"Show timesheet status" check field missing

[ElaS]

When accepting updates PM should see if they were approved by RM. It is
recommended to select "Show timesheet status" option.
I, as an administrator, can see this option. However our Project Managers
(assigned to Team Members and Project Managers groups) don't.
Why?

(we have Project Server 2003, Managed time periods on)

 

[RickD]

This appears to be an ongoing debate. My personal position is that the PM
knows who is doing what, and when, therefore the PM should approve the
timesheet before the RM. The RM may own resources assigned to different
projects, therefore the RM is likely approviing timesheets based upon (a) the
total hours being reasonable (b) non-project time (i.e. Admin project time)
and for projects, (c) seeing the PM has approved the projet specific time. I
believe this was the design point intended by Microsoft, therefore there is
no need for a PM to see if the RM has approved timesheets.

Others promote the timesheet being approve by the RM first but as you have
noted, the design of MPS does not lend itself well to this work-flow.

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

ElaS --

If you remove your project managers from the Team Members group, and leave
them only in the Project Managers group, are they now able to see the "Show
timesheet status" option? Let us know.

 

[ElaS]

Unfortunatelly, still missing.
Ela

ElaS --

If you remove your project managers from the Team Members group, and leave
them only in the Project Managers group, are they now able to see the "Show
timesheet status" option? Let us know.

 

[ElaS]

My first notion was like yours that the order should be (1) user (2) PM (3)
RM (I doubt if the final step is really necessary). And I tried a lot and
couldn’t figure out what happened.
Then I read the how to article “How do I use the Timesheet Approval feature
in Project Server 2003?†where it is told that the order should be (1) user
(2) RM (3) PM.
It’s really confusing, as two of them – RM and PM – get the changes to
approve / update simultaneously and physically they are able to say ACCEPT /
REJECT.
Well, after all RM’s ACCEPT only changes a status (correct?) and PM’s ACCEPT
updates the task and project values in the database and make them visible for
all. So the reverse order wouldn’t make sense.

This order now seems reasonable to me, but I still have more questions.

1) How does a user learn that RM rejects a timesheet ???
2) Is it really necessary that RM says yes? Could we just omit this step,
keeping still managing time periods?
3)Even when I do everything according to the book my users on their Home
pages have a number of “Your timesheet has not been submitted for the periodâ€
messages.

Definitely I need some help,
ElaS

 

[Sandeep]

Hi Dale...

Our PM has only Project Managers group assigned and still not able to see
that option... why is it so...do we need some special permisson for that
option to be visible... We have Project Server 2003 + Sp2a installed

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Sandeep --

Does this affect one PM only, or every member of the Project Managers group?
Have you changed ANY of the default permissions for members of the Project
Managers group? If so, what permissions? Have you changed any of the
default settings in either the My Organization category or the My Projects
category, especially those permissions that relate to the Project Managers
group? Have you set individual permissions for this one user in his/her PWA
user account? If so, what have you changed? Let us know.

 

[Sandeep]

Hi Dale...its like answering my own question

I discovered today that for "Show timesheet status" option , user shud have
Timesheet Approval Global permisson assigned...so I assigned that permission
to project managers group and now all PMs can be see approved/unapproved
timesheet by RM

Thanks
Sandeep

 

[ElaS]

Hello Dale,

In my case this effects every single member of Project Managers group. They
have ONLY default permissions. None of the PM has individual user permissions.

I didn't touch Project Managers but I did the following changes to some
others:
- Resource Managers group received on "My organisation" level "Approve
Timesheets for Resources" permission.
- In "My projects" category in Projects section I changed RBS based
permissions. Defaults YES, YES, NO, YES I changes into YES, NO, YES, NO.
- In "My projects" category in Resources section I changed RBS based
permissions. Defaults YES, YES, NO, NO I changes into YES, YES, YES, NO.
- In "My resources" category in Resources section I changed RBS based
permissions. Defaults NO, NO, YES, NO I changes into YES, NO, YES, NO.

I tried Sandeep's approach and I gained the result that we want. But I want
to know if it is the RECOMMENDED solution.
Note that this solution has side effects as doing like that we turn PMs into
RMs. And after that a PM on Home page starts seeing Timesheet section (with
'You have no new timesheets to approve'). And in the Resources section a PM
suddenly have "View timesheet summany" and "Approve timesheets" buttons.

I'd really appreciate yout comment on the above.
Ela

PS. I'm not able to respond promply because of time zone (live in Poland). I
sleep when you work, and the other way round ;-)

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

ElaS --

The recommended approach to handling Project Server security is to edit
Groups and Categories. That is what you did, so you are in good shape.
Hope this helps.

 

[ElaS]

Dale,

No really... What I described was my current state after my initial
configuration changes. And with such settings as I have my PMs can’t see the
"Show timesheet status" check field.
I’d like to ask you what you think about Sandeep’s approach and its side
effects?

Hope to hear from you soon,
Ela

PS. Could you please look at my questions in “Dealing with Managed Time
Periods†post of 8/30/2006?

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

ElaS --

Can you confirm that you have made absolutely NO changed to the default
security settings for the Project Managers group? Otherwise, I'm drawing a
blank. Let us know.

 

[Mike]

ElaS

Sandeeps approach is correct. Alowiing "Timesheet Approval" permission
to your group will switch on "Show timesheet status" on the updates
form. It also switches on "Approve Timesheets" in the resource menu.
Clearly this is not a PM function and if you do not allow "Approve
timesheets for resources" for this group then it won't do anything.

regards

Mike

 

[ElaS]

Mike, Dale,

Thank you for your involvement and help. I am absoluty sure that I haven't
changed any Project Managers default rights. But now I know that I have to
add them "time approval" permission which definitely is not default for PMs.

ElaS

PS. I'd like to kindly ask you to have a look at my questions in "Dealing
with Managed Time Periods" post of 8/30/2006, questions 1-4.