The Project Network - MPUG
Transcript of The Project Network - MPUG
The Newsletter of the Official Community Supporting Microsoft® Office Project Volume 7, Issue 3–2003
Microsoft® Office Project 2003 offers a set of
products that will allow organizations to better
manage project information and act on that
information quickly to satisfy colleagues, customers and
partners. Chief among these products is the Microsoft
Office Project 2003 Enterprise Project Management
(EPM) Solution, which combines client, server and Web-
based technology, specifically Microsoft Office Project
Professional 2003, Microsoft Office Project Server 2003
and Microsoft Office Project Web Access 2003, to supply
everything a business needs to orchestrate company-wide
projects smoothly and sustain a competitive edge in its
industry.
Project Professional 2003 operates as the project
management program for EPM and can be used to
connect to Project Server 2003. In turn, Project Server
2003 provides a central place for employees to publish
project and resource information. Project Server 2003 is
Microsoft® Office Project 2003 EPM Solution EnhancesBusiness Decision Making, Analysis and Success
The Project Network
Continued on page three
In This Issue:
1 Microsoft Office Project 2003 –EPM Solution Enhances BusinessDecision Making, Analysis and Success
4 Pcubed Perspective – A Case for Using a Proven Path
6 Ask Brian – The Top Fourteen Coolest Things About Project Server 2003
9 The Power of Views...and How to Create Them
13 Tommy’s Tips – Continuing and Displaying the Number of Resources per Task with Macros
15 Workaround for Importing Enterprise ProjectData
MPUG-Global sponsored by:
integrated with Microsoft Windows® SharePoint™
Services for document management capabilities (now
including versioning and check-in/check-out); risk
tracking and other collaboration tools that enable team
members to better coordinate projects regardless of their
geographic locations. Users connect to Project Server
2003 through Project Professional 2003 and Project Web
Access 2003 to save, retrieve and interact with Project
Server 2003 data.
With Project Web Access 2003 project managers and team
members can easily view and update information on the
Project Server 2003, and employees at all levels can
become instantly vested in a project’s outcome.
Combined, this total EPM solution enables organizations
to set goals and streamline the manner in which they
achieve them. This EPM solution also helps organizations
make better-informed decisions, simplify their key
business processes by reducing unnecessary work, make
teamwork easy and intuitive and enable their employees
to have a greater impact in what can be a demanding,
competitive and stressful business environment.
The EPM solution is very flexible. With it, organizations
are provided up-to-the-minute information so employees
can optimize limited resources by prioritizing projects
and synchronizing individual initiatives with the
organization’s overall business objectives. Moreover, it is
unique among management systems because it ensures
widespread participation using familiar, integrated tools.
Housed within the new Microsoft Office System,
organizations know going in these tools are easy to use
and will not require significant training and support costs.
“Our customers have requested, and we have delivered,
this next-generation EPM solution, which helps
www.mpug.org
From the Editor
A s I sit here writing on the eve of
my summer vacation, I find it
hard to believe that we are
already in the month of September;
and whilst so much has happened this
year, there is still so much to look
forward to. As Microsoft® Office
Project bursts into the marketplace,
MPUG-Global is continuing to con-
centrate on providing members with
new and improved benefits, technical
content and the latest information as and when it happens.
As a project manager, it is important to keep abreast with
any new developments and make sure that you can
respond in the most effective manner. Over the last year,
MPUG-Global has worked closely with Microsoft to report
on the launch of the Microsoft Office System — and in
particular Microsoft Office Project 2003. Working months
before the product was launched, we pulled our
newsletter schedule forward to ensure that we
synchronized our messaging, providing up to the minute
news, as the release of Microsoft Office Project was
announced. It’s important that MPUG-Global builds on the
content we deliver, and in this issue we have done just that
as featured columnist Brian Kennemer provides insight
into the new tool with his quick-hit “Top Fourteen Coolest
Things about Microsoft Office Project Server 2003”.
As a sponsor, Microsoft has been working with MPUG-
Global on several other initiatives to provide even more
member benefits. MPUG-Global members indicated that
they value special offers provided by Microsoft, so we have
built on these over the last year. Whilst we have always
been able to offer members the opportunity to beta test
the new version of the Microsoft Project tool, this year we
have worked to provide even more special offers and
benefits, including a 120-day evaluation of Microsoft
Project Server and Microsoft Project Professional, a
Microsoft Project Solutions Guide, the Right Tools for theJob CD pack, and the opportunity to attend Web Casts and
Chats, meetings and presentations given by high-level
Microsoft personnel. MPUG-Global members also
attended the Microsoft Project Technical Briefing
(previously only open to Microsoft Project Solution
Providers) in Redmond, an exclusive invitation extended
to the MPUG-Global community. These are just a few of the
initiatives that we have been working on, and as this
relationship develops, we hope to bring you more.
As the Microsoft Project tool has evolved, so has TheProject Network, which has changed dramatically both in
look and feel. As the editor, I always look for ways to
improve the quality and information provided in the
Liz Curwen
Continued on page three
The Official Community SupportingMicrosoft Office Project
Email: [email protected] Web: www.mpug.org
MPUG-Global World Headquarters3923 Ranchero Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108 (U.S.A.)
