, Issues, and Documents areas in Project Web App and Project Pro. Grant this permission to any user of Project Pro who has to select Project site, Documents, Issues, or Risks from the Info page in the Backstage or any user of Project Web App who has to access the Project site, Documents, Issues, or Risks top-level navigation links. | |
View Project Summary in Project Center | Allows a user to access a specific project in the Project Center from Project Web App. Grant this permission to any member of your organization who has to view projects summaries in the Project Center. | |
Note | Users also must be granted the View Project Center View permission in order to see the Project Center. | |
Resource | ||
Adjust Timesheet | Allows a Project Web App user to adjust a team member's submitted timesheet entries. Grant this permission to any member of your organization who requires the ability to adjust a resource's timesheet entry after that resource has submitted the entry. | |
Note | User must have the View Resource Timesheet permission to use this permission. | |
Approve Timesheets | Allows a user to approve a team member's submitted timesheet entries. Grant this permission to any member of your organization who requires the ability to approve a resource's timesheet. | |
Note | User must have the Approve Timesheets permission through a category which contains the resources which they want to approve timesheets on. | |
Assign Resource | Allows a user to assign or allocate a given resource to projects. This permission controls the list of available resources in Team Builder in both Project Web App and Project Pro. Grant this permission to all project managers and resource managers who need to assign, manage, or allocate resources. For example, if you want to add resource R to project P, then you must have permission to assign resource R (Assign Resources), as well as permission to build the team on Project P (Build Team on Project). In addition, you must have access to the Team Builder page through either Project Web App or Project Pro (Assign Resources to Project Team). | |
Note |
The following must also be configured:
|
|
Edit Enterprise Resource Data | Allows a project manager to edit enterprise resource data using Project Pro (checked-out Enterprise Resource Pool) or a resource manager to edit enterprise resources using Project Web App (Resource Center). Grant this permission to project managers and resource managers who need to make updates to resources that belong to the Enterprise Resource Pool. Resource managers with this permission will be able to edit enterprise resource data in the Resource Center in Project Web App, as well as make updates to cost data, custom outline code data, custom field data, and other static information related to resources. Resource managers cannot add or delete resources from the Enterprise Resource Pool in Project Web App. Project managers can add or delete resources from the Enterprise Resource Pool in Project Pro if they have the New Resource global permission (to add resources) or the Clean Up Project Online Database global permission (to delete resources). These permissions are required in addition to the Edit Enterprise Resource Data category permission. | |
Note | User must be granted the View Enterprise Resource Data category permission. | |
Manage Resource Delegates | Allows a user to see other users whom he or she manages and to set delegates for them. | |
Manage Resource Engagements | ||
View Enterprise Resource Data | Allows a user to view resources and resource data stored in the Enterprise Resource Pool. Grant this permission to any user who needs to view resources and resource data stored in the Enterprise Resource Pool. | |
View Resource Assignments in Assignment Views | Allows a user to view assignment details using assignment views in the Resource Center. Grant this permission to project managers and resource managers who need to view resource assignment details in the Resource Center from Project Pro or Project Web App. |
Global Permissions
Name | Description | |
---|---|---|
Admin | ||
Change Workflow | Allows a user to change a project's Enterprise Project Type. (Change Project Type). | |
Clean Up Project Server database | Allows a user to access the Delete Enterprise Objects page available through the Server Settings page in Project Web App. Grant this permission to users who have to delete timesheets, status reports responses, projects, resources, users, and user delegates from Project Online. | |
Manage Active Directory Settings |
Allows users to modify any Active Directory Synchronization settings within the Project Web App Administration. If the user is denied this permission, then they cannot modify settings for any of the following:
|
|
Manage Check-Ins | Allows a user to access the Forced Check-in Enterprise Objects page in Project Web App. This page allows users to force check-in projects, resources, custom fields, calendars, lookup tables and resource plans. | |
Manage Cube Building Service | Allows a user to the set and modify the settings for OLAP cube creation. | |
Manage Enterprise Calendars | Allows a user to create, modify and delete Enterprise Calendars within the Project Web App. | |
Manage Enterprise Custom Fields | Allows a user to modify the definitions of Enterprise Custom Fields and lookup table from Project Web App. | |
Manage Exchange Integration | Allows administrators to enable the synchronization of project tasks with Exchange Server. | |
Manage Gantt Chart and Grouping Formats | Allows a user to access the Gantt chart and grouping formats customization options in the Project Online Administration page for Project Web App views. | |
Manage Notification and Reminders | Allows a user to manage the Notification and Reminders settings within Project Web App Admin | |
Manage Project Web App Views | Allows a user to access the Manage Views page in the Server Settings page in Project Web App. Users with permission to access this page are able to add, modify, or delete Project, Project Center, Resource Center, Assignment, or Portfolio Analyzer views, and they are able to modify Timesheet views. Grant this permission to project managers, resource managers, and members of your organization's PMO so they can create project data views for users to access in Project Web App and Microsoft Project Pro. It is important to remember that if your organization is allowing project managers to create custom fields at the project level, then each project may require its own unique view. The number of projects in this kind of environment may be too many for the IT administrator team; offloading this work to the people in your organization that work at the project level on a day-to-day basis is one way to distribute the workload of managing views. | |
Manage Queue | Allows the user to read or set queue configuration settings and retry, cancel, and unblock jobs in the queue. | |
Manage Security | Allows a user to access the Manage security page in Project Web App to define security categories, security templates, and user authentication settings. Grant this permission to Project Online administrators or a very small and closely managed group of people. This page allows users to change Project Online security settings, create security categories and security templates. Changes to settings on this page, once you have begun using Project Online in your organization, should be carefully managed and (ideally) infrequent. | |
Manage Server Configuration | Allows a user to access the Project Web App Permissions page in Project Web App. Users with permission to access the Project Web App Permissions page can enable or disable enterprise features, manage organizational permissions, and create custom menus (both top-level and side-pane) in Project Web App. Grant this permission to Project Online administrators or a very small and closely managed group of people. | |
Manage Server Events | Allows a user to register event handlers for specific Project Online server-side events. The Manager Server Events page requires the event handler to be registered by the server as defined in the Project Online SDK. | |
Manage SharePoint Foundation | Allows a user to create and delete project sites, whether or not sites are created on project publish, permission synchronization settings, and site path updates. Grant this permission to members of your organization who are administrators for Project Web App or administrators for the servers that are running SharePoint Server 2010. | |
Note | Users with this permission should be granted administrative privileges to all of the servers that are running Project Online and SharePoint Server 2013. | |
Manage Users and Groups | Allows a user to access the Manage Users and Groups page in the Server Settings page in Project Web App. Users with this permission will be able to add, modify, or delete Project Online users and manage Project Online security groups. Grant this permission to members of your organization who are Project Online administrators. Only a small group of people should have permission to access this set of pages. | |
Manage Workflow and Project Detail Pages | Allows a user to manage and view workflow and Project Detail Pages (PDPs). | |
Save Enterprise Global | Allows a user to check out, modify, and save the Enterprise Global Template to the Project Online database from Microsoft Project Pro. This permission should only be granted to a small group of people in your organization; either project managers, members of your organization's PMO, or Project Online administrators. | |
General | ||
Access Project Server Reporting Service | Allows a user to access the OData web service for retrieving data from Project Online. | |
Contribute to Project Web App | Allows users to edit items within lists in Project Web App project sites. | |
Log On | Allows a user to connect to Project Online from Project Pro or to log on to Project Web App. Grant this permission to any user who is authorized to connect to Project Online from Project Pro or log on to Project Web App. | |
Log On to Project Online from Project Pro | Allows a user to load the Enterprise Global Template when he or she connects Microsoft Project Pro to Project Online. Grant this permission to all users in your organization who will be using Microsoft Project Pro to connect to Project Online. | |
Manage Lists in Project Web App | Allows a user to create, modify, and delete lists within the Project Web App project site. This permission is used when synchronizing a user against the Project Web App project site. | |
Manage Personal Notifications | Allows a user to access the Manage My Alerts and Reminders page in Project Web App. Grant this permission to any user that you want to be able to sign up for e-mail notifications and reminders related to tasks and status reports. | |
New Task Assignment | Allows users to access the Create a New Task and Add Yourself to a Task links from the Insert Row button found on the Tasks page of Project Web App. Grant this permission to any member of your organization who has to create new assignments on existing tasks in projects that have been published to Project Online. Users with this permission will also be able to use the Create a New Task link to create new tasks in Project Web App for any project to which the user has access. The list of available projects for a user to create new tasks is determined by the Create New Tasks or Assignment category permission. A user who has the New Task Assignment permission must also have access to the projects to which they want to assign themselves to a task. | |
Reassign Task | Allows a user to delegate an assigned task to another (existing) user. Grant this permission to members of your organization who need the ability to delegate task assignments to other resources. For example, a large project may be run by a single project manager, but actually implemented by several teams, each with their own team lead. A project manager could assign the team leads in the project plan, and then the team leads could in turn delegate each task to individual members of their teams. This example creates an additional layer of task management within the larger organization, but it can also simplify resource allocation within projects themselves and make it easier for a project manager to manage large projects. Or, if you have a resource that is about to leave on a three-week vacation, and this resource had this permission, they would be able to assign their tasks directly to other resources instead of having the project manager check out the project and reassign resources. | |
Portfolio Strategy | ||
Manage Drivers | Allows a user to access the drivers.aspx page and manage business drivers for project portfolio analysis. | |
Manage Portfolio Analyses | Allows a user to create, read, update, and delete Portfolio analyses. | |
Manage Prioritizations | Allows a user to create, read, update, and delete driver prioritizations. | |
Project | ||
Build Team On New Project | Allows a user to add resources to a project that has not been saved to the Project Online database. Grant this permission to project managers who want to use the Build Team feature in Project Pro to staff their projects before saving (and publishing) them to the Project Online database. | |
