Introduction

Even before we published the first edition of the Microsoft Project Professional book, many different books about Microsoft Project were on the market. This chapter will tell you why we decided to write a new book about Microsoft Project and how it can help you to successfully use Microsoft Project and its corresponding office products in your work environment.

The Reason for the book; the problem statement and the objective target.

We have been using Microsoft Project for many years in our own organization, and we assist organizations on a business, managerial, and technical level to implement and apply Project Management Systems. During these implementations we discover again and again that the literature available does not cover what is required in the real business world. This book is intended to cover these gaps.

What exists and what doesn’t

Most books you find on the market are predominantly aimed at Project Managers, giving a general guide to MS Project. Each book covers different characteristics of the product such as the use of functions in team communication, multiple project techniques, and collaboration with various other office suites. Sometimes within a book you may also find a chapter on Microsoft Project Web Access or Microsoft Project Server. These books can be used to teach yourself MS Project, could be used in addition to other training material, or can simply be used as a reference.

Alongside the paper format literature, you can also find a vast amount of information on the Internet, for example: the Resource Kit, the Software Development Kit, and the Knowledge Base from Microsoft, plus newsgroups and numerous web pages and FAQs including information from different organizations and individual users.

In addition, but which has never been documented, there exists the know-how of each user, consultant, administrator, and developer using Microsoft Project.

The following still have not been comprehensively covered in a book:

• A target group orientated description of the usability of Microsoft Project.
   
• A step by step introduction for all user groups, including all users working with Microsoft Project other than project managers. These are team members, who are assigned as a resource within a project, resource managers, who are responsible for the utilization of resources, and executives, who are responsible for the profitability and correct implementation of each project.
   
• A user guide for consultants, who are responsible for the successful implementation of Project Management Systems. These can be fellow employees within the organization (internal promoters), or external consulting firms (external promoters) who implement Microsoft Project, convince user groups of the benefits of Microsoft Project, and train these user groups.
   
• A guideline for administrators and help desk staff to provide sufficient information on how to integrate Microsoft Project into the organization’s IT environment and how to maintain it.
   
• A programming guide for developers, helping them to customize Microsoft Project to the specific requirements of an organization and how to develop interfaces to external systems.
   

Besides the above information, we found the following aspects partly or totally missing from existing books. These aspects will be addressed within this book:

• Task orientated style where the reader can say “This is my task as project manager/team member etc., and this is how I solve my task using Microsoft Project.”
   
• A founding in methodology based on generally accepted Project Management Standards by the Microsoft Project Management Institutes (PMI).
   
• An assessment of which functions from Microsoft Project are suitable in a real work environment and to which company size these functions may be usable, and what functions are not suitable.
   
• Known Issues and workarounds.
   
• Frequent handling errors and suggestions on how to eliminate them by either training or customization.
   
• Complete integration of Microsoft Project Server and its components, such as Windows SharePoint Services and SQL Server Analysis Services, into the conceptual framework.
   
• A total consideration of cross site and enterprise wide use of Microsoft Project.
   
• A mixture of step by step introductions in cookbook style and references where appropriate.
   
• Links to further information, especially complementary books and Internet sources.

Aim of the book

Our aim for the first edition of the book was to write a Microsoft Project book that fulfilled real workplace-orientated requirements and closed the above listed literature gap. The very positive market response made us decide to aim for the same goal with the new version of Microsoft Project 2003.

Naturally it is not possible to release a real workplace-orientated book as soon as the new version of the software is released, which is the reason we took some time to publish this book. When we talk about real world scenarios we have numerous enterprises in mind which we have come to know over recent years. These are companies where we have worked and companies where we have implemented and maintained Microsoft Project. These enterprises are from different industrial sectors and are of different sizes. However, the main problems remain the same when it comes to the implementation and maintenance of Project Management Systems.

A Project Manager has to ensure that the project target is reached within the time, cost, and quality boundaries set for the project. He has to ensure that the customer is satisfied with the outcome. From a company executive point of view, all projects need to be managed to ensure complete customer satisfaction and profitability for the company. This target can only be reached if the Resource Manager ensures a high utilization at any given time. A project can only become successful when all project stakeholders are involved early in the project planing, are always kept up to date on the current state of the project, and have sufficient time to successfully complete their tasks.

