Link a Project to multiple Master Projects - Project Server 2007

[Rick L. Martin]

***First off, I am not a savvy MS Project user, so please bear with me.***

Simply, is it possible in Microsoft Project Server 2007 to link a
sub-project to multiple master projects?

The way our company has operated in the past when using the stand-alone MS
Project files (not using Project Server) was that the Project Manager would
have his own Master Project Schedule, and the Engineering Manager would have
his own Master Project. So there are all these multiple job projects out
there for every customer's job, and the PM and the Engineering Manager would
each link (or maybe its called insert) those job projects into their own
Master Project and I guess everything updated as should and all was working.

Now that we are running MS Project Server 2007 (still in our trial mode as
we test), our Engineering Manager says that it doesn't seem that these sub
job projects can be linked to multiple top-level master projects, even if in
read only mode. He said he tried just breaking the link but it screws up all
the dates or something.

Are they looking at this totally wrong and should be doing something
different? Or is this the way and they are just doing something wrong?

 

[Mark E. Read]

Hi Rick,

Now that you have a Project Server, you can take advantage of a more
robust database construct and dispense with a fragile master-sub plan
configuration.

I would not use multiple masters, but rather look to a judicious use
of project codes and cross-project links to achieve your data
aggregation goals.

Needless to say, planning out our implementation architecture is
crucial, before you get too far into repeating the mistakes of the
past.

Depending upon what the PM and Engineering Manager are looking for,
you should be able to configure your Project Server to provide that
data.

Let me know if you need more detail...

--Mark

 

[Rick L. Martin]

Yes I would need more detail. Because I need to be able to go back to the
PM's and say "this is how this is supposed to be used, and this is how you do
it....". They have been used to linking a project to multiple master
projects, so if that's not the way to do it, then I need to know what to tell
them to change their ways.

 

[Gary L. Chefetz]

In this case a course in Project and Project Server would help. These aren't
simple two-line prescriptions. There's a significant amount of complexity to
the subject matter.

 

[Rick L. Martin]

So there's no easy answer of "Can a project be linked to multiple master
projects and be "usable and updateable" by being linked"?

 

[Gary L. Chefetz]

Rick:

A simple answer: Yes they can with a very very big caveat that this is often
a recipe for disaster in the hand of any but the most sophisticated project
users, and even then it can be quite a fire pit.

 

[Rick L. Martin]

Is there a quick way you can explain what the normal course of action is that
I would basically tell these PM's? Not the exact directions in doing this,
but if I was going to give them a brief answer of "I found you shouldn't be
linking a project to multiple master projects because of <this> and the
normal course of action is to do <this>." We will get training at some point
soon, but we are in trial mode for Project Server, our trial is about to be
up, and this is the main determining factor that has come up they may make us
not go the Project Server route and just stay with how they were using
individual Project files.

 

[Gary L. Chefetz]

Rick:

I wish it were so simple as giving you a couple one-liners to pass on, but
it isn't. Mark Read gave you some excellent advice. If you don't have a
partner helping you with this assessment, then you will likely never
understand the possibilities. Posting questions in the newsgroups is good
for break/fix issues, but it is no substitute for a good consultant. If you
don't have a copy of our Implementing and Administering Project Server 2007,
you might consider purchasing one as our book explains much of this.