Note | User needs to be granted the Assign Resources and View Enterprise Resource Data category permissions in order to see resources that are part of the Enterprise Resource Pool in the Build Team feature in Project Pro. | |
New Project | Allows a user to add a new project to Project Online using Microsoft Project Pro, Project Web App, or the Project Online Interface (PSI). New functionality in Project Online for this permission: If you do not also have the Open Project permission, after you create a project, you are taken back to the Project Center. | |
Open Project Template | Allows a user to open an Enterprise Project Template from the Project Online database using Project Pro. Grant this permission to all users in your organization who will use Project Pro to create and manage projects that are based on Enterprise Project Templates. | |
Note | User needs to be granted the New Project global permission in order to save the project to the Project Online database as an actual project. | |
Save Project Template | Allows a user to create and save a project as an Enterprise Project Template from Project Pro to the Project Online database. Grant this permission to members of your organization who are tasked with creating Enterprise Project Templates. When a user saves a project to Project Online for the first time, the option to select Template (as opposed to Project) from the Type drop-down list in the Save to Project Online dialog box is enabled. | |
Note | User needs to be granted the Assign Resources and View Enterprise Resource Data category permissions in addition to this permission if they are also responsible for adding Generic resources to the Enterprise Project Template. | |
Save Unprotected Baseline | Allows a user to save a non-protected baseline or clear a non-protected baseline associated with an enterprise project published to the Project Online database. Baselines are saved by using the Set Baseline functionality accessed from the Microsoft Project Pro ribbon on the Project tab in the Schedule group. Click the Set Baseline button and then select Save Baseline or Clear Baseline. Unprotected Baselines are in the range of Baseline 6-10 inclusive. | |
Note | User needs to be granted the Save Project category permission. | |
Resource | ||
Can be Delegate | Specifies whether a user can be a delegate. | |
Manage My Delegates | Allows users to see the "Manage Delegates" link and to set a delegate on the "Add/Modify Delegation" page. | |
Manage My Resource Delegates | Allows users to set a user who requires a substitute on the Add/Modify Delegation page. | |
Manage Resource Notifications | Allows a user to access the "Alert me about my resources on tasks and status reports" link on the Project Web App home page. Grant this permission to any resource manager or project manager you want to be able to sign up for e-mail notifications and reminders related to their resource's tasks and status reports. | |
New Resource | Allows a project manager to add new resources to the Enterprise Resource Pool using Microsoft Project Pro, the Project Web App Resource Center, or the Project Online Interface (PSI). Grant this permission to any member of your organization who has to create new enterprise resources in Project Online. | |
Note | If your organization is using the Active Directory synchronization feature, you may want to consider denying this permission to all non-IT administrators in your organization. | |
View Resource Plan | Allows a user to access the Resource Plan page within Project Web App. | |
Status Reports | ||
Edit Status Report Requests | Allows a user to access the Request a status report link on the Project Web App Status Reports center and to view team reports. Grant this permission to any member of your organization who has to create status report requests and view team reports, usually project managers, resource managers, team leads, and members of your organization's PMO. | |
Time and Task Management | ||
Manage Rules | Allows a user to access the Rules page from the Approval Center in Project Web App and set rules on how update transactions will be automatically processed. Grant this permission to project managers, resource managers, or members of your organization's PMO so they can define how they will automatically receive and accept changes to transactions by their resources. | |
Manage Time Reporting and Financial Periods | Allows a user to create and modify Timesheet and Fiscal period definitions. | |
Manage Time Tracking |
Allows a user to be forwarded timesheets for review. After reviewing the timesheet, the user will be required the following permissions:
|
|
Self-assign Team Tasks | Resources can be members of a Team Assignment Pool. With this permission, it is possible for users to assign tasks, which have been assigned to their Team Assignment Pool, to themselves through the Team Tasks page in Project Web App. | |
Status Broker Permission | Allows API updates to occur for a user from places like Microsoft Exchange Server. | |
View Project Timesheet Line Approvals | Allows a user to approve timesheets on a line-by-line basis. | |
View Resource Timesheet | Allows users to view the timesheets, regardless of their state or ownership, for resources identified in the category selection criteria. | |
Note | Users must be granted the Accept Timesheet global permission to use this permission. | |
Views | ||
View Approvals | Allows a user to view the Approval Center. | |
Note | Users have access to the Approval Center if they have either the Accept Timesheets or the View Approvals permission. | |
View Business Intelligence Link | Allows a user to see the Business Intelligence link in Quick Launch. However, it has no impact on Report Center Security. | |
View OLAP Data | Allows a user to read from the output for the OLAP cube. This permission is only checked when the OLAP cube is built. | |
View Project Center | Allows users to access the Project Center from Project Web App or Project Pro. | |
Note | User needs to be granted the View Project Summary in Project Center category permission. | |
View Project Schedule Views | Allows a user to see the link in the Quick Launch. However, it has no impact on Report Center Security. | |
View Resource Availability | Allows a user to access the View Resource Availability page to view resource allocation data in Project Web App. Grant this permission to users in your organization who need to view resource availability in Project Web App. | |
View Resource Center | Allows users to access the Resource Center from Project Web App or Microsoft Project Pro and view resource allocation data. Grant this permission to users who need to view the Resource Center in Project Web App by clicking the Resources link in the top-level navigation, or in Microsoft Project Pro by selecting Resource Center on the Collaborate menu. | |
Note | User needs to be granted the View Enterprise Resource Data category permission. | |
View Task Center | This permission when denied prevents users from seeing the Task Center link on the Project Web App Quick Launch menu. | |
Note | This permission does not lock down access to the Task Center page. It is still possible for users to navigate to this page. | |
View Team Builder | Allows a user to use Build Team in Project Web App and Microsoft Project Pro, as well as determine the list of available resources. Grant this permission to resource managers to allow them to use Build Team in Project Web App to add resources to projects that have been saved to the Project Online database. Project Managers can also use this permission to allow them to use Build Team in Microsoft Project Pro to add resources to projects. | |
Note |
User needs to also be granted the following permissions:
|
|
View Timesheets | When this permission is denied it prevents users from seeing the Timesheet Center link on the Project Web App Quick Launch menu. | |
Note | This permission does not lock down access to the Timesheet page. It is still possible for users to navigate to this page. |
#
Project Permissions
Category Permission Name | Administrators | Portfolio Viewers | Portfolio Managers | Project Managers | Resource Managers | Team Leads | Team Members | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MO/MP/ MR | MO | MO | MO | MP | MO | MP | MR | MDR | MP | MT | |
Accept Task Update Requests | |||||||||||
Build Team On Project | |||||||||||
Create Deliverable and Legacy Item Links | |||||||||||
Create New task or Assignment | |||||||||||
Delete Project | |||||||||||
Edit Project Summary Fields | |||||||||||
Manage Basic Project Security | |||||||||||
Manage Resource Plan | |||||||||||
Open Project | |||||||||||
Publish Project | |||||||||||
Save Project to Project Server | |||||||||||
Save Protected Baseline | |||||||||||
View Project Schedule in Project Web App | |||||||||||
View Project Site | |||||||||||
View Project Summary in Project Center |
Resource permissions
Category Permission Name | Administrators | Portfolio Viewers | Portfolio Managers | Project Managers | Resource Managers | Team Leads | Team Members | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MO/MP/ MR | MO | MO | MO | MP | MO | MP | MR | MDR | MP | MT | |
Adjust Timesheet | |||||||||||
Approve Timesheets | |||||||||||
Assign Resource | |||||||||||
Edit Enterprise Resource Data | |||||||||||
Manage Resource Delegates | |||||||||||
Manage Resource Engagements | |||||||||||
View Enterprise Resource Data | |||||||||||
View Resource Assignments in Assignment Views |
Global Permissions
Administrative
Global Permission Name | Administrators | Portfolio Viewers | Portfolio Managers | Project Managers | Resource Managers | Team Leads | Team Members |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Change Workflow | |||||||
Clean Up Project Online database | |||||||
Manage Active Directory Settings | |||||||
Manage Check-Ins | |||||||
Manage Cube Building Service | |||||||
Manage Enterprise Calendars | |||||||
Manage Enterprise Custom Fields | |||||||
Manage Exchange Integration | |||||||
Manage Gantt Chart and Grouping Formats | |||||||
Manage Notification and Reminders | |||||||
Manage Project Web App Views | |||||||
Manage Queue | |||||||
Manage Security | |||||||
Manage Server Configuration | |||||||
Manage Server Events | |||||||
Manage SharePoint Foundation | |||||||
Manage users and groups | |||||||
Manage Workflow and Project Detail Pages | |||||||
Save Enterprise Global |
General
Global Permission Name | Administrators | Portfolio Viewers | Portfolio Managers | Project Managers | Resource Managers | Team Leads | Team Members |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Access Project Server Reporting Service | |||||||
Contribute to Project Web App | |||||||
Log On | |||||||
Log On to Project Server from Project Pro | |||||||
Manage Lists in Project Web App | |||||||
Manage Personal Notifications | |||||||
New Task Assignment | |||||||
Reassign Task |
Portfolio Strategy
Global Permission Name | Administrators | Portfolio Viewers | Portfolio Managers | Project Managers | Resource Managers | Team Leads | Team Members |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Manage Drivers | |||||||
Manage Portfolio Analyses | |||||||
Manage Prioritizations |
Project
Global Permission Name | Administrators | Portfolio Viewers | Portfolio Managers | Project Managers | Resource Managers | Team Leads | Team Members |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Build Team On New Project | |||||||
New Project | |||||||
Open Project Template | |||||||
Save Project Template | |||||||
Save Unprotected Baseline |
Resource
Global Permission Name | Administrators | Portfolio Viewers | Portfolio Managers | Project Managers | Resource Managers | Team Leads | Team Members |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Can be Delegate | |||||||
Manage My Delegates | |||||||
Manage My Resource Delegates | |||||||
Manage Resource Notifications | |||||||
New Resource | |||||||
View Resource Plan | |||||||
Edit Status Report Requests |
Time And Task Management
Global Permission Name | Administrators | Portfolio Viewers | Portfolio Managers | Project Managers | Resource Managers | Team Leads | Team Members |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Manage Rules | |||||||
Manage Time Reporting and Financial Periods | |||||||
Manage Time Tracking | |||||||
Self-assign Team Tasks | |||||||
Status Broker Permission | |||||||
View Project Timesheet Line Approvals | |||||||
View Resource Timesheet |
Views
Global Permission Name | Administrators | Portfolio Viewers | Portfolio Managers | Project Managers | Resource Managers | Team Leads | Team Members |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
View Approvals | |||||||
View Business Intelligence Link | |||||||
View Project Center | |||||||
View Project Schedule Views | |||||||
View Resource Availability | |||||||
View Resource Center | |||||||
View Task Center | |||||||
View Team Builder | |||||||
View Timesheets |
Enterprise Views
Project Centre
The following views have been configured and included in the Empower solution;
Project Centre views | |
---|---|
Active Projects Org Change Impact by Department | CUSTOM: By Department shows Projects Org Change Impact and key metrics for each active project |
Active Projects Org Change Impact by Phase | CUSTOM: By Project Phase shows Projects Org Change Impact and key metrics for each active project |
Active Projects Overall Cost Performance | CUSTOM: Shows overall Cost Performance and key metrics for each active project |
