Help! Getting timesheets from Microsoft Project

[Robert Blinthall]

Hi,

We're currently using the extremely defunct Project Manager's Workbench
(PMW) 4.0 on a very basic level to capture time for reporting purposes,
via a process so laborious that it would probably make me cry if I had
to explain in full detail.

I know we can do better. I'm hoping someone here will know how.

Our company has MS Project 2000 installed, but no Project Server. Our
budget being what it is, we're not in a position to buy any additional
software at present.

My question is - how easy would it be, using only MS Project 2000 and
VBA, to set up a time capturing system that would ideally do the
following:

- allow managers to maintain a list of tasks for each resource,
preferably with each task having an assigned Budget and
Estimate-to-Complete figure in hours

- generate weekly timesheets containing all the tasks currently
assigned to a resource, which could either open in Project (which is
standard on all PCs) or be viewed in a web browser

- email a reminder to all resources to complete their timesheet

- allow users to enter new tasks for later approval by managers as a
temporary place to hold time that didn't fit into any existing task

- give us easy access (SQL ODBC access if possible) to the captured
data via Excel for reporting purposes?

Am I in cloud cuckoo land? Do I need to get something else to make
this possible? Is there an open source/free/cheap package that will
let us do this?

Yours hopefully/gratefully,
Rob

 

[Rod Gill]

Hi,

There are companion tools that do most of this already available.
www.mvps.org/project has a list or search the web for some.

Yes you can develop yourself but it would be much more time consuming and
expensive than buying.

 

[davegb]

Hi,

We're currently using the extremely defunct Project Manager's Workbench
(PMW) 4.0 on a very basic level to capture time for reporting purposes,
via a process so laborious that it would probably make me cry if I had
to explain in full detail.

I know we can do better. I'm hoping someone here will know how.

Our company has MS Project 2000 installed, but no Project Server. Our
budget being what it is, we're not in a position to buy any additional
software at present.

My question is - how easy would it be, using only MS Project 2000 and
VBA, to set up a time capturing system that would ideally do the
following:

- allow managers to maintain a list of tasks for each resource,
preferably with each task having an assigned Budget and
Estimate-to-Complete figure in hours

- generate weekly timesheets containing all the tasks currently
assigned to a resource, which could either open in Project (which is
standard on all PCs) or be viewed in a web browser

- email a reminder to all resources to complete their timesheet

- allow users to enter new tasks for later approval by managers as a
temporary place to hold time that didn't fit into any existing task

- give us easy access (SQL ODBC access if possible) to the captured
data via Excel for reporting purposes?

Am I in cloud cuckoo land? Do I need to get something else to make
this possible? Is there an open source/free/cheap package that will
let us do this?

Yours hopefully/gratefully,
Rob

I don't know of any open source software to do this. Have you Googled
for it? If you didn't find any, there probbably isn't any.
As for VBA, while I've written and used it on small scale spps for
years, I've never seen a large scale VBA app of the kind you described
work for long. In the consulting buisness, delivering a package like
that is called a "Trojan Horse". They bid the initial development low,
knowing that once it's inside the client's house, the consultant can
depend on years of return business.
I know your budget is limited, but my guess is you'll have to pony up
for a sofware package compatible with project, of which, last time I
looked, there were several.
Hope this helps in your world.