Installing and configuring the Project 2007 add-in for Outlook

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Topic Last Modified: 2016-11-14

Users can select the Set Up Outlook Sync link on the Actions menu of the My Tasks page to provide a downloadable executable file to install the Microsoft Office Project 2007 Add-in for Outlook. The global permission Download Project Web Access Outlook Add-In is enabled by default for all users. The add-in is available from the menu for all users, unless the permission is explicitly denied.

Requirements

The Project 2007 add-in for Outlook requires the following:

  • Valid Project Web Access account

  • Office Outlook 2003 or Microsoft Office Outlook 2007

Important

The Project 2007 add-in for Outlook is not supported for use with Microsoft Outlook 2010.

Installing the add-in for Outlook

Users can click Download Now and choose Run to install the add-in for Outlook now or Save to save the file (PsOlkAddin.exe) locally to install later. The Installation Wizard guides the user through the installation of the add-in.

At the next launch of Outlook, the following components are configured to complete the installation:

  • Import New Assignments and Update Project Web Access are added on the Outlook Toolbar.

  • Users select the Tools menu, and then click Project Web Access to see the configuration items for the add-in for Outlook.

The Project Web Access account and URL that are used to connect to and download the add-in from the Actions menu are automatically configured in Microsoft Outlook during Outlook start up.

Configuring the add-in for Outlook

After the components are installed to Outlook, users can configure the add-in through the Project Web Access properties page that is added to Microsoft Outlook. Users perform the following steps to go to the Project Web Access properties page.

  1. Launch Microsoft Outlook.

  2. From the Tools menu, select Options.

  3. Click the Project Web Access tab.

The Project Web Access tab contains the following sections:

  • Integrate with

  • Assignment Import

  • Assignment Update

  • Advanced Options

Integrate with

In Microsoft Office Project Server 2003, importing assignments added the Integrate with option to the Outlook Calendar and generated reminders. For Microsoft Office Project Server 2007, the Integrate with option in the Project Web Access properties page is used to integrate with Outlook Tasks or Outlook Calendar. Outlook Tasks is enabled for the Integrate with option by default. Both options give users time management capabilities with the use of Outlook features to manage their work and schedule.

Outlook Tasks

Users can select Outlook Tasks in the Integrate with section of the Project Web Access properties page to place the imported assignments beside tasks that were originally created in Outlook.

Users can achieve the following benefits from Outlook Tasks.

  • See a list of assignments per day, week, or month.

  • Monitor multiple assignments.

  • Use the flag feature to show that a task is complete or as a reminder to work on the task on a specific date.

  • Report progress and utilization.

Outlook Calendar

The second option in the Integrate with section of the Project Web Access properties page is to integrate with Outlook Calendar. Users can add imported assignments to the calendar and report progress and utilization.

Users can achieve the following benefits in Outlook Calendar.

  • View assignments with other appointments for the day, week, or month.

  • See specific times when no other appointments are scheduled. Users can reserve the open timeslot in the schedule to concentrate on the assignment

  • Configure reminders to notify when they are starting or overdue

  • Report progress and utilization.

Assignment Import

Users can determine the criterion for an import to administer the Date Range and whether assignments are received manually or automatically. The following configuration options are available in the Assignment Import section of the Project Web Access properties page.

  • Date Range. Enables users to specify the date range for assignments that are imported. When the Project Web Access Date Range option is selected, all of the assignments for the user are added to either the Outlook Task or Calendar. The Date Range option enables users to select assignments that are due in a specific number of days, weeks, or months.

  • Import from Project Web Access. Users specify Manual or Automatic Import.

    • The Manually Only option is selected by default.

    • Every (X) for a specified time period (days, weeks, or months) and Next Update specify the automatic import of task assignments from Project Web Access into Outlook.

  • Show confirmation dialog box before importing. Enabled by default when users click Import New Assignments. A confirmation shows which assignments will be added.

Assignment Update

After progress and utilization are entered for an imported assignment in Outlook, the utilization must be updated to PWA My Tasks and My Timesheets page. There are two methods to update the hours entered manually.

  1. In the Outlook assignment detail, users click Save to Project Web Access to update the individual assignment.

  2. On the Outlook toolbar, users click Update to Project Server to update all assignments where change is detected.

Users configure the process to automatically update for all utilization in the Assignment Update section.

The update process can either be manual or automatic. Users specify a timeframe, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or a specific date. By default, the update is set to manual. The user is responsible for clicking Update to Project Server.

  • Update from Outlook to Project Web Access specifies Manual or Automatic Import.

    • The Manually Only option is selected by default.

    • Every (X) for a specific time period (days, weeks, or months) and Next Update specify the automatic import of task assignments from PWA into Outlook.

An option to Show confirmation dialog before updating is also enabled by default. This option provides a preview before the user proceeds to update Project Web Access. Automating the update to a specified frequency also sends a confirmation after the update is complete. An e-mail will be sent. The user can choose not to receive the confirmation by disabling the option.

Advanced Options

When the add-in for Outlook is downloaded and installed, the login information is automatically configured with the user account that was used to log in to Project Web Access to obtain the executable. The team member can click the Enter Login Information button in Advanced Options to change the login information to another account or to a different Project Server URL than the original.

Advanced Options also includes the following settings.

  • Show availability for project assignment appointment as. When users set their assignment availability, the time that is allotted for the assignment displays with the following selected status when meetings are scheduled:

    • Free

    • Tentative

    • Busy

    • Out of Office

  • When importing from Project Web Access to Outlook. This section governs how reminders display for assignments in Outlook. There are three options to select from:

    • Follow Outlook's default setting for reminders

    • Never create reminders

    • Always create reminders

Download this book

This topic is included in the following downloadable book for easier reading and printing:

See the full list of available books at Downloadable books for Office Project Server 2007.