Resources for IT Professionals

Project 2003

Published: July 10, 2003

Please note: Portions of this transcript have been edited for clarity

Hosts:

Chris Capossela, General Manager of Microsoft Project
Ashish Chopra, Product Manager with the Project team
David Dumler, technical readiness product manager
Ying Wang, Program Manager of Microsoft Project
Jon Kaufthal, Program Manager with the Project team
Brian Bishop

Moderator: Jamie (Microsoft)
Good day. Welcome to today's chat Project 2003. Before we begin, lets meet our hosts for today's chat.

Host: Chris (Microsoft)
Chris Capossela, General Manager of Microsoft Project

Host: David (Microsoft)
A little introduction from myself, I'm the technical readiness product manager for the Microsoft Office Project Business unit. My responsibilities include, creating and providing technical material and readiness to customers, partners and field

Host: Jon (Microsoft)
Hi--I'm Jon Kaufthal, Program Manager with the Project team.

Host: Ying (Microsoft)
Ying Wang, Program Manager of Microsoft Project

Host: Ashish (Microsoft)
Hi. My name is Ashish Chopra. I am a Product Manager with the Project team.

Moderator: Jamie (Microsoft)
Now, let's get on with the show.

Host: David (Microsoft)
Q: How much will it cost?

A:At the current time we are not publicly commenting on licensing or price. Please check the web site http://office.microsoft.com/home/office.aspx?assetid=FX01085795 for more information.

Host: Ying (Microsoft)
Q: Does MSP03 sort the drop list of views alphabetically? 8greg12 has joined the conversation?

A:Are you referring to PWA or Project Professional?

Host: David (Microsoft)
Q: Will there be a public preview of Project 2003 before its release in the fall?

A:At the current time we have no plans for a public preview of Project 2003, there is currently a closed beta program for the product. However, plans can change, so please chech http://office.microsoft.com/home/office.aspx?assetid=FX01085795 for any announcements

Host: Chris (Microsoft)
Q: Can I run Project 2003 / SharePoint Portal Services V2 / SQL 2000 on one server - What is the ideal configuration for 100 to start?

A:It’s not recommended that you run SPS and Project Server on the same machine. For best performance you are better off keeping these two products on separate machines.

Host: Jon (Microsoft)
Q: What are the new features regarding integration between MS Project 2003 and Project Server and MS Exchange/Outlook

A:We now support two-way sync between Outlook and Project Server. You Project Server tasks will show up in your Outlook calendar, and then you can report status directly from Outlook back to Project Server.

Host: David (Microsoft)
Q: Licensing is a big issue, you can't comment at all? The current Project Server requires a CAL for every user whether the client is using MS Project or the Web client, right?

A:Currently we require CALs for both Web Client (PWA) and MS Project. However, if the user has purchased Project Professional, a CAL is already included.

Host: Ashish (Microsoft)
Q: When is there going to be a new version of the project server?

A:We announced the new version of Project - Microsoft Office Project 2003 in June. Project Server 2003 will be available this year in Fall.

Host: Ying (Microsoft)
Q: Does MSP03 sort the drop list of views alphabetically?

A:Regarding the view drop in PWa, we don't sort the view alphabetically. The order is based on the time of view creation.

Host: Chris (Microsoft)
Q: Will I need to upgrade all of my MS-Project 2002 Professionals to take advantage of 2003 features?

A:Project 2002 Pro can connect to Project Server 2003 so you don’t have to upgrade it to work with the new version of the Server.

Host: David (Microsoft)
Q: What is YOUR recommended configuration for Project Server 2003 / SharePoint Team Services V2 & SQL 2000 - one server each OR will two servers suffice - if so what specs do you recommend??

A:The Answer depends on the usage itself of the product. Currently we are working on a number of whitepapers and documentation to support this very question. We also have a scalability kit that may be of interest to you. If you wish to have a copy sent to you, please mail a request to PTB@microsoft.com

Host: Brian (Microsoft)
Q: Will it be made possible to assign more than one resource to a task ? (and not split up the task in non-existing mini-tasks)

A:You can do this now. Can you be more specific?