Active Projects Overall Performance | CUSTOM: Shows overall Performance and key metrics for each active project |
Active Projects Overall Schedule Performance | CUSTOM: Shows overall Schedule Performance and key metrics for each active project |
Active Projects Overall Schedule Performance by Department | CUSTOM: By Department shows overall Schedule Performance and key metrics for each active project |
Active Projects ROI Summary by Department | CUSTOM: By Department shows ROI details for each active project |
Active Projects ROI Summary by Investment Category | CUSTOM: By Investment Category & Cost Type shows ROI details for each active project |
Active Projects ROI Summary by Program | CUSTOM: By Program and Cost Type shows ROI details for each active project |
Active Projects Summary | CUSTOM: Shows overall status and key metrics for each active project |
Active Projects Summary by Cost Type | CUSTOM: By Cost Type shows overall status and key metrics for each active project |
Active Projects Summary by Department | CUSTOM: By Department shows overall status and key metrics for each active project |
Active Projects Summary by Investment Category | CUSTOM: By Investment Category shows overall status and key metrics for each active project |
Active Projects Summary by Org Change Impact | CUSTOM: By Org Change Impact shows overall Project Summary and key metrics for each active project |
Active Projects Summary by Program | CUSTOM: By Program shows overall status and key metrics for each active project |
Active Projects Summary by Project Phase | CUSTOM: By Phase shows overall status and key metrics for each active project |
Active Projects Summary by Project Phase and Stage | CUSTOM: By Phase & Stage shows overall status and key metrics for each active project |
Active Projects Summary by Status | CUSTOM: By Status shows overall status and key metrics for each active project |
Active Projects Org Change Impact by Department | |
---|---|
View Type | Project Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Department shows Projects Org Change Impact and key metrics for each active project |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Projects Org Change Impact by Phase | |
---|---|
View Type | Project Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Project Phase shows Projects Org Change Impact and key metrics for each active project |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Projects Overall Cost Performance | |
---|---|
View Type | Project Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Department shows Projects Org Change Impact and key metrics for each active project |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Projects Overall Performance | |
---|---|
View Type | Project Center |
Description | CUSTOM: Shows overall Performance and key metrics for each active project |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Projects Overall Schedule Performance | |
---|---|
View Type | Project Center |
Description | CUSTOM: Shows overall Schedule Performance and key metrics for each active project |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Projects Overall Schedule Performance by Department | |
---|---|
View Type | Project Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Department shows overall Schedule Performance and key metrics for each active project |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Projects ROI Summary by Department | |
---|---|
View Type | Project Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Department shows ROI details for each active project |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Projects ROI Summary by Investment Category | |
---|---|
View Type | Project Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Investment Category & Cost Type shows ROI details for each active project |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Projects ROI Summary by Program | |
---|---|
View Type | Project Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Program and Cost Type shows ROI details for each active project |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Projects Summary | |
---|---|
View Type | Project Center |
Description | CUSTOM: Shows overall status and key metrics for each active project |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Projects Summary by Cost Type | |
---|---|
View Type | Project Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Cost Type shows overall status and key metrics for each active project |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Projects Summary by Department | |
---|---|
View Type | Project Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Department shows overall status and key metrics for each active project |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Projects Summary by Investment Category | |
---|---|
View Type | Project Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Investment Category shows overall status and key metrics for each active project |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Projects Summary by Org Change Impact | |
---|---|
View Type | Project Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Org Change Impact shows overall Project Summary and key metrics for each active project |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Projects Summary by Program | |
---|---|
View Type | Project Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Program shows overall status and key metrics for each active project |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Projects Summary by Project Phase | |
---|---|
View Type | Project Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Phase shows overall status and key metrics for each active project |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Projects Summary by Project Phase and Stage | |
---|---|
View Type | Project Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Phase & Stage shows overall status and key metrics for each active project |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Projects Summary by Status | |
---|---|
View Type | Project Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Status shows overall status and key metrics for each active project |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Resource Centre
Resource Centre views | |
---|---|
Active Resources by Cost Type | CUSTOM: By Cost Type displays basic resource information for active resources |
Active Resources by Department | CUSTOM: By Department displays basic resource information for active resources |
Active Resources by RBS | CUSTOM: By RBS displays basic resource information for all active resources |
Active Resources by Role | CUSTOM: By Role displays basic resource information for all active resources |
Active Resources by Skills | CUSTOM: By Skills displays basic resource information for active resources |
Active Resources by Team | CUSTOM: By Team displays basic resource information for all active resources |
Generic Resources | CUSTOM: Displays basic resource information for all generic resources |
Inactive Resources | CUSTOM: Displays basic resource information for all inactive resources |
My Active Resources | CUSTOM: Displays basic resource information for all active work resources beneath me in the RBS |
Active Resources by Cost Type | CUSTOM: By Cost Type displays basic resource information for active resources |
Active Resources by Department | CUSTOM: By Department displays basic resource information for active resources |
Active Resources by RBS | CUSTOM: By RBS displays basic resource information for all active resources |
Active Resources by Role | CUSTOM: By Role displays basic resource information for all active resources |
Active Resources by Skills | CUSTOM: By Skills displays basic resource information for active resources |
Active Resources by Team | CUSTOM: By Team displays basic resource information for all active resources |
Active Projects Summary by Status | |
---|---|
View Type | Resource Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Cost Type displays basic resource information for active resources |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Resources by Department | |
---|---|
View Type | Resource Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Department displays basic resource information for active resources |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Resources by RBS | |
---|---|
View Type | Resource Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By RBS displays basic resource information for all active resources |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
|
Categories |
|
Active Resources by Role | |
---|---|
View Type | Resource Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Role displays basic resource information for all active resources |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
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Categories |
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Active Resources by Skills | |
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View Type | Resource Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Skills displays basic resource information for active resources |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
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Categories |
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Active Resources by Team | |
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View Type | Resource Center |
Description | CUSTOM: By Team displays basic resource information for all active resources |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
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Categories |
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Generic Resources | |
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View Type | Resource Center |
Description | CUSTOM: Displays basic information for generic resources in team builder |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
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Categories |
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Generic Resources | |
---|---|
View Type | Resource Center |
Description | CUSTOM: Displays basic resource information for all generic resources |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
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Categories |
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Inactive Resources | |
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View Type | Resource Center |
Description | CUSTOM: Displays basic resource information for all inactive resources |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
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Categories |
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My Active Resources | |
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View Type | Resource Center |
Description | CUSTOM: Displays basic resource information for all active work resources beneath me in the RBS |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
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Categories |
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My Assignment Input | |
---|---|
View Type | Resource Center |
Description | CUSTOM: Update reporting for assigned tasks - NA |
Displayed Fields |
Field Name, View (width in pixels)
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Categories |
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Time and Task Management
Overview
Time and task management settings are used to manage how task and timesheets are updated in the Empower solution. It is comprised of the following sub-components:
Fiscal PeriodsFiscal periods can be configured for use in the Empower solution and in associated reporting. |
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Time Reporting PeriodsIf timesheets are used, this section can be used to define and create timesheet periods. |
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Line ClassificationsLine classifications can be used to define multiple timesheet lines for business or accounting purposes. |
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Timesheet Settings and DefaultsIf timesheets are used, this section can be used to configure up timesheet settings which are most appropriate to your organisation. |
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Administrative TimeThis section can be used to define perpetual, non-project tasks such as meetings, annual leave, etc. |
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Task Settings and DefaultsIf timesheets are not used, this screen can be used to define how tasks are displayed and updated. |
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Timesheet ManagersIf the RBS is not used, this screen can be used to define users within the organisation who can approve timesheets. |
Fiscal Periods
No Fiscal Periods are defined in the Empower PPM solution. All required fiscal periods are created with the following settings:
Option | Configuration |
---|---|
Fiscal Year Model | 4,5,4 Method |
Prefix | The year, for example 2019 |
*Next Sequence Number | 1 |
Once the fiscal period has been defined the Administrator must go in and update the Sequence Number (e.g. 1, 2, 3, or 4) to the three-letter abbreviation for the month (e.g.- Jan, - Feb, - Mar, etc.) Refer to the sample below.
