Simple Collaboration/Sharing

[Hawk_ITProjMgr]

This is primarily a sales Q, but I can't find the answer anywhere.

We're a small IT department of 9, with two of us managing projects. We want
to be able see each other's projects (with MS Project Pro) in one master
project schedule. Can't find out if we actually need Project Server or not.
And then, if we do, whether we actually need Share Point or not. We are NOT
looking to any kind of Portfolio management, we will NOT be tracking time or
anything. We just want to be able to have multiple projects appear together,
but manage them separately. We do have Server 2003 and SQL Server 2005, so
if we need Project Server we can do that, but we are really NOT looking for a
full-blown EPM solution.

Any suggestions/feedback/advice would be welcome!!

 

[Rob Schneider]

This is primarily a sales Q, but I can't find the answer anywhere.

We're a small IT department of 9, with two of us managing projects. We want
to be able see each other's projects (with MS Project Pro) in one master
project schedule. Can't find out if we actually need Project Server or not.
And then, if we do, whether we actually need Share Point or not. We are NOT
looking to any kind of Portfolio management, we will NOT be tracking time or
anything. We just want to be able to have multiple projects appear together,
but manage them separately. We do have Server 2003 and SQL Server 2005, so
if we need Project Server we can do that, but we are really NOT looking for a
full-blown EPM solution.

Any suggestions/feedback/advice would be welcome!!

Keep it simple. Put each project in its own file. Each project to share
the same resource file (so that each of you exist only once). Insert
(as a linked file) each individual project file into the master(s). Put
all these files into one file LAN folder.

Don't need Project Server. Don't Need SharePoint.

(That being said, SharePoint is a terrific collaboration tool for
keeping track of stuff related to the project. Project Server also a
terrific product--but based on what you say, way more than you need).

 

[Hawk_ITProjMgr]

We've tried that, but the master file kept going corrupt (MS Project Pro
2003). Do you know if that was a common problem, and if an SP has fixed
this? If we do decide to go with Project Server, do we NEED to install Share
point, or can we just run Project Server with SQL 2005 on a Server 2003 box
and just not use the time tracking/costing aspects of the program?

Thanks, for your time!

 

[Rob Schneider]

We've tried that, but the master file kept going corrupt (MS Project Pro
2003). Do you know if that was a common problem, and if an SP has fixed
this? If we do decide to go with Project Server, do we NEED to install Share
point, or can we just run Project Server with SQL 2005 on a Server 2003 box
and just not use the time tracking/costing aspects of the program?

Thanks, for your time!

Sorry, I have no experence with master file getting corrupt. I use SP3.
I do not know offhand details of SP fixes, but I know they are
documented and published by Microsoft. Take a look. Without SP's
Project 2003 is seriously flawed.

Suggest you try to fix the master file problem.


Re what you need to do for Server ... best simply read the install
instructions and/or get a book? Also ask on the Server newsgroup.

Since server licenses cost a lot of money, and you'll spend a lot of
money changing your organisation to work like it wants you to work, plan
through that. What you install is a detai.

 

[John Milan]

If you have Windows Server I recommend putting WSS 3.0 SP1 (basic version of
SharePoint) on it. It's free. Then take a look at a tool like TeamDirection's
IntelliGantt Add In for Project, which let's you share and synchronize
projects to tasks lists in general and interesting SharePoint templates in
particular like 'Budgeting and Tracking Multiple Projects'. This will let
each PM manage their project and post updates to a single task list grouped
by projects in one SharePoint site.

http://www.teamdirection.com/

Cheers,

John Milan
TeamDirection, Inc.