Managing tasks, resources, and scope is only part of what project managers do. Project data typically extends to include supporting documentation, risk assessment for resource tasks, and general issues that potentially affect the quality of project deliverables. Team members often need access to all project data. Project Server 2003 extends the base project management tools offered with Microsoft Project Professional by providing robust, web-based collaboration sites for project teams. This article will detail some of the exciting features in Project Server 2003.

How Does It Work?

To implement Project Server 2003 collaboration, an organization must have Project Server 2003 installed on a server running Windows 2000 or Windows 2003. Team members access project details through Project Web Access, a web-based interface, via the browser. This interaction includes viewing the project Gantt and individual task details as well as an interface for providing the project manager with status and project updates. Project managers continue to manage project plans using Project Professional. This includes standard scheduling and task tracking. Information captured in the project plan is ultimately published to the Project Server so that all team members see the updates via Project Web Access. Project Managers also have access to new features like Document Libraries, Risk Assessment, and Issue Tracking.

Key Features

ENTERPRISE TEAM BUILDING
Project Server is the repository for all organizational projects. It gives project managers an enterprise level view of resources and allocations. Project Managers can then use this information to build project teams based on resource availability and resource balancing. Analysis tools are available to provide what-if scenarios associated with specific resource mappings.

DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT
Document management is now integrated within Project through the use of Windows SharePoint Services (available with Windows 2003 Server). Document libraries can be created per project and provide the ability to store project-related documentation in an environment that facilitates version control and check-in/check-out. The use of document libraries allows team members to have better access and input on critical project documents.

RISK MANAGEMENT
Project managers proactively assess the risk associated with project tasks. Changing scope as well as resource conflicts has an impact on project timelines. Project Server allows project managers to record, track, and escalate project risks. The Risk section of Project Web Access shows a user risks associated with specific tasks and the likelihood they will have a negative impact on delivery. Project managers can add contingency plans that are triggered when risks occur.

ISSUE MANAGEMENT
Unlike risk management which deals with potential problems, issue management deals with current project activity. A project manager can identify potential problems with project tasks and note the impact on scheduling. A resource can then respond to the issue with relevant data, allowing the project manager to assess the impact on scheduling. Project Web Access provides an interface for better issue identification and resolution between project manager and team members.

STATUS REPORTING
With Project Server, status reporting can be automatically created through the use of online forms. Team members can fill out details associated with accomplishments, issues and deliverables. Team member statuses can be also aggregated to provide a project-level view of recent status.

OUTLOOK INTEGRATION
Team members can use an Outlook add-in to view project assignments in their Outlook calendar. In Outlook, team members can update project task statuses as well as enter nonworking time like vacation and automatically update the project.

INTEGRATION WITH SHAREPOINT
Project Server 2003 provides six Web Parts that allow users to access Project Server data from Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services and Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003. Team members can collaborate directly in a project team site. In addition to managing documents, issues and risks with their projects and tasks, team members can also contribute to the team calendar, team announcements and discussions.

Summary

For project managers, Project Server 2003 extends the capabilities of the traditional Project Professional while offering an excellent medium for interaction with team members. For organizations, Project Server centralizes all project details, providing an enterprise-level view of projects and resources.