Time Reporting Periods
Time Reporting periods will be created with the following settings:
Option | Configuration |
---|---|
*Number of Periods to be Created | 52 |
*Date the First Period Starts | 1/1/YYYY or start date of company fiscal year |
*Length of Standard Period | 7 |
Prefix | YYYY – e.g. 2019 - |
Next Sequence Number | 1 |
Suffix | None |
Once reporting periods have been created, the Administrator can update the sequence number (e.g. 1,2,3…) to the standard time period naming convention used within the company (e.g. FW1, FW2… or Week 1, Week 2). Refer to the sample below.
Line Classifications
Timesheets classification will be created with the following settings:
Option | Configuration |
---|---|
Timesheets classification will be created with the following settings: | Timesheet classifications will not be used. |
Name | Standard |
Description | Standard Line Classification |
Status | Active |
Timesheet Settings and Defaults
Timesheets settings and defaults will be created with the following settings:
Option | Configuration |
---|---|
Timesheet will use standard Overtime and Non-Billable time tracking | Unchecked |
By default, timesheets will be created by using | Current Task Assignments |
The default timesheet tracking units are | Days |
The default timesheet units will be | Hours |
The number of hours in a standard timesheet day | 8 |
The number of hours in a standard timesheet work week | 40 |
Maximum Hours per Timesheet | 168 |
Minimum Hours per Timesheet | 0 |
Maximum Hours per Day | 24 |
Allow Future Time Reporting | Checked |
Allow New Personal Tasks | Unchecked |
Allow Top-level Time Reporting | Unchecked |
Task Status Manager Approvals | Enabled |
Require Line Approval Before Timesheet Approval | Unchecked |
Enable Timesheet Auditing | Unchecked |
Fixed Approval Routing | Unchecked |
Single Entry Mode | Checked |
Administrative Time
Administrative time will not be used in this implementation and the following categories and settings are out of the box categories that cannot be deleted.
Categories | Status | Work Type | Approve | Always Display | Allow Multiple Lines | Department |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Administrative | Open | Working | No | Yes | No | None Defined |
Bereavement | Open | Non-Work | No | No | No | None Defined |
Jury Duty | Open | Non-Work | No | No | No | None Defined |
Sick | Open | Non-Work | No | Yes | No | None Defined |
Support | Open | Working | No | Yes | No | None Defined |
Training | Open | Working | No | No | No | None Defined |
Vacation | Open | Non-Work | Yes | Yes | No | None Defined |
Task Settings and Display
Option | Configuration |
---|---|
Tracking Method | |
Percent of Work Complete | NOT SELECTED |
Actual Work Done and Work Remaining | NOT SELECTED |
Hours of Work Done per Period | SELECTED |
Free Form | NOT SELECTED |
Force project managers to use the progress reporting method specified | CHECKED |
Reporting Display | |
Resources should report their hours worked every day | SELECTED |
Resources should report their total hours worked for a week | NOT SELECTED |
Week starts on | Monday |
Project User Updates | |
Only allow task updates via Tasks and Timesheets | NOT SELECTED |
Import all timesheet line classifications | NOT SELECTED |
Allow users to define custom periods for task updates | SELECTED |
Define Near Future Planning Window | 2 |
Portfolio Analyser
Overview
The portfolio analyser is a module within Project Online that enables organisations to align their projects to corporate strategy. This is designed to ensure that only projects with close alignment to corporate strategy are given to go ahead to be delivered.
Key Components
The portfolio analyser is comprised of the following key components:
Business DriversBusiness drivers are used to represent high-level strategic objectives that are measurable through supporting project performance. See Driver Library (Examples Only) section for further details. |
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PrioritisationThe prioritisation engine enables the specified business drivers to be weighted against each other. This can be achieved via a manual or Pair-wise analysis process. |
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Portfolio AnalysesThe portfolio analyses component utilises weighted drivers to assess the relative importance of projects using cost and driver alignment to determine strategic priority. |
High-level process
Below is diagram articulating the process involved in utilising the portfolio analyser to prioritise projects and define a portfolio of projects to be delivered.
Driver Library (Examples only)
Expand into new Markets and Segments
Name | Expand into new markets and segments | |
---|---|---|
Description | Expand revenue growth aggressively by penetrating new markets and expanding reach to segments of penetrated markets | |
Departments | Nil | |
Status | Active | |
Project Impact Statements | None | Does not grow revenue from any markets and segments |
Low | Grows revenue from new markets and segments by up to $500K | |
Moderate | Grows revenue from new markets and segments by $500K to $1M | |
Strong | Grows revenue from new markets and segments by $1M to $3M | |
Extreme | Grows revenue from new markets and segments by more than $3M |
Improve Customer Satisfaction Score
Name | Improve Customer Satisfaction Score | |
---|---|---|
Description | Measurably improve scores on customer satisfaction surveys through implementing standardized customer service processes, grow the number of customer service relationships, and improve the nature of each relationship | |
Departments | ||
Status | Active | |
Project Impact Statements | None | Does not change customer satisfaction index |
Low | Increases customer satisfaction by up to 2% | |
Moderate | Increases customer satisfaction by 2% to 3% | |
Strong | Increases customer satisfaction by 3% to 5% | |
Extreme | Increases customer satisfaction by 5% or more |
Driver Prioritisation (Examples only)
Name | Executive Consensus |
---|---|
Description | |
Prioritization Type | Manual |
Department | |
Increase market share in existing markets | 61.51% |
Expand into new markets and segments | 22.59% |
Improve Customer Satisfaction Score | 8.38% |
Reduce Expense Base | 7.53% |
Project Ideas
Ideas Creation
A separate Ideas register is established for submitting project ideas for future projects. The link to this register is labelled Ideas and is accessible from the PWA Quick Launch bar:
Ideas Centre
The Ideas list has two defined views, and the default view is 'Project Ideas' (non-promoted ideas). Project ideas are grouped by Category. The 'Project Ideas' view identifies who created the idea and a Star Rating system employed so people can vote for the idea to be promoted.
The other two views are 'All Items' and 'Ideas by Department', (non-promoted ideas). Project ideas are grouped by Category.
Potential 4th view – TBC. When an idea is promoted, the information from the Promoted Idea is used to create a project in the PWA environment.
Reports
The Empower solution includes two portfolio-level reports for PMOs and Senior Managers;
My Portfolio ReportThis report is designed to provide the PMO and/or Senior Managers with an over-arching view of the entire portfolio of projects that are being delivered. The report utilises the Power BI technology to serve up a rich dashboard covering all facets of project delivery. |
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Resources DashboardThis report is designed to provide the PMO and/or Senior Managers with an over-arching view of all resource management information related to the delivery of projects. The report utilises the Power BI technology to serve up a rich dashboard covering all facets of resource management from availability to allocations and timesheet data. |
My Portfolio Report
The My Portfolio Report is a Power BI dashboard designed to provide visibility of their entire portfolio of projects. This report has six pages/tabs of reports and graphs which cover;
Overview of the Portfolio.
Financials.
Risks.
Issues.
Deliverables and
Change Requests
Portfolio Overview
Portfolio Financials
Portfolio Risks
Portfolio Issues
Portfolio Deliverables
Portfolio Change Requests
Resources Dashboard
The Resources Dashboard is a Power BI dashboard designed to provide visibility of their entire portfolio of resources. This report has nine pages/tabs of reports and graphs which cover;
Resource Information.
Availability.
Demand.
Engagements.
Assignments Overview.
Assignments Details.
Unapproved Work.
Timesheets.
Non-Project Time.
Information
Availability
Demand
Engagements
Assignmnents Overview
Assignments Details
Unapproved Work
Timesheets
Non-Project Work
My Risks and Issues
This application enables Empower users to log risks and issues against projects in the solution. It also provides the user with visibility of all risks and issues that have been assigned to them across the portfolio of projects. The "my risks and issues" application is pre-filtered to show only risks or issues assigned to the current user.
Home ScreenWhen the project manager first opens the risk application, the home screen will open. This presents a summary overview of all risks and plots them on a 5x5 risk matrix. |
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Risks New / Edit ScreenWhen the user clicks on the New Risk or Select icon, this will open the New / Edit screen. From here a new risk can be added, or an existing risk edited. |
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Issues New / Edit ScreenWhen the user clicks on the New Issue or Select icon, this will open the New / Edit screen. From here a new issue can be added, or an existing issue edited. |
Home Screen
Risks New / Edit Screen
Below is a screenshot of the Risks New / Edit screen. From here the user can add new risks and make changes to existing risks. All new risks will default to the current user when created.
Further details regarding project risks is covered off in the Risks section of this document.
Project Look Up
The risks screen contains a look up field for projects. This enables the user to associate the risk with any of the current projects that have been created in Empower. This is a mandatory field and requires a project to be selected for the risk to be created or saved.
