This three-day instructor-led course provides an introduction to the Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF). These key elements include the MSF Team and Process models as well as the Risk Management, Project Management and Readiness Management Disciplines. The course utilises a combination of presentation lectures and hands-on activities.
Participants learn to explain how an improved solution strategy can alleviate the challenges to delivering technology solutions, describe how the MSF team model is used on an MSF project, discuss the concept of MSF role clusters, explain how MSF teams are scaled depending on project size and complexity, explain project management on MSF teams, explain the MSF envisioning phase and how the risk management discipline is applied to an MSF project.
Students will also learn how to ensure that the solution meets initial business goals and requirements, describe how the team plans what to build, explain the MSF developing phase, explain the MSF stabilising phase, describe the tasks involved in testing and piloting a solution, explain the MSF deploying phase, describe the tasks involved in deploying to a production environment and the tasks involved in completing a project.
After completing this course students will be able to:
• Explain how an improved solution strategy can alleviate the challenges to delivering technology solutions
• Describe how the MSF team model is used on an MSF project
• Discuss the concept of MSF role clusters
• Explain how MSF teams are scaled, depending on project size and complexity
• Explain project management on MSF teams
• Explain how the risk management discipline is applied to an MSF project
• Explain the MSF envisioning phase
• Explain how to ensure that the solution meets initial business goals and requirements
• Describe how the team plans what to build
• Explain the MSF developing phase
• Explain the MSF stabilising phase
• Describe the tasks involved in testing and piloting a solutio.
• Explain the MSF deploying phase
• Describe the tasks involved in deploying to a production environment
• Describe the tasks involved in completing a project
Module 1: Introduction to the Microsoft Solutions Framework
• 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 Framework (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
• Discusses some of the typical problems with challenged or failing projects
• Demonstrates how the basic goals for successful projects contain the remedies 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 participants
• 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 management 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 Analysing 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 solution
• 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: Stabilising Your Solution
This module focuses on the stabilising phase, the fourth of the five process model phases.
Lessons
• The MSF Stabilising Phase
• Testing and Piloting for Stabilisation
After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Explain the MSF Stabilising 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 environment
• Describe the recommended activities involved in completing a project
The primary audience for this course is IT project professionals who are responsible for planning, building, and deploying Microsoft solutions. These IT project professionals include Microsoft customers and partners and Microsoft Consulting Services.
There are no prerequisites required for attending this course. In addition, this course will help the student prepare for the following Microsoft Certified Professional exam:
• Exam 70-301: Managing, Organising and Delivering IT Projects by Usingthe Microsoft Solutions Framework 3.0
