Category: Waterfall

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.

🏃‍♂️ 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.

Project Management Templates with FREE upgrades

The IT Project Management (PM) toolkits created by Mark Whitfieldprovide a comprehensive digitized repository of over 200 tailored, editable Microsoft Office templates designed to structure, track, and report on software delivery lifecycles (SDLC).

Hosted on his platform PROject Templates, these artifacts bridge the gap between fast-paced Agile sprint execution and structured governance frameworks like PRINCE2 and Waterfall.

Here is an overview of the core template categories and artifacts included in the toolkit:

📅 Schedule, Planning & Timelines

  • Detailed SDLC / PRINCE2 Project Plans: Native Microsoft Project (.mpp) and Excel (.xlsx) files featuring stage-gate structures, resource sheets, and milestone tracking.
  • Plan on a Page (POaP): Over 35 PowerPoint variations and simplified Excel dashboards used to present high-level, visual timelines to executives and senior stakeholders.
  • Agile Scrum Sprint Planner & Delivery Plan: Templates constructed in Excel to track sprint velocity, capacity planning, and product backlogs.

⚠️ Risk, Governance & Tracking

  • Comprehensive RAID Logs: Centralized trackers mapping Risks, Actions, Issues, and Dependencies, including secondary tabs for opportunities, lessons learned, and change requests.
  • RACI Matrices: Responsibility assignment matrices used to formally define team roles (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) across delivery workstreams.
  • Project Charter Blueprint: A foundational setup template used to establish formal authorization, align stakeholders, and outline scope boundaries.

📊 Performance & Financial Tracking

  • Project Financial Tracker: Metric dashboards containing charts for measuring internal and external forecast versus actual costs, profit margins, and expense variances.
  • Agile Burn Down & Burn Up Charts: Standalone spreadsheet alternatives built specifically for environments where dedicated Agile software like Jira or Azure DevOps is unavailable.

📢 Status Reporting & Communication

  • Weekly/Monthly Status Reports: Formatted templates available in Word and PowerPoint summarizing project health, milestone progress, and immediate priorities for internal and client updates.
  • Project Kick-Off Slide Decks: Presentation baselines to align teams, outline deliverables, and walk members through execution workflows at launch.

Mark Whitfield, Biography overview

Mark Whitfield is a prominent UK-based, SC-cleared Senior IT Project Manager, Engagement Manager, and technology executive with over 35 years of experience spanning the entire Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). He specialises in complex digital transformations, hybrid cloud migrations, and API-led system integrations.

Throughout his career, he has successfully delivered enterprise-scale solutions for massive blue-chip clients, including Barclays Bank, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), Royal Mail Group (RMG), Lloyds Banking Group, and the Bank of England.

Executive Overview:

  • Core Expertise: Hybrid Cloud Migrations (Azure, AWS), API middleware architectures, and digital banking platforms.
  • Methodologies: Certified PRINCE2 Practitioner and Agile SCRUM delivery lead.
  • Security Clearance: Active UK Security Check (SC until 2031) clearance for public and defense-sector projects.
  • Industry Portfolio: Banking, Automotive, Gambling/Casinos, Aerospace & Defence, and Regional Government.

Professional Timeline & Milestones:

  • 1990–1995 (Early Engineering): Began his career immediately after graduating in Computing. He worked as a core programmer at The Software Partnership, building cutting-edge electronic banking software (sp/ARCHITECT-BANK) on legacy Tandem Mainframes (now HPE NonStop).
  • 1995–2013 (Insider Technologies Limited): Spent 18 years escalating from a Senior Programmer into a strategic project manager in Salford Quays, UK. He spearheaded high-volume mainframe transaction monitoring systems and ATM software delivery for major global banking institutions like HSBC and Al Rajhi Bank.
  • 2013–2016 (Retail & Gaming Delivery): Transitioned to Wincor Nixdorf as an Agile IT PM managing ATM software pipelines, followed by a Senior PM role at Betfred, delivering complex mobile sportsbook and online payment gateways.
  • 2016–Present (Enterprise Leadership): Joined Capgemini as a client-facing Engagement Project Manager. He later augmented into MuleSoft (a Salesforce company) as a Delivery Manager for the Anypoint Platform, directing massive cloud infrastructure overhauls.

Thought Leadership & Knowledge Sharing

Beyond active corporate execution, he is the creator of PROject Templates, an open professional repository where he publishes free upgrade enterprise project tracking models, RAID logs, and Agile planning frameworks used extensively by modern PMOs.

IT Project Management (PM) toolkits provide over 200 tailored templates spanning Agile, Waterfall, & PRINCE2 methodologies

The IT Project Management (PM) toolkits created by Mark Whitfield provide over 200 tailored templates spanning Agile, Waterfall, and PRINCE2 methodologies. These artifacts are designed to structure, track, and report on software delivery lifecycles (SDLC).