Host: Ying (Microsoft)
Q: How involved will an upgrade be from Project 2002 professional w/Server to 2003 w/PWA

A:There is certainly an upgrade path. To upgrade Project Server 2002, you will need to upgrade Project Server 2002 database, install Project Server 2003 and point Project Server 2003 to the DB. Project 2002 Professional can work with Project Server 2003, or you can also upgrade the Project 2003 Professional by running the install. If you have SharePoint Team Services for P2002, then you need to migrate all the project subwebs from SharePoint Team Services to Windows SharePoint Services

Host: Ashish (Microsoft)
Q: When you publish to the new Project server with the latest version of project can it create a "workspace" in Portal Server V2 automatically and if so will it share tasks, document libraries, etc.?

A:Yes, it will create a workspace in Windows SharePoint Services, which is a component of Windows Server 2003. You can create and manage issues, risks and share documents.

Host: Chris (Microsoft)
Q: Will administration of Enterprise aspects of Project Server such as resource tables, project tasks, etc. still have to be largely done at the Project 2003 level on a desktop instead of directly through the Project Server 2003 web-based Administrator?

A:Yes. Project Pro is still the tool you use to edit things like the Enterprise Resource Pool and the Global. We have added more admin functions through the browser but not everything yet.

Host: Chris (Microsoft)
Q: Will Portfolio Analyzer redeem any useful feature in the 2003 version?

A:I'm not sure what you mean. Can you be more specific? Portfolio Analyzer gives you the ability to create lots of interesting reports.

Host: Jon (Microsoft)
Q: In the PWA - Project Center views, can the user/admin elect to show only the date and not the date and time?

A:Yes, under “View Options” there’s a “Show time with date” checkbox.

Host: Brian (Microsoft)
Q: In the Project Center, does an option exist to elect to not show the dependencies lines between tasks?

A:Not at this time.

Host: Ying (Microsoft)
Q: Too bad the views are not sorted alphabetically. A time-based sorting is not user friendly.

A:Thanks for the feedback. We will take this in as feature request. Also, the end-user can save their favorite views on the left pane, so this would alleviate this problem.

Host: Chris (Microsoft)
Q: Will MP2003 allow time reporting as well as be able to update Project based on % Complete? In MP2002, it's one or the other.

A:You can specify the time tracking method on a project by project basis. So one project can use % complete and a different one can use hours per day/week. You can’t mix within one project though.

Host: Ashish (Microsoft)
Q: When I save a project to shared workspace I really save mpp file to the WSS space correct? If that is the case, I assume that these projects would be separate from enterprise projects and I could not use Portfolio Analyzer for example to analyze project

A:When you save a project to a shared workspace from Project Standard 2003, you save it as a MPP file. You are correct, these are different from enterprise projects and as an example, you won’t be able to use Portfolio Analyzer.

Host: Chris (Microsoft)
Q: Will 2003 allow the system administrator to select which fields will appear in the PWA Tracking / time Reporting screen?

A:Yes! The admin has the ability to choose which fields show up in the timesheet.

Host: Jon (Microsoft)
Q: In the PWA - Tasks, how does a user print all lines of tasks? Currently, we only get one screen amount at a time.

A:We’ve added two key new printing enhancements in PWA 2003. Everywhere you see the grid in PWA, there are options for “Print Grid ” which displays a simple HTML printer-friendly table (with all tasks), as well as for “Export Grid to Excel”-from Excel, you can of course easily tweak formatting to your heart’s content before printing.

Host: David (Microsoft)
Q: What are the best resources for training and technical assistance for 2003. Will trainings be offered in advance to public release?

A:Currently we are creating extensive training material for Project 2003, included in this will be some certification testing. More information will follow in the upcoming months. If you are looking for technical readiness based information, please se

Moderator: Jamie (Microsoft)
Q: Thanks for reminding me about the Favorite Feature for views. How does someone send a "Feature Request" to Microsoft?

A:For Project you can send mail to NextProj@microsoft.com

Host: Brian (Microsoft)
Q: Re. administrative projects: Why cannot I create subweb for this type of projects or associate issues with it? The idea of admin projects is good but it should be treated as any other project.

