Managing Enterprise Projects with Microsoft Project

The training to be delivered will cover elements of the following tools:

   1. Microsoft Project Server 2007
   2. Microsoft SharePoint Server 2007
   3. Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
   4. Microsoft Project Professional 2007
   5. Microsoft Project Web Access 2007.

This course can be run either using a preconfigured instance of the EPM solution running on Microsoft Virtual PC image provided on the course or using the customers own instance of Project Server 2007, ideally using a development or test instance rather than the live deployment.

Pre-course materials will be supplied in a digital format

The course is designed to illustrate the full functionality of the solution and as a result attendees will adopt different roles when using Virtual PC. They will see information from the perspective of an Administrator, a high level manager, a project manager and a team member in order to appreciate how differing roles are invested with differing levels of information and functionality within the solution.

The EPM Solution

• Overview of the EPM Solution and basic security concepts
• Windows Authentication and Forms Authentication
• Project Web Access Home Page navigation
• Reminders
• Project Workspaces
• Project Centre
• Project Views
  

Project Professional 2007

• Opening and Editing a Project Plan in Project 2007.
• Saving data to the Server
• Creating a new Template based Project
• Enterprise Custom Fields
• Saving to the "Draft Database"
• Building a Schedule
• Summary Tasks
• Milestones
• Links/Dependencies/Predecessors
• Lag & Lead Options
• Constraints, Deadlines, Task Calendars

Enterprise Components

• Enterprise Global
• Enterprise "Assets"
• Calendars
• Tables
• Views
• Filters
• Grouping Formats
• Creating a new Enterprise Calendar
• Custom Enterprise Fields
• Look Up Tables

Server Queues

• Local Project Cache
• Force Check in of Enterprise Objects

Resource Centre

• Resource Details
• Resource Assignments
• Resource Availability

Build Team from Enterprise Options

• Filtering Resources
• Grouping Resources
• Implications of the RBS
• Querying for Availability
• Resource Types
• Work Resources
• Material Resources
• Generic Resources
• Cost Resources
• Budget Resources
• Team Resources
• Adding Resources to your Team
• Match and Replace Resources
• Graph Resources

Resource Planning

• Assigning Resources to Tasks
• Resource Driven Scheduling
• Task Types
• Allocating Resources to Tasks
• Resource Views and Reports
• Publishing Project Plans
• The "Published" Database
• Workspace Creation
• Programmes and Sub-Projects
• Master Projects
• Project Centre Programme Views

SharePoint Functionality

• Document Libraries
• Upload single and multiple documents to a SharePoint document library.
• Create new documents in a SharePoint document library.
• Edit the properties of documents, associate documents with Tasks, Issues or Risks.
• Exploit the collaborative features of Office Word & Excel 2007 in a SharePoint site.
• Explore Check In/Check Out options for documents.
• Initiate document content approval and exploit "Security Trimming" to control access to documents.
• Enable Versioning on documents and track document version history.
• Subscribe to email alerts and RSS feeds on documents or document libraries.
• Explore the potential of "Workflows" for approvals, comments and signatures.
• Introduce Content types to support consistent documentation across SharePoint Sites.

SharePoint Lists

• Risks
• Issues
• Deliverables
• Alerts
• Work with Task Lists in a SharePoint Site.
• Subscribe to alerts on Tasks.
• Calendar Lists and entries.
• Sharing SharePoint Calendars with Outlook 2007.
• Creating Recurring Calendar events with associated workspaces.
• Work with Risk and Issue Lists in a SharePoint Site.
• Subscribe to email alerts and RSS feeds on issues or risk lists.

Navigation within SharePoint

SharePoint Security

• Change Security permissions for a site, list or document library.
• Understand the concept of "Inheritance" of security permissions in a SharePoint site collection.
• Explore and understand security groups and permissions.
• Customising Elements of SharePoint
• Define Custom Columns for enhanced "Meta-Data" provisioning.
• Utilise "site collections" and "site galleries" for columns and content types.
• Create custom views for lists and document libraries.
• Use filtering and grouping options in a list or document library.
• Work with the Datasheet view in a list or document library.
• Explore the options to save a SharePoint site as a Template with content.
• Modify the look and feel of a SharePoint Site.
• Customise a SharePoint site using Themes.
• Edit a SharePoint page.
• Work with Web Parts and add custom web parts from the Web Parts Gallery.
• Create a custom SharePoint list
• Save a list as a Template.

Creating SharePoint Sites & Workspaces

• Create Sub-workspaces using Templates.
• Initiate discussions and surveys.
• Explore WIKI's and Blogs for Collaboration.
• Create a Document Workspace.
• Create a Meeting Workspace.
• Use SharePoint Search to locate business critical information on demand.
• Search Indexing and Crawling explained.
• Provision a Workspace to be a sub-site of a Master Project Workspace.
• Personalise a SharePoint page.
• Explore the "My Settings" options.
• Dashboards and Business Intelligence - concepts
• InfoPath forms - concepts
• Excel Reporting Services - concepts.

Project Web Access Project Centre

• Project Centre Views
• Project Views
• Proposals
• Activity Plans
• Resource Plans
• Administrative Time

Reporting

• Reporting and Analysis
• OLAP Cubes
• SQL Server Reporting Services
• Visual Reports in Project 2007

Updating Actual Progress

• Task Updating in Project Web Access
• My Tasks
• My Timesheets
• Recording Actuals
• Submitting Timesheets
• Self Assign Team Tasks
• Timesheet Approval
• Import Timesheet to Tasks
• Submitting Updates for Approval
• Processing updates
• Previewing updates to a Project

Project Close and Review

Comparing actuals against the plan

Variance Analysis

Lessons Learned