The framework’s core templates are categorized below by operational delivery area, specific template artifact, and native file format:

📅 Schedule, Planning & Timelines

Focuses on structural design, building work breakdown structures (WBS), and visualizing milestones for senior stakeholders.

  • Detailed SDLC / PRINCE2 Project Plan: Microsoft Project (.mpp), Excel (.xlsx)
  • Agile Scrum Sprint Planner & Delivery Plan: Microsoft Project (.mpp), Excel (.xlsx)
  • Plan on a Page (POaP) Milestone Visualizer: PowerPoint (.pptx)—over 35 custom variations
  • Gantt Chart Trackers: Excel (.xlsx)

🔍 Risk, Issue & Change Control (RAID)

Manages constraints, operational hazards, dependencies, and baseline deviations.

  • Simple RAID Log (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies): Excel (.xlsx)
  • Comprehensive Tracking Register (Includes RAIDs, Suppliers, Deliverables, and Out-of-Scope tasks): Excel (.xlsx)
  • Change Request Tracker: Excel (.xlsx)

📊 Governance, Tracking & Status Reporting

Facilitates communication across team tiers and summarizes health indicators for client or internal reviews.

  • Weekly & Monthly Project Status Reports: PowerPoint (.pptx), Word (.docx)
  • RACI Matrix (Roles & Responsibilities Tracker): Excel (.xlsx)
  • Agile Burndown and Burnup Charts: Excel (.xlsx)
  • Meeting Minutes and Action Item Logs: Word (.docx)

💰 Finance, Resources & Benefits

Tracks financial trajectories, internal/external staffing allocation, and post-launch outcomes.

  • Full Project Financial Tracker (Forecasts, Actuals, Variances, Margins, and Expenses): Excel (.xlsx)
  • Simple Monthly Budget Forecast: Excel (.xlsx)
  • Resource Cost & Annual Leave Tracker: Excel (.xlsx)
  • Benefits Realisation Analysis Tracker: Excel (.xlsx)

🏗️ Initiation, Structure & Walkthroughs

Establishes the foundation of the delivery framework and walks team members through how to execute templates.

  • Project Kick-Off Presentation Deck: PowerPoint (.pptx)
  • Project Organisation Charts: PowerPoint (.pptx)
  • Template Walkthrough Documentation Guides: Word (.docx)

Agile Waterfall Scrum Kanban Lean XP for BA & PO

Agile Waterfall Scrum Kanban Lean XP for BA & PO
Agile Waterfall Scrum Kanban Lean XP for BA & PO

Download Free Upgrade Project Management Templates

The full toolkit of Mark Whitfield’s Project Management (PM) templates is structured below according to structural focus areas, overview of utility, and native file formats. Free upgrades and additions after purchase.

📅 Project Planning & Roadmapping

  • Focus: Schedule design and milestone visualization for SDLC, PRINCE2, and Agile.
  • Overview: Builds work breakdown structures (WBS), tracks timelines, and presents milestones to stakeholders.
  • Format: Microsoft Project (.mpp), Excel (.xlsx), and PowerPoint (.pptx).
  • Included: Detailed plans, Excel Gantt trackers, over 35 Plan on a Page (POaP) slides, and spreadsheet-based timelines.

⚠️ Risk, Governance & Operational Control

  • Focus: Threat tracking, dependency mitigation, and accountability.
  • Overview: Ensures structural control and compliance, managing risks, issues, and resource ownership.
  • Format: Excel (.xlsx) and Word (.docx).
  • Included: Comprehensive RAIDs log, RACI tracker, stakeholder analysis map, and meeting minutes templates.

💰 Financial Management & Tracking

  • Focus: Cost control, margin maintenance, and expenditure reporting.
  • Overview: Tracks internal/external resources, supplier fees, and expenses with visualized budget usage.
  • Format: Excel (.xlsx) with pivot tables and charts.
  • Included: Project financial tracker, FAV basic tracking template, and client-facing external cost tracker.

🏃 Agile Delivery & Metric Performance

  • Focus: Iterative delivery, velocity tracking, and roadblock visibility.
  • Overview: Used for manual tracking of sprint metrics and third-party dependencies when native tools are unavailable.
  • Format: Excel (.xlsx).
  • Included: Burn down/up charts, and agile story dependency trackers.

📢 Communications & Project Status Reporting

  • Focus: Executive updates and onboarding consistency.
  • Overview: Standardizes project reporting, status updates, and organization charts.
  • Format: PowerPoint (.pptx) and Word (.docx).
  • Included: Project status reports, kick-off decks, organizational charts, and benefits realization plans.

Mark Whitfield @ Wincor Nixdorf – Timeline of technical focus areas

During his tenure as an IT Project Manager at Wincor Nixdorf (Banking Division) from 2013 to 2014, Mark Whitfield focused on large-scale retail banking software modernisation and multi-vendor hardware migrations.

