Restricting Cost Information when sharing Project Schedules

[Sandra]

I have created a master schedule with several subordinate linked schedules.
I would like to share the same schedules with both the Finance Department and
Engineering, without revealing the cost tables to Engineering.

Is there any way to allow someone to modify a schedule, but not allow them
to see the cost tables?

I've tried copying the all the schedules to a different directory and
modifying the resource pool each time by setting the costs to 0. It works
for now, but it is time consuming and it would be easy to make a mistake. I
hope there is a better way.

BTW: I am using MSProject 2002 and I do not have Project Server.

Thanks,
Sandra

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

You've pretty well done all that you can do. The assumption is that anyone
who has the management authority to edit/modify the plan also has a "need to
know" of all the details that drive the project's planning decisions,
including cost data. When we talk about resource costs in my PM classes I
can count on often someone objecting saying "I don't have access to my
co-workers salary information." Regardless of how nicely or politic one
phrases a response, the real answer to that objection boils down to "If
you're not high enough in the organization to have access to cost data,
including salary data, you're not high enough in it to actually BE the real
Project Manager." If engineering is allowed to modify the plan without
having access to the cost elements of the decision matrix, to evaluate the
impact of the change on the budget, how can they possibly make a rational
decision yeah or nay as to whether the proposed modification even should be
done?

Scope creep is a severe threat to every project's success. The best way to
prevent it is to allow no one except the Project Manager to make changes in
the plan. Proposed changes should always be submitted in writing for
investigation and action by the Project Manager, through a formal change
request management process. If the change has an non-trivial impact on the
schedule and/or budget, you might even require the development of a formal
business case analysis to support the proposed change prior to making the
decision. The decision to go forward with it or not should always rest with
the PM, and depending on the impact of the proposal, may also involve the
project sponsor and key stakeholders as well. A resource or resource group
such as your engineering department should never be allowed to make
significant changes to the schedule on their own authority or initiative
without approval from well above their paygrade. That, in turn, obviates
their need to see the full plan files at all - give them reports instead
with the information they need to coordinate their own work.