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  • Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step 2012 User Guide

  • This document is for information purposes only.

    MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS

    DOCUMENT.

    2011 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

    Microsoft and The Microsoft Dynamics Logo are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States

    and/or other countries.

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    Table of Contents

    Table of Contents

    TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................................................................3

    INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................................................7

    HISTORY AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS ............................................................................................................................................. 9

    FOCUS ................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

    WHAT IS SURE STEP? ............................................................................................................................................................... 9

    THE SURE STEP METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................... 10

    LANGUAGE SUPPORT .............................................................................................................................................................. 11

    SURE STEP 2012 HIGHLIGHTS ................................................................................................................................................. 11

    SUPPORT AND FEEDBACK ........................................................................................................................................................ 12

    ISV RELATED SURE STEP TOOLS ............................................................................................................................................... 12

    SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND INSTALLATION ........................................................................................................... 13

    SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ......................................................................................................................................................... 13

    INSTALLATION ....................................................................................................................................................................... 14

    INSTALLATION OPTIONS .......................................................................................................................................................... 14

    Installation Instructions ................................................................................................................................................ 14

    INSTALLATION WITH VERSION 1 OF SURE STEP STILL INSTALLED ..................................................................................................... 14

    GETTING STARTED TUTORIAL ................................................................................................................................... 14

    OPEN SURE STEP ................................................................................................................................................................... 15

    SET PRODUCT TYPE AND PRODUCT FILTERS ................................................................................................................................ 15

    EXPLORE THE SURE STEP METHODOLOGY REFERENCE .................................................................................................................. 15

    EXPLORE THE METHODOLOGY DOCUMENTS VIEW ...................................................................................................................... 20

    SURE STEP METHODOLOGY TAB ............................................................................................................................... 23

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    BASIC STRUCTURE OF MICROSOFT DYNAMICS SURE STEP ............................................................................................................. 23

    SOLUTIONS ........................................................................................................................................................................... 24

    PROJECT TYPES ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24

    SURE STEP METHODOLOGY VIEW ............................................................................................................................................. 25

    Reference View .............................................................................................................................................................. 25

    DOCUMENTS VIEW ................................................................................................................................................................ 28

    USER CONTROLS: .................................................................................................................................................................. 29

    View Sure Step content in full-page mode: ................................................................................................................... 29

    View Document Details for a single phase: ................................................................................................................... 29

    View the owner for each deliverable: ........................................................................................................................... 29

    PROJECTS TAB .......................................................................................................................................................... 31

    PROJECT LIST ........................................................................................................................................................................ 32

    SURE STEP PROJECT CREATION ................................................................................................................................................ 33

    CREATING A SHAREPOINT-BASED PROJECT ................................................................................................................................ 38

    URL Verification:............................................................................................................................................................ 38

    SharePoint Template Verification: ................................................................................................................................ 39

    SharePoint Template Setup for SharePoint 2010 .......................................................................................................... 39

    SURE STEP PROJECT MANAGEMENT ......................................................................................................................................... 44

    Management of the Local Sure Step Projects ............................................................................................................... 44

    Edit Sure Step Project Properties ................................................................................................................................... 46

    Add, Remove, and Reposition Project Documents ........................................................................................................ 46

    Create (Clone) a Sure Step Project Based on an Existing Project .................................................................................. 47

    Package Your Project by Using Zip and Save ................................................................................................................ 48

    PROJECT DOCUMENTS VIEW ................................................................................................................................................... 49

    ADMINISTRATION OF SHAREPOINT-BASED SURE STEP PROJECTS .................................................................................................... 49

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    User permissions ........................................................................................................................................................... 49

    Top link bar.................................................................................................................................................................... 49

    Project Members list ..................................................................................................................................................... 50

    Document Completion Workflow .................................................................................................................................. 50

    Workflow setup ............................................................................................................................................................. 50

    Using the workflow ....................................................................................................................................................... 50

    CONTENT OF THE SHAREPOINT-BASED SURE STEP PROJECT SITES .................................................................................................. 51

    Sure Step Documents document library ........................................................................................................................ 51

    Shared Documents document library ............................................................................................................................ 52

    Announcements list ....................................................................................................................................................... 52

    Calendar list .................................................................................................................................................................. 52

    Tasks list ........................................................................................................................................................................ 52

    Project Information list ................................................................................................................................................. 52

    Project Members list ..................................................................................................................................................... 52

    Resources Links list ........................................................................................................................................................ 53

    CHANGE PROJECT REPOSITORIES .............................................................................................................................................. 53

    IMPORT AN ARCHIVED PROJECT INTO A REPOSITORY ................................................................................................................... 53

    COMMON TASKS ................................................................................................................................................................... 54

    Using the Logo Wizard to Put Your Companys Logo and Project Information in Sure Step Deliverables .................... 54

    How to Share Project Deliverables with Clients ............................................................................................................ 55

    How to Work From a Shared Project Repository for Your Team ................................................................................... 55

    How to incorporate your V1 customizations into the new version of Sure Step projects ............................................. 56

    Using SharePoint to Share Documents and Collaborate on Projects (without the Sure Step Project Site Template) ... 57

    On Windows 7 and Windows Vista: .............................................................................................................................. 57

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    On Windows XP: ............................................................................................................................................................ 57

    RESOURCES TAB ....................................................................................................................................................... 61

    PREFERENCES TAB .................................................................................................................................................... 62

    UPDATING SURE STEP ............................................................................................................................................................ 63

    SWITCHING BETWEEN LANGUAGES ........................................................................................................................................... 63

    SEARCH TAB............................................................................................................................................................. 65

    SEARCH SURE STEP CORE CONTENT AND PROJECT FILES............................................................................................................... 65

    TROUBLESHOOTING AND SUPPORT .......................................................................................................................... 70

    MAKING SHAREPOINT SITE PUBLIC ........................................................................................................................... 71

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    Introduction Welcome to the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step User Guide. This guide provides an overview for using the Sure Step tool.

    Information in this guide will help you to start using Sure Step, understand its features, and get the most benefit from

    the program and tool. Additionally, Sure Step Methodology Training Materials and other resources are available on

    PartnerSource.

    The Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step tool enables you to:

    View the Sure Step methodology, including tools and templates.

    Create and manage editable customer projects based on the Sure Step deliverables.

    Link to online marketing, training, and other resources on PartnerSource.

    Get content and tool updates.

    Note: Learn more about the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step program, its methodology, and benefits by visiting the Sure

    Step Overview on PartnerSource or CustomerSource.

    Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step example screen illustration:

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    History and Future Directions The original version of Sure Step was launched in March 2007. Since then, the Microsoft vision for the Sure Step

    program has remained consistent:

    To deliver an ever-evolving, world-class methodology to partners for Microsoft Dynamics customer

    engagements.

    To help partners take advantage of the latest best practices, new tools developed by Microsoft Dynamics

    product teams, and changes in Microsoft Dynamics software.