He spearheaded a £5+ million workstream on-site for Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) as part of their Self-Service Software Replacement (SSSR) programme.

The focus areas and technical outputs of his work during this era are detailed below.

🏛️ Era Focus Areas (2013–2014)

  • Legacy ATM Modernisation: Managing the transition of core banking infrastructure away from legacy terminal systems to prevent service outages and meet stricter post-2008 operational risk regulations.
  • Multi-Vendor Integration: Directing complex hardware and software integration streams to ensure Wincor Nixdorf solutions successfully paired with third-party banking frameworks.
  • International Technical Liaison: Acting as a qualified management link between the local UK delivery teams and Wincor Nixdorf’s central engineering base in Paderborn, Germany, for advanced subject matter expertise.
  • Methodology Pivot: Implementing project governance frameworks that bridged strict PRINCE2 Waterfall structures with Agile Scrum delivery models.

💻 Technical Outputs

  • ATM Terminal Driving Migration: Transferred critical automated teller machine (ATM) driving responsibilities away from legacy BASE24 Classic running on HPE NonStop mainframes over to Wincor’s ProClassic Enterprise (PC/E) product suite deployed on an AIX platform.
  • OS Lifecycle Upgrades: Successfully planned and executed the infrastructure upgrade of the Lloyds Banking Group ATM hardware estate from the end-of-life Windows XP operating system to Windows 7.
  • Database & Platform Architecture: Delivered backend systems alignment leveraging Oracle databases integrated across distributed UNIX/AIX environments.

Mark Whitfield @ Betfred – Timeline of technical focus areas

Mark Whitfield served as an IT Senior Digital Project Manager (often operating in product and application delivery roles) within the Online and Mobile Division at Betfred from December 2014 to January 2016.

During this era, his responsibilities crossed the boundary between project management and digital product delivery. He was heavily focused on shifting legacy digital footprints toward modern mobile, web, and multi-vendor integrations.

Below are the focus areas and technical outputs from his tenure at Betfred, grouped by operational era and delivery cycle:

📱 1. Digital Platform & Mobile Era (Core Product Delivery)

This area focused on the rapid evolution of the sportsbook and the deployment of consumer-facing native and web applications.

  • Focus Areas: Mobile product lifecycle management, multi-platform deployment, and real estate feature upgrades for .COM and .mobi channels.
  • Technical Output:
    • Native Applications: Delivered and updated native mobile applications across iOS, Android, and Windows Phone.
    • Sportsbook Verticals: Built, optimized, and deployed major UI/UX updates for the football and horse racing sportsbooks.
    • Virtual Gaming: Integrated online, computer-generated virtual gaming modules and RNG (Random Number Generator) components into the digital ecosystem.

🔒 2. Payment Systems, Security, & Compliance Era

A major focus was placed on building high-throughput payment pipelines and establishing robust compliance mechanics to handle compromised trading environments.

  • Focus Areas: Fraud mitigation, multi-currency processing, payment gateway migrations, and strict adherence to gambling regulations.
  • Technical Output:
    • Payment Gateways: Delivered end-to-end payment gateway mechanisms supporting diverse credit/debit, e-wallet, and localized payment methods.
    • Fraud Detection Systems: Integrated advanced fraud detection and risk analysis modules into backend transactional pathways.
    • Emergency System Change Requests (SCRs): Architected and executed critical hotfixes for compliance directives, regulatory alignment, and security mitigations.

🔄 3. Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) & Release Era

This era was characterized by a massive transition away from rigid legacy setups into continuous delivery models.

  • Focus Areas: Transitioning environments from Waterfall to the Agile Scrum framework, managing distributed cross-functional teams, and stabilizing deployment cadences.
  • Technical Output:
    • Monthly Release Cycles: Structured and executed the monthly internet software release train to stabilize production code across the web real estate.
    • Middleware & API Integrations: Managed complex integrations connecting frontend frameworks with heavy transactional middleware and core banking/wallet ledgers.

🤝 4. Multi-Vendor Sub-System Integration

Because Betfred’s tech stack relied heavily on third-party niche solutions, Whitfield acted as the technical delivery anchor across an extensive network of specialized vendors.

  • Focus Areas: Vendor middleware alignment, technical contract delivery, and cross-platform SLA monitoring.
  • Technical Output:
    • Frontend & UX: Coordinated front-end developments with agencies like Degree 53.
    • Core Gaming & Content Systems: Integrated third-party components from industry staples including Playtech, Inspired, IGT, and Virtue Fusion.
    • Data Feeds & Push Tech: Managed real-time data ingestion and notification engines built by Onionsack, OtherLevels, Satellite Information Services (SIS), and StreamUK.
    • Analytics & Performance: Integrated user attribution and marketing pipelines utilizing Appsflyer, Income Access, and Activewin.