Phone: 734.741.0841 Fax: 734.741.1343
MPUG-Global U.K. Office#10 Bloomsbury Street, London WC1B 3SR (U.K.)
Phone: +44 (0)7905 326001 Fax: +44 (0)20 7462 0101
MPUG-Global Board of DirectorsPresident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Marguerite KimballVice President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .JD HouseSecretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Heidi OstrowskiExecutive Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Christine BuonocoreChapter Relations Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tim CermakCommunications Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Liz CurwenInformation Systems Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kirk VantineMicrosoft Project Technical Director . . . . . . . . . . . .Mike ScanlonDirector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Anthony GreavesDirector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Richard Siddle
The Project Network NewsletterEditor in Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Liz Curwen
Editorial content: Articles, case studies, and tips are welcome! Please email LizCurwen at [email protected]. Entries may be edited for clarity and length.
Advertising: Advertising is open to any authorized Microsoft Office Project Consultantor Service Provider. For a Media Kit, email [email protected].
The Project Network is a quarterly publication dedicated to inform themembership of MPUG-Global. The information published herein is believed to bereliable; however, the editor and other individuals associated with this periodicalassume no responsibility for inaccuracies or omissions. Publication ofadvertisements in this newsletter does not necessarily constitute an endorsementby MPUG-Global. Signed columns are the opinions of their writers and notnecessarily the opinion of the publishers.
© Copyright 2003 MPUG-Global. All rights reserved.
MPUG-Global Mission
To provide MPUG-Global members witha forum to exchange ideas, support, and
experience in order to improve understandingand utilization of Microsoft Office Project.
MPUG-Global is an independent organizationformed with the support and
recognition of Microsoft.
We at Microsoft recognize MPUG-Global as theofficial international community supportingMicrosoft Office Project. We recommend MPUGas a vital resource to any level of the MicrosoftOffice Project user seeking a community of peersto enhance their experience with this tool.
Chris Capossela, General Manager ofMicrosoft Office Project, Microsoft Corporation
newsletter. In addition to collaborating with Microsoft on
the lead articles over the last year, we have included more
how-to articles, tips, tricks and case studies than ever
before, and this issue is no different. I am pleased to
announce the launch of a new column in The ProjectNetwork, provided by MPUG-Global’s founder and
sponsor, Enterprise Premier Solution Provider, Pcubed.
Drawing on vast customer experience and expertise, the
Pcubed Perspective column provides a blend of strategic
and technical content, with a varied look at Microsoft
Project and how it is being implemented and used within
the marketplace. The column will draw on Pcubed’s
knowledge of server based solutions, software imple-
mentation, and technical support, looking not only at how
to utilise the Microsoft Project tool more effectively, but
also providing real insight as to the reasons why. It’s an
exciting new development for MPUG-Global, so make sure
you check out the first of many Pcubed Perspective
columns.
As I said, there is still so much to look forward to and
MPUG-Global is always working to build on the
community and the member benefits we provide.
Many of you have said that one of best aspects of
MPUG-Global is that it is such good value, and that
isn’t going to change. In fact, MPUG-Global continues
to work on the service that we provide, whilst
sustaining your membership fee at the lowest possible
rate. With all that in mind, make sure you don’t miss
out on what MPUG-Global has in store for you for
2004. To protect your investment in the Microsoft
Project tool, and make the most out of the MPUG-
Global community...renew your membershiptoday. The box below provides more details, but for
those of you who are ready to renew, simply visit
https://www.mpug.org/secure/renew.asp.
Best regards,
Liz Curwen, Editor
From the Editor(continued from page two)
Microsoft Office Project 2003(continued from page one)
▼
companies simplify the steps required for all team
members to update their work status,” says Microsoft’s
Giovanni Mezgec, Group Product Manager of the Project
Business Unit. “Not only does Microsoft’s Project 2003
EPM help executives monitor initiatives and synchronize
them with overall business strategies, it makes it easier
for project managers and team members alike to
participate into the process, ensuring that work is
completed on time and under budget.”
As part of the Microsoft Office System, the EPM solution
offers all employees — from entry-level to top-tier
management — a chance to weigh in on projects and
help facilitate the analysis and decision-making process.
Thanks to a customizable scorecard view of projects,
managers will be able to monitor business metrics and
adjust employee workflow as necessary (problem areas
are also easily identified). For information sharing and
coordination, the EPM solution empowers team
members to participate, report progress and collaborate
on projects. It reduces administrative work while
maintaining up-to-date status on project schedules and
budgets through Web-based Timesheets and Microsoft
Outlook Calendar integration, as well as improves team
coordination through Web portals and automatic
notifications. Organizations also can centrally store, link
and share information related to project plans.
In terms of bottom line, the EPM solution allows
organizations to more efficiently manage their projects
from the financial perspective by establishing repeatable
processes and maximizing resources to reduce costs,
improve quality and shorten time to market. Using this
system, organizations will be able to effectively assign
people to projects and track and manage across an
organization with skill-based resource assignment tools.
Organizations also can establish processes and rules for
reporting and approving time worked on projects to
ensure data accuracy.