Issues New / Edit Screen
Below is a screenshot of the Issues New / Edit screen. From here the user can add new issues and make changes to existing issues. All new issues will default to the current user when created.
Further details regarding project issues is covered off in the Issues section of this document.
Project Look Up
The issues screen contains a look up field for projects. This enables the user to associate the issue with any of the current projects that have been created in Empower. This is a mandatory field and requires a project to be selected for the issue to be created or saved.
Reporting Hub
Overview
Reports often forms one of the most critical and visible parts of any PPM (Project Portfolio Management) solution. Excellent reports communicate key insights quickly and effectively, and support informed decision making at all levels of an organisation. They also help with governance and the overall process of your solution. Microsoft Project Online allows for the creation of custom Excel Services and OData based reports. This is powerful as it allows end users to use Excel tools to build reports. However, many customers have reporting needs that go beyond the abilities of OData and Excel... in this situation, the Sensei Reporting Hub comes to the rescue!
Our Project Online Reporting Hub enables you to report on data maintained in Project Online and SharePoint using a fast, reliable SQL Database connection. You can utilise the Reporting Hub to create reports in Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) or any other reporting tool. If you have existing SSRS reports from an on-premises installation, they will work with minor modification in the Cloud.
This document will provide an overview of Reporting Hub, but your circumstances may differ hence this cannot be used for operational purposes but rather general information. This is a document to facilitate discussion, it is not a formal design or document to be used for anything but getting together and talking about.
What is it?
The Reporting Hub is software as a service that clients subscribe to from Sensei. This is not a custom-built solution for a specific client, but rather a standardised service that everyone uses that is Cloud based. This specifically gives you, without needing to build or maintain it yourself:
A reporting service (database and report renderer) to consolidate, serve and visualise Project Online and other data.
Real-time reporting on your Project Online content.
Create reports and export reports in PDF, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
SharePoint Project Site data can be easily reported against.
Benefits
The provided database is modelled after the on-premises Project Server reporting database. Therefore, most existing "on premises" reports can be easily moved to Project Online with little or no changes
Project Online data is available in real-time with no maintenance requirements.
Data is secured and stored in your dedicated Database in your nearest Azure data centre.
It mitigates the slow OData queries. Reporting Hub is fast to retrieve report data.
The Reporting Hub database can be extended to include data from other Line of Business applications for reporting purposes.
Sensei Reporting Hub is an enabler of reporting in Project Online. It has two main pieces:
Real-time SQL Azure Data Source. Sensei Reporting Hub retrieves all the Project Server and SharePoint list data from your installation and creates a set of tables and views inside SQL Azure that make most reporting tasks very easy.
SQL Server Reporting Services Renderer. Reporting Services is a technology used to store and render reports for users. These reports are available via an App Part in the main Project Web Application (PWA) website and can be exported by the user in various formats such as PDF, Microsoft Word, Excel etc.
Both are provided as a subscription service known as Reporting Hub. The SQL Azure data source also has other use-cases such as integration with on premise data.
Design Advantages
There are several advantages in using the Reporting Hub for report confection. The top 4 main points are:
High Availability solution with Geo-Replication
Data security including credentials, location and your own database
Elastic performance with scalable DTUs
Utility with 250GB data storage included and ability to bring your own on-premise data
Using the Reporting Hub
The Reporting Hub is a subscription-based service covered by the Empower licence. As a result, the customer owns SQL database that is populated by the Reporting Hub with your Project Online data, based on the Project Server 2013 reporting database structure. Reports can be written that use Reporting Hub using any reporting tool such as Power BI, SSRS etc.
Solution Overview
Job Queue and Timing Process
The changes done in Project Online are instantaneously reflected in the Reporting Hub. These changes are executed in the background on a separate space without affecting the overall Project Online domain space. They are not related to foreground activities and are executed with an appropriate execution priority. To ensure that users working with the Reporting Hub and Project Online are not affected by the activity.
Only when the data has been changed is a job generated. If no changes between the target data and the current data is detected nothing is queued and therefore it does not count against the number of changes. It means the Reporting Hub uses a very efficient method of capturing and tracking changes only when needed, and where they are needed.
Cloud Authentication Architecture
Reporting Hub Architecture
There are three main parts to the Reporting Hub product:
Data Collector and SQL Azure DB (Green lines).
Integration Hub Service Add-on (Yellow lines).
SSRS Renderer (Orange lines).
The following describes the flow through Reporting Hub for those interested in the technical architecture.
Item | Details |
---|---|
1 | Reporting Hub registers Project Online and SharePoint Online remote event handlers. |
2 | Changes are queued in the closest region. |
3 | The data pump de-queue the jobs. |
4 | The data pump read the changed data form Project Online and SharePoint Online. |
5 | The data pump updated the SQL Azure database. |
6 | CSV files are generated by SAP and transferred to a machine within the DMZ. CSV files are downloaded from the Integration Hub are imported into SAP. |
7 | CSV files are uploaded to and downloaded from an Azure Blob Storage using HTTPS. |
8 | The Integration Hub will monitor the Blob Storage for changes and push new export files to the Blob Storage. |
9 | The import logic detects changes in integration data. |
10 | The import logic pushes the updates to Project Online and SharePoint Online. |
11 | A user request to view a report from Project Online. |
12 | The user request is validated against the Azure Active Directory. |
13 | The user request for rendering a report is send to Reporting Services. |
14 | Reporting Services gathers the report data from the Customer SQL Azure database. |
15 | Each customer has an individual SQL Azure database. Each database is secured with individual users and firewall rules. |
Knowledge Centre
Overview
The knowledge centre is a training and support portal the Empower solution. It is accessed via the Knowledge Centre link on the Quick Launch menu. Below is the home page of the knowledge centre.
Features
The Knowledge Centre is comprised of the following key features:
PPM Competency AssessmentsThe knowledge centre has a self-assessment function, which enables users to gauge their PPM knowledge and identify areas for improvement. |
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Learning Aids / User GuidesThere is a comprehensive suite of user guides in the knowledge centre that cover the end to end Empower solution. |
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Training Course booking formThere is a form which enables users to book into online Sensei training courses from within the knowledge centre. |
Project Configuration
Overview
Projects in the Empower solution are comprised of the following key components. The configuration applied to each of these objects is detailed in the subsequent sections;
Project Detail Pages
Project detail pages are configurable web pages within Project Online that enable content and applications to be served up to end users.
The Empower solution has four project detail pages that have been configured.
Project Summary
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Schedule
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Project Registers
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Project Dashboard
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Project Summary page
This is the page presented when a new project is created in Empower.
Data Fields in Project Summary page
This page applies to all new projects that are created. It contains the following fields;
Field Name | Details |
---|---|
Project Initiation | |
Name | Name of the project. 255 character-limit. Mandatory. |
Start Date | Start Date for the project. Defaults to current date. Mandatory. |
Project Description | Multiline text field which can be used to capture up to 4,000 characters of information regarding the project. |
Project Departments | Choice field. Enables the project to be associated with a department within the customer's organisation. |
Project Sponsor | Free text. Enables the project manager to specify the project sponsor for this project. |
Project Status | Choice field. Enables the project manager to specify the status of the project. Defaults to Proposed. |
Program | Choice field. If the project is part of a program, this can be used to associate this project to the program in question. |
Investment Category | Choice field. Determines the high-level investment category for the project. Available choices are; Run, Grow, and Transform. |
Business Case | |
Problem Statement | Multiline text field. Enables the project manager to articulate the business problems that this project aims to address. |
Expected Benefits | Multiline text field. Enables the project manager to articulate, at a high-level, the intended benefits this project will deliver |
Organisational Change Impact | Choice field. Enables the project manager to specify the expected impact this project will have on the organisation when delivered. |
Project Cost Type | Choice field. Is the project CAPEX or OPEX funded? |
Proposed Costs | Currency field. Enables the project manager to specify the current forecast cost for the project. |
Financial Benefits | Currency field. Enables the project manager to articulate, if known, the sum-total of expected financial benefits to be delivered. |
ROI | Calculated field. Financial benefits divided by proposed costs. |
Schedule
The schedule is the backbone of the project in the Empower solution. The schedule for a project can be viewed / edited in two ways;
In the BrowserThe project schedule can be edited in the browser by the project manager. The web project schedule provides some of the functionality found in the desktop client (Project Professional) and is useful for those users who need to make simple schedule changes. |
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In Project ProfessionalProject Professional is the desktop client scheduling tool provided by Microsoft. The project manager can edit their project online schedule in the desktop client then publish it back to project online when ready. This is the recommended approach for project managers when creating / updating their project schedules. |
In the Browser
The schedule can be edited in the browser. This enables the user to update their project schedule and view the Gantt chart of tasks and milestones and view the project timeline.
In Project Professional
If a user has Project Professional 2016 or Project for Office365 they will be able to edit their project schedules using the Project Professional desktop client. This has richer functionality than the web application and enables users to work on their schedules offline (if required).
Project Registers (PowerApps)
Overview
The project registers project details page contains the following PowerApps applications. These applications enable the project manager to capture a wide range of useful project information such as;
Risks |
Lessons Learned |
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Issues |
Financials |
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Change Requests |
Benefits |
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Deliverables |
Project Progress Updates |
PowerApps is also used to serve up a visualisation of the Project Lifecycle. This can be used to submit a project through each of the stage gates in the project lifecycle.
First load of PowerApps
When you first open one of the project registers you may be asked to Sign in. Please use the same login username and password as you did for Empower.