A:Currently we have no plans to allow this functionality. Admin projects are "special" in that they don't get published, etc. However, you bring up a good point, that this would likely be useful to a fair amount of users. We'll definitely consider this.

Host: Ying (Microsoft)
Q: Thanks for reminding me about the Favorite Feature for views. How does someone send a "Feature Request" to Microsoft?

A:Sure, please email to nextproj.microsoft.com

Host: Chris (Microsoft)
Q: For a small organization with multiple projects, but limited number of participants in each, is it possible to run Proj Server 03, SQL Server and SharePoint on one server?

A:Yes… you can run Project Server, SQL Server and Windows SharePoint Services on one physical server.

Host: David (Microsoft)
Q: Is there a beta program for Proj Pro 03 and Proj Server 03?

A:Currently there is a closed beta program, we are not accepting additional sites at this time

Host: David (Microsoft)
Q: When are you planning to have a certification in EPM with MS project?

A:We are currently working on the test and material right now, dates for availability will be announced soon.

Host: Ying (Microsoft)
Q: If we have several subwebs (one for each project) active in a single sharePoint database, what's the quickest way of consolidating the information (such as outstanding issues etc.) to program (higher) level?

A:Unfortunately, for SharePoint Team Services, there is no out-of-box way to consolidate data from multiple subwebs. Programmatically, You can refer at the STS SDK article on MSDN, which give you a way to query each subweb for the list of issues, but you can roll them up in your code.

Host: Chris (Microsoft)
Q: How is the support structure for MS Project? Do we have different levels of support (functional and technical) or the support is pretty much outsourced to partners?

A:We provide lots of technical support just like other Microsoft products. For implementation services (functional support) customers usually use MCS (consulting services) or partners. Check out <http://office.microsoft.com/home/office.aspx?assetid=FX01085795> for more details.

Host: David (Microsoft)
Q: How can we provide Microsoft input/feedback on what Project functionality improvements would be very useful to us?

A:Please send mail to NextProj@microsoft.com

Host: Ashish (Microsoft)
Q: Will Views, such as Project Center, allow for different type of enterprise fields (task, resource, project) to be combined into one view?

A:The Administrator can choose from a list of fields, such as Project Schedule, Budget etc, to create custom views for Project Center. The fields are primarily project-level.

Host: Brian (Microsoft)
Q: In MSP Server 2003 Is there a way to archive project plans so that they are available for OLAP but do not interfere with other reporting?

A:We have not changed the behavior in this area from Project Server 2002.

Host: Ying (Microsoft)
Q: Will 'tangible' deliverables like documents be completely integrated in the task and directly linked to SharePoint?

A:yes, the integration is done via Project Server and Windows SharePoint Services. You can upload documents to a SharePoint project workspaces and link documents to tasks. You can also browse to the linked documents from your project, task and assignment views. Note that WSS supports check-in/out and versioning on document as a step up from SharePoint Team Services.

Host: Jon (Microsoft)
Q: Does Project 2003 improve the export to web page feature, e.g. inclusion of a gantt chart?

A:You can include an image of a Gantt Chart using Copy Picture, but this feature is largely unchanged. Of course Project Web Access is all about allowing for powerful rich views of Project data on the Web. Also new for Project 2003 is a Copy Picture to Office wizard which makes it easy to display Project data in PowerPoint, Word, or Visio. You could also push the data/image into these applications and then save as a Web page.

Host: Chris (Microsoft)
Q: Are there any enhancements (security, installation, etc...) in 2003 for hosting Project Server on an external network.

A:We’ve made some improvements to make this easier but it’s still will require some deep knowledge of authentication, domain trusts, etc. We’re working on technical whitepapers which will help. So it’s better but we have room for improvement still.

Host: David (Microsoft)
Q: When are you planning to sent out the material about the last technical briefing in June?

A:We are currently in the midst of video editing, material should be ready no later than end of July, we are doing our best to get it out as soon as possible

Host: Ying (Microsoft)
Q: When in Project, will MP03 alphabetize the resource names in the resource dropdown box?