    To help partners achieve high customer satisfaction, increase channel productivity, and improve profits.

    Sure Step can help partners increase successful implementations, decrease employee ramp-up time, and improve

    revenue by closing more customer deals. Partners who fully adopt and embrace Sure Step will be better able to perform

    customer implementations on time, on budget, and on spec.

    As products in the Microsoft Dynamics family provide updates to its customers, the Sure Step tool will also be updated

    to provide guidance aligned to assisting with new feature implementation and upgrade processes.

    Focus Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step is focused on enabling Microsoft Dynamics partners to achieve successful

    implementations in the mid-market space (though its functionality could be used in the small and high-end segments.)

    The Sure Step implementation methodology can be customized by partners by adding templates to address specific

    customer needs.

    What Is Sure Step? The Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Methodology is a comprehensive customer engagement methodology describing the

    processes and disciplines necessary to implement Microsoft Dynamics products.

    The methodology covers the following products:

    Microsoft Dynamics AX

    Microsoft Dynamics GP

    Microsoft Dynamics NAV

    Microsoft Dynamics SL

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    Microsoft Dynamics CRM

    Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online

    Because implementations have many similarities across these products, Sure Step has been structured as a general

    methodology with a product-specific layer for each product. The general content consists primarily of prescriptive

    phase-by-phase and activity-by-activity descriptions for completing an implementation, and also includes information on

    the Project Management discipline. The product-specific content is represented by tools and templates as well as

    hyperlinks to materials that can be found outside of the tool.

    Overall benefits of Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step:

    A consistent methodology, project management tools and advice, and field-tested best practicesall within

    user-friendly toolsthat enable partners to more efficiently deploy, migrate to, configure, and upgrade

    Microsoft Dynamics solutions.

    Drives partner productivity by providing a consistent approach and a standard set of tools and templates that

    help ensure customers projects are completed efficiently, adding immediate business value, which promotes

    high customer satisfaction.

    Helps partners to work more easily with other partnersas well as with Microsoft Consultants, when

    appropriateon large, multi-site, or multi-region implementations. It also helps partners work more efficiently

    with independent software vendors (ISVs) who provide third-party solutions or expertise.

    Assurance that you are using the same approach as others involved in the project to drive toward a successful

    customer implementation.

    The Sure Step Methodology The Sure Step methodology includes the following resources:

    Methodology content. A flow of implementation activities that lead from the initial business diagnosis through

    implementation and handoff to operations.

    Tools and templates. Sample documents and document structures to help guide the project activity and system

    configuration.

    The Sure Step client. A presentation interface for the Sure Step methodology that helps you to navigate and

    apply the methodology and adapt it to your unique requirements.

    Community resources. Links to other resources available in the Microsoft Dynamics community.

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    Language Support

    Sure Step 2012 provides translations for Customer Facing Deliverables and a restricted set of products (based on

    product availability in a country.) Customer Facing Deliverables are those tools and templates which are designed for

    use in front of the customer. Language Packs will be made available in the following languages:

    Chinese

    Danish

    French

    German

    Japanese

    Portuguese (Brazil)

    Russian

    Spanish

    Turkish

    Sure Step 2012 Highlights New features and content in the release of Sure Step 2012 included the following:

    AX 2012 Decision Accelerator OfferingContent updates to decision accelerator services to support solution

    envisioning of an AX 2012 solution.

    AX 2012 Implementation Offering Updates to content, tools, and templates to reflect an AX 2012

    implementation scenario, including the Fit Gap Analysis Worksheet, AX Estimator, Requirements Questionnaire,

    and Security Configuration Requirements template.

    AX 2012 Upgrade Offering The Upgrade project type tools and templates have been updated to reflect an AX

    2009 to AX 2012 upgrade scenario, including inclusion of additional upgrade activities given new AX 2012

    functionality.

    Sure Step Optimization Offerings These offerings have been re-packaged across all Microsoft Dynamics

    products to offer customers a variety of stand-alone proactive review services such as Technical or Functional

    Design Review, or bundled services such as Architecture Review and Project Governance and Delivery Review.

    Accelerated Proof of Concept with CRM Online Service Provides scripts, demos, Delivery Guide, and related

    content for building a quick proof of concept or demo for a customer using the CRM Online 30-day trial. This

    supports rapid requirements definition and solution decision-making. This is now part of the Decision Accelerator

    offering for CRM.

    CRM Updates Additional CRM artifacts have been added, including CRM 2011 Upgrade Assessment, Database

    Sizing Tool, and Design Best Practices.

    For more detail view the release notes on PartnerSource or CustomerSource.

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    Support and Feedback For Partners, support of the Sure Step tool is managed through the Microsoft Dynamics Partner forums. This should be

    your first avenue for supporting your Sure Step installation and usage questions. You can share information with other

    partners and gain direct support from the Sure Step Support team by accessing the online Sure Step Forums.

    For Customers, support of the Sure Step tool is managed through the Microsoft Dynamics Discussion groups. This should

    be your first avenue for supporting your Sure Step installation and usage questions. You can share information with

    other partners and gain direct support from the Sure Step Support team by accessing the online Sure Step Discussion

    groups.

    Microsoft is constantly working to improve Sure Step and will provide updates on a regular basis. But we need your help.

    Please let us know how we can improve the program by using the Give Feedback link in the lower right corner of the

    tool. You will be presented with the following form, which will be e-mailed to us when you submit it.

    ISV Related Sure Step Tools ISV solutions are available for Sure Step and ISVs are welcome to create solutions to enhance the usage of Sure

    Step. Look for the ISV topic in the Additional Resources section of Sure Step.

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    System Requirements and Installation

    System Requirements

    Supported Operating Systems

    Microsoft Windows 7

    Microsoft Windows Vista

    Microsoft Windows Vista SP1

    Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or later

    Windows Desktop Search

    The Windows Desktop Search tool is included in Windows Vista and Windows 7. For Windows XP, you can download

    the tool at Windows Desktop Search.

    Microsoft Office 2007 or Microsoft Office 2010

    Sure Step includes advanced filtering features, which are based on the new Office format.

    Microsoft .NET Framework

    Sure Step requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1. Note that the February 2009 release of Windows Update

    distributes the .NET 3.5 SP1 with High importance, which means most systems will have this installed

    automatically. For additional information, go to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/894199.

    SharePoint

    To use the Share Point project creation feature:

    Windows SharePoint Services 3.0

    Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007

    Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010

    Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010

    Hardware

    The Sure Step Client and the content require approximately 350 MB disk space. During installation, you need

    at least 1 GB of disk space. Additionally, each Sure Step project you create requires approximately 110 MB.

    For the best viewing experience, you should have a graphic resolution of at least 1024x768 pixels with 24bit

    color depth.

    Recommended: 2GB RAM or greater.

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    Installation

    Detailed installation instructions can be found on PartnerSource.