Finally, at the architectural level, the EPM Solution’s
architecture provides the flexibility and security to share
data with other systems, customize the solution to align
with business processes and scale as business needs
grow. It helps to compile up-to-date portfolio-related
information via better integration with existing systems
using industry standard XML and makes it easier to
customize and integrate Project Server 2003 data through
extensive API connections.
Microsoft Office Project 2003 EPM can be extended to
suit specific business requirements with Project Data
Service (PDS) enhancements, VBA/object model changes
and an improved project guide. For more information, go
to http://www.microsoft.com/office/project/
▼
Renew your MPUG-Global membership by 28th November2003, and you will be entered into a drawing to win a FREEcopy of Microsoft Office Project 2003. For moreinformation please visit the MPUG-Global web site(www.mpug.org).
Renew online at https://www.mpug.org/secure/renew.aspor request an invoice at [email protected].
Protect Your Investment in Microsoft Project . . .Renew your MPUG-Global Membership Today!
More and more businesses today are moving towards
enterprise-wide project management solutions. Microsoft
Project Server 2002 Professional and Project Web Access are
often the solution of choice. The benefit cases being
produced are showing strong potential returns. This is great!
Note however, as many businesses have little experience in
implementing a department or enterprise-wide project
management solution, they often experience difficulties in
implementing these server-based solutions. This case study
outlines how one company utilized a proven path to success.
This entailed: 1) finding out where to start from; 2) developing a prioritized list of benefits to be achieved; and 3)
implementing the biggest hitting/easiest-to-implement components first.
Fast Growing Pharmaceutical Business IT Department
While in the planning cycles for 2003, this fast growing pharmaceutical company (name withheld for confidentiality reasons;
we’ll call it ABC Pharma) recognized it was faced with enormous growth, and needed to significantly increase the number of
large IT projects. For a relatively young business, this growth represented a significant opportunity to invest in its current
processes, but had its risks.
Thankfully, ABC Pharma had budgeted for a project management solution and chose to use Microsoft Project 2002. A team leader
was appointed to work with a team of experienced project managers who defined ABC Pharma’s requirements as follows:
• Methodology integration via standard templates
• Improved project scheduling
• Resource management
• Time recording
• Portfolio reporting
The first step was to create a testing environment; a few target projects were selected to experiment with Microsoft Project
2002. While it seemed that the new product was installed correctly, the first few times using the tool proved very frustrating.
Installing Microsoft Project on the desktop had been very straightforward: users simply inserted the CD, installed the program
and started using the tool. Yet this server-based solution didn’t seem to operate that way...not all of the functions were
working; Sharepoint Team Services was not working; and there was a lot to think about regarding the enterprise coding
structure. However, once we examined the installation, we found ABC Pharma had not started with a clean server and had
some conflicting applications. That was easy to fix!
Although ABC Pharma’s requirements were similar to those we had seen in other businesses, a closer review of the
documentation from a few existing projects showed a low level of standardization. It also revealed that very few projects could
status their plans, which was a great concern.
To develop a plan to reach your goals, you must first know where you are starting
The current levels of ABC Pharma’s project management capabilities were assessed, and while it had some experienced
project managers, there was not a lot of project structure and standards. ABC Pharma believed that strong managers would
be able to adapt the tool. We provided a simple message in reply: “Assuming you have strong people to install and manage
the product is not enough. Employees need to have the relevant skills, and business processes must be in place and be strong
enough to support the desired end product.” In order to plan for a successful implementation, ABC Pharma needed to view
its current capabilities and assess its current level of project management maturity.
The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) was used to measure its current level of project management
maturity. The results showed that ABC Pharma was at an average rating of 1.7 with some areas exceeding 2.0 (result summary
A Case for Using a Proven PathBy Joe Luciano, Pcubed (Member, New Jersey, USA)
Pcubed (www.pcubed.com) is a Microsoft EnterprisePremier Solution Provider, specializing in EPM, serverbased solutions, software implementation, customizedtraining and technical support.
Drawing on vast customer experience and expertisePcubed Perspective provides a blend of strategic andtechnical content, with a varied look at Microsoft Projectand how it is being implemented and used within themarketplace.
Pcubed Perspective
Continued on page five
>
Aligning and Managing IT Value Requires more than Project Management
While many organizations are led to believe that project management is the most critical component in managing ITvalue, organizations who focus only on PM ignore approximately 50% of the work of an IT operation and fail to leverage non-project based effort for corporate strategy and alignment.
By providing a comprehensive solution for IT work management, including bi-directional integration to MSP and non-project based work, organizations can effectively align and manage IT value.
Changepoint includes:
• Portfolio Management• Bi-directional integration with Microsoft Project• Extensive Resource Management• Complete Financial Management
• Time and Expense Management• Request Management• Client Relationship Management• Individual Performance Management
Contact us today to see how Changepoint goes beyond standard project management to provide greater IT Value.www.changepoint.com/mpug1
Pcubed Perspective(continued from page four)
shown in Figure 1). This was encouraging! In over 100 assessments in our database,
most businesses fell below 1.5, so this was a good sign. There was strong evidence
that ABC Pharma would be able to provide strong input to create a standard project
management practice.