A:Are you referring to the resource dropdown box in the "Assign To" column? In that case, it is alphabetized.

Host: Brian (Microsoft)
Q: Are there any security settings that will allow us to protect cost/rate fields for certain users?

A:We currently do not have field-level security settings in Microsoft Project 2003, so the short answer is no. This is something that we certainly will consider going forward.

Host: Ying (Microsoft)
Q: Will 2003 allow us to be more specific in granting permission/privileges?

A:2003 has added a few more permissions, but the design of security remains the same. 2003 is pretty much fine in permissions/privileges - you can secure pages, data in the pages to any individual user. What you referring to specifically.

Host: Chris (Microsoft)
Q: Will Project Server 2003 include tools for stress testing systems? Will tools be made available if not included?

A:Not in the box but we’re looking at what we can do as a separate tool that would be on TechNet. We have some very complex tools we use internally to do deep benchmarking. Large customers do stress testing in our premier labs but this is a service that they buy. We’re looking at doing something simpler but aren’t sure when yet.

Host: David (Microsoft)
Q: Does Project server 2003 integrate with Microsoft CRM?

A:It does, but not out of the box. Some customization is required by using the Project Data Service, review this to learn more http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/pdr/PDR_About_the_PDS_Reference_3326.asp

Host: Brian (Microsoft)
Q: I know you can "disable" a resource but we sometimes have different project leaders enter the same resource just spelled a different way. Is there no way to "reassign" a resources work effort and delete their entry entirely?

A:You can "merge" user accounts in Project Web Access via Admin, Manager Users and Groups. Select the resource you care about and click the Merge User Accounts button. This will take you to the Merge Users page.

Host: Ying (Microsoft)
Q: Follow on to 'tangible' document link. Can you have template word documents that can be called into a TASK, modified, and then saved/linked to that task via SharePoint

A:Yon can certainly associate a Word template document to a task, and the user can browse to the template Word document and work on the template. Also, Windows SharePoint Services enable you to create a document library and associate a template to a library.

Host: Ashish (Microsoft)
Q: Are there any enhancements made to the status reporting feature in 2003? Multi manager levels?

A:We do not have enhancements to this feature in Project 2003.

Host: David (Microsoft)
Q: Can I show the beta software in a public lecture?

A:At the current time, and according to the beta NDA agreement, which covered until we announced (June '03) you may show Project 2003

Host: Chris (Microsoft)
Q: will Project 2003 integrate with Great Plains?

A:We integrate with Solomon Project Accounting today through a product called Microsoft Business Solutions PSA. The MBS team is updating that product to work with Project 2003. They also have plans for integrating with other GreatPlains products but dates haven’t been announced yet.

Host: Ashish (Microsoft)
Q: Have "Master Project Plans" been addressed in the new version?

A:You can now select multiple projects in Project Center and open them in one single file in Project Professional.

Host: Ying (Microsoft)
Q: RE: Alphabetize names - in the Resource column in the Project Plan there is a dropdown box, the names are not alphabetized there

A:you are right, we have not done improvement on this end. Please submit this as a feature request to nextproj@microsoft.com

Host: Jon (Microsoft)
Q: Jon_MS: Date/Time option, in MSP02 the PWA Tasks provides this option, but not the Project Center. Does your reply indicate that MSP02 PWA provides this option in both the Tasks and Project Center windows?

A:Yes, this option is in Project Center in PWA 2003.

Host: Brian (Microsoft)
Q: When updating time and tasks from the web does ProjectServer 2003 do away with the need to open the Project Client and can we approve time programmatically?

A:Unfortunately not. There is currently no way to approve time programmatically either. This is something that would certainly be nice for us to think about going forward.

Host: David (Microsoft)
Q: Are there any plans to develop a product for the other end of the customer spectrum -- something for small groups and projects similar to the features we had in Team Manager?