    Installation Options If Sure Step 2.0 or later is installed you can install the latest versions of Sure Step automatically from within Sure Step by

    going to the Preferences tab and clicking on Check Updates.

    You can also install the latest version from PartnerSource based on the Installation Instructions provided on this page.

    Installation Instructions

    1. Ensure Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 is installed 2. Go to PartnerSource > Partner Essentials > Sure Step 3. Click the Download and Install Sure Step 2012. 4. Select the Install Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step 2012 on the right to access the Installation page and run the

    installer. The file is large (~350 MB), so plan accordingly. 5. OPTIONAL: Download Language Packs.

    Installation with Version 1 of Sure Step Still Installed Installing the new version of Sure Step will not remove Version 1 or change it in any way. If you do not have

    Version 1 customizations that you wish to migrate to this updated version of Sure Step, it is recommended you

    remove Version 1 before installing Sure Step 2012.

    To remove Version 1 in Windows Vista / Windows 7:

    1. From the Start Menu, click Control Panel.

    2. Under Programs, click Uninstall a program.

    3. Click Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Methodology, click Uninstall, and follow the instructions.

    Getting Started Tutorial

    This section will give you step-by-step guidance on using the Sure Step tool by providing examples of scenarios using

    the Rapid project type for Microsoft Dynamics CRM implementations. The examples build upon each other, so it is

    recommended that you go through the activities in this section from start to finish.

    Note: PartnerSource should be your primary resource for training and other resources for mastering Sure Step. Youll

    find Sure Step FAQs that can assist in troubleshooting, plus other information about Sure Step.

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    Open Sure Step 1. Click the Start button, and then point to All Programs.

    2. Click the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step folder icon, and then click Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step.

    Set Product Type and Product Filters

    1. In Sure Step, click the Sure Step Methodology tab, if necessary.

    2. Leave the Solution set to General.

    3. Click the Product box and select CRM.

    4. Click the Project Type box and select Rapid.

    The Methodology tab will display information pertaining to Rapid implementation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM

    projects.

    Explore the Sure Step Methodology Reference

    1. Under Table of Contents, click the Solution Envisioning arrow, Decision Accelerator Offerings, and then click

    Requirements and Process Review.

    Your screen should look like the following image.

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    Notice the navigation element just below the tabs near the top of the window. This can help you keep track of your

    location in the tool.

    Also notice that the content sections can be collapsed or expanded.

    2. Review the documents in the Tools, Templates and Links section.

    There are several Office documents associated with this phase. You can open and review them in read-only mode.

    Later, you will learn how to create editable versions by creating Sure Step Projects.

    3. Review the Sure Step Methodology section in the middle right part of the page.

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    This section contains the activity guidance for this step. Note that, at the top of the section, there are buttons for

    reading the guidance in a larger window and for printing the guidance.

    4. Click the View this page in Reading Window button to view the activity in full-screen mode.

    Notice the various sections of the activity guidance, including the Purpose, Description, Pre-Conditions, and Diagram.

    Most Sure Step activity guidance follows this format.

    5. In the Reading Window, scroll down to the Diagram section and click the Expand navigation frame button in the

    top-left corner of the diagram.

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    This opens the Pan and Zoom control. The control lets you enlarge or shrink the display of the diagram. If the diagram

    display is larger than the available area, you can click the diagram and use the IntelliMouse pointing device wheel to

    move up and down in the diagram; you also can use the keyboard arrow keys to pan up and down or right and left.

    There are many detailed process flow diagrams in which panning and zooming are important.

    6. Close the Reading Window.

    7. At the top of the Sure Step Methodology section, note the Print current page button that allows you to print this

    activity guidance.

    8. Review the Roles section in the bottom-right part of the window. In the Owner box, click Consulting Project

    Manager.

    The Project Manager role guidance is displayed in the Sure Step Methodology section.

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    9. Use the back arrow to return to the previous page.

    The arrows let you move back and forth through the content you have chosen in the current tab.

    10. To copy text that appears in Sure Step, use the mouse to select the desired text, right-click the selected text, and

    click Copy.

    Note: Keyboard shortcuts for copy and paste are not supported.

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    Explore the Methodology Documents View

    1. Click the Documents tab.

    Your screen should look like following image.

    This window provides a documents-only view of the Sure Step methodology, by phase. You can open and review these

    documents in read-only mode. Later in this guide you will learn how to create editable versions by creating Sure Step

    Projects.

    Notice that the filter fields at the top right of the window are still set to the values you chose in the previous steps:

    Solution = General, Product = CRM, Project Type = Rapid.

    Notice that the View Options filter can be changed between All Documents and Customer Facing Deliverables. Customer

    Facing Deliverables are documents that would be shared with or presented to the customer during the engagement.

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    2. Set the View Options filter to Customer Facing Deliverables.

    Notice that fewer documents are listed in the window.

    3. Click the Analysis phase button.

    A detailed view of Analysis phase documents is displayed. The columns can be sorted, and the widths can be adjusted.

    4. Click the Owner column to see the deliverables sorted by owner.

    5. Click Show All Phases to return to the All Phases document view.

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    6. In the Design phase column, right-click Solution Design Document and select Locate Content in Sure Step.

    The document is listed in the Tools, Templates and Links section. You can open the document by double-clicking it in the

    list. After you open a tool, template, or link, you can edit and print it as you would any other document.

    Be sure any document you wish to print is set to match your local printing preferences. Because Sure Step is an

    international tool, you may find that a document's default page size (such as Letter or A4) is not your local standard. You

    should check the page size, modify it if necessary, and then review the document's appearance before printing.

    To return to your default repository, from the Preferences tab, click Reset to Default Values.

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    Sure Step Methodology Tab

    Basic Structure of Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step

    Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step is designed to provide you with multiple ways to organize and view its content To

    customize your view based on these filters, make a selection by using the filter in the upper right part of the tool

    window:

    Solutions. Vertical and Cross-Industry solutions supported by Sure Step are listed. Examples are Manufacturing

    (for Dynamics AX) and Public Sector (for Dynamics CRM).

    Products. The Microsoft Dynamics product family consists of six products. As with project types, these have unique tools to support their implementation. Additionally, methodology content can be viewed by using the navigation tools in the Table of Contents and in the Documents view.

    Project types. The implementation of a Microsoft Dynamics product can be done in various ways, which are

    defined within Sure Step as project types. These types are Standard, Enterprise, Rapid, Upgrade, and Agile. Each

    of these has unique project flows and activities, which can be used to select a way of viewing the Sure Step

    content.

    Additionally, youll find content categorized in the Table of Contents:

    Solution Envisioning. This section contains the Solution Overview and Decision Accelerator Offerings.

    Overviews of Microsoft Dynamics solutions for ERP and CRM as well as industry content available in Sure Step is

    found here. Decision Accelerator Offerings cover activities undertaken in the discovery stage of the sales

    process. Requirements gathering, Fit/Gap analysis, Scoping, Proof of Concept and other Diagnostic phase tools

    and templates are found under the Diagnostic Phase column in the Content window.

