Archive for June, 2009
ProjectPro: From Deterministic to Probabilistic Schedules
29 June 2009This is a blog post that I’ve been kicking around for a couple of years, and is based on a demonstration that I often do in my Scheduling classes. Note that this posting is meant more to demonstrate a concept within the tool, and as it is based on a customized third party macro, is not a step by … (More)
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Blogging while in vacation
28 June 2009Well, it is strange that someone keep the same mode before and during the vacation time. In fact, I am not from that type, I used to switch myself into Vacation Mode in the first minute of my vacation time. Refreshment is mandatory for continuity. In other simple words, i am relaxing now and one of my relaxing activities is reading and accordingly BLOGGING:) . Do you agree with me that Blogging is another cool thing you can do it while relaxing??
Anyway, for the sake of not being boring I just wanted to share with you one important article i read it from Office Online Help site
here we go
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project/HA102130271033.aspx
Best Regards
Bilal Okour, Jordan, Irbid
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Microsoft Project Server 2007 Service Pack 2 Update
28 June 2009Following this post: Important Information on Project Server and SharePoint Server 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2), please find an important update from the SharePoint team:
The public update to fix this issue is available for customers to download. If you have any questions please send them here.
Post URL is here: http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2009/06/25/service-pack-2-update.aspx
Service Pack 2 Update.
The public update for the Service Pack 2 expiration date issue is now available for download.
The update can be applied before or after Service Pack 2 installation. If the update is applied prior to installing Service Pack 2 it will prevent the expiration date from being improperly activated during installation of Service Pack 2, if it is applied after Service Pack 2 it will remove the expiration date incorrectly set during installation of Service Pack 2.
The update is applicable to all of the products that this issue affected (see the list in the KB linked below).
Installation instructions and download links for x86 and x64 are available in this KB: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971620
The direct download link for x86 is: http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/F/5/2F51AB71-1325-49D2-9CB9-18DEC4780E99/office2007-kb971620-fullfile-x86-glb.exe
We will be updating the existing Service Pack 2 download package with a new package that includes this fix within the next 4-6 weeks.
//blogs.msdn.com/chrisfie/archive/2009/04/28/announcing-service-pack-2-sp2-for-microsoft-project-2007-and-microsoft-project-server-2007.aspx”>Project 2007 Service Pack 2
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Replacing Default WSS Project Workspace
26 June 2009
Overview
The following instructions are for replacing the current default WSS Site Template with a newly created template.
As with any set of instructions that involves editing system file names or running commands, it is strongly recommended that this first be practiced in a test or developmen… (More)
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Systems View – Final Analysis
26 June 2009This is the final post in my series about using systems thinking for analyzing problems in projects.
http://blog.softwareprojects.org/systems-thinking-a-technique-to-find-project-problems-1660.html”>1. Systems Thinking: A Technique To Find Project Problems
2. Systems Thinking: Looking For Causal Loops
3. Shifting The Burden And Fixes That Backfire – Archetypes Part 1
4. Limits To Growth And Tragedy Of The Commons – Archetypes Part 2
I started this topic to be able to analyze problematic situations in projects. You will need to try this technique a few times before you really get the hang of it.
To be a good project manager you have to “see” potential problems. Literature provides us with large lists of potential problems in projects. You could look at all those lists to see if your problem is on it somewhere. But wouldn’t it be great to be able to look at problems in your project on a more fundamental level? That would be the best thing that can happen to you, and the techniques discussed in this series, will help you just with that!
Start running small workshops where you discuss the variables you chose (like budget overrun, number of bugs).
- If this variable is going up or down with ever increased speed you have to look for a reinforcing loop;
- If the variable is moving towards a threshold, and either stays on this threshold or starts oscillating around it, you have a balancing loop;
- When a problem symptom alternately improves (the variable goes down) and deteriorates (problem goes up worse than before) you might have a “Fixes That Backfire” on your hands;
- There is growth (sometimes explosive) leveling off or failing into decline, you might start looking for “Limits To Growth”.
Getting familiar with the archetypes helps you looking for the right loops and links.
And there is an additional bonus: when discussing and talking about the problems in this way, the solutions just “pop up” as you are addressing the fundamental causes.
Subscribe with iTunes to “The Project Shrink” video podcast.
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NEW WAY FOR PARTNERS TO POST AND MARKET THEIR SOLUTIONS
26 June 2009Office System Solutions Directory Migration to Partner Solution Profiler
Increase Your Visibility to Customers with Partner Solution Profiler
Drive awareness of your business solutions. Customers find partner solutions on the following Microsoft sites:
Microsoft Communications Sector Directory
Microsoft People-Ready campaign
Public Sector Partner Solution MarketPlace
This also applies to all partners who currently use EPMCONNECT.