Host: David (Microsoft)
A: At the current time we have a number of features in Project 2003 that address the "team" based need (ie. Outlook integration, etc). However, we do not have a product out of the box strictly focused on using Project strictly for Teams. However, we are constantly working closely with customers to make sure that our product fits there need. We may, in time, add functionality like this out of the box, but it will not be included in the 2003 release

Host: Chris (Microsoft)
Q: Has anything been done to boost the performance times when updating submitted task information to project plans?

A:We’ve done a lot of performance optimizations for Project 2003. Since it was a relatively short release we weren’t able to do deep architectural work so the progress we’ve made is good but not breakthrough.

Host: Chris (Microsoft)
Q: Is there a Mac release date yet for Project 2003?

A:Sorry, we have no plans for a Mac release.

Host: Jon (Microsoft)
Q: Does PS03 in conjunction with SP03 & EX03 support IM discussions?

A:I’m not sure exactly what you have in mind here but we didn’t really do any special work to support IM conversations inline in Project Web Access. However, since PWA documents, issues, and risks are based on Windows SharePoint Services, we do have the benefits of this integration-so that whenever you see someone’s name in a PWA documents, issues, or risks page, you get an IM pawn icon and can easily begin a conversation from the web page.

Host: Chris (Microsoft)
Q: When will Project Server integrate with the .NET Framework so that .NET programmers can extend the functionality?

A:Project Server 2003 has a SOAP-based API that is extensible. Project on the desktop will also ship with a PIA so if you want to get at the desktop programmatically using .NET you can do this as well.

Host: Brian (Microsoft)
Q: Thanks for the info, I'll try it but I suspect this just merges the work performed to date and still doesn't delete either resource.

A:Actually, in Project Web Access 2003 there is the ability to clean up the database, and one of the options is to delete a resource. So, you'd merge the user accounts into the resource you want to keep, and then go to Admin, Clean up Project Server database and delete the person you no longer need.

Host: Ying (Microsoft)
Q: We have a problem with Project Mgrs opening projects and forgetting to close them thus locking everyone else out for extended periods of time.

A:We've improved the feature in PS2003. Given a check-in permission, other Project Manager with this permission can also check-in the projects if they are locked out.

Host: Ashish (Microsoft)
Q: Is it correct that a project workspace will now neatly contain everything concerned with a project ? (maybe multiple projects, documents, issues etc.)

A:Yes. A project workspace serves as a central location for all documents, issues and risks associated with the project.

Host: David (Microsoft)
Q: Has any work been done with Infopath against PDS?

A:We are currently working on an SDK article, release TBD

Host: Chris (Microsoft)
Q: What do you tell companies that are thinking about delaying a Project 2002/Project Server implementation until Project 2003 is released?

A:It really comes down to how fast they need to move and how much they need the 2003 feature set. We find that many companies can make a lot of progress with piloting 2002 and then move to 2003 before deploying very broadly. Others really want a particular feature in 2003 before even piloting.

Host: David (Microsoft)
Q: When will EIF be available for Project 2003?

A:I've sent mail to a team member here at Microsoft and if I get the answer prior to the end of this chat I'll post

Host: Brian (Microsoft)
Q: Your current public literature speaks of programmatic time updates via the PDS, are you saying that this feature is no longer there?

A:I'm looking into this and I'll get back to you.

Host: Ying (Microsoft)
Q: How do you turn on email capability with SharePoint.

A:I would refer to the SharePoint Admin guide on http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/wss/2/all/adminguide/en-us/stsa01.mspx?mfr=true. Basically, in the SharePoint Central Administration page, you can go to the page to configure a virtual server, there you can enter the SMTP server name. Then email alerts will be sent.

Host: Jon (Microsoft)
Q: Have you given any thought to allowing team members to get away from using Project Web Access all together and communicate their tasks solely in Outlook? I do understand the importance of keeping Project Web Access for executives (portfolio, analyzer, etc).

A:With the new Outlook Integration in 2003, team members can solely use Outlook to view and report on their tasks, so it CAN be a simple Timesheet replacement--though in most cases the two (Outlook and PWA) will be complementary-team members may still use PWA for getting a more tabular view of tasks, adjusting custom fields, etc. Also, Documents, Issues, Risks, etc, are still PWA-based. We do recognize the key importance of Outlook for team members and going forward we’ll likely continue building on the work we’ve done in 2003. Also note that the Outlook Integration DOES require a PWA license

Host: Chris (Microsoft)
Q: Can you talk a bit about the sync w/ Active Directory?