    Solution Implementation and Upgrade. Content relevant to the implementation process are found in this

    section.

    o Phases. The six phases of an implementation are Diagnostic, Analysis, Design, Development,

    Deployment, and Operation. The documents associated with each phase can be listed separately,

    enabling you to focus on the work involved in a particular phase. For more on this, see the Documents

    View section.

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    o Cross-phase processes. While Sure Step presents its activities in a standard, generally sequential way,

    Sure Step has also been defined with the activities organized by the type of work encompassed, such as

    Project Management, Training, and Quality and Testing. You can follow the activities in these cross-

    phase processes from the project's beginning to end. To do this, go to "Cross Phase Processes" in the left

    navigation and browse from there.

    Some content in Sure Step is relevant to a specific release of a Microsoft Dynamics product. Document labels or

    descriptions that designate a product family (like AX) indicate that the document is either relevant for the most

    recent release of that product, or that the product version is not meaningful for that document. A document relevant

    to an earlier product version will have the version number indicated in the document label or description.

    Solutions Microsoft Dynamics solutions have been implemented in numerous industries. Some of our product lines are putting

    forward specific sales and implementation tools, allowing greater focus and depth in providing solutions that will meet

    the needs of customers in those vertical spaces. Sure Step provides industry content for the following Dynamics

    solutions:

    Microsoft Dynamics AX: Manufacturing, Retail Industries, Service Industries.

    Microsoft Dynamics CRM: Public Sector.

    Specific implementation guidance on cross-industry solutions is also available. You will find an option for Extended CRM

    and Customer Care (both CRM related) in the drop-down list.

    Additional guidance on these industry solutions can be found in the Solution Envisioning area under Industry/Vertical

    Solutions and Cross Industry/Horizontal Solutions.

    Project Types

    Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step presents five different ways to approach the implementation of a Microsoft Dynamics

    product. These are defined as project types; they are Enterprise, Standard, Rapid, Upgrade, and Agile.

    A project type should be selected based on the characteristics of the client situation. For a large implementation with

    multiple client sites and a large number of users, its usually best to use the Enterprise project type. Agile represents a

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    flexible and collaborative approach for single site implementations requiring specific features and moderate-to-complex

    customizations. For a smaller implementation with little to no need for customization, you might choose to use the

    Rapid project type. You can choose the Upgrade project type for clients who already use a Microsoft Dynamics product.

    The Sure Step activities are organized by project type. Within each project type, the activities are presented sequentially

    by project phase. The primary view of Sure Step activities is found by selecting the Sure Step Methodology tab (at the

    top of the screen), and the Reference tab below it.

    If youre uncertain of the project type to use, review the Guidance on Project Type Selection in the Additional

    Resources section.

    Sure Step Methodology View

    Sure Step includes a Reference view and a Documents view of the methodology. This is designed to help you

    navigate the process by using the view most useful for you at any given step.

    Reference View

    The Reference view (Sure Step Methodology > Reference View) provides you with a view of the methodology guide.

    The following key features are included (left to right, top to bottom):

    Solution, Product, and Project Type filters.

    Forward & Back Buttons. These provide a browser-like experience across hyperlinked content.

    Breadcrumb navigation. This provides improved navigation within the tool.

    Collapsible Window Sections. These enable users to maximize a content viewing area.

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    Methodology ViewControls

    Forward and

    Backward

    arrows

    Collapsible

    Sections

    Feedback and

    Contact Us

    Print and

    Reading

    Window Icons

    Solution,

    Product and

    Project Filters

    Full Text

    Search

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    Methodology ViewMethodology Sections

    Tools, Templates and

    Links

    Links to participant roles

    and owners

    Activity details

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    Documents View

    The Documents view (Sure Step Methodology > Documents View) provides users with a documents-centric view of

    the Sure Step methodology across phases. You can open documents in read-only mode from this view. To learn how

    to display editable copies of these documents, see the Sure Step Projects section.

    Sure Step MethodologyDocuments

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    User Controls:

    View Sure Step content in full-page mode:

    Click the Reading Window icon (circled in red in the following illustration) to see a full-page view of Sure Step

    content

    View Document Details for a single phase:

    In the Methodology Documents View or Projects Documents View, click a phase to see document details in sortable

    columns.

    View the owner for each deliverable:

    Both the Sure Step methodology and projects provide a documents view that includes owners in a sortable column:

    1. Click the Sure Step Methodology tab.

    2. Click the Documents sub-tab.

    3. Click a Phase button (such as Analysis).

    4. Sort by clicking on the Owner column.

    Note: You can also view deliverable owners in a similar manner from Projects.

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    Sorting on Deliverable Owner within the Documents view

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    Projects Tab Projects are groups of partner-editable Sure Step Documents. Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step provides two modes of Sure

    Step projectslocal projects and SharePoint-based projects. The details of each and their creation will be explained

    below.

    Key things to know about projects include:

    Each project created must be set for a specific Sure Step Project Type and a specific Microsoft Dynamics

    Product and Solution. New projects contain editable copies of all Sure Step documents applicable to these

    criteria.

    Projects are editable. You can customize them to leverage your own best practices or to make them

    customer- or solution-specific. You can do this by using the following methods:

    o Adding new documents (and removing unneeded ones)

    o Editing Sure Step documents

    o Automatically adding your logo to deliverables

    Projects can be copied, or cloned.

    There is no limit to the number of projects you can create. The system is designed so that a new project

    should be initiated for each customer engagement. Note, however, that storage space can be a factor; a

    single project can be more than 120 MB.

    Within the tool, you can access project documents through a Documents Viewsimilar to that used in the

    Methodology Documents Viewthat includes both single- and multi-phase views. For SharePoint-based

    projects, the tool provides a link to the Sure Step Project site, and the familiar SharePoint user interface can

    be used for project document access.

    Projects are portable. The Zip & Save feature enables you to compress files into a single-file format that can

    be imported into another Sure Step instance.

    After you've created a project, you can also use Windows Explorer to access and manipulate your project

    documents. This includes creating subfolders. As long as the subfolders are within your project's Documents

    folder, the contained documents will remain visible in the Projects view.

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    Sample:

    Note that in SharePoint-based projects, the Windows file system user interface can be accessed by choosing the

    Windows Explorer view from the SharePoint document library list of views.

    Project List

    The Project List (shown below) provides a sortable list view of Sure Step projects in a given repository. Repositories

    are project directories that you set up on the Preferences tab. You can have any number of repositories.

    From the project list you can:

    Sort by name, Project Type, etc.

    Create new projects.

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    Delete projects.

    Zip and Save projects and import projects.

    Check for Updates.

    To access the list of created Sure Step projects, click the Projects tab and then choose the Project List tab.

