1. Tips on How to Successfully
Manage a SharePoint Project
Ken K Murei

2. Presentation Objectives
• Share tips on how to successfully manage a
SharePoint project which often has many
minefields that can be avoided

3. Ken Murei
• SharePoint Consultant with over 7 years
experience in deploying SharePoint Solutions
Experience in:
Kenya Airways
Housing Finance
Ministry of Education (GOK)
UNDP
Kenya Pipeline Corporation

4. Tip #1
• Know that in SharePoint Projects, its 30%
technology 70% people
▫ Executive buy in important
▫ User adoption is critical
“Your project management team handling of the
people aspect of the project can either break or
make the project”

5. Questions to answer
• Executive Buy in
▫ What are the business drivers and will SharePoint help
solve some of its challenges?
• User Adoption
▫ Will SharePoint make my work easier by solving my
current work environment challenges?
Explaining these answers to these stakeholders in a
realistic way and delivering your promise in
SharePoint solution helps in managing peoples
expectations which is critical

6. Tip #2
• You must have a clearly defined
SharePoint Project road map
▫ Use project charter document to set scope and
manage expectations of what you promise to
deliver
▫ Use Project plan document to manage
resources, set milestones, define tasks and
timelines for delivery

7. Questions to Answer
• Is it realistic to meet the project specification on
the set time and budget?
• Can the project be split into phases to avoid
overstretched project requirements and what are
the priorities for the initial phase?

8. Tip #3
• You need the right team with clearly
defined roles on board
▫ Committed Project Sponsor (IT Head)
▫ Project Manager – Business (Business Analyst)
▫ Project Manager – Technical
▫ Project Coordinator (Administration)
▫ Steering committee (Executives)
▫ Web Champions (Users)
▫ Developer(s)

9. Questions to answer?
• What role which each of these team member
play and how critical are they to the success of
the project?
• What is the communication plan between the
project team members?
• How often will the team members meet and
what will be the agenda?

10. Tip # 4
• Proper delivery Model will win
confidence
▫ Iterative release of features provide immediate
visibility and reduces pressure
▫ Offers opportunity for early user engagement
▫ Opportunity for incremental end user training
and UAT

11. Questions to answer?
• What interesting features relatively easy to
implement can be offered early into the project?
• What SharePoint platform features can be used
by users to develop their own SharePoint
solutions?

12. Tip #5
• How the project end is also important
▫ Training the trainer( web champions)
▫ Combine final training with final UAT
▫ Use casual out office locations –
camps, hotels, conference centers
▫ Make it fun and interesting
▫ If done well it will guarantee final approval by
users during the UAT

13. Questions to Answer?
• Is there budget and resources for out of office
Final UAT & Training?
• Who will bear the cost?
• What are the best dates of availability for the
project sponsor and web champions to be
available for this?
• What resources are needed to pull it off
?(Internet, projector, laptops, servers etc)

14. End….
• Q&A
• Email: kmurei@buzzcomm.co.ke
• Mobile : +254 722 714829
• Twitter: @kenmurei