MS Project 2003

[Rohit]

I was about to rollout Ms. Project and decided to rollout the latest version which is now out, 2003. However I have now noticed that it requires Win 2K although this may seem right for Ms. and its developers it means I have no choice but to rollout the previous version (Project 2002) as I would need to update approx 18 PC's otherwise, addiing extra pressure on by budget and timescales

I know we should be in the latest builds but sorry guys, not all companies can afford upgrading all PC's

 

[Steve House]

Win 2000 is hardly the latest build - it's been out since 1999 and since
then NT, 98, and ME have been retired and all are replaced by XP as the
current release. Remember, the generation time for software is still 18
months. Your company replaces its vehicles every few years doesn't it? Why
not its PCs and their operating systems? PC's don't wear out like a vehicle
but they do get obsolete much faster and the decision then becomes not when
it's worn out but whether the new features being introduced are worth the
cost of replacing the older systems. In the case of Project, if you're
going to eventually go with an EPM solution with Project Server then it's
worth it. If all your users are going to be stand alone desktop deployments
then the differences between 2002 and 2003 are negligable. But regardless
of version you select, the increased stability, security, and usability of
upgrading to Win 2000 or Win XP Pro as your OS is worth considering.
Remember, MS has terminated support for all earlier versions as they are
simply obsolete compared to todays technology. The model T was a great car
for its day, but would you want to drive one today for your daily commute
even if you had one in factory new condition?

--
Steve House
MS Project MVP
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

I was about to rollout Ms. Project and decided to rollout the latest

version which is now out, 2003. However I have now noticed that it requires
Win 2K although this may seem right for Ms. and its developers it means I
have no choice but to rollout the previous version (Project 2002) as I would
need to update approx 18 PC's otherwise, addiing extra pressure on by budget
and timescales.

 

[Kumar Subramaniam]

Just a thought

Implementing a project management solution in a company requires a good total cost of ownership (TCO) calculation for justifying the investment of migrating to latest version. The calculation in based on ROI as well as strategic planning and business process integration. If you were to ask your accounting expert or MBA or anyone with financial experience they can easily justify the investment of implemeting Proj 2003 with Win2K, Sharepoint etc. Affordability is always justified using Cost Benifit analysis. Any company be it big or small and if they want to be a leader always can easily see how upgrading to P2003 and Win 2K etc.will be easily justified

Again, for your information the PM concepts in Project 2003 is in many ways 1970 Project Management concepts and not Year 2003 concepts. It needed a software revolution to help take that 1970 PM theory and practice and make it into an innovation for everyone to use it with affordable cost.

So, companies by using P 2003 from a PM standpoint are still in 1970's PM business practice. There is a long way to go to catch up to Project 2003 PM concepts and practice. So, any investment in implementing Project 2003 can be easily justified even without having to do rigourous cost benefit calculations.

 

[Jack D.]

Again, for your information the PM concepts in Project 2003 is in many
ways 1970 Project Management concepts and not Year 2003 concepts. It
needed a software revolution to help take that 1970 PM theory and
practice and make it into an innovation for everyone to use it with
affordable cost.

So, companies by using P 2003 from a PM standpoint are still in 1970's PM
business practice. There is a long way to go to catch up to Project 2003
PM concepts and practice. So, any investment in implementing Project 2003
can be easily justified even without having to do rigourous cost benefit
calculations.

So what exactly are 2003 PM business concepts and practice?

--
Please try to keep replies in this group. I do check e-mail, but only
infrequently.
For Macros and other things check http://masamiki.com/project

-Jack Dahlgren, Project MVP
email: J -at- eM Vee Pee S dot COM


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[Jack D.]

Methinks MS Project 2003 is one tool among many that can facilitate
project management concepts and practice. To understand 2003 concepts and
practices I suggest a visit to the PMI and a wander through the PMBOK
2000. PMI of course is one methodology among many that has obtained much
support from the project management world in the past few years. It
appears they are the leader in identifying concepts and apply them as
practices. Michael Elliott
Soon to be PMP!

I may be wrong here, but PMBOK 2000 only covers project management processes
through the year 2000 since that is when it was developed and published.
There is nothing in it about year 2003 concepts.

PMI is not a methodology. As the title to the "Guide to the Project
Management Body of Knowledge" would suggest, it is merely a guide, a
taxonomy of commonly used processes and methods. As such it is a menu. One
does not usually order everything on the menu unless you want to end up
bloated and gassy.

To be honest, a lot of what is in the PMBOK is quite old. Gantt charts were
developed in the early part of the last century. Fredrick Winslow Taylor (
the father of scientific management) introduced them and they were developed
by Henry Gantt who worked for him.

Earned Value is not nearly so ancient being only about 40 years old.

PMI in my opinion is fairly conservative about what goes into the PMBOK
rather that being the leader that you state they are. I can't think of one
concept in PMBOK 2000 which was developed by PMI, and the changes from 1998
to 2000 were fairly minor in my opinion.

Things don't change much in project management. They just get renamed. The
advent of the personal computer is probably one of the biggest breakthroughs
as it allowed some of the more mathematic-dependent techniques to become
practical (one of the most significant of which is the desktop calculation
of critical path schedules using tools like Project). However, this
breakthrough was merely the application of modern tools to aid with long
established theories and practices. The spreadsheet and database as
replacements for paper versions of project documents and tracking tools is a
similar thing.

The best thing that PMI does is to establish a common terminology for
concepts and practices. It allows people to communicate. And I think that
the next wave of project management will be driven by better communication.
I think we are still struggling with how to do that.


--
Please try to keep replies in this group. I do check e-mail, but only
infrequently.
For Macros and other things check http://masamiki.com/project

-Jack Dahlgren, Project MVP
email: J -at- eM Vee Pee S dot COM


+++++++++++++++++++

 

[Gavin Jacobs]

Rohit,
Before you dive into the installations, I suggest this:
- on the server, install MS Project Server 2003
- if the client computer has Windows 2000 or XP, install MS Project 2003 Pro
- if the client computer has an older OS, install MS Project 2002 Pro
(Note: the 2002 client will work with the 2003 server)
- consider a Terminal Server for shared & remote use of the 2003 Pro client

It is easy to upgrade the client from 2002 to 2003, but a much bigger task
to upgrade the server.

HTH

Gavin

I was about to rollout Ms. Project and decided to rollout the latest

version which is now out, 2003. However I have now noticed that it requires
Win 2K although this may seem right for Ms. and its developers it means I
have no choice but to rollout the previous version (Project 2002) as I would
need to update approx 18 PC's otherwise, addiing extra pressure on by budget
and timescales.