PMConnection Articles

Here is the list of components in Microsoft's EPM Solution:
Portfolio Server
Project Server
    PWA (Project Web Access)
    SharePoint
    Microsoft Project

Here is a matrix of these components aligned to roles within an organization.
Ranking in value to Role with 1 being highest.  Blank indicates little to no value.

Here is a brief summary of each component:
This provides the justification for the value ranking.

Portfolio Server - A top down planning tool.  Used to help align potential projects to organization strategy.  Useful in determining which projects are of priority and should be initiated given the constraints and objectives of the organization.

Project Server - Best to describe as a suite of the following three products:

PWA (Project Web Access) - Summarizes all project schedules and resource information across the organization.  Information is made available via the web.  Project progress is entered via the web.  Eliminates the need for Team Members to install MS Project.   Built in security allows for customized access to information.

SharePoint - This is the collaboration component of the suite.  The Project Manager becomes the "Website Administrator" of the SharePoint site for his/her project.  Features include Document Management, Issue and Risk Management, Wiki, Work Flow, Discussion Board and many more "canned" views (web parts).  Additional levels of security can be established.

Microsoft Project (Professional) - Connecting to the Enterprise Resource Pool, this is the tool used for detailed planning and resource assignment.  Tightly integrated with PWA for reporting and tracking project progress.  Also integrated with SharePoint for Deliverable reporting.

For more information on these components, try these links:
Portfolio Server
Project Server
    PWA
    SharePoint
    Microsoft Project

Creating a Checklist or To-Do List in Microsoft Project

Ok…so you’ve got a VERY small project, or simply a collection of tasks that you need to complete. Call it a checklist or a To-Do list if you will. You know MS Project is a powerful tool and can be used to manage very complex projects. But you don’t really need a full blown dynamic schedule, so you are thinking of creating your list in Excel…WAIT!!!

This article will show you how to “dumb down” Microsoft Project for the purposes of creating a simple To-Do list. You’ll learn some easy, yet powerful features that will make creating and maintaining a To-Do list easier in Microsoft Project than Excel.

Building the List
1.    Open Microsoft Project and save your file with a meaningful name
2.    Modify the Gantt Chart View
       a.    Hide the Indicator column
       b.    Hide the Duration column
       c.    Hide the Start column
       d.    Hide the Predecessor column
       e.    Insert % Work Complete
       f.    Insert Notes column
      g.    Slide the vertical divider for the Gantt Chart all the way to the right

3.    Add Data
      a.    Input task within Name column
      b.    Input targeted finish date within Finish column
      c.    Input the name of the person or people responsible for the task in the Resource Names column

4.    Save a Baseline
       Click on >Tools, >Tracking, >Save Baseline

Managing the List
5.    Input Updates
       a.    Modify Finish date as necessary
       b.    Update % Work Complete
       c.    Add Notes to tasks as needed

Reporting from the List
6.    Print the list in its entirety
7.    Filter the list
       Click on >Project, >Filter and you can quickly filter for:
       a.    Incomplete tasks

Result:

       b.    Complete tasks

Result:

       c.    By Resource

Result shows any task assigned to Sam:

       d.    By Date Range

Result:

8.    Autofilter
You can enable the Autofilter for all columns.

You can now click on the auto filter dropdown for any column and leverage it to filter the list. A good example is you could click on the dropdown for Name, use the custom option and filter for only the tasks that contain the name “furniture”.

Result:

9.    Compare to Baseline
By inserting the Baseline Finish and the Finish Variance columns, we can see our original targeted finish dates and how far tasks have slipped.

10.    Insert Project Summary task to get overall % Work Complete
Click on >Tools, >Options, >View tab and check “Show project summary task”

Result:

11.    View as Calendar
Click on >View, >Calendar

Question:  Now…can you do all that in Excel?
Answer:  Yes, but not near as easily!!!

CAUTION:  Using this approach removes the dynamic scheduling capabilities of Microsoft Project.  In other words, if the tasks on your To-Do list must be done sequentially, and you experience a delay in one of the “upstream” tasks, you will need to manually change the dates of all the downstream tasks.  This is not the best approach when working with Microsoft Project.  However, as the article started, if you currently create and maintain To-Do lists in Excel, you may find using this approach in Microsoft Project to be more beneficial.

PMConnection recently acquired a website (www.projecttemplates.4t.com) that provided free Microsoft Project schedule templates. PMConnection then added more free templates to this list! There are currently over 80 free templates in all.

These templates can be sorted by Title, Popularity or Date added. New templates will be added in the near future. These templates can be found within the Research Center at www.pmconnection.com, or found directly by clicking this link.

So if you are getting ready to start a new project, why not start with a pre-populated Microsoft Project schedule? Remember, saving time saves money!

At the time of this article, Microsoft has moved three of the four proposed certifications that align with their project management tools to a "production" state.  Finding one page on Microsoft's site or any website that pulls the details of these certifications together is virtually impossible.  Thus the reason for this article!

Additional information on these certifications.

The tests are NOT taken using the software.  They all consist of multiple choice questions.  You get 2.5 hours to complete the exams.

Register for these exams with Prometric.  The cost is $125.00

Get a second chance to pass your Microsoft Certification exam—free offer!

Learn where the MCTS & MCITP certifications fit within Microsoft's certification framework - Here

Interesting Article "The Value of Certification"

*Exact details not yet available.

This site will be updated as more information becomes available.

Microsoft Project Through the Years

Thought you might like to take a stroll down memory lane!  Where were you when these pictures were taken?

Microsoft Project 94
Microsoft Project 95
Microsoft Project 98
Microsoft Project 2000
Microsoft Project 2002 Standard
Microsoft Project 2002 Professional
Microsoft Project 2003 Standard
Microsoft Project 2003 Professional
Microsoft Project 2007 Standard
Microsoft Project 2007 Professional

For help with Microsoft Project, try this link.