• Access to our templates
• Template for EPMO templates
• Folder Structure organized by PMBOK Knowledge Areas
• The Project Log
• Templates, required vs. optional
• The EPMO matrix of project deliverables

Once a project is undertaken, the DII EPMO approach utilizes a combination of modified Ten Step© and Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) developed templates to document, communicate, and coordinate project activities. Although modified to meet our needs, Ten Step© templates are protected under copyright and use of them is limited to State employees and Contractors working on behalf of the State. The State of Vermont’s Department of Information and Innovation (DII) maintains the required licenses to utilize these templates, and State of Vermont employees that want more information or access to our library of “modifiable” templates may contact our EPMO for assistance at 828-1621. To see a complete list of our Standard Project Process Templates, click here.  For more information about Ten Step© templates including information on their free templates, go to TenStep.

We believe the consistency of our methodology starts at the foundation of our templates and the formatting utilized in each one. We use our EPMO Document Standard Template as the starting point for each of the templates we develop or modify, further ensuring consistent formatting and style while also simplifying the development process. This standard template provides pre-configured sections including our State of Vermont logo and author information on the cover page, the project name in the header of each page, page numbering in the footer of each page, revision history, table of contents, signature page, and standardized fonts throughout.

As mentioned in other areas of our EPMO web site, our methodology is deeply rooted in the Project Management Institute (PMI) and Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). Project documentation and related deliverables are organized and archived within folders labeled for the nine PMBOK Knowledge Areas (Integration, Scope, Time, Cost, Quality, Human Resources, Communications, Risk, and Procurement). Our folder structure is pre-populated with corresponding templates that are ready to be copied in part or as a whole structure into an empty SharePoint project site when a project is first initiated. This approach provides several benefits. A Project Manager (PM) can quickly load their new project sites with the necessary documentation of all required documents, made visible and ready throughout the project cycle and thereby lessoning the chance of forgetting any. In addition, the consistency of these deliverables is repeated from PM to PM, and project to project, thereby improving the likelihood for predictable results.

The Project Log is our own unique template combining many of our commonly used project log or form templates into one document. Each unique log/form included in the Project Log is labeled and accessed using the tabs located at the bottom of the document.  Unused logs/forms can be hidden, while those utilized can be viewed and/or printed as a workbook that even includes our standard cover page. The Project Log includes logs/forms from a variety of PMBOK Knowledge Areas, and therefore is located at the same root level as the nine folders. Our log includes tabs for Requirements, Team Directory, Communications Matrix, Issues, Action Items, Budget Tracking, Testing, and Change Requests.

Our EPMO also standardized which project templates are required documents and which are optional documents used at the discresion of the PM. For example, not every project requires the procurement of resources. However, if procurement is in scope (i.e. purchase of hardware or professional services) there are a myriad of templates found in the Procurement folder, which the PM can utilize as needed.

The DII EPMO Deliverables Matrix is a summary of the full library of both our required and optional templates, hyperlinked and categorized by project size and our five Process Groups (Explore, Initiate, Plan, Execute, and Close). The project size is determined during the Explore phase as part of the Project Management Portfolio review, based on criteria identified in the Project Sizing Guide. By categorizing each request using a set of predefined criteria, we identify a minimum subset of deliverables to produce. The matrix also provides other benefits including a number within the template name that identifies the PMBOK Knowledge Area folder where the template is located, and a reference to the person responsible for completing the template (i.e. Project Manager, Business Analyst, Enterprise Architect, or Customer).

The CVR-IT web site has many excellent project management templates that are free to download and use for non-profit or government entities. Many of us have used them and recommend them. They can be found here: http://www.cvr-it.com/PM_Templates/.