Questions about Project Server

[Andrew F.]

Hi everyone,



My company is contemplating making the move to MS Project Server and I'm
researching whether or not it will be a wise move. We've been trying to
implement the standalone PC version for several years now and have been
encountering widespread resistance (the staff doesn't want to give up
Excel). Our initial thinking was to get everyone up to speed with Project
on their computers and then make the jump to a Project Server environment.
However, I'm beginning to think we are perhaps hamstringing our efforts by
not offering the services that MS Project Server can provide. Also, we have
received several requests recently from our project managers for e-mail
notification of tasks, et cetera, to their teams. Have any of you
encountered the same situation at your companies? If so, do you have any
advice?



Much thanks,

Andrew

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Andrew F --

If you read the posts in the microsoft.public.project.server newsgroup, you
will see the problems faced by companies that insist on implementing Project
Server by themselves. If you decide to move to Project Server, I would
strongly recommend that you enlist the services of a Microsoft Project
Partner who can assist you with your implementation. Doing so will save you
time, money, and frustration in the process.

For example, in your post, you mention the resistance about switching from
Excel to Microsoft Project. People issues are some of the biggest hurdles
you would face in implementing Project Server, not the least of which would
be getting team members to enter their actuals each week in a timesheet
system, assuming that you are not currently using any kind of timesheet
system. Hope this helps.

 

[Datian]

I'm in the same boat. I work at an advertising agency obsessed (as you can
guess) with aesthetics. Project's enterprise features are useful, but the
presentation layer leaves so much to be desired. Showing them Gantt charts
makes their heads explode, and the only View they can tolerate is Calendar
view. But Project's Calendar view is several customizable layers short of
being comprehensible. Yet Project's dev team seems frozen in time and
doesn't seem terribly interested in going the last mile.

Like the parent post, I can't sell the stakeholders here on Project Server
because of those limitations.

Frankly, the kernel of the problem lies in your response to the Parent:
hire a 3rd party to implement Project Server from the get-go and spend yet
more $$$, rather than MS fixing a flawed product. MS perennially responds to
feature requests with offers for per-incident help fees, 3rd party vendor
"experts," and all sorts of other collective ponzi schemes designed to paper
over poor user testing and software design.

It's quite disappointing.

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Datian --

We helped an advertising agency in Manhattan to implement Project Server.
Their heads didn't explode when they looked at the Gantt Chart view.

I think your disappointment with the software is way off base. Project
Server is enterprise software that is requires a great deal of customization
to be really useful to a company. This customization includes setting up
the system to match how a company categorizes projects, resources, and
tasks. Furthermore, as enterprise software, Project Server is not intuitive
to use or administer. This is identical to all of the enterprise software
packages on the market. Most companies would benefit greatly from formal
training in how to use Project Server correctly.

I disagree with your assessment about the $$$. Microsoft does not force
anyone to hire a Project Partner, but it does make that recommentation to
every company purchasing the software. Hope this helps.

 

[Rick Williams]

It is technically possible to put MS Project on a server and interact with
it via Active Server pages. It is kind of difficult, though, but we could
set it up for you through our company, Teledyne Solutions, Inc. Contact my
boss, Mike Legg, at (e-mail address removed) if you are interested. Using this
technique gives you complete control over your scheduling application rather
than having to change the people to fit the software.
Regards,
Rick