Master / Sub Projects - Help with Setup & Update Process needed

[Ian Gray]

Hi all,
I have been handed a Project 2002 file that will be used to run a global
project and asked to put in an update & control system. I am a planner who is
used to Primavera P3.
The plan was put together as one project initially, but after reading the
posts here and considering the breadth of the project (14 Stakeholders with
seperate but linked activities) and the fact that the stakeholders are
geographically seperated, I think Sub Projects will be the way to go.
My questions are:
1 - How do I separate the one file into the Master (Milestones etc) and the
14 separate Subs?
2 - Does anyone have suggestions / issues / ideas as to how the update
process can be completed? The subprojects will have to be emailed out to the
stakeholders, updated and then sent back. Unfortunately we are running Lotus
Notes (various versions) and so the Outlook integrattion will not be possible.

Help! ;-)

 

[John]

Hi all,
I have been handed a Project 2002 file that will be used to run a global
project and asked to put in an update & control system. I am a planner who is
used to Primavera P3.
The plan was put together as one project initially, but after reading the
posts here and considering the breadth of the project (14 Stakeholders with
seperate but linked activities) and the fact that the stakeholders are
geographically seperated, I think Sub Projects will be the way to go.
My questions are:
1 - How do I separate the one file into the Master (Milestones etc) and the
14 separate Subs?
2 - Does anyone have suggestions / issues / ideas as to how the update
process can be completed? The subprojects will have to be emailed out to the
stakeholders, updated and then sent back. Unfortunately we are running Lotus
Notes (various versions) and so the Outlook integrattion will not be possible.

Help! ;-)

Ian,
That's interesting, it sounds like people in your business are not
important. I wish you luck in getting things done.

Now to address your questions. There are various ways to separate the
large single file into several individual files.

One method is to simply save the file under 14 different names and then
delete tasks as appropriate. This will not preserve the inter-file links
however, if there aren't a huge number, the link source and destination
information can be temporarily stored in spare fields for later use in
setting up external links between the now separate files.

A second method for breaking up the large file AND preserving the links
would be to use VBA. However, since you have a one-time application, it
may not be worth the effort. The advantage of this approach though is it
is less prone to errors in translation and for a large number for
inter-file links, it can end up being a time saver. I once had a
situation where I wrote a "one-time usage" macro - we ended up using it
over and over.

With regard to updating, again there are various approaches. One method
is to simply use manual updates. The process is straightforward but it
can be tedious and is prone to human error. I think a much better
approach might be to use Excel as a transfer medium. Most people have
Excel or a compatible version thereof. Set up a spreadsheet with the
Project fields as fields (columns) on the worksheet. That will make
updating easy for the stakeholders and you can use an import map to
transfer the updated information from the spreadsheet to Project. You
might want to read the Project help file with regard to import maps.

Hope this helps.
John
Project MVP
Great ideas aren't worth a damn unless there are people to implement
them.

 

[Ian Gray]

John,
Thanks for your reply - I was thinking that if I did it manually I would
lose all my inter links...so you've confirmed that, but at least now I can
prepare for it!

I have toyed with the idea of Excel but will probably attempt to use a
method of sending out copies of the sub projects, and then import the data
back in when I receive the files back. I just think that given the different
levels of Project usage throughout the organisation, it might enable to sites
to be flexible in their update method/approach.
Thanks again for your assistance.
Cheers

 

[John]

John,
Thanks for your reply - I was thinking that if I did it manually I would
lose all my inter links...so you've confirmed that, but at least now I can
prepare for it!

I have toyed with the idea of Excel but will probably attempt to use a
method of sending out copies of the sub projects, and then import the data
back in when I receive the files back. I just think that given the different
levels of Project usage throughout the organisation, it might enable to sites
to be flexible in their update method/approach.
Thanks again for your assistance.
Cheers

Ian,
Think about that "great minds and great ideas" axiom.

I suggested Excel because almost everybody either has it or a compatible
alternative. Not everybody has Project. By all means, if all
stakeholders in your organization have Project, then updating their
separate plans would allow more flexibility.

John
Project MVP
Great ideas aren't worth a damn unless there are people to implement
them.

 

[ProjectUser]

Hi John,

Regarding using master/subprojects what are your thoughts regarding using
"must start" constraints on the subprojects (the starting task of the
subproject), then inserting the subprojects into the master? I'm rather
inexperienced with working with larger, master plan/subprojects. I was told
this helps keep the dates in tact when inserting projects into a master plan.

Thanks!

 

[John]

Hi John,

Regarding using master/subprojects what are your thoughts regarding using
"must start" constraints on the subprojects (the starting task of the
subproject), then inserting the subprojects into the master? I'm rather
inexperienced with working with larger, master plan/subprojects. I was told
this helps keep the dates in tact when inserting projects into a master plan.

Thanks!

ProjectUser,
Personally I never use hard constraints (i.e. Must Start or Must
Finish). Nothing in life is that definite. Besides, you do not need to
constrain the subproject tasks for a dynamically consolidated master
(however, a static master is a different story). Each subproject's tasks
will start on the Project Start Date for that subproject. Start dates
for other tasks are determined by the task dependencies. Inserting a
subproject into a master does not change the subproject's Project Start
Date. As a matter of fact none of a subproject's dates should change as
a result of simply inserting the subproject into a master.

Hope this helps.

John
Project MVP