    Sure Step Project Creation As previously mentioned, there are two options for creating Sure Step Projects, local and SharePoint. Both are initiated

    using the Sure Step Project Creation Wizard. To create a new Sure Step project, please perform the following steps:

    1. In the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step main window, click the Projects tab.

    2. Click Project List, and then click Create New Project.

    This will start the Sure Step Project Creation Wizard.

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    3. On the Sure Step Project Creation Wizard welcome page, click Next.

    4. On the Add new project data window, choose a Solution, Product, and Engagement Type. Type your project

    name and optionally fill in the rest of the fields. Click Next to continue.

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    5. If you chose an Implementation engagement, you will make your Project Type selection. If you chose a

    Diagnostics or Optimization offering this next step will offer choices on the various elements available for

    those types of engagements. These choices mirror the methodology map found in the Sure Step Methodology.

    Make your selection and click Next to continue.

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    6. Select Local project or SharePoint-based project, and click Next.

    Choosing Local project will create a project in the document repository indicated on the Preferences tab. (This

    may be your local machine; it could also be a shared network drive.) copy the required documents to the project

    repository on the local machine. Choosing SharePoint-based project will create a project on a SharePoint

    Project site and store the project documents in one of the sites document libraries.

    7. If you chose to create a Local project in Step 6, in the resulting Ready to create project window, click Next to

    create the project on the local machine.

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    The window will show the progress toward creating the project.

    The last window of the wizard confirms that the creation has been successful, or informs you if an error has occurred.

    Clicking Finish closes the wizard and opens the Project Properties tab in the main Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step window.

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    Creating a SharePoint-Based Project If you chose to create a SharePoint-based project in Step 6, in the Site Collection and Authentication Setup window

    will appear. Enter the SharePoint Site Collection URL where you want the project to be created, and click Verify.

    The system will verify whether the SharePoint site URL is valid and whether you have sufficient permissions for creating

    a project on that site. Additionally, verification that the necessary SharePoint Sure Step project site template is present

    at the server will occur.

    URL Verification:

    You will be notified if the site URL value is not properly formatted, or if the URL is invalid, or if you do not have the

    necessary level of permissions to create a SharePoint site. (The verification is based on the user currently logged on to

    the computer. The necessary level of permissions is Full Control.) If you do not have the necessary level of permissions,

    you will be prompted to provide different credential information.

    Creating Sure Step Projects on SharePoint 2010 allows additional functionality to create the project site under another

    site. This allows for the opportunity to manage a group of projects under a parent site rather than all of the project sites

    being a child of the top-level site. For example, the top-level site may be http://DynamicsSureStep/ and the following

    examples showed the granular control of managing projects using Sure Step 2012 and SharePoint 2010:

    http://DynamicsSureStep/DynamicsGPProject

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    http://DynamicsSureStep/DynamicsAXProject

    http://DynamicsSureStep/DynamicsAXProject/DiagnosticPhaseProject

    http://DynamicsSureStep/MyDynamicsGPProjects/Contoso/DiagnosticPhaseProject

    http://DynamicsSureStep/MyDynamicsGPProjects/Contoso/ImplementationProject

    http://DynamicsSureStep/MyDynamicsGPProjects/Contoso/OptimizationOfferingProject

    SharePoint Template Verification:

    If the site template is not present and if the server is running Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 or SharePoint Office

    Server 2007, the site template will be uploaded to the appropriate location. If the site template is not present and if the

    server is running SharePoint Foundation 2010 or SharePoint Server 2010, the user will be required to set up the site

    template manually.

    SharePoint Template Setup for SharePoint 2010

    In order to create Sure Step projects on SharePoint Foundation 2010 or SharePoint Server 2010 it is necessary to

    perform the following steps on the SharePoint 2010 web server.

    1. Copy the Sure Step Project Site Template.wsp to the SharePoint 2010 web server

    a. Copy the Sure Step Project Site Template.wsp file from C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft

    Dynamics\Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step\SharePoint Templates\ to the SharePoint 2010 web server

    Note: The suggested location on the SharePoint 2010 web server to copy the Sure Step

    Project Site Template.wsp file is C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web

    Server Extensions\14\BIN\

    2. Add the Sure Step Project Site Template.wsp to the SharePoint 2010 Farm

    a. On the SharePoint 2010 web server start a Command Prompt with Administrator permissions by

    performing the following steps

    i. Start > Search for Command Prompt

    ii. Right Click on the Command Prompt program and select Run as Administrator

    iii. In the Command window navigate to the location of the SharePoint stsadm.exe

    1. Type: cd C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server

    Extensions\14\BIN

    2. Hit Enter

    3. Type: stsadm.exe -o addsolution filename Sure Step Project Site Template.wsp

    3. Deploy the Sure Step Project Site Template.wsp to the SharePoint 2010 Farm

    a. Open the SharePoint 2010 Central Administration

    b. Click System Settings

    c. Click Manage farm solutions to open the Solution Management list

    d. Click the sure step project site template.wsp

    e. Click Deploy Solution

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    i. Confirm to start deploying.

    f. Once the solution is deployed you will be returned to the Solution Management list. The status

    of the sure step project site template.wsp should be Deployed. If the status is not deployed it

    may be because in a large SharePoint 2010 Farm it may take a few minutes to deploy the

    solution to each server in the farm. Refresh the page occasionally to see whether the process is

    finished.

    4. Activate the Sure Step Project Site Template feature on each SharePoint Site Collection that will contain

    Sure Step Projects

    a. For each SharePoint site collection that will have Sure Step Projects created on it perform the

    following steps

    i. Navigate to the top site of the SharePoint site collection (Example: http://localhost

    http://localhost/sites/SureStepProjects)

    ii. Click Site Actions > Site Settings

    iii. Under the Site Collection Administration heading, click the Site Collection Features link

    1. If you dont see the Site Collection Administration group or Site Collection

    Features link, youre not a site collection administrator or you are not positioned

    at the top site of the site collection. See instructions above for navigating to the

    top site of the site collection.

    iv. Click Activate for the Sure Step Project Site Template feature

    5. Verify the Sure Step Project Site by perform a quick test to verify that the Sure Step Project Site template

    is available

    a. Navigate to the top site of the SharePoint site collection

    b. Click Site Actions > New Site

    c. Verify the Sure Step Project Site is available

    Finalizing Project Site Creation

    When the system successfully verifies your information, click Next.

    Once there are no errors, clicking the button Next takes the user to the Next page of the Project Creation wizard.

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    1. On the Project Site URL page, enter the name of the Sure Step Project site that you want to create and click

    Next. The wizard offers the site name automatically, based on the project name provided in the second step of

    the wizard. You can accept this name or type something else.

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    2. On the Ready to create new project window, click Next to initiate the project creation process.

    The window will show the progress toward creating the project. You will see information regarding both the site and the

    content being added.

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    The last window of the wizard confirms that the creation has been successful, or informs you if an error has occurred.

    If the project has been successfully created, the window will display the URL of the new project. Clicking the URL opens

    your new SharePoint project site. Clicking Finish closes the wizard and returns you to Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step.

