David Hans

Tracking and Updating with Project Tracking and Updating with Project ServerServer

The Project Update Cycle Best Practise The Project Update Cycle Best Practise v Realityv Reality

11th February 2004

Agenda

• Introduction• Pcubed• What is Updating?• Prerequisites• Best Practice? Maturity v Confusion?• Demonstration• Conclusion

What is Updating?

• Planning the Work, Working the Plan• Different Types using MS Project:

– Project Managers Secret Plan!– PMO Helping the Project Manager– Manual Timesheets– Project Web Access

• % Complete• Hours Worked / Remaining• Time sheeting

Prerequisites

• Tracking & Updating

• Consistent Planning Standards– Resources assigned– Dependencies applied– Constraints minimized– Task types agreed

Prerequisites

• Reporting guidelines and Processes

– Time Period for actual information update

– Method of reporting progress• %complete

• actual work and work remaining

• % complete and work remaining

Best Practice – From a Published Plan

Planning In 1) Resources Submit

Updates Via PWA

3) PM Applies Update to Plan

5) PM Reviews Plan against

Baseline 4) PM Takes

Note of Scheduling

Errors

6) Reschedule Activities and Assignments

2) PM Checks Updates

Delivery Out

Best Practice - Usability Issues

• Delegation of ownership • What happens if “Resource A” is on vacation?

• Non project time Tracking• Bucket Tasks

• Matrix Organisations• Management versus Project view (more of an issue

for Project 2002)

• Multiple Resource Calendars

Best Practice – Deployment Issues

• Business Need / Desire

• Project Manager Maturity

• Organisational & Management Capability

• Types of Project

• Management Needs v Management Overhead

• Growing with the Organisation

Your Tasks – as a Timesheet

• Project Web Access

• Gantt and Timesheet Views

• Columns

• Filters

• Grouping

Click on Tasks

Gantt Chart or Timesheet

Current or All Tasks

Your Portfolio of Tasks by

Project

Percentages, Hours of Work, and Timesheets

• Hours per day

• Estimates to Complete / Remaining Work

Scheduled Work and your actual hours

Remaining Hours

Update the Project Manager

Save Changes

Update Selected Rows

Update All

What happens next?

Approval & Rejection

Back to the beginning

Summary

• Tracking and Updating using PWA is highly valuable for dispersed teams

• Time Saving potential• Requires implementation of good planning and

processes• Creates Team involvement in Planning and what

is going on• Requires good understanding of scheduling

engines by the Project Manager

Conclusion

• Best Practice v Reality

• Deployment by Steps

• Q&A