Develop a prioritized list of benefits to be achievedResource management and time recording were not considered the most important
benefits for ABC Pharma. They were desirable next steps, but could be postponed.
The management team decided to hold off on attacking these functions, and to focus
instead on harvesting the benefits of portfolio and improved project management. It
was also considered important to see what future releases of Microsoft Project were
offered, while the company’s people and processes matured.
Implement the biggest hitting/easiest-to-implement components firstDeveloping a proven path for ABC Pharma included a training program, some
process and standard template development in weak areas, as well as matching the
highest-level benefits to the easiest-to-implement tool components. As for ABC
Pharma, the team started by focusing on producing accurate project plans as well as managing and reporting project status.
From there it was simple to produce an overall view of portfolio health.
ConclusionABC Pharma today is extremely pleased with its server based project management solution. Following the rapid deployment,
management and stakeholders quickly reached the point where they felt more in touch with the business as a whole. On the
ground, project managers noted more control in managing the projects on a day-to-day basis. ABC Pharma has embraced the
concept of a proven path, and is actually using proven measurement techniques (put in place by us) to monitor its
improvement and project management maturity.
▼
© Copyright 2003 Pcubed. All rights reserved.
Figure 1
The Top Fourteen Coolest Things
About Project Server 2003
Ok, so I am no David Letterman (so they are not all going to
be funny) but here is my shot at the “Top Fourteen” list
regarding Project Server 2003 and its new and improved
features, and why you should care.
14. Lockdowns, Lockdowns, oh yeah and...Lockdowns!Timesheet Period Lockdown: Administrators can define
specific reporting periods, and then lock past periods so they
cannot be edited unless a user has specific permissions to
adjust locked time periods. This allows for better control of
timesheet data particularly when integrating with accounting
systems.
Actual Work Lockdowns: This feature allows administrators
to set-up Project Server so that Project Managers cannot edit
Actual Work on tasks where Resources have submitted
timesheets via PWA. This solves the problem of Project
Managers accidentally editing the status information given to
them by a Resource.
Baseline Lockdowns: Project Server 2003 has a new
permission called “Save Baseline”, which allows
administrators to set which users are allowed to save
baselines on projects in Project Professional. Now a Project
Manager cannot accidentally (or not so accidentally) save
over the top of an existing baseline, which if done, can have
an adverse effect on functions such as Earned Value
reporting.
13. Sample DatabaseProject Server 2003 ships with a sample database that can be
installed and used to see how the features of the new product
need to be implemented. The database will assist some
organizations to see how features they may be unfamiliar
with, such as Portfolio Analyzer views or Outline Codes, can
be used effectively. The database also comes with a role-based
demo script, which shows how different types of users such
as the administrator or project manager, uses the tool.
12. You no longer need a degree in physics to installProject Server!
Ask Brian
Brian Kennemer is a Microsoft Office Project MVP andProject Specialist for QuantumPM. Along with penning thiscolumn, Brian is also the Vice President for the MPUG-GlobalPuget Sound Chapter.
Ask Brian covers topics appearing in the Microsoft OfficeProject Support Newsgroup, where people with questionsabout Microsoft Office Project can interact and seeksolutions. Members can find this newsgroup and many morein the Members Only Section, www.mpug.org/members.asp
Continued on page seven
Ask Brian(continued from page six)
The improved set-up “wizard” takes a lot of the guesswork out
of installing Project Server 2003, particularly if “multi-box”
environment (where Session Manager and/or Views Processing
services will be on different machines from the main “Front
end” machine) is being installed. This new set-up routine also
attempts to automatically detect the Proxy Server settings for
your network and will run Proxycfg.exe for you. This will add
years to the life of the person installing the product!
11. Proposed Booking of ResourcesWhile this may seem like a small thing, it is huge if you are
running a Professional Services company where they have
been doing this for years (they call it “Soft Booking”). It allows
Project Managers to request specific resources with a
“proposed” assignment in much the same way that Generic
Resources allow them to request a skill. Resource Managers
can then view these proposed bookings (which amount to
the real demand for that specific resource across the
organization) of their resources and then make decisions
about how best to staff projects.
10. Active Directory SynchronizationNow Administrators can link the Project Server Enterprise
Resource Pool to specific Active Directory Group, so any
member of the Active Directory Group is automatically added
to Project Server as a Resource. You can also use a related
feature to link Project Server Security Groups to Active
Directory groups; this feature ensures that any member of a
given AD Group is automatically added to the Project Server
Group. It is important to add here that this is a one-way
operation and at no time is the AD group ever changed or
modified in any way.
9. Performance EnhancementsOk, well this can split into two different things:
• DB partitioning: One of the things the product team
found during their testing of Project 2002 was that the
performance of the SQL Server machine was NOT based on
processor usage, system RAM or disk access. Instead, they
found that it was the network card that was providing the
bottleneck. To help alleviate this issue, Microsoft has made it
possible to divide the Project Server database into three
separate databases, which can be placed on their own
individual SQL Server machine. This distributes the network
load across three servers and will, for very large deployments,
allow for improved performance.