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    Sure Step Project Management Sure Step Project usage and management varies slightly between the projects created using Local project mode and the

    ones created using SharePoint-based mode.

    Management of the Local Sure Step Projects

    1. To open Sure Step Project properties, go to the Projects List tab and click the local project link from the available

    list of projects.

    2. On the Project Properties tab, please note that not all the properties can be changed.

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    3. Clicking the Project Documents tab opens the page where Sure Step Project documents can be managed.

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    Edit Sure Step Project Properties

    1. Click the Project List tab.

    2. Select any project.

    You are back in the Properties page tor this project. Entries can be made in non-required fields.

    Both the Customer Notes and Project Notes can contain rich text, including URLs. Use these fields creatively to support

    your project administration.

    The entry made in the Project owner email field will show up in the Responsible field in the Project List.

    3. In the Project Properties tab, make any necessary changes.

    You can set the active/inactive flag at this window. Customer Notes and Project Notes can store several pages of rich

    text, enhancing project documentation.

    Add, Remove, and Reposition Project Documents

    Projects are extremely flexible. In addition to editing the Sure Step documents themselves, you can also customize

    projects by adding, removing, and changing the position of documents.

    1. Go to the Document view for a sample project.

    2. Click the Analysis phase button.

    Note: The View Setting field should be set to All Documents rather than Customer Facing Deliverables.

    3. Using the check box in the left column, select any document.

    4. Reposition this document by clicking Move Up.

    The Move Down button also can be used. Note that you can reposition documents only when no other column

    sorting is active (that is, only if you have not clicked a column header).

    Known Issue: Occasionally, you need to click multiple times to move documents.

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    5. Add a document by pressing Add Document.

    New documents show up at the bottom of the list. You can reposition them as you like.

    6. Remove a document by selecting its check box and clicking Remove Document.

    You can select multiple documents and remove them all at once.

    Create (Clone) a Sure Step Project Based on an Existing Project

    Make a copy of an existing project by pressing Clone Project in the Project Properties tab. This will create a completely

    new copy of the project.

    To create copies on SharePoint, you have to create a Local project first. Then, mark this local project as a template and

    choose Clone Project. This will open the Project Creation Wizard and take you through the steps of creating this

    project on SharePoint using the template you have chosen to clone.

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    Package Your Project by Using Zip and Save

    Zip and Save packages your entire project into a single, portable file by following these steps:

    1. From the Projects List, select a project.

    2. Click Zip and Save.

    3. Name your file and save it to your desktop.

    Sure Step Archives can contain many documents and can be large (60-160 MB).

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    Project Documents View

    The Project Documents view is similar to the Methodology > Documents view, with one essential difference:

    Documents in the Project Documents view are editable.

    Key features include:

    Edit document. Double-click a document to open and edit it in Microsoft Office.

    Locate Content in Sure Step. Right-click a document and choose Locate Content in Sure Step to view the

    Sure Step methodology related to the document.

    Add File to Phase. This enables users to add other documents to their project.

    Delete this document. This enables users to remove unneeded documents.

    Administration of SharePoint-based Sure Step Projects Now that the management of the Local Sure Step Projects has been explained, lets focus on SharePoint-based Sure Step

    Projects. The first thing that needs to be done is the setup of Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Project site. The setup is

    divided into the following sections:

    User permissions

    Top link bar

    Project Members list

    User permissions

    When a SharePoint-based Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Project site is first created, the only user allowed to open the

    site is the one who created it. That user must then set up site permissions for all the other SharePoint users or groups

    who will use the system. This is done by the standard Microsoft SharePoint procedure for adding new users and groups.

    If the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Project site creator chooses not to add any other SharePoint users or groups, he or

    she will be the only one allowed to use the project site and to access its contents.

    Top link bar

    When a Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Project site is first created, its Top link bar is empty. It does not inherit the Top

    link bar from the parent site, and the parent site does not have a link to the newly created site in its Top link bar or its

    Quick launch bar. It is up to the users of SharePoint to add (or not to add) these links. The process of adding links to the

    parent Top link bar and Quick launch baras well as adding the parent sites Top link bar to the new Sure Step Project

    siteis performed by standard SharePoint methods.

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    Project Members list

    When the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Project site is created, the lowest Web part in the right column shows the

    Project Members list. Initially, this list is empty. Adding SharePoint users and groups at the site permissions page will not

    populate this list. The site permissions page is part of the SharePoint security system, whereas the Project Members list

    is a visual presentation of the project members with their specific project roles.

    To add project members to the Project Members list, click the Project Members link, which is the title of the Project

    Members Web part. This will open Project Members list. This list can also be accessed by clicking the Project Members

    link in the Quick launch bar in the Project Management section. The management of the Project Members list is the

    same as for any other Microsoft SharePoint list.

    Document Completion Workflow

    If the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Project sites are deployed to the SharePoint Foundation 2010 or SharePoint Server

    2010, users are able to utilize the Document Completion workflow. The purpose of this workflow is to simplify the

    management of the Sure Step project documents completion process. It automates the process by creating a task for

    the documents responsible person to complete the work on the document and once the task is completed, it sends a

    notification email to the owner of the document.

    Workflow setup

    1. Once the Sure Step Project site has been successfully created, go to the Sure Step Documents document

    library.

    2. In the ribbon menu, choose Library tab and then Manage Workflow button, located on the far right.

    Choose the option Add Workflow.

    3. In the list of workflows, select the Document Completion workflow.

    4. Type the name of the workflow in the text box below and set the rest of the settings based on your

    preferences.

    5. Click OK to save and create a new workflow.

    Using the workflow

    1. Once the workflow has been set up, you may proceed with the workflow utilization.

    2. Before you begin, make sure that you have set up the Project Members list. This is important because

    document owner property must match the project member's roles.

    3. Open the Sure Step Documents document library.

    4. Choose the document for which you wish to utilize the workflow and open its properties for editing.

    5. In the Owner field, choose the appropriate role. Note that the user that matches the role in the Project

    Members list will become the owner of the document.

    6. In the Responsible Person field, type the user name of the person that is responsible for the tasks

    related to the document.

    7. Save the changes made to return to the Sure Step Documents document library.

    8. For the same document, open the drop-down menu and choose Workflows option.

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    9. In the workflow settings page, click the name of the workflow you have created earlier in the workflow

    setup procedure.

    10. The workflow has been initiated for that document, i.e. a new task is created in the Tasks list for the

    document's responsible person. If the outgoing email settings are properly set in SharePoint, the

    responsible user will get a notification email that a task has been created for her or him.

    11. Once the responsible person finishes her or his work on the document, she or he should update the

    task's status to Completed.

    12. Once the task has been marked as completed, the owner of the document, set in the step 5, will get an

    email that reports of the document activity.