In order to successfully complete a project it is required that all project stakeholders (users) are equipped with the correct tools and the knowledge to fulfil their tasks. These tasks need to be fulfilled by service providers (Consultant, Administrator, Developer etc) who can be internal or external staff.

The following sub goals must be achieved to meet the main goal

• Stay focused: Microsoft Project is often referred to as too complex. This can lead to confusion, especially for beginners who don’t know all the functions and therefore can’t achieve their desired results. Very often this results in frustration and mistrust. We therefore concentrate our efforts on the presentation of the main process and basic know-how. Furthermore we give tips to users on how to tailor Microsoft Project and how to train users to achieve successful project management even at the implementation phase. Wherever the user can dive deeper into a function we have provided more information sources for the user to investigate. You will find that this book combines all existing information sources.
   
• Orientate description to target group: Not everyone needs to know it all, or is capable of knowing it all. Microsoft Project can only be successfully implemented when all project stakeholders receive all information they need to successfully implement their tasks. The book is divided into user groups: the first 4 chapters introduce Microsoft Project from a user point of view, while the rest of the chapters each describe a service provider view point. We describe all main processes from a user group point of view and, step by step, introduce what is required to receive all information from the system (user) or what is required to implement this information (service provider).
   
• Integration into the complete context: Project Management is never an isolated discipline within an organization. Project Management actually has very close links to Company Management. Profitability analysis through company control also influences project control and vice versa. Technical aspects need to be integrated with the rest of the company IT infrastructure. An existing system to capture time entry needs to be integrated just as much as the rest of the company systems (like document management systems, CAD systems etc). That’s why we have included interface descriptions and possible solutions. A specific focus was made on integration into the Microsoft world with Windows SharePoint Services, SharePoint Portal Server, and central administration via Active Directory. We also included integration into Outlook, using Terminal Server and extension through COM add-ins.
   
• Complete orientation using Microsoft Project Server: Each chapter contains the complete Project Management System including Microsoft Project Professional, connection to Microsoft Project Server, and Microsoft Project Web Access.
   
• Field tested solutions: Theory can be grey and not everything that Microsoft promises works in every situation. We only describe solutions we have actually integrated. Should there be any restrictions to solutions, we describe them at appropriate points.
   

Aim for the second edition:

Especially for the new version of Microsoft Project 2003 we had additional goals outlined below:

• New experience: Since the release of the first edition almost one year has passed. During this time we have gathered more experience with our customers and continually developed and enhanced our project concepts. These enhanced concepts flow into the new edition of this book.
   
• New features: Microsoft Project 2003 and Microsoft Project Server 2003 include a whole new range of functionality, including eye catching new functions and less conspicuous enhancements. We have incorporated these new features into the new edition.
   
• Regeneration of Microsoft Project for consultants: Microsoft has integrated new resources for implementation, so we decided to rewrite and restructure Chapter 6 to put Microsoft’s concept on the same level as our own.
   
• Regeneration of Microsoft Project for trainers: We have included a stronger training concept for human resource development. To reflect this, Chapter 7 has been rewritten and restructured.
   

Alongside this we have rectified errors and made textual improvements including more cross references between chapters. In comparison to the first edition, the coverage has not changed dramatically. This is due to changes made in Microsoft Project 2003 which made some functionality easier and therefore required less explanation. The overall concepts have proven their worth and therefore have remained the same as in the previous edition.

Target groups and Procedures

The Sample Company

When we talk about the Company, we have in mind a medium sized company with some subsidiaries. The Company partly generates its revenue by implementing projects for its customers. In order to simplify the process we have decided to use a building company, since the operation of such a company is generally well-understood.

Head office runs a Microsoft Project client application. The subsidiaries run Microsoft Project using terminal server access. The staff and customers access Microsoft Project Server using an Intranet, an Extranet, or the Internet. All projects are stored in the Microsoft Project Database and are only checked-out as a file when working with the project plan offline. The company uses Windows 2000 / XP as an operating system on their workstations and Windows Server 200x as their server operating system. Microsoft Project Server runs on a SQL 2000 database including Analysis Services. Outlook 200x and Exchange is used as groupware. Microsoft Project Web Access is also used for project documentation, which is based on SharePoint Services. Active Directory and a SharePoint Portal Server are used especially for the company wide Context search. Each Project Manager uses a laptop and a pocket PC.

