IT Project Management using PMBOK® and Microsoft Solutions Framework

Module 1: Introduction to the MSF; This module:
• Discusses the characteristics of today's business environment that affect IT.
• Suggests some of the ways in which IT can help businesses meet its goals.
• Explains some of the factors that get in the way of successful IT projects.
• Describes where IT must direct its attention to make its projects more effective.
• Demonstrates how MSF meshes with the Microsoft Operations Frame-work (MOF).

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Explain the purpose and key characteristics of MSF.
• Describe when and why MSF is used.
• Define key MSF terminology.
• Explain how improved solution strategy can alleviate the challenges to delivering technology solutions.
• Identify how the problems of a failed IT project could have been solved if MSF had been applied.
 

Module 2: Building an MSF Team. This module:
• Discusses some of the typical problems with challenged or failing projects.
• Demonstrates how the basic goals for successful projects contain the re-medies for common project failures.
• Explains how the MSF foundational principles guide the functioning of the team.
• Presents the MSF Team Model.
• Discusses role clusters and functional areas.
• Identifies ways to scale up teams.
• Introduces feature teams and function teams.
• Defines project management and its several areas of responsibility.

Lessons
• The MSF Team Model
• MSF Role Clusters
• Scaling Teams for Project Efficiency
• A Scalable Approach to Project Management
Activity: Communicating in Teams

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe the purposes and goals of each team member on an MSF project.
• Identify a role cluster’s tasks, responsibilities, and functional areas.
• Explain how to organize an MSF team with a specific number of partici-pants.
• Identify the six quality goals that drive the team and define the team model.
• List the characteristics of effective teams.
• Explain how MSF teams can be scaled up or down depending on need.
• Explain how project management is distributed among team leads on an MSF project.
• Describe the benefits provided to the team through the project manage-ment discipline.

Module 3: Managing Project Risks: This module explains how the risk management discipline is applied to an MSF project and describes the six steps in the MSF risk management process.

Lessons
• Managing Risks Throughout the Project
• Taking Steps for Effective Risk Management
Activity: Creating Risk Plans
Activity: Identifying and Analyzing Risks

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Explain how the risk management discipline is applied to an MSF project.
• Describe the six steps in the MSF risk management process.

Module 4: Establishing Your Project Life Cycle: This module introduces the MSF process model. In addition, it explains how the MSF team model relates to the MSF process model.

Lessons
• MSF Process Model Basics
• Clarifying Responsibilities in Each Phase

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Describe the five phases of the MSF process model and their major milestones.
• Describe how the MSF team model relates to the MSF process model.

Module 5: Starting Your Project: This module focuses on the envisioning phase, the first of the five process model phases.

Lessons:
• The MSF Envisioning Phase
• Selecting and Preparing the Project Team
• Defining the Solution
• Scoping the Solution
• Establishing a Basis for Review and Change Activity: Drafting a Vision/Scope Document

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Explain the goal, milestones, and deliverables of the MSF envisioning phase.
• Discuss the considerations for selecting and preparing a project team.
• Identify and describe the recommended elements of a vision and scope document.
• Explain MSF techniques for managing solution scope.
• Explain how change control and configuration management are used to maintain traceability to business goals.

Module 6: Planning Your Project
This module focuses on the planning phase, the second of the five process model phases.

Lessons:
• The MSF Planning Phase
• Planning What to Build
• Planning How to Build
• Planning When Building
• Preparing the Environments

Activity: Associating Work Items with Plans.

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Explain the goal, milestones, and deliverables of the MSF planning phase.
• Describe how MSF uses three different design views to support one solu-tion.
• Identify how the master project plan and its respective project plans guide the team on how to build the solution.
• Describe the success criteria for the MSF planning phase.

Module 7: Developing Your Solution
This module focuses on the developing phase, the third of the five process model phases.

Lessons
• The MSF Developing Phase
• Testing the Solution

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Explain the goal, milestones, and deliverables of the MSF developing phase.
• Explain the goal, process, and output of testing during the developing phase of an MSF project.

Module 8: Stabilizing Your Solution
This module focuses on the stabilizing phase, the fourth of the five process model phases.

Lessons
• The MSF Stabilizing Phase
• Testing and Piloting for Stabilization

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Explain the MSF Stabilizing Phase.
• Describe the tasks involved in testing and piloting a solution.

Module 9: Deploying Your Solution
This module focuses on the deploying phase, the fifth of the five process model phases. This is the phase where the team executes a plan and gets the solution into production.

Lessons
• The MSF Deploying Phase
• Deploying to a Production Environment
• Completing Your Project

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Explain the goal, milestones, and deliverables of the MSF deploying phase.
• Describe the steps for deploying the solution to a production environ-ment.
• Describe the recommended activities involved in completing a project.