Project Server or Desktop

[Andy]

I am about to purchase a large number desktops installations (~100) and am
looking from some input from the folks out there on the benefits
(technically and financially) between the two products.

Does it make sense to implement the server and have all users connect back
to this to update project plans. Do you have any experience in this.

Thanks

 

[Rob Schneider]

Andy,

It'a all about work process, needs/expectations of the users. And most
importantly, how the Project Managers (and Executives) want to use the
product, how they want their oganisation to use the product. Do they
have a view, or did they just say "go buy 100 copies of Project"?

There is a lot of info published on www.microsoft.com/project which
describes what the server components do and how they fit into an
organsiation.

Hope this is useful to you. Let us know.

rms

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Andy,

Not sure, but I'm afraid there may be some misunderstanding from the start.
Desktop or Server is not a question to ask.
The question is Desktop Standard or Desktop Professional and Server.
Having Server does not replace the need for a desktop product with the
Project managers (to the contrary if they use server they need the more
expensive professional version)

So do have a look at what Server can mean in terms of ADDITIONAL FEATURES.
If those are not what you need buy Standard.
Else it's Desktop Professional PLUS server.
Server on its own is not a project management tool.

HTH

--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
Project Management Consultancy
Prom+ade BVBA
32-495-300 620

 

[Andy]

THanks this is good, My understanding was that if I had a Project server
then users would not require MS Project installed on the desktop at all.
So to confirm what you are saying is. With Project servers I also need a
desktop application installed also.

Thanks

 

[Andy]

THanks this is good, My understanding was that if I had a Project server
then users would not require MS Project installed on the desktop at all.
So to confirm what you are saying is. With Project servers I also need a
desktop application installed also.

Thanks

 

[John Beamish]

It seems that the toughest questions have the fewest words.

From a simple, technical point of view:

1. If you are simply rolling out a piece of software to let people create
and maintain plans then you need Project Standard. This will do
everything they need to do to maintain those plans.

2. If you are rolling out software to let a few people create and
maintain plans and you want others to either/both (i) view the plans and
(ii) update the plans with the actual hours they worked then you want to
look at Server plus Project Pro (for the people who will be creating and
maintain the plans) and CAL (Client Access Licenses) for the people who
will be viewing the project plans and/or entering time against those
plans. You will also need a Win2003 Server and SQL Server and a few other
related pieces of software to hook it all up.

If you start to go down the second path, be warned: you do not install
Project Server, you implement it. (To others reading this: yeah, yeah, I
know -- technically you are just doing a bunch of installs on the
server(s) and desktop(s) and, yes, it is possible to do the installs and
walk away.)

In reality, you will only get the full benefits of Server if you organize
your project management and your corporate data requirements to harness
the power of Server. The collaborative aspects and the corporate-wide
view and management of projects that Server supports need considerable
pre-installation thought.

I am about to purchase a large number desktops installations (~100) and
am
looking from some input from the folks out there on the benefits
(technically and financially) between the two products.

Does it make sense to implement the server and have all users connect
back
to this to update project plans. Do you have any experience in this.

Thanks

--

 

[Pat Kelecy]

My understanding is that Project Server allows employees to update hours and
provide other input directly to project plans (per PM approval). They can
also be offsite and still do this. Depending on the situation, this could
provide a real time savings for the PM (and more "real time" monitoring of
progress), and is one of the attractive features of this solution.