• Faster Project and Resource Pool Opening: I don’t know
how they did it, but they did! I watched a demo where they
had the same database in two systems, one Project Server
2002 and the other had it converted to 2003. The same
project in both systems was opened into Professional.
Continued on page eight
Ask Brian(continued from page seven)
Results: 2002 took about 6 minutes. 2003 took about 10
seconds. Enough said.
8. Use ASP, DAP, C#, C++ or VB to customize PWA orIntegrate with your PSA or ERP via the PDS!! (HUH?)I swear that if you were a developer this one would be really,
really cool! Project Server 2003 adds about a billion new PDS
methods. (Well OK maybe only about 100, but that’s still a
lot!) For the rest us, this means that it is now much easier to
build customizations for, and integrations with, Project
Server. The full timesheet and custom field API makes it much
easier to build custom solutions around Project Server. There
are also new methods that make it easy for developers to
programmatically create new projects and resources as well
as associating a resource with a specific project and assigning
tasks to resources.
7. A New Outlook on...OutlookIt’s likely to be the first application your resources open in the
morning and the last one they close at night. Now they can
load up an Outlook COM add-in, providing some new forms,
options and menus to Outlook (2000 or higher) that will let
them have full access to the task assignments they are given
in Project Server 2003. It adds a new tab to the calendar item
dialog that contains the controls required to let them update
the status of that assignment right in Outlook. What this really
means is that PWS users can now choose which application
they want to use to provide a status update to their Project
Managers.
6. A bunch of cool stuff that I don’t have space enoughto give them their own numbers...Give me a break, Ialready had to make it a Top 14 list!Administrative Projects: This is a new type of project that
makes it easier to track the work that Resources do that is not
part of a regular project.
Grid Printing in PWA: The Timesheet, Project Center and
Resource Center views now support printing. (Woo-hoo!)
PM Self Check-In: Project Managers can now check-in their
own projects if they become “stuck” in a checked-out state.
Improved Filters (value lists show up when creatingfilters): When building a filter that includes a field that has a
pick list (or lookup table) associated with it, the filter dialog
will automatically have the pick list or lookup table values
available for the building of the filter. No more hand entering
the values!
Copy Picture to Office Wizard: This is a cool little wizard
that walks users through the process of formatting and
adjusting Project Professional for the creation of a screen shot
for use in other Office applications.
Deleting Resources: Yes! Administrators can now easily
delete resources from the Pool.
5. Now you Really, Really don’t need to save/publishMaster Projects.
You can now select several projects or select a group header
and then open all of them in Project Professional, thanks to a
new feature added to the Project Center views in Project
Server 2003. Using this creates a temporary master project
and inserts the selected projects into it, so that users can see
how projects interact at a task level. Now, you no longer have
to save master projects to the Project Server. Those users who
need to see a master project can just select the projects and
click on “Open” on the Project Center toolbar.
4. “What do you mean Microsoft said our resourcemanagers don’t need to buy a copy of Project Pro!?”That’s right, so take note. Project Server 2003 adds a feature
specifically aimed at moving functionality from Project
Professional into Project Web Access. The product team found
that most Resource Managers only needed Project
Professional on their desktops in order to use the Build Team
from Enterprise feature and that was the ONLY thing they
used in Professional. So the team added a “lite” version of this
functionality to PWA so now those Resource Managers do not
need a Project Professional license to do their jobs! Team
Builder Lite allows Resource Managers to staff projects right
from PWA. This includes the ability to match and replace
generic resources.
3. Multi-Value Enterprise Resource Outline CodesSay that ten times fast! Anyway, this feature allows 10 of the
Enterprise Resource Outline Code fields (20-29) to contain
more than one value from the Lookup Table. So now a Skill
code created with one of these fields could contain the values
ASP, VB, C# and SQL whereas in 2002 you would have needed
to use 4 different outline codes to capture that same data
about a resource. The drop-down when filling in one of these
fields now just contains check boxes next to the values and
you simply check all the boxes that apply for a given resource.
2. SharePoint Team Services version 2.0 no...wait! I meanWindows SharePoint ServicesSharePoint Team Services v1.0 has a new version (2.0), but it
is now called Windows SharePoint Services. It adds great
features, but there is some confusion about the name.
1. The best?Well maybe this is a rip-off, but ever since I started working
with the early beta versions of this product back in February, I
have been asked about which feature was THE ONE. My
answer is still the same; this release is not about that “one big
feature.” In my mind, it is about a big collection of features
and feature enhancements (I have by no means hit all of them
here in this short article) that work together to create a
product to which you will want to upgrade. This version
builds on the foundation laid by Project Server 2002, fixing
some flaws and adding some great new functions. If you really
had to nail me down, I would say there are two: the new set-
up and the multi-value outline codes!
▼
Views: A DefinitionMost of us who use Microsoft Project would informally
define a View as a way of looking at our project data. Going
one step further, one can formally define a View in
Microsoft Project 2000 and 2002 as the following:
View = Table + Filter + Group + Screen
If you click on View, Most Views, and then select any of the
Views, click on Edit to display the definition for the selected
View. Figure 1 shows a View Definition for the Tracking
Gantt View and illustrates the formal definition of a View.