Once done, all the registers will load, and you won't be asked to login again.
Workflow (Project Lifecycle visualisation)
The Workflow tab will open a visualisation of the project lifecycle for the selected project. There are two types of project lifecycles that a project will progress through:
Major project lifecycle.
Minor project lifecycle.
The screenshot below is an example from the minor project lifecycle. When a project is ready to progress to the next phase in the lifecycle, the project manager will complete the project assessment dialog box in the left-hand side of the screen and will then click on the submit button.
Risks
This application is used to capture and manage project-level risks. It is comprised of the following elements:
Home ScreenWhen the project manager first opens the risk application, the home screen will open. This presents a summary overview of all risks and plots them on a 5x5 risk matrix. |
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New / Edit ScreenWhen the project manager clicks on the New Risk or Select icon, this will open the New / Edit screen. From here a new risk can be added, or an existing risk edited. |
Home Screen
New / Edit Screen
Below is a screenshot of the New / Edit screen. From here the project manager can add new risks and make changes to existing risks.
Data Fields
Each risk that is added to the risk log captures the following pieces of information.
Field Name | Type | Details |
---|---|---|
Title | Single line of Text | Short description for the risk. This is a mandatory field and is capped at 255 characters. |
Status | Choice |
Allows the project manager to determine the status of the Risk. Defaults to Active. Available choices are:
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Risk Category | Choice |
Allows the project manager to associate the risk with a category. Available choices are:
|
Due Date | Date/Time | Used to set a deadline for the risk to be mitigated by. Overdue risks are flagged on the home screen in the summary section. |
Owner | Person | Enables the project manager to specify a risk owner. This will default to the user who created the risk. |
Assigned To | Person | Enables the project manager to specify who the risk is assigned to from a risk management perspective. To assign a user, this person must have an Office 365 account created. |
Consequence | Choice |
What is the consequence of the risk occurring? Available choices are:
|
Likelihood | Choice |
What is the likelihood that the risk will occur? Available choices are:
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Description | Multiple lines of Text | Allows the project manager to provide a detailed description of the risk. Field enables up to 4,000 characters of information to be captured. |
Mitigation Plan | Multiple lines of Text | Allows the project manager to provide a detailed mitigation plan for the risk. Field enables up to 4,000 characters of information to be captured. |
Contingency Plan | Multiple lines of Text | Allows the project manager to provide a detailed contingency plan for the risk. Field enables up to 4,000 characters of information to be captured. |
Risk Rating Calculation
The risk application has a 5x5 risk matrix which plots risks based on their likelihood of occurring versus the consequences to the project if they do.
To the right is a screenshot of the risk matrix, where, likelihood is plotted on the Y axis, and consequence is plotted on the X axis. The number inside the box, is a count of the risks that have the specified combination of Likelihood and Consequence.
The combination of these two values generates a Risk Rating for the selected risk. There are three possible ratings that can be generated for a risk; Low, Medium, and High.
The risk rating is calculated based on the Risk Score. This is a number field which multiplies the Likelihood and Consequence values together. The table below articulates this in further detail.
The Risk Score determines one of the three possible ratings for a risk which are;
Risk Score | Risk Rating |
---|---|
1 – 4 | Low |
5 – 12 | Medium |
13 – 25 | High |
The count of risks by rating, is displayed on the home page of the risk application below the risk matrix.
Project Risk Score
The Project Risk Score is an aggregate of all project risk ratings for the selected. This rating is displayed on the Home Page in the summary bar.
The example below illustrates how this is calculated. The project below has two risks logged in the risk register.
Risk #3: Test Risk 01 has a Risk Rating = Medium, and Risk #5: Test Risk 02 has a Risk Rating = High. These ratings have been generated as per the logic defined in the previous section.
These two risks have been plotted on the risk matrix based on their likelihood and consequence values. As a result, they have the following risk scores:
Risk | Likelihood | Consequence |
---|---|---|
Test Risk 01 | Unlikely = 2 | Severe = 5 |
Test Risk 02 | Almost Certain = 5 | Moderate = 3 |
Risk | Risk Score | Risk Rating |
---|---|---|
Test Risk 01 | 2 x 5 = 10 | Medium |
Test Risk 02 | 5 x 3 = 15 | High |
The Total Risk Score for these two risks = 10 + 15 = 25.
The Project Risk Score is the Total Risk Score / Total Risks. In this example = 25 / 2 = 12.5.
This score falls between 5 and 13, so the Project Risk rating = Medium
Issues
This application is used to capture and manage project-level issues. It is comprised of the following elements:
Home ScreenWhen the project manager first opens the issue application, the home screen will open. This presents a summary overview of all issues and plots them in an issue cost graph. |
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New / Edit ScreenWhen the project manager clicks on the New Issue or Select icon, this will open the New / Edit screen. From here a new issue can be added, or an existing issue edited. |
Home Screen
New / Edit Screen
Below is a screenshot of the New / Edit screen. From here the project manager can add new issues and/or make changes to existing issues.
Data Fields
Each issue that is added to the issue log captures the following pieces of information.
Field Name | Type | Details |
---|---|---|
Title | Single line of text | Short description for the issue. This is a mandatory field and is capped at 255 characters. |
Status | Choice |
Allows the project manager to determine the status of the Issue. Defaults to Active. Available choices are:
|
Owner | Person | Enables the project manager to specify an Issue owner. This will default to the user who created the Issue. |
Assigned To | Person | Enables the project manager to specify who the Issue is assigned to from an Issue management perspective. To assign a user, this person must have an Office 365 account created. |
Issue Category | Choice |
Allows the project manager to associate the selected issue with a category. Available choices are:
|
Priority | Choice |
Allows the project manager to determine the priority of the Issue. Available choices are:
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Cost Impact | Currency | Allows the project manager to specify the additional cost that this issue has caused. |
Time Impact | Number | Allows the project manager to specify the additional time that this issue has caused. |
Due Date | Date | Used to set a deadline for the issue to be remediated by. Overdue issues are flagged on the home screen in the summary section. |
Description | Multiple lines of text | This field allows the project manager to capture up to 4,000 characters of information regarding the issue. |
Resolution | Multiple lines of text | When the issue is resolved, the field can be used to capture this information. |
Deliverables
This application is used to capture and manage project-level deliverables. It is comprised of the following elements:
Home ScreenWhen the project manager first opens the issue application, the home screen will open. This presents a summary overview of all deliverables and plots them in a pie chart by category. |
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New / Edit ScreenWhen the project manager clicks on the New Deliverable or Select icon, this will open the New / Edit screen. From here a new issue can be added, or an existing issue edited. |
Home Screen
New / Edit Screen
Below is a screenshot of the New / Edit screen. From here the project manager can add new deliverables and/or make changes to existing deliverables.
Data Fields
Each deliverable that is added to the deliverables log captures the following pieces of information.
Field Name | Type | Details |
---|---|---|
Title | Single line of text | Short description for the deliverable. This is a mandatory field and is capped at 255 characters. |
Category | Choice |
Allows the project manager to associate the selected deliverable with a category. Available choices are:
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Status | Choice |
Allows the project manager to determine the status of the Deliverable. Defaults to Active. Available choices are:
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Milestone | Look Up | This enables the project manager to associate the deliverable with a milestone from their project schedule. Note – Only line items that are Milestones will be available to select in this look up field. |
Forecast Completion Date | Date | Enables the project manager to specify the forecast completion date for this deliverable. Note – This is not linked to the associated milestone. |
Actual Completion Date | Date | Enables the project manager to specify the actual completion date for this deliverable. Note – This is not linked to the associated milestone. |
Description | Multiple lines of text | These fields enable the project manager to capture detailed information regarding the deliverable including the outcome and any relevant progress updates. These fields allow up to 4,000 characters of information to be captured. |
Outcome | Multiple lines of text | |
Progress Update | Multiple lines of text |
Change Requests
This application is used to capture and manage project-level change requests. It is comprised of the following elements:
Home ScreenWhen the project manager first opens the change request application, the home screen will open. This presents a summary overview of all change requests and plots them in a bar graph by cost impact. |
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New / Edit ScreenWhen the project manager clicks on the New Change Request or Select icon, this will open the New / Edit screen. From here a new change request can be added, or an existing change request can be edited. |
Home Screen
New / Edit Screen
Below is a screenshot of the New / Edit screen. From here the project manager can add new change requests and/or make changes to existing change requests.
Data Fields
Each change request that is added to the change requests log captures the following pieces of information.
Field Name | Type | Details |
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Title | Single line of text | Short description for the change request. This is a mandatory field and is capped at 255 characters. |
Status | Choice |
Set by the application and updated by the Change Request workflow. Defaults to New when a change request is created. Status set by the application are:
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Approver | Person | Enables the project manager to specify who the risk is assigned to from a risk management perspective. To assign a user, this person must have an Office 365 account created. |
Owner | Person | Enables the project manager to specify who owns the change request. This will default to the user who created the Change Request. |
Priority | Choice |
Allows the project manager to determine the priority of the Change Request. Available choices are:
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Category | Choice |
Allows the project manager to associate the change request with a category. Available choices are:
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Driven By | Choice |
Allows the project manager to determine who is driving the Change Request. Available choices are:
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Implementation Date | Date | Enables the project manager to set a target date for the change request to be implemented by. This is an optional field. |
Description | Multiple lines of text | These fields enable the project manager to capture detailed information detailing the change request, its business justification, and any assumptions associated with it. These fields allow up to 4,000 characters of information to be captured. |
Justification | Multiple lines of text | |
Assumptions | Multiple lines of text | |
Additional Cost ($) | Currency | Allows the project manager to specify the additional cost to the project if the change request is approved. |
Work Effort Days | Number | Allows the project manager to specify the additional work (effort days) to the project if the change request is approved. |
Duration Days | Number | Allows the project manager to specify the additional time (duration) to the project if the change request is approved. |
Send for Approval
The change request application has an associated workflow. This is triggered when an item is sent for approval. This functionality is available when the project manager specifies and approver. This then enables the change request to be sent to the approver for review.
