Admin Projects & Task Updates

[bushie_40]

Hi,

I don't quite understand the whole Task Update process in the context
of Administrative Project. With an admin project, it is inherently
non-project time and the whole cycle of updating tasks and a
corresponding project plan seems wasteful to me. All we really want to
do is approve the timesheet by the resource manager and that's it.

What purpose do task updates serve for admin projects?

Paul

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

RickD --

Eloquently stated, my friend!

To add to your excellent explanation for the use of admin projects, the
chief "downside" of using them is that nonworking time in admin projects
does not automatically reschedule resource work in production projects. I
believe most people would expect this behavior, and do not get it out of
admin projects. If such behavior is what wish out of Project Server, we
need to avoid using admin projects and enter the nonworking time on each
resource's personal calendar in the Enterprise Resource Pool. Thanks for
your good thoughts.

 

[bushie_40]

Yes, we do need historical reporting. But what I don't get is why you
need task updates to accomplish this? Doesn't filling out and
approving the timeshet fulfil this function? Or does it not "save" the
data beyond the managed time period?

Paul

 

[Ivor Davies]

Dale - I've been reading in some of the posts in this newgroup that you have
a listing of BEST PRACTICES for administrative time projects (other than
DON'T USE THEM).

Could you please forward you recommendations to me on what you feel are best
practices in administrative time projects in EPM? I've looked in your
"Managing Enterprise Projects" Guide with Gary, but I can't seem to find it.

Can you please point me in the right direction?

What I am looking for is:

1) MAX units per resource
2) Resource Utilization
3) Task constraints

We are having a problem here when resources update their task information
via PWA, it pushes the END DATE of the Admin project BEYOND what is should be
(for example our fiscal year ends March 31st 2006 - and when employees update
their task information, this date ALWAYS GETS CHANGED.

Help...

Thanks..

Ivor

 

[BeautifulSpirit]

Dale,
I would be very interested in seeing your 'best practises' list for Admin
projects. In particular I need to know max # of resources that we can assign
to an admin task, what type of duration, fixed work, units or duration?
Thanks,