Figure 1: View Definition Dialog Box
So what is the purpose of each of the components that make
up a View, as shown in the View Definition dialog box?
The Power of Views . . . and How to Create ThemBy Dale A. Howard (Member, Denver Chapter)
• A Table can be defined as a collection of columns of
project data, for example: the Task Cost table is a
collection of columns of task data – all relating to task
costs.
• A Filter can be used to extract rows of project data,
according to the specific criteria that you have
specified.
• A Group is used to organize and sort data according
to one or more selected fields
• A Screen determines the layout of the View you will
see, such as with a Gantt Chart on the right hand side
of the screen (the Gantt Chart screen), no Gantt Chart
on the right hand side of the screen (the Task Sheet
screen), or the time-phased grid on the right hand
side of the screen (the Task Usage screen).
Why Create Custom Views?Custom Views allow us to quickly display the exact data
that we want to see in our project. For example, most
project managers are concerned about three types of
variance in their project plans: Cost Variance, Work
Variance, and Date Variance. To expedite the variance
analysis process in our projects, we could create three new
custom Views, which show us Cost Variance, Work
Variance, and Date Variance. Each of these custom Views
can be quickly applied with only two clicks of a mouse.
Continued on page ten
A Four-Step Method for Creating ViewsYou can create custom Views by following this simple four-
step process based on the previous definition of a View:
1. Select an existing Table or create a new Table
2. Select an existing Filter or create a new Filter
3. Select an existing Group or create a new Group
4. Create a new custom View using your selected Table,
Filter, Group and desired Screen layout
Create a Custom Cost Variance ViewWhen planning a project, cost is one of the most important
aspects. Below I have listed how to create two Cost Variance
views using this 4-step method. Once these views are
created, I will be able to determine which tasks in the project
are over budget on cost. To create the first View, open one of
your current projects and then follow these steps:
1. Select an existing Table or create a new Table:We want to determine which tasks in our project are
currently over budget, so the Cost Table would be a good
custom View to use. Although we could probably include
this Table in the custom View without editing, I would
personally like to see the Indicators column so that I can
read the Task Notes during the variance analysis process. So
we need to create a new Table by copying the Cost Table and
then modifying the copy to include the Indicators column.
To create a new Table, make sure that you have a Task View
applied, then click View, select Table and then click on
More Tables. In the More Tables dialog box select the CostTable, and click on the Copy button. Give the new Table a
unique name, such as “_Cost Variance” and select the
Display in menu option. (Note: I like to add the under-
score character at beginning of the Table name to indicate
that it is a custom Table and to force it alphabetically to the
top of the Tables list.) To add the Indicators column, select
the Name field and then click on Insert Row, in the blank
row select the Indicators field from the drop-down list in
Field Name column. Set Align Data to the Left and the
Width to 7. Click OK and then Apply to temporarily display
the Table Definition dialog box for the _Cost VarianceTable (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Table Definition Dialog Box
The Power of Views(continued from page nine)
2. Select an existing Filter or create a new Filter:You can set up a Filter to display tasks that are over budget
against their Baseline (original) Cost. If you take a look at
the Filter drop down list, the best default for our custom
View is the Cost Overbudget Filter. I always make it a habit
of testing a prospective Filter before using it in a custom
View, however, so let’s test this filter!
To test the Cost Overbudget Filter, select it from the Filter
drop-down list on the Formatting toolbar, then examine
the filtered task list in the new “_Cost Variance” Table. Do
all of the filtered Tasks show a Cost Variance which are
greater than $0.00? In this case, the answer is yes.
However, if a Filter does not perform as desired, the next
step is to copy the default Filter and rename it and then
modify the copy according to our criteria. In this particular
case, the Cost Overbudget filter is performing as desired,
so we will use it as our new custom View.
3. Select an existing Group or create a new Group:I would like to group the list of over budget tasks by
intervals of $1,000, with Groups from $0 to $1,000, $1,001
to $2,000, etc. To accomplish this type of grouping, we’ll
need to create a new Group from scratch.
To create a new Group click on Project, select Group By,
click More Groups and then click New. In the Group
Definition dialog box, give the Group a unique name such
as “_Cost Variance in $1K Intervals” and select the Showin menu option. In the Field Name column, select the CostVariance field and set the Order to Descending. Click on
Define Group Intervals, in the Define Group Interval
dialog box set the Group on value to Interval and set the
Group interval value to 1,000, then click OK. The Group
Definition dialog box for this new Group is shown in
Figure 3.
Figure 3: Group Definition Dialog Box
Continued on page eleven
Group: _Cost Variance in $1K Intervals
Filter: Cost Overbudget
The View Definition dialog box for this custom View is
shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4: View Definition Dialog Box
Select the Show in Menu option, click OK and then Close.
To apply this new View, click the View menu and select the
“ _Cost Overbudget in $1K Intervals” View. Figure 5 shows
this new View.
Click OK and then Apply to temporarily apply this new
Group. After successfully testing this new Group, press
Shift+F3 to reapply the group called No Group, press F3to reapply the All Tasks filter, and then reapply the Entry
table by clicking View, selecting Table, and then clicking
Entry.