A:Sure. There are two parts. (1) You can sync the Project Server Resource Pool with a particular node in your Active Directory so when someone new is added to the AD, they automatically get added to the Resource Pool. (2) You can sync each of your groups of users in Project Server to a particular node in your Active Directory so when as a user in the right Project Server Group. Both synchronizations can be scheduled to occur on a recurring basis. AD is the master in both cases so changes there get pushed to Project Server but not vice versa.

Host: Ying (Microsoft)
Q: How do you link SharePoint to Active Directory changes to ensure synchronization.

A:I would refer to http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/wss/2/all/adminguide/en-us/stsa01.mspx?mfr=true pages for answers.

Host: Ashish (Microsoft)
Q: In 2003, will more than one project manager be able to accept time for a project?

A:There can be only one project manager for a task. However, in a project, there can be different project managers for different tasks.

Host: Ying (Microsoft)
Q: Will 2003 more easily export Issues to Excel. 2002 does not.

A:Sure, it will be out-of-box feature to export Issues to Excel. This features comes from Windows SharePoint Services (STS v2) from 2003.

Host: Chris (Microsoft)
Q: Will MSP03 PWA allow the admin to determine which fields are used when building the OLAP cube?

A:No, you can’t change the fields that are part of the cube through the Admin UI. But you can definitely change this programmatically and many of our partners and customers do this. We had a session on this at the PTB and have updated our whitepaper on TechNet on this topic.

Host: Brian (Microsoft)
Q: Are there any enhancements made to the status reporting feature in 2003? Multi manager levels?

A:The short answer is no. We did not make changes to status reporting in 2003.

Host: Chris (Microsoft)
Q. Does PS03 work with SharePoint 1?

A:No. They use different doc stores so this is very tough to do. Much better with SPS 2 and Project 2003.

Host: David (Microsoft)
Q: When will a beta version be available?

A:Currently there is a closed beta program, we are not accepting additional sites at this time

Host: Jon (Microsoft)
Q: I understand about the PWA needed for Outlook, but it's a matter of simplifying thinks for your team members (going to one place)

A:Yes, this was the driving rationale behind the work we did for 2003. For things that have corresponding concepts in Outlook (appointments, tasks) we want to keep team members from having to go to two places as much as possible. For core viewing/reporting task status Outlook alone may suffice. One additional note is that you can host a simplified version of ANY PWA page from inside Outlook.

Host: Ying (Microsoft)
Q: Is it possible to add a column in the Project Center containing a link to each project's WSS Subweb? Our users want full access to the other features of project STS sites (beyond issues and documents).

A:In PS2003 and Windows SharePoint Services, the user will see a link to "Go to project workspace", so the user can select a project and navigate to homepage of the WSS site. this is supported out of box.

Host: Ashish (Microsoft)
Q: How do we utilize the multi-level Enterprise Codes?

A:As an example, you can create a multi-value field for Skill, where the Skill can have multiple values such as C++ and Visual Basic.

Host: Brian (Microsoft)
Q: Your current public literature speaks of programmatic time updates via the PDS, are you saying that this feature is no longer there?

A:You can use the Timesheet API’s to report time and progress against tasks assigned to you. The project manager then uses PWA to actually accept the updates into the projects. Essentially, you can use the Timesheet APIs to replace the functionality provided in the PWA “My Tasks” view.

Host: Ying (Microsoft)
Q: Follow up: ying_MS : A:Given a check-in permission, other Project Manager with this permission can also check-in ... QUESTION In MSP 2003 can we provide this access with out providing access to all the "manage enterprise features" functionality?

A:Yes, you should be able to do so.

Moderator: Jamie (Microsoft)
That's about all the time we have left for today's chat. Let’s give our hosts our thanks and we'd like to thank you for your questions.

For further information on this topic please visit the following:

Newsgroup: http://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspx?d=1

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