The sample company demonstrates a typical system and is only used for example purposes. Microsoft Project can of course work in various structured companies of varying sizes for different purposes. In the book we will refer to different examples in the footnotes.

Target groups

All above mentioned stakeholders are target groups of this book. There are users who are divided into “Project Managers”, “Team Members”, “Resource Managers”, and “Executives”. In addition we have the group of service providers which is composed of “Consultants”, “Administrators”, and “Developers”.

Not every company will have an individual person for each position; on the contrary it is often possible that one individual covers more positions within a project. That is the reason we will talk about roles from now on. Depending on the roles the reader may take on, different chapters will be of interest.

Microsoft Project for users

Within the first 4 chapters we will provide a step by step introduction so as to gather the basic know-how. New users of Microsoft Project will be able to find the essentials of how to use the package. Readers of other Microsoft Project books, users with advanced experience using Microsoft Project, and especially Project Managers will find these chapters helpful for brush-up purposes.

Microsoft Project for Project Managers

The Project Manager is responsible for the project; he owns the project plan. He is responsible delivering the project within time and budget. In this chapter he will find ways to generate the project plan, how to assign tasks and resources, how to inform the resource, and how resources enter their required information (like time etc.). In further chapters the Project Manger will learn how to generate project reports based on the information entered into the project plan.

Microsoft Project for Team Members

A Team Member or project collaborator is the most important resource within a project. Depending on their skills these resources will be assigned to tasks. Within Microsoft Project Web Access it is possible for the Team Member to get an overview of tasks and time frames as to when to complete a task. During a task and at the end of each task, a Team Member will be able to enter the IS and REMAINING effort and report these to the Project Manager.

Microsoft Project for Resource Managers

The Resource Manager is responsible for project resources. He is the project leader for non project related tasks, like maintenance of systems, internal appointments, and absences etc. He is also responsible for the utilization of resources. Furthermore he has to maintain the skill set of resources and “sell” these skills to Project Managers. He also has to organize training to maintain desired skill sets. Resource Managers have to plan and maintain adjustments to project plans if for example a resource is not available due to illness etc.

Microsoft Project for Executives

The Executive or the board of executives is responsible for overall project profitability and the project portfolio of all projects. The Executive outlines the general conditions for project management. The Executive prioritizes projects and decides in case of resource conflicts which can’t be resolved by Resource Managers. The Executive is responsible for the integration and implementation of project management into finance, human resource, and marketing management. Some aspects are also called finance and budget planning. Executives expect an early information flow in case of delays and suggestions on how to rectify the delay.

Microsoft Project for Project Management Service Providers

The remaining chapters are for service providers which help project users to implement and maintain projects technically and organizationally. These consultants can be internal or external staff. You will find that sometimes various roles are also covered by the same person.

Microsoft Project for consultants and trainers

Consultants are persons who implement and integrate project management techniques and tools into organizations. Consultants can be promoters, coaches, trainers, or organizers. Often consultants execute “on time” tasks like generating and holding presentations, generating project user documentation etc. Often consultants are also the interface to executives, board members and work committees. Consultants will find helpful information to successfully implement Microsoft Project like check lists, or exercises to conduct training.

Microsoft Project for Administrators

Administrators are responsible for the reliability of IT within an organization. An administrator often has extra staff to handle first level support, and needs to remain as an adviser to solve problems within the software. They are also responsible for the seamless integration of Microsoft Project into the organization’s IT infrastructure. They are responsible for customizing solutions where applicable and for the maintenance of additional systems used by Microsoft Project (like Terminal Server, Active Directory, SQL Server, and IIS etc). In this chapter you will discover how to install Microsoft Project and how to maintain Project Server. This chapter also includes the administration of the basic settings of Microsoft Project Server and all of its components plus the Microsoft Project Server Database.

Microsoft Project for Developers

Developers are responsible for the generation of interfaces to communicate with external company systems. Additionally developers customize Microsoft Project and Microsoft Project Server to the requirements of the organization. In this chapter you will be able to see how to customize the Microsoft Project components using VBA. This chapter contains further detailed information and can be used as a reference. The book and the included CD contain much VBA sample code.

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