4. Create the new View: Before we can complete this final step, we need to decide
which Screen to use for the layout of our new View. For
most Task Views, the user will typically select one of three
Screen layouts: the Gantt Chart, the Task Sheet, or the Task
Usage Screen. In this case, we will use the Task Sheet
Screen to display our custom View in a spreadsheet format
without a Gantt Chart on the right hand side of the page.
To create the new View, click View, select More Views, click
New and then click OK to create a Single View. In the ViewDefinition dialog box, give the new View a unique name,
such as “_Cost Overbudget in $1K Intervals”. Set the
definition for this custom View as follows:
Screen: Task Sheet
Table: _Cost Variance
The Power of Views(continued from page ten)
Continued on page twelve
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The Power of Views(continued from page eleven)
In some cases, the user may not want grouping applied to
a custom View, as the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) of
the project is not displayed when a Group is applied (this
is clear in Figure 5). You can create another custom View
using the same Table and Filter, but without grouping so
that WBS can be seen whilst viewing the list of our
overbudget Tasks.
Figure 5: _Cost Overbudget in $1K Intervals View
To do this, click View and More Views, select the “_CostOverbudget in $1K Increments” View and click Copy. Name
this new View “_Cost Overbudget with WBS” and change
the Group setting to No Group, click OK and then Apply to
display this new custom View. The “_Cost Overbudget withWBS” view is shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6: _Cost Overbudget with WBS View Applied
At present these custom Views (along with their
component custom Table and custom Group) exist only in
the current project plan; it would be wise to copy them to
the Global.mpt file to use with all current and future
projects. To do this, select the Tools menu and select
Organizer. In the Organizer dialog box copy both of the
new Views, plus the new Table and the new Group to the
Global.mpt file, and then click Close.
The creation of these two custom Views allows us to
quickly view all of the Tasks that are currently over budget
in our projects at two clicks of the mouse. Using the 4-step
method found in this article, you can create your own
custom Views, including a Work Overbudget view for
tracking work variance and a Date Slippage view for
tracking date variance in your projects. Good luck!
Counting and Displaying the Number of Resourcesper Task with Macros
Offshore drilling platforms are similar to floating hotels;
care must be taken to not ‘overbook’ the living quarters. If
this occurs, the oil company representative may have
several irritated personnel knocking at his door because
they don’t have a place to sleep...and they’re 250 miles
from shore. With this in mind it became necessary for my
client, when updating or revising his schedule, to take a
count of Resources assigned to Tasks on the offshore
platform.
To count and display the number of Resources in a Task
you need to create the following macros. First, you must
insert the Number1 Custom Field into your Table so you
can see the Resource count. If your Number1 Field is in
use, insert any Custom Number field you like, just be sure
to change the name of the Field in the macros listed below.
The following three macros can be copied to your Global
Template Module. A button should be assigned to the
macro entitled “People” so that the Resource count can be
done easily after each schedule revision or update.
‘Macro set to count number of resources per task and
show sum in the summaries.
Sub People()
Macro Name:=”Turn_off_sum”
Dim T As Task
Dim A As Assignment
For Each T In ActiveProject.Tasks
If Not (T Is Nothing) Then
T.Number1 = 0
For Each A In T.Assignments
T.Number1 = T.Number1 + A.Units
Next A
End If
Next T
Macro Name:=”Turn_on_sum”
End Sub
Sub Turn_on_sum()
‘ Macro Turn On Sum
‘ Macro Recorded Mon 6/16/03 by Tommy Lovelace -
Tommy’s Tips
Continued on page fourteen
Tommy’s Tips is presented by Westney Project Services
(www.westney.com) to promote the applications of
Microsoft Office Project and provide a few real life
applications that ‘aren’t in the books’.
Tommy Lovelace is a Senior Consultant with Westney, and
is a valued member of MPUG-Global.
Figure 3
Then insert that Text Field into your schedule, rename it
and hide the Number1 Field to show the number of
Resources needed for each Task (see Figure 4).
Figure 4
As with all tips and tricks you receive, my column
included, be sure to perform your modifications on a
Saved As version of your original schedule. Please bear in
mind that my results may differ significantly from yours
due to the difference in schedule logic and the crazy way
that I do things!
Schedule ON!.........................Tommy!
Turns on Summary Sum Calculation in Number1 Field.
SelectTaskColumn Column:=”Number1”
CustomFieldProperties
FieldID:=pjCustomTaskNumber1,
Attribute:=pjFieldAttributeNone,
SummaryCalc:=pjCalcRollupSum,
GraphicalIndicators:=False
End Sub
Sub Turn_off_sum()
‘ Macro Turn Off Sum
‘ Macro Recorded Mon 6/16/03 by Tommy Lovelace -
Turns off Summary Sum
calculation in Number1.
SelectTaskColumn Column:=”Number1”
CustomFieldProperties
FieldID:=pjCustomTaskNumber1,
Attribute:=pjFieldAttributeNone,
SummaryCalc:=pjCalcNone,
GraphicalIndicators:=False
End Sub
Below is a sample of the Resource count. You should take
care not to over allocate resources or they will be counted
more than once. Notice below, in Figure 1, that several
resources are scheduled more than once for separate tours
of offshore work and are therefore counted properly.
