Author: Mark Whitfield

Welcome to my site! After graduating in Computing in 1990, I accepted a position as a programmer at a Runcorn based software house specialising in electronic banking software, namely sp/ARCHITECT-BANK on Tandem Computers (now HPE NonStop). This was before the internet became more prevalent and so the notion of enabling desktop access to company accounts for inter-account transfers and book keeping was still quite a cutting edge idea (and smartphones only ever hinted at in Space 1999). The company was called The Software Partnership (which was taken over by Deluxe Data in 1994). I spent 5 years in Runcorn developing code for SP/ARCHITECT for various banks like TSB, Bank of Scotland, Rabobank and Girofon (Denmark) to name but a few. I then moved onto a software house in Salford Quays for further bank facing projects. After a further 23 years in the IT industry and now a Senior IT Project Manager (both Agile and Waterfall delivery), I thought I would echo out my Career Profile in this corner of the internet for quick and easy access.

Project Management Templates to be tailored as required with FREE upgrades

Mark Whitfield’s PM template library features over 200 editable project management and PMO templates. These templates span the entire project lifecycle and are categorized by focus area and framework (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, PRINCE2).

Project Management Templates to be tailored as required with FREE upgrades
Many POaP templates to
be tailored as required

The resources are formatted natively for the Microsoft Office suite, allowing them to be opened on all devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones.

The templates are divided into specific categories based on the standard project delivery phases:

📁 Core Template Categories

  • Planning & Execution:
    • Detailed MS Project schedules
    • Excel and PowerPoint Plan on a Page (POaP) examples (over 35 slide examples) to save time constructing from scratch
    • SDLC (Software Development Life-cycle) plans
  • Tracking & Control:
    • Weekly and monthly Status Reports
    • Meeting Minutes
  • Governance & Team Management:
    • Project Organization charts
    • RACI trackers (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed)
    • Stakeholder Analysis (influence vs. impact)
    • Team onboarding kits and quizzes

📂 Specialized & Framework-Specific Templates

  • Risk & Issue Management: Comprehensive RAIDs log (Risk, Action, Issue, Opportunity, Lessons Learned, Dependencies) with built-in summary charts.
  • Financials: Project Financial Trackers for internal/external costs, forecasting vs. actuals, margin/variation, and expenses.
  • Agile Frameworks: Agile Story Dependency tracking, Burn Down & Burn Up charts, and Sprint tracking guides.
Project Management MS Excel XLS Agile Scrum Sprint Burn Down and Up Templates to be tailored as required with FREE upgrades
MS Excel XLS Agile Sprint Burn
Down and Up Chart Examples

💻 File Formats

All templates are fully editable, and the package provides the following file formats for universal compatibility:

  • Microsoft Word (.docx): Used for walkthrough guides, governance documentation, and standard project status reports.
  • Microsoft Excel (.xlsx): Utilized for task trackers, financial dashboards, RAID logs, and non-MS Project Gantt charts.
  • Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx): Used for Kick-Off decks, team hierarchy charts, and visual POaP (Plan on a Page) slides.
  • Microsoft Project (.mpp): Detailed work breakdown structure (WBS) and scheduling files for traditional and Agile-hybrid projects.
Project Management MPP Project Templates to be tailored as required with FREE upgrades
MS Project MPP file templates
to be tailored as required

You can download or purchase the complete inventory of these editable files at the Mark Whitfield PROject Templates Store (or via the Etsy Storefront if you prefer that platform). Once purchased, you are also entitled to free lifetime upgrades and additions.

Project Management Templates to be tailored as required with FREE upgrades

Cloud Architecture Components

Mapping Cloud Architecture Components
Cloud Architecture Components
Cloud Architecture Components

Project Management Acronyms

Project Management Acronyms
Project Management Acronyms
Example Project Management Acronyms

Closing a Project Checklist

Closing a Project Checklist
Project Closure Checklist

Closing a project successfully requires more than just stopping work; it ensures deliverables are accepted, finances are reconciled, and knowledge is transferred for future success.

A comprehensive checklist includes: verifying and handing over all final deliverables, securing formal stakeholder sign-off, finalizing budgets and closing vendor contracts, releasing project resources, archiving all documentation, conducting a post-mortem or lessons learned review, and celebrating your team’s achievements.

Follow this structured, step-by-step closeout checklist to ensure no loose ends are left behind.

1. Deliverables & Acceptance

  • Verify Scope: Compare original project objectives and specifications to the final deliverables.
  • Quality Check: Conduct a final walkthrough to ensure all technical and operational requirements have been successfully met.
  • Client Handover: Transfer the final product, assets, or software over to the clients, end-users, or maintenance team.
  • Secure Sign-Off: Obtain formal, documented approval or a signature of acceptance from the project sponsor and key stakeholders to prevent future disputes.

2. Finance & Contract Closure

  • Budget Reconciliation: Compare final spending to your initial budget and document any variances.
  • Process Final Invoices: Ensure all outstanding payments, contractor fees, and expenses are cleared.
  • Close Vendor Contracts: Verify that all suppliers and subcontractors have met their contractual obligations, then formally close their contracts.
  • Close Cost Codes: Shut down active financial codes or billable accounts associated with the project.

