"If you are a project manager looking for a technology-based, easily implemented, and usable solution for project communications, document management, and general project organization, this book is for you!" -Susan Weese, PgMP, President and Founder, Rhyming Planet

Most companies don't understand SharePoint's power, and use it simply to share documents or spreadsheets. This hands-on book demonstrates how SharePoint can also help you organize and manage complex projects. With SharePoint for Project Management, you'll not only understand how to apply common and practical project management concepts in SharePoint, you'll learn how to build a Project Management Information System (PMIS), customized to your project, that can efficiently coordinate communication and collaboration among team members. With this book, you will:

• Learn to apply key project management techniques by leveraging SharePoint as a PMIS
• Track a case study that illustrates the circumstances and processes of an effective SharePoint PMIS
• Appropriately define access permissions for project stakeholders and team members
• Centralize project documents and keep track of document history with version control
• Automate project reporting mechanisms and generate on-demand status reports
• Track project schedules, control changes, and manage project risks
• Integrate project management tools such as Excel, Microsoft Project, PowerPoint, and Outlook

Each chapter includes activities that let you practice what you learn. Most SharePoint books are either too introductory (for end users), or too technical (for system administrators). SharePoint for Project Management is just what project managers like you need to learn how to harness the organizational abilities of this powerful software.

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The only "Getting up and going"-book you'll need,  December 04 2008
Submitted by Mathias Karlsson   [Respond | View]

I received the book this Monday morning. And had read it through by Tuesday evening… It is brilliant! Crisp clear instruction, a great balance between explaining background and step-by-step showing how to do it. The very personal language also makes it easy to read and fun.

What I think I like best is the down to earth “I have done this myself” approach. What I mean is, one can really relate to the reasoning and it is based on reality not on fancy theory on how things should be witch makes it very trustworthy. Anyone can start using it straight away.

I didn’t work my way through each and every exercise but a lot of them and based on my experience of SharePoint the rest looks similarly easy to complete.It'll be the x-mas gift from my company to selected a number of key customers and contacts.

Mathias Karlsson, CEO netConzent Consulting AB



Good reference for the more Technically savvy SharePoint Person,  December 02 2008
Submitted by Bryan Reynolds   [Respond | View]

As a SharePoint consultant, a majority of my pain points involve getting the customers to understand the possibilities of SharePoint.
As a more technical person, this book allowed me to look at a Project Management site as a PM would.
This book would be very helpful in proposing, designing and implementing various Project Management sites, mostly due to the understanding of what makes a good process driven Project Management site from a PMP viewpoint.
The "How to" within this book is pretty straightforward, but the big payoff for myself was the understanding of strict adherance to process that Project Managers are fond of.



Actually better than many of the “teach yourself…” style books,  November 25 2008
Submitted by Dux Raymond Sy |   [Respond | View]

Before you even start on this book, do not skip the preface. Dux is not setting out to write for low level geeks or developers. In this book, you will not find insights into how to create a custom site definition for a PMO, complete with stapled features, event handlers or Visual Studio based workflows.

Instead this book is more akin to a more focused “Teach yourself SharePoint” type book, combined with a “Project Management 123″ style book.

End-user training books work best when there is a context to the lessons. So whether it is using SharePoint for project management or using SharePoint to help Americans to play the game of cricket, having that unifying theme underneath always makes for a more coherent book helping to explain the rationales for all your actions.

Read the complete review (http://www.cleverworkarounds.com/2008/11/23/book-review-sharepoint-for-project-management/) .


Repackaging of the built in help with a theme,  November 04 2008
Submitted by d.lo   [Respond | View]

There is no need to purchase this book as about 95% is just repackaged content from the built in help. The "hook" is that it is targeted at project managment. In reality any collaborative effort can be addressed with the tools SharePoint provides. Maybe you can write a whole series of books - "SharePoint for ...". You'd only need to change a small percent of the book each time.

As an example, here is a passage about versioning from the book:

When the version history feature is enabled, a new version of a document will be created
when:
• A list item or file is first created or uploaded. If file check-out is required, the file
must first be checked in in order to create the first version.
• An uploaded file has the same name as an existing file and the “Add as a new version
to existing files” option is selected.
• The properties of a list item or file are changed.
• A file is checked out, changed, and then checked back in. If you or another user
discards the checked-out version, no new version is created.

Here is what the built in help says:

When versioning is enabled, versions are created in the following situations:

- When a list item or file is first created or when a file is uploaded.
Note If file check-out is required, the file must first be checked in, in order to create its first version.

- When a file is uploaded that has the same name as an existing file and the Add as a new version to existing files check box is selected.
- When the properties of a list item or file are changed.
- When a file is opened, edited, and saved. A version is created when you first click Save. This version is updated with the latest changes that you make to the file before closing it.
Note A version is not created every time that you or another user clicks Save, because this would create too many versions.

- When a file is checked out, changed, and then checked back in.
Note If you or another user discards the checked-out version, no version is created.



Great stuff for project leaders/ managers !,  October 27 2008
Submitted by marijnsomers   [Respond | View]

As I am a project leader myself, involved in lots of Project Management, I did use SharePoint as a way to keep all information in 1 place..Definitely a must read for all Project managers and Project Leaders out there!!

This book covers management topics like PMIS, project tracking, stakeholders, reporting,...
On the other hand it also covers the important SharePoint topics (for people that don't know anything about it) like meeting workspaces, how to add users, collaboration, SharePoint groups, alerts,...

This makes the book not really for SharePoint experts, but more for those Project Leaders that want to use a Project Management Information System to better manage their projects, or for the CIO that is looking for a system to put all projects in 1 place.

Great stuff!!


Terrific Book! Great for Project Leaders,  October 26 2008
Submitted by Rob Schneider   [Respond | View]

Explains how to use Microsoft SharePoint as a project management weapon. Pragmatic. Should be required reading for all project managers who lead teams of people doing projects, AND having SharePoint available. This book is not for the technologists. It is for leaders.

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