Project Progress
This application is used to capture and manage project progress updates for as part of project status reporting. It is comprised of the following elements:
Home ScreenWhen the project manager first opens the project progress application, the home screen will open. This presents a summary overview of the project. |
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Update the Status for your ProjectWhen the project manager clicks on each individual status (e.g. Issues, Risks, etc.), the screen will change to provide the ability for a KPI to be set for that measure, plus supporting commentary. |
Home Screen
Data Fields
Each project progress update that is added captures the following pieces of information.
Field Name | Type | Details |
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Current Status Date | Date | Enables the project manager to specify the date that this project progress update relates to. The Schedule Status Date is visible so that project manager can align the schedule updates with their project progress updates. |
Project KPI | Choice |
Allows the project manager to self-assess the overall health of the project using the available choices. Sensei recommends organisations document the business rules regarding each of these statuses.
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Overall project status comments | Multiple lines of text | Project manager can use this field to provide a contextual update on their overall project status. This field allows up to 4,000 characters of information to be captured and has rich-text capability in-built. |
Issues KPI | Choice |
Allows the project manager to self-assess the overall issues status of the project using the available choices. Sensei recommends organisations document the business rules regarding each of these statuses.
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Overall Issues Status | Multiple lines of text | Project manager can use this field to provide a contextual update on their overall issues' status. This field allows up to 4,000 characters of information to be captured and has rich-text capability in-built. |
Risks KPI | Choice |
Allows the project manager to self-assess the overall risks status of the project using the available choices. Sensei recommends organisations document the business rules regarding each of these statuses.
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Overall Risks Status | Multiple lines of text | Project manager can use this field to provide a contextual update on their overall risks' status. This field allows up to 4,000 characters of information to be captured and has rich-text capability in-built. |
Deliverables KPI | Choice |
Allows the project manager to self-assess the overall deliverables status of the project using the available choices. Sensei recommends organisations document the business rules regarding each of these statuses.
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Overall Deliverables Status | Multiple lines of text | Project manager can use this field to provide a contextual update on their overall deliverables' status. This field allows up to 4,000 characters of information to be captured and has rich-text capability in-built. |
Financials KPI | Choice |
Allows the project manager to self-assess the overall financials status of the project using the available choices. Sensei recommends organisations document the business rules regarding each of these statuses.
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Overall Financials Status | Multiple lines of text | Project manager can use this field to provide a contextual update on their overall financial status. This field allows up to 4,000 characters of information to be captured and has rich-text capability in-built. |
Change Requests KPI | Choice |
Allows the project manager to self-assess the overall change requests status of the project using the available choices. Sensei recommends organisations document the business rules regarding each of these statuses.
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Overall Change Requests Status | Multiple lines of text | Project manager can use this field to provide a contextual update on their overall change requests status. This field allows up to 4,000 characters of information to be captured and has rich-text capability in-built. |
Schedule KPI | Calculated |
Calculated by comparing project's Forecast Duration against Baseline 0
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Overall Schedule Status | Multiple lines of text | Project manager can use this field to provide a contextual update on their overall schedule status. This field allows up to 4,000 characters of information to be captured and has rich-text capability in-built. |
Work KPI | Calculated |
Calculated by comparing project's Forecast Work against Baseline 0 Work:
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Overall Work Status | Multiple lines of text | Project manager can use this field to provide a contextual update on their overall work status. This field allows up to 4,000 characters of information to be captured and has rich-text capability in-built. |
Financials
This application is used to capture and manage project-level financials including Budgets, Forecasts, and Actuals. It is comprised of the following elements:
Home ScreenWhen the project manager first opens the financials application, the home screen will open. This presents a summary overview of the project. |
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Budget Details ScreenProvides the project manager with an overview of the budget for their project and including details or approved, submitted, and rejected budget items. |
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Cost Details ScreenProvides the project manager with an overview of all their forecasts and actuals for the project. |
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Financial Performance ScreenProvides a dashboard-style overview of the project budget vs actuals and forecasts for the life of the project. Can be viewed monthly or cumulatively. |
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Budget Items New / Edit ScreenWhen the project manager clicks on the New Change Request or Select icon, this will open the New / Edit screen. From here a new change request can be added, or an existing change request can be edited. |
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Cost Items New / Edit ScreenWhen the project manager clicks on the New Change Request or Select icon, this will open the New / Edit screen. From here a new change request can be added, or an existing change request can be edited. |
Home Screen
Budget Details Screen
Budget details screen provides details about all budgets relating to the selected project. These are summarised at the top of the page and then broken down by submitted & approved and rejected / to be approved.
Budget Items New / Edit Screen
Below is a screenshot of the New / Edit screen. From here the project manager can add new budget items and/or make changes to existing budgets (that are not submitted or approved).
Budget Approval Functionality
The budgets component of the financials application has an associated review/approval workflow. This enables the project manager to submit their budgets for approval. The project manager will select the budget item from the from Budgets to be submitted section, then specify who will review/approve the budget.
Cost Details Screen
The cost details screen provides visibility of monthly project actuals and project forecast grouped by each cost item. The screen can be filtered by Year, Cost type, Department, and Category. If the application is only used to track Forecasts, the actuals component can be disabled, and vice-versa.
Cost Items New / Edit Screen
Below is a screenshot of the New / Edit screen. From here the project manager can add new cost items and/or make changes to existing cost items.
Financial Performance Screen
The financial performance screen provides graphical information regarding the current state of the project's financials. This is shown by financial year. The project manager can view this on a month by month basis or as a cumulation over the course of the financial year.
Data Fields
Each Budget item and Cost Item that is added to the financials application captures the following pieces of information:
Field Name | Type | Details |
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Budget Details | ||
Budget item | Single line of Text | Short description for the Budget item. This is a mandatory field and is capped at 255 characters. |
Type | Choice |
Allows the project manager to specify whether the budget is:
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Department | Choice |
Allows the project manager to associate the budget item with a department. Available choices are:
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Category | Choice |
Allows the project manager to associate the budget item with a category. Available choices are:
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External Reference | Single line of Text | Free text field that enables the project manager to add a reference that is not part of the Empower solution. This field is capped at 255 characters and is an optional field. |
Monthly Values | Currency |
When the project manager clicks on the Add Year icon, they can then set the budget values. This is done on a monthly basis as a currency value – Alternatively, a yearly value can be set and apportioned by month. |
Cost Details | ||
Title | Single line of Text | Short description for the Cost item. This is a mandatory field and is capped at 255 characters. |
Type | Choice |
Allows the project manager to specify whether the cost is:
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Department | Choice |
Allows the project manager to associate the cost item with a department. Available choices are:
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Category | Choice |
Allows the project manager to associate the budget item with a category. Available choices are:
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External Reference | Single line of Text | Free text field that enables the project manager to add a reference that is not part of the Empower solution. This field is capped at 255 characters and is an optional field. |
Monthly Forecast Values | Currency |
When the project manager clicks on the Add Year icon, they can then set the forecast values for the cost item. This is done on a monthly basis as a currency value. |
Monthly Actual Values | Currency |
When the project manager clicks on the Add Year icon, they can then set the actuals values for the cost item. This is done on a monthly basis as a currency value. |
Data Storage
The manner which the project financials application is different to the other project register applications. Rather than data being stored in PWA-level SharePoint lists, the data is captured in the Reporting Hub database in SQL Tables.
The diagram below articulates the in further detail.
Each budget/cost will have one or more associated items. These items capture the monthly values per financial year for a budget or a cost. For example, if a budget has been created and spans over three financial years, there will be three budget items associated with the budget.
Benefits
This application is used to capture and manage project-level benefits. It is comprised of the following elements:
Home ScreenWhen the project manager first opens the issue application, the home screen will open. This presents a summary overview of all benefits and plots them in a graph which plots financial targets and estimates. |
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New / Edit ScreenWhen the project manager clicks on the New Benefit or Select icon, this will open the New / Edit screen. From here a new benefit can be added, or an existing benefit edited. |
Home Screen
New / Edit Screen
Below is a screenshot of the New / Edit screen. From here the project manager can add new benefits and/or make changes to existing benefits.
Data Fields
Each benefit that is added to the benefits log captures the following pieces of information.