Figure 1
As you can see (in Figure 1) from the Start to Finish for the
Acquisition summary of Tasks, the number of personnel
requiring living quarters on the rig is 15. The number next
to the Task is important, as it shows the number of actual
people working on a particular Task.
Now, if you really want to get fancy and impress your boss,
insert a Custom Text Field that contains a little formula that
connects the word Resources to the results in the Number1
Field. In the first dialog box that appears, be sure to select
the check box that says Use Formula. See Figure 2.
Figure 2
Next, select the Formula button and type in the following
formula (see Figure 3):
Tommy’s Tips(continued from page thirteen)
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The Import Wizard in Microsoft® Project Professional 2002 doesnot work on enterprise project fields. Making manual editingchanges to enterprise project fields contained within a table ispossible. However, if there is a repetitive activity on every newproject and each consists of a fair amount of data. Here is aworkaround that saves some time, and eliminates the errors thatusually occur when transcribing information.
Enterprise project fields are used to classify/tag informationabout a project file. For example, a “work order number” thattriggers the initiation of a project; the “customer” or “sponsor”for whom the project is being performed; or a “project office”(where multiple instances may exist) etc. This can be usefulinformation, especially at the enterprise level when performingqueries and consolidating information across all projects withinan organization/enterprise. This type of data should be definedand used in a consistent manner across an organization.Moreover, this data could already exist in some other form (e.g.,Excel, Access), and therefore it would be advantageous to beable to import it into the project file.
One way to transcribe this information is to manually editenterprise project fields within a table. The Project summarytask must be visible to do this (table row ‘0’). To view the Projectsummary task, go to Tools, Options, under the View tab selectthe Show Project summary task. As such, the enterprise projectfields may be edited on that row (row ‘0’), based on theirrespective predefined rules/values, of course. Note: the valueentered will cascade down to all the tasks in the project file, if anew task is inserted, the enterprise project field values willautomatically be populated.
Another way to obtain this information is to use a macro andvisual basic. We can do this because the Import Wizard startsimporting from row ‘1’ and not ‘0’, and thus it cannot affectenterprise project fields. To gain access and then activate achange to such fields at the “Project Summary Row” (i.e. row‘0’), a macro with the following visual basic code can helpaccomplish this.
SelectCell 0, column#, False SetActiveCell desired value, False
There are only forty (40) enterprise project fields available foruse with the enterprise edition. These fields are typically underthe control of the Microsoft Project Server System Administrator.If there is a field that only one department within anorganization is interested in, the System Administrator may bereluctant to waste one of the enterprise project fields. SinceMicrosoft did not extend the use of project fields beyond theenterprise level, this type of field and its attributes are notavailable on the stand-alone/non-enterprise level. Once again,there is a workaround! The procedure is as follows:
For text fields with a value list, add the value to the list (if it’s notalready there); make it the default value; then clear the entirecolumn to force the default value.
Workaround for Importing Enterprise Project DataBy Spiro Theopoulos, Sympatico (Member, Greater Toronto Chapter)
CustomFieldValueListAdd FieldID:= field_id, Value:= desiredvalue, Description:=”” CustomFieldValueList FieldID:=field_id, ListDefault:=True,DefaultValue:= desired value,_ RestrictToList:=True,AppendNew:=False, DisplayOrder:=pjListOrderDefault
SelectCell 0, column#, False SelectTaskColumn EditClear
For text fields without a drop down menu, clear the old value;add the new value and make it the default value. In this instancethe default value forces a change in all the rows, so there is noneed to clear the entire column.
CustomFieldValueListDelete FieldID:= field_id, Index:=1 CustomFieldValueListAdd FieldID:= field_id, Value:= desiredvalue, Description:=”” CustomFieldValueList FieldID:= field_id, ListDefault:=True,DefaultValue:= desired value,_ RestrictToList:=True,AppendNew:=False, DisplayOrder:=pjListOrderDefault
Let’s look at an example. Assume that we want to import thedata from the following Excel file named “ProjectABC.xls”, seeFigure 1.
Figure 1
The destination table named “Workbook” is located in aMicrosoft Project Professional file, and is set up with thefollowing fields: “Name” is the enterprise field, “Customer” isthe text field without a predefined drop down list, the otherfields to the right of “Customer” are text fields with predefineddrop down lists, see Figure 2.
Figure 2
To import the data correctly, the headers from Excel need tomatch the column titles in Microsoft Project precisely. However,the column order in both the Excel and Microsoft Project filesdoes not matter. The Excel table could have a few morecolumns, and this would not be a problem. However, themacro will advise you if columns are missing in the MicrosoftProject file.
To obtain the visual basic code, which is the actual code thatimports the data from the Excel spreadsheet to the MicrosoftProject “Workbook”, please visit the MPUG-Global membersonly section, http://www.mpug.org/login.asp. Go to theMicrosoft Project 2002 section in the MPUG-Global File Librarywhere you will be able to access “Workaround for ImportingEnterprise Project Data VB”.
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