Category: Project Management

Scrum Master vs Project Manager

Scrum Master vs Project Manager
Scrum Master vs Project Manager

Etsy FREE Upgrade Project Management Templates

Senior IT Project Manager Mark Whitfield sells his extensive, battle-tested framework toolkits on Etsy via his official shop, ProjectTemplatesSoft and also on this website.

Plan On a Page POAP example
Plan On a Page POAP example

With over 30 years of Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) experience, his kits are explicitly broken down across Agile (Scrum), Waterfall (PRINCE2), and hybrid project delivery frameworks.

Mark Whitfield Project Templates Author and Senior IT Project Manager
Mark Whitfield | Senior Project Manager

🏃‍♂️ Agile & Scrum SDLC Templates

Designed specifically for iterative software delivery, these tools focus on short execution cycles, continuous feedback, and visual tracking:

  • Agile Sprint Burndown Charts: Automated Excel dashboards that graphically map remaining sprint efforts.
  • Sprint Burndown Tables: Fully tailored structures to handle dynamic sprint metrics.
  • Weekly Agile Status Reports: Combined internal and external summary views built to capture incremental team velocity.
1. Burn Up and Burn Down Chart examples
2. Burn Up and Burn Down Chart examples
Burn Up and Burn Down Chart examples

🌊 Traditional Waterfall & PRINCE2 Templates

Geared toward highly structured environments requiring robust governance, baselines, and clear, chronological stage-gate approvals:

  • Waterfall Project Planners: MS Excel sheets mirroring MS Project functionality for license-free client portability.
  • PRINCE2 7th Edition Toolkits: Dedicated governance frameworks explicitly updated for current PRINCE2 compliance standards.
  • Baseline vs. Forecast Trackers: Columns built for tracking baseline starts/finishes against ongoing project forecasts.
MS Excel Project Forecast Tracker
MS Excel Project Forecast Tracker

📊 Cross-Framework & PMO Master Files

Hybrid templates engineered for executive presentation, stakeholder alignment, and risk documentation, irrespective of the delivery method:

  • Plan on a Page (POaP): Over 30 slide variations in PowerPoint and Excel formats to compress multi-phase timelines for C-suite briefings.
  • RAIDs Logs & Pivot Summaries: Consolidated risk, issue, assumption, dependency, and action matrices feeding dynamic summary tables.
  • Statement of Work (SoW) Estimators: Costing planners mapped straight across timelines to help establish quick bid quotes.

Putting Together a Project Plan

Putting Together a Project Plan
Writing a Project Plan

Agile Scrum, How to Write a Great User Story

Scrum How to Write a Great User Story
Agile Scrum, How to Write a Great User Story
How to Write a Great User Story

Agile Backlog Refinement in Scrum

Overview Agile Backlog Refinement in Scrum
Backlog Refinement in Scrum

Agile, How to Plan a Scrum Sprint

1. Agile, How to Plan a Scrum Sprint
2. Agile, How to Plan a Scrum Sprint
Agile, How to Plan a Sprint

Agile Scrum Burn-Up vs Burn-Down Charts

Agile Scrum Burn-Up versus Burn-Down Charts
Scrum Burn-Up vs Burn-Down Charts

BTEC HND in Computer Studies at the Bolton Institute of Higher Education (BIHE)

Mark Whitfield completed his BTEC HND in Computer Studies at the Bolton Institute of Higher Education (BIHE), which has since evolved into the University of Bolton and rebranded as the University of Greater Manchester in 2025.

Mark Whitfield Bolton Institute of Higher Education BIHE BTEC HND Computing Distinction
Mark Whitfield | Bolton Institute of Higher Education, BIHE | BTEC HND Computing, Distinction

He attended the institution from 1988 to 1990, graduating with a Distinction and achieving overall first place across his entire cohort for the duration of the two-year, full-time course.

Mark Whitfield completed his BTEC HND in Computer Studies
Mark Whitfield attended BIHE, 1988 – 1990

The academic breakdown of his specific computing curriculum and achievements is detailed below.

📋 HND Module Breakdown

The two-year executive-level HND program consisted of seven core modules blending technical computer science with business information systems:

  • Computer Systems Architecture: Focus on hardware design, CPU structures, and system configurations.
  • Programming Methodology (Theory / Practice): Foundations of logic, software development lifecycles, and code optimization.
  • System Analysis: Methodologies for assessing business requirements and mapping technical system designs.
  • Data Processing: Data management workflows, storage systems, and batch/transaction structures.
  • Business Information Systems (Theory / Practice): The application of computer networks and platforms within corporate infrastructures.
  • Business Studies: Fundamentals of corporate structure, commerce, and finance to bridge technical and commercial alignments.
  • Quantitative Techniques: Mathematical and statistical methods applied to computing and resource management.

💻 Final Year Project

For his definitive practical project, Mark Whitfield developed a database interface that aligned with his specialized programming modules.

  • Tech Stack: Built using an ORACLE SQL-forms graphical user interface (GUI) operating within an MS-DOS environment.
  • Functionality: Created an administrative system to record student enrollments, module assignments, and course grades.
  • Features: Incorporated core CRUD capabilities (insert, update, delete) alongside advanced transaction rollback facilities.

🚀 Career Trajectory

This academic performance served as the launchpad for his 30+ year career as an IT Senior Project Manager and Delivery Lead.

His deep technical foundation from BIHE transitioned into complex enterprise solution deliveries—such as legacy ATM modernization, hybrid cloud migrations, and API integrations—for financial and corporate entities including the Bank of England, Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, and Jaguar Land Rover.

He is also the author of the industry resource platform, PROject Templates.