Using "Workgroup" With Outlook 97

[Kenneth Chandonait]

I'm working in a rather restricted environment, trying to
get some level of task assignment working using Project
2000 (not the enterprise edition) with Outlook 97. Has
anyone had any success assigning tasks with project,
having them show up in outlook, and keeping a handle on
the task progress back in Project?

I'm being instructed to use only macros to create this
functionality because an overriding goal is to avoid
deviating from a company standard installation package.

Does anyone out there have an idea how to do this?

 

[Rob Schneider]

I'm working in a rather restricted environment, trying to
get some level of task assignment working using Project
2000 (not the enterprise edition) with Outlook 97. Has
anyone had any success assigning tasks with project,
having them show up in outlook, and keeping a handle on
the task progress back in Project?

I'm being instructed to use only macros to create this
functionality because an overriding goal is to avoid
deviating from a company standard installation package.

Does anyone out there have an idea how to do this?

Kenneth,

I did some experiments with Project 98 and Outlook 97 way back in 1999
and it worked to my satisfaction.

You don't need to do any macros. You need to install on the desktop of
the Outlook user some files. I forget what they are, but they are fully
documented in the instructions for setting up MAPI interchange with
Outlook. The files are located on the Project CD. I suspect that you
will not get permission to install these files since your company has a
more important goal to not deviate from the company standard
installation package.

To do this in macros is probably possible, but my hunch is that it will
be complicated, costly (assuming you get paid for your time), and will
take time to design, develop, test, and implement. And probably no
matter how good of a developer/tester/implementor you are, it won't be
as good as the Microsoft product you already have on your Project CD.
Perhaps you can build a business case based on real costs/benefits to
get the company agree to allow Project/outlook users to install this
little program.

After my experiments, we chose to not implement Project with Outlook
interaction. For reasons I don't, to this day, understand, it was
decided on our project at that time that we did not need a Project plan
because it was too hard to do it and we all knew what we were doing
anyway. Right. Missed opportunity.

On the people--not technology--side, of this issue, I recommend you
think through how people will react to and work with receiving and
sending task assignemnts via Outlook. My experience was mixed. Some
people loved it. Others didn't. The folks who didn't like it tended to
be the people who didn't want to be hampered by a project plan, but
that's beside the point. Just think through the people side of it.

 

[Greg Salts]

Hi Kenneth,

The feature you are describing is Workgroup Messaging. If you are using
Outlook as the email client for the Project Manager as well as the
recipients it will work fine. There is a program that needs to be installed
on the resources computer if they do not have Project installed on their
machine. The program is in a folder on the cd titled Wgsetup. From this
folder run Wgsetup.exe on the non Project machines to handle the form
Project uses to interact with Outlook client.

On the machine you are scheduling from in Project you need to check in
Tools > Options > Workgroup and insure that the option for Mail is selected.

For more info on Workgroup Messaging look up Team assign, in the help
file.

hth,
Greg