Field Name | Type | Details |
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Benefit Title | Single line of text | Short description for the benefit. This is a mandatory field and is capped at 255 characters. |
Category | Choice |
Allows the project manager to associate the benefit with a category. Available choices are:
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Milestone | Look Up | This enables the project manager to associate the deliverable with a milestone from their project schedule. Note – Only line items that are Milestones will be available to select in this look up field. |
Comments | Multiple lines of text | Comments field can be used by the project manager to capture any information regarding the benefit. This fields enables up to 4,000 characters of information to be added. This field is optional. |
Benefit Description | Multiple lines of text | Comments field can be used by the project manager to capture a detailed description of the benefit. This fields enables up to 4,000 characters of information to be added. This field is optional. |
Fiscal Year Details | ||
Fiscal Year | Choice | If the benefit has a financial component, the fields below can be used to capture this information. The fiscal year field enables the project manager to specify the values per financial year. Multiple financial years off data can be attributed to a single benefit. |
FY Target | Currency | Allows the project manager to specify the financial target to be achieved when this benefit is realised. |
FY EAC | Currency | Allows the project manager to specify the actual value realised by the benefit when realised. |
FY Variance | Calculated | Difference between the FY Target and FY Variance. |
FY Target YTD | Currency | These two fields enable the project manager to attribute project actuals against a benefit (if applicable). |
FY Actuals YTD | Currency |
Lessons Learned
This application is used to capture and manage project-level lessons learned. It is comprised of the following elements:
Home ScreenWhen the project manager first opens the lessons learned application, the home screen will open. This presents a summary overview of all the lessons learned that have been logged. |
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New / Edit ScreenWhen the project manager clicks on the New Leeson Learned or the name of the lesson learned, this will open the New / Edit screen. From here a new lesson learned item can be added, or an existing lesson learned item edited. |
Home Screen
New / Edit Screen
Below is a screenshot of the New / Edit screen. From here the project manager can add new lessons learned and/or make changes to existing lessons learned.
Data Fields
Each lesson learned that is added to the lessons learned log captures the following pieces of information.
Field Name | Type | Details |
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Title | Single line of text | Short description for the lesson learned. This is a mandatory field and is capped at 255 characters. |
Status | Choice |
Allows the project manager to determine the status of the Lesson Learned. Defaults to "Created by Project". Available choices are:
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Category | Choice |
Allows the project manager to associate the Lesson Learned with a category. This is a mandatory field. Available choices are:
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Project Phase | Choice |
Allows the project manager to associate the Lesson Learned with a specific phase in the project lifecycle. This is a mandatory field. Available choices are:
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Observation | Multiple lines of text | Enables the project manager to capture extensive observations with regards to the lesson learned. Field allows up to 4,000 characters of information to be input and can be formatted using the rich-text control menu. This is an optional field. |
Lesson Learned | Multiple lines of text | Enables the project manager to capture extensive information with regards to the lesson learned. Field allows up to 4,000 characters of information to be input and can be formatted using the rich-text control menu. This is an optional field. |
Recommendation | Multiple lines of text | Enables the project manager to capture recommendation information with regards to the lesson learned. Field allows up to 4,000 characters of information to be input and can be formatted using the rich-text control menu. This is an optional field |
Action Taken | Multiple lines of text | Enables the project manager to capture any actions related to the lesson learned. Field allows up to 4,000 characters of information to be input and can be formatted using the rich-text control menu. This is an optional field |
Project Attributes
There is also a Project Attributes / metadata web part which enables project-level information to be updated by the project manager.
Workflows (Flow)
Overview
The Empower solution utilises Microsoft Flow to provide systemised workflows and review points for projects. The solution contains the following configured workflows;
Major Project workflowThe major workflow is used to control the progression of large projects through a four gate, five phase, project lifecycle. |
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Minor Project workflowThe minor workflow is used to control the progression of small projects through a two gate, three phase, project lifecycle. |
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Change Request approval workflowThe change request approval workflow is used to ensure that all change requests are subject to approval by a nominated user. |
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Project Budget approval workflowThe project budget approval workflow is used to ensure that all project budget requests are subject to approval by a nominated user. |
Major Workflow
The major project workflow is assigned to the Major Project enterprise project type and is designed to be used for larger projects.
It is comprised of the following phases;
Initiation.
Selection.
Planning.
Execution.
Closing.
Within these five phases, there are four approval gates which the project is submitted to by the project manager:
Departmental Review.
Steering Committee Review.
Baseline Schedule Review.
Project Closure Review.
The process flow below, articulates the steps that between phases including the review point at the phase gate. This process repeats until the final phase in the workflow is reached.
Step | Details |
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7 & 8 |
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9 |
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Minor Workflow
The major project workflow is assigned to the Major Project enterprise project type and is designed to be used for larger projects.
It is comprised of the following phases;
Initiation.
Execution.
Closing.
Within these five phases, there are four approval gates which the project is submitted to by the project manager:
Request Review.
Steering Committee Review.
Change Request Workflow
Step | Details |
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1 |
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2 & 3 |
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4 |
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5 & 6 |
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9 |
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Project Budget Workflow
Step | Details |
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1 |
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2 & 3 |
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4 |
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5 & 6 |
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8 |
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9 |
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Workflow Approval Groups
There are five key approval groups used by the Major and Minor workflow for project approvals.
Departmental Review.
Steering Committee Review.
Baseline Schedule Review.
Project Closure Review.
Request Reviewers.
These approval groups are used in lieu of named users to avoid approvals having a point sensitivity on a specific user, plus they enable more than one user to complete the approval, where applicable.
These approval groups exist inside Office 365. Additional users can be added to these groups by following these steps:
- From the Microsoft 365 Admin Centre select Groups from the left menu.
IMPORTANT
Ensure that the account assigned to Sensei for configuration is also assigned as an Owner of this Group (in addition to any other required Owners)
- Select to Edit the Members of the Group.
- Select Add members.
- Use the interface to select the appropriate members for your Group, then select Save
- After adding Members, select Close
- Repeat these steps until users have been added to the relevant approval groups.
Project Site
Overview
Attached to each project in Empower is a project site. This project site is used to store project document and collaborate with project staff using Microsoft Teams and Planner.
Below is a screenshot from the home page of a project site which provides a landing page to all pertinent functionality.
Key Components
The key components of the project site are;
SharePoint Document LibraryThe project site has a SharePoint library. This can be used to save project documentation and share it with non-Empower users (such as external vendors and contractors). The project owner can add extra columns to capture document metadata (if required). |
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Microsoft Teams IntegrationThe project site has been configured to enable integration with Microsoft Teams. This is orchestrated by the Empower solution via the project site groups (this is covered off in further detail in a subsequent section). |
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Microsoft PlannerThe project site also enables the project manager to create Microsoft Planner boards for their projects. These planner boards are useful for tracking granular tasks and can be linked by the project schedule tasks using the Planner link in project professional. |
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Project NotebookThe project site contains a OneNote online project notebook. This can be used to capture project information and capture to do lists for the project. This can be co-authored by all users who have access to the project site. |
Available Functionality
The project site is primarily underpinned by SharePoint Online and has the following available functionality:
Custom ListsThe project site enables the project manager to create custom lists. These can be used to capture and share information with other users. Content can be downloaded to Excel for offline analysis. |
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CalendarsCalendars can be created and meetings setup up relating to the project. These invites can be sent out to members of the organisation if applicable. |
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Task ListsTask lists can be created to capture and track to-do list items. These tasks can be assigned to users of the Empower solution if required. |
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Discussion BoardsDiscussion boards can be used to centralise intra-project communications and replace emails. This enables project site members to collaborate more effectively on projects. |
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Issue TrackingIssue tracking can be used to track defects found during user acceptance testing. Formal project issues should be added to the Issues application (see previous section for further details). |
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SurveysSurveys can be created to get feedback from customers and/or project stakeholders. |
Project Groups Integration
As part of the Empower solution, Sensei has developed a Project Groups integration that enables customers to use Office 365 groups in lieu of Project Online sub-sites. This approach yields many key benefits to customer:
Modern Site Experience.
Collaborate with a wider audience. Group Sites can be easily shared with other internal users and External Guests from outside your organisation.
Avoid the SharePoint 2,000 web site collection limitation.
Teams integration.
Planner integration.
Future integration with Modern Project*.
When Empower is deployed to your environment, Sensei will activate the Project Groups integration so that you can take advantage of this rich user experience.
Reports
Overview
The project dashboard page, contains three tabs;
Project StatusThis is a project managers dashboard which serves up all project level information in visually appealing dashboards which are interactive. |
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Status ReportThe project status report is a two-pager status report that enables the project manager to generate a professional project status report. This can be output to a wide range of formats for sharing with key stakeholders such as the project sponsor and steering committee. |
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Ask a QuestionThe ask a question tab provides the project manager with the ability to write a question and have the Empower solution generate data and graphs based on the question asked. |
Project Status
The project status tab contains a Project Dashboard. This dashboard contains information covering all aspects of the project across the ten tabs that are served up.
Status Reports
The status report is what Sensei refers to as a Standard Report. This means that the format is fixed, but the content changes based on the project. These reports are designed to be exported to PDF format and shared with appropriate stakeholders.
Link to Project Progress Updates
The project status report sources part of its information from the Project Progress application. The fields controlled by the project progress updates are;
KPIs: Project KPI, Schedule KPI, Work KPI, Cost KPI, and the Risk KPI.
Current Overall Status: Overall Project Status Commentary.
The screenshot below highlights where these fields are in the project progress application;
The project status report will show the last submitted project progress update. To include the highlighted information in the status report, the project manager will need to click on the Submit icon for this status update to be included.
Note – The most recently submitted status will be the one used in the status report.
Ask a Question
This tab contains a Power BI Function called the Natural Language query. This enables the project manager to ask a question about their project. Power BI then returns this as a data / graphs without the need for coding and/or a knowledge of the underlying database structure.
Example: Count of Project Risks by Risk Rating as a Pie Chart;
Additional Configuration
Overview
This section covers off additional configuration that has been added to the base build solution as a result of the "Closing the gap" workshops. This will include:
Changes to existing configuration items.
Deployment of new configuration items.
Changes to existing configuration
This section will cover off any changes to the base build configuration that have been applied.
Deployment of new configuration
This section will cover off any new configuration items that have been deployed to the environment.