    Content of the SharePoint-based Sure Step Project Sites In the following sections describe all the components of the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Project site. The content is

    divided into the following topics:

    Sure Step Documents document library

    Shared Documents document library

    Announcements list

    Calendar list

    Tasks list

    Project Information list

    Project Members list

    Resources Links list

    Sure Step Documents document library

    Sure Step Documents document library is the central repository of the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Project site. It is

    used to store all the Microsoft Dynamics Project documents.

    This document library is equipped with a number of views:

    By document project phase. You can filter documents by the phase to which they pertain: Diagnostic, Analysis,

    Design, Development, Deployment, and Operation.

    By cross phase. You can filter documents by the cross phases to which they pertain: Program Management,

    Training, Business Process Analysis, Requirements and Configuration, Custom Code Development, Quality and

    Testing, Technical Infrastructure, Integration and Interfaces, and Data Migration.

    By completion status. You can sort all Sure Step project documents by Status.

    By author. You can sort all Sure Step project documents by the author of the document.

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    The Sure Step Documents document library contains six links at the top of the window, each representing one of the

    Sure Step project document phases. Clicking on the phase image takes the user to the particular phase.

    The content of this document library can be accessed from the sites home page, where all the Microsoft Dynamics Sure

    Step project documents are shown, grouped by phases. Clicking the phase name takes the user to that particular phase,

    displaying relevant project documents. Finally, on the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Project site Quick launch bar, a link

    to the Sure Step Documents document library is located in the Documents section.

    Shared Documents document library

    The Shared Documents document library should be used to store any type of documents that are valuable to the project

    but are not part of the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step project document set. For example, meeting notes, status reports,

    or any other supplemental documents should be placed here.

    Announcements list

    The Announcements list should hold information about announcements related to the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step

    Project that are relevant to the project team.

    Calendar list

    The Calendar list should hold the information about the project events, meetings, milestones, and other important

    project dates.

    Tasks list

    The Task list should hold the information about project members tasks. It can be a powerful tool for the project

    management team since it provides a unified location for tracking project task progress.

    Project Information list

    The Project Information list is mainly used to view project properties, which were originally entered through the project

    creation wizard. List items can be edited, but changes made in the Project site will not be reflected in the Sure Step

    project documents.

    Project Members list

    The Project Members list is used to view information about the project members and their roles in the project. The

    content of this list is not related to the Site permissions page, as explained in the previous section.

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    Resources Links list

    The Resources Links list should hold links to external locations that are valuable to the project team members. Users can

    add additional resources to this list. The following locations are provided by default: the Microsoft Dynamics User Guide,

    the Frequently Asked Questions site, the Sure Step Training and Additional Resources site, and the Partner Community

    site.

    Change Project Repositories Repositories are local or shared directories of Sure Step projects.

    1. Click the Preferences tab.

    2. In the Project Repository section, note the current directory setting for your projects.

    3. Click the button and create a new directory on your Desktop called Test Sure Step repository.

    It is easy to switch back and forth between repositories by changing this setting.

    4. Click Save.

    5. Click the Projects tab.

    If this is a new folder, there will be no projects shown in this repository.

    Import an Archived Project into a Repository

    1. On the Projects tab, click Import Project.

    2. Navigate to your Desktop and choose an archived file (look in the folder noted in Step 2.)

    The project is now located in the repository.

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    Common Tasks

    Using the Logo Wizard to Put Your Companys Logo and Project Information in Sure Step Deliverables

    Note: Logo changes must be started from the Sure Step client for both Local and SharePoint-based projects.

    Sure Step makes it easy to add project information and a partner or customer logo to all project deliverables. The

    placeholder designated for logos is 193x162 pixels. The logo wizard will resize your custom logo to this size. For the

    following exercise, copy your company logo or any graphic you choose into a graphic or photo editing program (such as

    Microsoft Paint) and save it as a 193x162 pixel image in GIF, JPG, BMP, or PNG format.

    This wizard can also place your Project Name and Customer Name, as entered on the Project Properties tab, into all

    Microsoft Word deliverables within this project. In Microsoft Office Word, you can refresh the field placeholders by

    pressing Ctrl+A+F9.

    1. Open a project that you want to update.

    2. On the Project Properties tab, click Change Logo.

    3. Browse to and select your logo.

    4. Click Update Project Documents.

    5. Click Save.

    Test the logo change by opening a document and looking at its logo.

    6. Click the Project Documents tab, Click the Deployment phase, and open the Word document Go Live

    Checklist.

    Notice that the logo has changed to the one you selected.

    You can refresh fields in Microsoft Word for Customer and Project Name by selecting the fields and pressing the F9

    key.

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    Logo Wizard on the Project Properties tab

    How to Share Project Deliverables with Clients

    Project deliverables are simply Microsoft Office Documents. You share these with clients the same way you would other

    office documents (by e-mail, and so on). For example:

    1. Open a project documents page.

    2. Open a deliverable document.

    3. Use the documents Send command to include it in an e-mail message.

    How to Work From a Shared Project Repository for Your Team

    Sure Step Project Repositories are similar to network shares. For your team to work off a shared project

    repository:

    1. Create a folder on a network share accessible to team members.

    2. In Sure Step, click the Preferences tab.

    3. Click , find and select the folder that you just created, and click Save.

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    Sure Step will only save projects to this shared project repository if you chose to create a local project in the project

    creation wizard. (Choosing the SharePoint based project option in the wizard is another way to create a project in a

    shared environment.)

    Note: It is easy to toggle between repositories by changing the location on the Preferences tab.

    Setting the Project Repository to a Shared Drive

    How to incorporate your V1 customizations into the new version of Sure Step projects

    Sure Step Version 1 enabled users to modify the Sure Step methodology, including document templates. To

    incorporate V1 customizations into the current Sure Step release: This will only be used for local projects when

    you create.

    1. In Sure Step V1, save modified documents into a single directory.

    2. If you made significant changes to the methodology itself, copy and paste the changes into one or more

    Word documents and save then documents in the same directory as your V1 documents.

    These custom activity notes will only be visible from within your project documents view. They will not appear in

    the Sure Step Methodology view.

    3. In the current version of Sure Step, create a new Project based on the V1 Microsoft Dynamics product

    and project type.

    4. On the Project tab, click the Project Documents tab and add your documents to their respective project

    phases.

    5. Use the Move Up and Move Down commands to position the documents as needed.

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    Project Phase View showing V1 custom Activities and Deliverables

    Using SharePoint to Share Documents and Collaborate on Projects (without the Sure Step Project Site

    Template)

    The following steps may help you configure Sure Step to use Microsoft Office SharePoint Server as a document

    repository.

    By default, Sure Step projects are stored locally on your PC in the users documents folder.

    On Windows 7 and Windows Vista:

    C:\Users\\Documents\Microsoft Dynamics\Sure Step Projects

    On Windows XP:

    C:\Documents and Settings\\Documents\Microsoft Dynamics\Sure Step Projects

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    Note: You might need to make multiple changes to these steps to make the solution fit your network and software

    configuration.