3. Documentation & Archiving

  • Final Project Report: Compile a summary report of the project’s performance regarding scope, timeline, and budget.
  • Handover Documentation: Ensure the operational team receives all necessary manuals, standard operating procedures, and known-issues lists.
  • Organize and Archive: Consolidate all project files, risk logs, and communications into a secure, centralized company repository for future reference or audits.
  • Revoke Access: Remove project system access, revoke software licenses, and delete temporary shared accounts.

4. Team & Organization

  • Lessons Learned Session: Hold a post-mortem or retrospective meeting with your team to discuss what went well, what failed, and what can be improved for next time.
  • Update Knowledge Base: Document these insights so the broader organization can learn from the project.
  • Release Resources: Formally reassign team members to other projects or return them to their functional departments.
  • Celebrate: Take the time to recognize individual contributions and celebrate the completion of the project.

Software, Different Types of Testing

Software, Different Types of Testing
Different Types of Testing

Questions every Business Analyst BA should ask…

Questions every Business Analyst BA should ask...
Questions every BA should ask…

Agile Scrum Sprint Planning Workflow for Successful Sprint

Agile Scrum Sprint Planning Workflow for Successful Sprint
Agile Scrum Sprint Planning
Workflow for Successful Sprint

Microsoft Project MPP format, timeline & future direction

Microsoft Project—whose native file format extension is .mpp—is one of Microsoft’s longest-running products, originally originating from a DOS-based tool acquired in 1984. Over its four-decade lifespan, it has evolved from a basic critical path method (CPM) scheduler into a core enterprise project and portfolio management (PPM) system.

1. PRINCE2 Microsoft Project Plan MPP template 2017 Mark Whitfield PRINCE MS Plan
MS Project MPP file template example 1
2. prince2 2017 microsoft MPP file template best free project templates mark whitfield
MS Project MPP file template example 2

The .mpp format, which is the proprietary binary file structure used to store metadata, task hierarchies, schedules, and resource assignments, has undergone multiple structural changes to support new features like Agile workflows, critical path mapping, and multiple timelines. Buy MPP MS Project templates (like those above) here.

Chronological Timeline of Microsoft Project (1984 to Present)

  • 1984 – 1986 (The DOS Era): The first commercial version, MS Project 1.0, was released for MS-DOS in 1984. It laid the foundation for Critical Path Method (CPM) scheduling.
  • 1990 – 1993 (Transition to Windows/Mac): The first Windows version (Project 1.0 for Windows) launched in 1990. Microsoft subsequently released a Macintosh version in 1991, but officially ceased its Mac development by 1994.
  • 1995 – 2003 (The Office Integration): With releases like Project 95, Project 98, and Project 2000, the software began to mirror Microsoft Office’s user interface, introducing PERT charts (later renamed Network Diagrams), multiple baselines, and resource pooling.
  • 2007 – 2010 (The Ribbon and Server Era): Project 2010 became the first 64-bit version, introducing a modern ribbon and Backstage view. This era saw widespread use of Project Server for enterprise collaboration.
  • 2013 – 2019 (Cloud & Modern UX): Integrating deeply with the Microsoft 365 environment, these versions introduced resource capacity heat maps, agile task fields, and native Plan-on-a-Page (POAP) timeline views.
  • 2021 – 2024 (Modern Desktop Suite): The latest perpetual releases (Project 2021 and Project 2024) act as heavy-duty scheduling engines that integrate with modern tools like Power BI and Microsoft Teams.

Future Direction of the .MPP Format and Project Management

As of 2026, Microsoft is executing a major platform restructuring. The .mpp format will remain the standard file extension for the standalone, offline desktop application (e.g., Project Professional 2024/Subscription Edition), serving enterprise users who require complex scheduling, multi-project rollups, and deep resource optimization. Buy MPP MS Project templates here.

However, Microsoft is shifting its cloud and portfolio-level infrastructure entirely away from legacy SharePoint-based architectures. This structural shift impacts the .mpp ecosystem in several key ways:

  • Retirement of Project Online: Microsoft Project Online (the cloud-based service that previously stored and synchronized .mpp projects in the cloud) is officially fully retired.
  • Consolidation under Microsoft Planner: Microsoft’s cloud-based work management is converging entirely under the unified Microsoft Planner app (which incorporates former “Project for the web” capabilities).
  • Transition to Modern Cloud Formats: In the web and cloud ecosystem, the rigid and complex .mpp file is being replaced by Microsoft’s cloud-native architecture (which can be exported to standard .xml formats for interoperability).
  • Continued Desktop Support: Organizations requiring complex WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) views, complex dependencies, and local file storage can still utilize the desktop client versions (e.g., accessed via Microsoft Project Plan 3) which natively open .mpp files.
  • Viewer and Interoperability Utilities: Because native .mpp files cannot be opened by Microsoft Planner or Excel, Microsoft provides the XML Format Standard (MS-XDI) as the primary avenue for transferring custom scheduling data between desktop platforms and modern cloud APIs.

Microsoft Project MPP format, timeline & future direction