Project not holding format changes

[Jim Reid]

This is a recient occurance. We generate projects from templates. One
Project Manager seems to be doing something that causes his project to NOT
save any print formating or view formating. Something is being done to the
project and we can't figure out what. If I take the same template and use it
I can modify the headings, etc on the printout and the stay with the project.
When this one project manager does it the format changes won't stay with the
project.

Has anyone seen this situation before?

Thanks,

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Jim --

If you are using Project Server and the PM in question has applied the
Enterprise Gantt Chart view in his/her project, then the project will not
save his/her print and view formatting. If this is the case, ask the PM to
apply the Gantt Chart view and that should solve the problem. Hope this
helps.

 

[Jim Reid]

Dale,

Thanks for the response. I think I understand what you are saying but don't
know how to recreate the problem. I thought that if you opened a project and
selected the Gant View you got the Global and as soon as you changed the
appearance of that view it became local to your project. I tried to recreate
the situation but can't seem to do it.

We are using MSP Pro 2003 with Project Server.

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Jim --

Re-read my original message. If the user applied the Enterprise Gantt Chart
view (not the Gantt Chart view), then the changes won't be saved. Try that
and let us know what happens.

 

[Jim Reid]

Sorry Dale, guess I'm just slow today but I don't understand. When you
select a VIEW from the list of View on the menu none say Enterprise, but I
thought they were all Enterprise unless you modifiy them and then they would
not be Enterprise any longer but stay with the project.

So if you used the Gant Chart on a new project you would get the Enterprise
Gantt Chart. As soon as you change the view and save it you would have a
local Gantt Chart View and no longer the one from the Enterprise view.

Am I missing something on this?

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Jim --

It sounds like your Project Server administrator deleted the Enterprise
Gantt Chart view from the Enterprise Global file. The Enteprrise Gantt
Chart view is the only default enterprise View that ships with Project
Server 2002 and 2003. Because it is an enterprise View, users cannot modify
the Enterprise Gantt Chart view in any way. This is how an organization can
distribute a "corporate" View to everyone in the organization.

On the other hand, Views like the Gantt Chart, Resource Sheet, Tracking
Gantt, Task Usage, and Resource Usage views are all local Views that are
stored in each user's Global.mpt file on his/her hard drive. These Views
are totally customizable. If the PM in question applies one of these local
Views, he/she should be able to customize it and have the changes stick.

Therefore, I think there are several things you can try to solve this
problem:

1. Go to the PC of the PM in question and open his/her project. Try
applying several different Views and determine if you can customize the View
and have the changes stick. If not, note what Views are causing the
problem.

2. Talk to your Project Server administrator and determine what he/she has
done with the Enterprise Gantt Chart view and why. Also, determine if
he/she has made any of the local Views (such as the Gantt Chart or Resource
Sheet) into enterprise Views, which he/she should NOT do.

Let us know if we can help any more.

 

[Jim Reid]

Dale,

I think I'm beginning to understand. I didn't see Enterprise Gantt Chart
under the Views. It's there but that isn't what the PM was doing. he was
taking the Tracking Gantt Chart and do a Print Preview and then changing the
settings on the printer. Putting in Headers, Footers, removing the Legend,
etc. He would print it the way he wanted it and then save the project to the
server.

The next time he would go into the project the printer headings, footings,
etc were all gone. He "said" the same happened with the views but I didn't
check that but I did see what he was saying with the printer. The Enterprise
Gantt Chart was never part of the issue. This all happened a couple weeks
ago and he had 4 projects on the server.

I went in yesterday and looked at his four project and 3 will hold the
printer settings now and only one won't. Don't know what changed but would
like to know what he is doing to cause the situation.

If you can think of anything that would cause this I'd be interested but I
don't think it has to do with a specific view but something else mainly
becuase of the print changes not sticking.

Thanks for your help.

Jim

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Jim --

Thanks much, my friend, for your detailed analysis of his situation. If
three of the four projects maintain the settings, and one project does not,
I would strongly suspect file corruption in that one project. To resolve
this, your PM would need to do the following:

1. Launch Microsoft Project Professional and log into Project Server
2. Open the project that won't save the changes
3. Click File - Save As
4. Click the Save As File button
5. Select the "Currently loaded global items" option and click OK
6. Select a destination folder
7. Click the "Save as type" pick list at the bottom of the dialog and
select the "XML Format" option
8. Click the Save button
9. Close the project

After doing this, the Project Server administration should delete the
project from the Project Server database. If there are Risks, Issues, or
Documents associated with this project, the Project Server administrator
should carefully follow the steps listed in this FAQ before deleting the
project:

http://www.projectserverexperts.com/Shared Documents/DeleteProjectWithoutSubweb.htm

After the Project Server administrator has deleted the project, the PM
should do the following:

1. Launch Microsoft Project Professional and log into Project Server
2. Click File - Open
3. Click the Open from File button
4. Navigate to the folder containing the project saved as an XML file
5. Click the "Files of type" pick list at the bottom of the dialog and
select the "XML Format" option
6. Select the XML project and then click the Open button
7. In the Import Wizard dialog, select the "As a new project" option and
then click the Finish button
8. Click File - Save As
9. Click the Save As File button
10. Select a destination folder and make sure that the MPP file type is
selected in the "Save as type" pick list
11. Click the Save button
12. Click File - Close

The above two sets of steps will convert the enterprise project into an XML
file and then into an MPP file, which many times will solve the corruption
problem. The PM should now import the project into the Project Server
database using Tools - Enterprise Options - Import Project to Enterprise.
He SHOULD NOT simply open the MPP file, click File - Save As, and then save
it directly in the Project Server database.

After he imports the project, the Project Server administrator can reattach
the SharePoint subweb to the project using the steps detailed in the FAQ, if
the original project had Risks, Issues, or Documents associated with it.
Hope this helps.

 

[Jim Reid]

Dale,

Thanks again for your efforts with this issue. I have a problem with what
you are saying. I don't disagree with your method but I'm more concerned
about how this happens.

This PM has 4 projects. All 4 projects have been in this state before where
you couldn't save the printer settings (header, footer, etc.). Now when I
look at the four project only one (1) is in that state, the other three (3)
now CAN save the settings for header, footing, etc. It has to be something
he is doing either when he builds the project or in the process of creating
his WBS and then later (possibly without his knowing it) he is doing
something that straightens it out again.

It's possible that he knows what he is doing but just playing with the PMO
office but I don't think so. I'd like to go back to him and tell he what
he's doing wrong but for the life of me I can't figure out what he has done.
I've ask to sit with him when he creates his next project plan but I get all
kinds of excuses that he's too busy or doesn't know when that will be, etc.

So what I'm looking for is a way to make this senerio happen and then how to
fix it and so far I've been unsuccessful.