    1. If you do not already have an existing SharePoint Server site to use, create one. Sample: Sure Step WS. For this

    sample, the Document Workspace template was selected:

    2. On each client PC with Sure Step installed, map the site to a network drive.

    In Windows 7 and Windows Vista, click Start, click Computer, right-click Computer, and select Map Network

    Drive.

    Alternatively, in Windows XP, open Windows Explorer and right-click My Network Places.

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    3. In the Folder field of the Map Network Drive dialog box, enter the URL for the site collection that you specified

    when you created the project by using the project creation wizard.

    4. In Sure Step, select the Preferences tab, change the Project Repository path, and click Save.

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    When you open the Projects tab, you will see a list of all projects, both local and SharePoint-based. To open a project,

    click its name in the list. You can create a new project, or you can copy an existing project into the new project

    repository folder. You can work on the documents either from the Sure Step application or directly from within

    SharePoint, as pictured in the following illustration.

    Note: Working on a network drive or an Office SharePoint Server site affects the overall performance of the Sure Step

    application, depending on the connection speed. Part of the creation of the new project is the copying of appropriate

    templates to the new repository, which may take a few minutes.

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    Resources Tab

    The Sure Step Resources tab makes it easy to stay connected with the latest Sure Step developments and resources. It

    includes links to the following resources:

    Sure Step User Guide

    Training

    Updates

    Additional Resources

    These resources are constantly being improved and refined. Revisit them on a regular basis to view changes and

    maximize benefits from them.

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    Preferences Tab

    From the Preferences tab, you can complete the following tasks:

    Change the project repository. This can be a local drive or a team share. The projects in a repository are those

    you can view and edit from the Projects tab.

    Check for and install Language and Sure Step tool updates.

    Set the default language. If you have multiple languages installed, you can view only one at a time from the Sure

    Step Methodology tab.

    Note: Language settings do not affect existing projects, which already contain a set of documents. The default

    language setting affects which documents will be used to create new projects. For example, if your default

    language is Spanish, documents for new projects will be based on the Spanish Sure Step version.

    Set the default Company Logo. This will be the default logo available for applying to projects (see the How to Put

    Your Companys Logo in Sure Step Deliverables section in this document). Most graphic formats will work (such

    as PNG or JPEG). The recommended logo size is 193x162 pixels, matching the logo placeholder within the Sure

    Step documents, but the logo wizard will resize your logo to fit.

    Set the Sure Step start page.

    Restore Preferences defaults.

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    Updating Sure Step We are constantly working to improve Sure Step. There are three types of updates that will be available to you

    online:

    Methodology updates. Improvements to the existing Sure Step methodology content, including Tools &

    Templates.

    Methodology Translations. Sure Step already is available in multiple languages. Additional language packs

    will be made available for download as they are ready.

    The Sure Step Client. New features and other improvements.

    To update Sure Step:

    From the Preferences tab, click Check for Updates and also select Automatically Check for Updates on

    Startup.

    Available languages will appear in the list. An Update link to the site where updates can be downloaded will appear as

    appropriate.

    If a Client update available, a Get Client Update button will appear below the listed languages. Click this to go to the site

    where you can install the client.

    Switching between languages You can manage multiple language versions of Sure Step at the same time (see the previous section, Updating Sure

    Step). For some languages, Sure Step content is available in multiple language packs. For these, the description for each

    language pack identifies the release date for the content and indicates whether the content is fully translated or

    whether only selected template files have been translated.

    To switch between installed languages:

    1. On the Preferences tab, find the language you want to switch to

    If the language you wish to select is not installed, you will need to click the Update button.

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    2. Select the Default radio button.

    3. Click Save. The selected language will now become the default language.

    When you switch languages, the methodology and associated documents will switch to the new language. New projects

    you create will also be based on the new language. Existing projects, however, will remain unchanged and will remain in

    whatever language they were created in. Existing projects also will be linked (via the Locate Content In feature) to

    content in the language in which they were created. You may add documents in any language to these projects,

    however.

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    Search Tab

    Search Sure Step Core Content and Project Files

    You can access the Sure Step search feature in three ways:

    Enter a search term in the box in the upper right part of the window and click the magnifying glass

    button.

    If you have previously used the search feature within Sure Step, you can click the search box arrow to see

    your most recent eight searches. After selecting one, click the magnifying glass to execute the search.

    Click the Search tab.

    Note: you must have Windows Desktop Search installed on your computer to use the search feature.

    On the Search tab, no results are shown until you use the search box. Results will then be displayed in the Search panel.

    Search results will be based on the full-text search of the Sure Step content and any documents in the project that you

    have currently selected.

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    On the Search tab, you can navigate to a Sure Step Activity page, open a document, sort the search results by any visible

    column, and expand or collapse groups of search results. The controls for this are shown in the following image.

    To open a document, double-click its name. To sort the search results, click the column header boxes. To expand and

    collapse information, use the double arrows in the group header bar.

    Navigate /

    Open

    Sort Expand /

    Collapse

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    If you left-click any document in the search results, the document's metadata will be displayed at the bottom of the

    screen as shown in the following illustration. Because this metadata is used by the Advanced Filtering feature, it can be

    very helpful to see it.

    To refine your search, you can use the Advanced Filtering function. To access it, click the double arrow on the Advanced

    Filter bar. When the Advanced Filter section is open, you can collapse this part of the screen by using the same control.

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    The Advanced Filter function looks like the following screenshot. This filtering is dynamic: Search results that have

    already been returned will be immediately filtered based on the selections you make. You can expand the view of the

    metadata sets on the left side of the screen to select the specific value(s) you want. If no boxes are checked in the

    options for a given field, no filtering will be done based on that field. When you a check box, only the documents with

    the setting checked will be shown.

    You may select multiple items by which to filter your search. Only those documents that match all the filter criteria

    you've set will be displayed.

    These filter settings apply only to your current search results, and not to any other view in Sure Step. The Reset button

    clears the search term, any filter settings, and the search results. The Clear All Filter button clears filter settings, and any

    search results will remove filtering from the view.

    To include a project in the search, go to the Project List and select a project by clicking its name. Your project name

    should appear in the location circled in the following screenshot. Then, when you proceed to execute your search using

    the features described above, the selected project will be included in the results.

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    Troubleshooting and Support

    PartnerSource or CustomerSource should be your primary resource for training, resources, and troubleshooting.

    Documents that can be found there include:

    Sure Step User Guide.

    Sure Step Release Notes, which identify enhancements to the latest version of Sure Step.

    Training material.

    For Partners, support of the Sure Step tool is managed through the Microsoft Dynamics Partner forums. This should be

    your first avenue for supporting your Sure Step installation and usage questions. You can share information with other

    partners and gain direct support from the Sure Step Support team by accessing the online Sure Step Forums.

    For Customers, support of the Sure Step tool is m