The Office System Solutions Directory (OSSD) will be retired on July 1, 2009. The last day for updating profiles in OSSD is June 26, 2009. After OSSD is retired, to simplify and streamline the solution profiling experience, the Microsoft Partner Program will require that all solution profiles be created and managed in Partner Solution Profiler.
If you have questions about the retirement of OSSD, download the OSSD Transition FAQ.
Increase your visibility by including your solutions on customer-facing sites and directories worldwide. How? By creating or updating your profile in the Partner Solution Profiler.
As an Information Worker Solutions or Unified Communications Solutions partner, you gain access to a variety of directories, when you create a solution profile in Partner Solution Profiler by following these steps:
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For general profile information, download the Partner Solution Profiler Completion Guide about creating a successful, effective solution profile.
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On Tab 2, Solution Overview, in the Products section, select the Office products that your solution uses. Click the Solution Built on Office/MOSS system check box and complete the Office system specific fields.
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On Tab 6, Preview and Publish, click Publish.
If You Have an Existing Profile in Partner Solution Profiler
If you do not see your profile in the Partner Solution Profiler, go to the Partner Membership Center to review your consent and organizational profile. You must provide your consent for your profile to appear in Microsoft partner directories.
If you have other directory-related questions or issues, contact your Regional Service Center.
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Microsoft Project Server 2007 Service Pack 2 Update
26 June 2009
Christophe tells me that there is a Microsoft Project Server 2007 Service Pack 2 Update
Following this post: Important Information on Project Server and SharePoint Server 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2), please find an important update from the SharePoint team:
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Newly Published Project Server Content for June 2009
26 June 2009View Effective Rights tool
This update addresses some issues customers commonly have with the View Effective Rights tool in the Office Project Server 2007 Project Resource Kit (PRK) and includes work-around methods for operating it properly.
Plan Resource Breakdown Structure for Project Server 2007
This article describes options associated with the Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS) in Office Project Server 2007. It has been updated to correct errors in the descriptions of the available RBS options.
Deploy Service Pack 2 for Office Project Server 2007
This article has been updated to include an important note about a known issue: installing the 2007 Office Servers Service Pack 2 (SP2) causes a trial version to be activated. The note explains how to resolve the issue.
Performance tuning lab (white paper)
This white paper describes an actual performance tuning lab for Microsoft Office Project Server 2007, including how the lab was done and what results were achieved.
EPM and Office SharePoint Server 2007 Coexistence: Intranet Scenario (white paper)
This white paper outlines the recommended setup and configuration approach that will focus on best practices for an EPM-focused Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Intranet farm with a set of validated and tested best practices for Office SharePoint Server 2007 and EPM coexistence. A logical architecture diagram of an EPM-focused Office SharePoint Server 2007 Intranet farm is also provided for reference. The diagram is in Microsoft Visio file format.
Migrate Project Server data from one farm to another
This article outlines the process of moving Office Project Server 2007 Project Web Access data from one Project Server farm to a new Office Project Server 2007 farm.
Office Project Server 2007 Technical Library in Compiled Help format
The entire library for Office Project Server 2007 is now available as a downloadable .chm file. This download includes all content in the library as of May 7, 2009.
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Back to Basics: Find the task quickly
26 June 2009This helpful topic just came across from Toney Sisk in the Project Professional IW writing team:
Back To Basics: Find the task quickly
If you roam around in the Gantt Chart, sooner or later you may get lost. It can be a jungle in there, especially as projects get more complicated, and the bar side of the chart begins to show a large number of lines that seem to go nowhere after a while. Or worse, as the Gantt View may not show any bars, and you’re left wondering: Where did my project data go? What you want is something like a Here You Are button.
In Project, this button is called the Scroll to Task button, and even advanced project managers somehow don’t know the button is there to be clicked when all else fails.
Here’s an example. The bars have disappeared from the right side of the chart of a complicated project with a zillion task dependencies:
But when I click the Scroll To Task Button on the Standard toolbar 
(or Ctrl + Shift + F5), the bars come into view:
You may find this the most used command in Project, because, like I say, it can be a link-line jungle in there.
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New Project Workspaces Filter web part Now Available
26 June 2009Today we launched the Project Workspaces Filter web part, the latest in our web part series for Project Server 2007. This new web part resolves the frustration that many users have with the Project Workspaces web part showing too much information to be useful. Out of the box, the Project Workspaces web part provides only two views: All workspaces and Owned workspaces. For systems with numerous projects or many small projects moving at a high velocity, the All Workspaces view gets very large in short order. Even the Owned Workspaces view can get mighty cluttered with project workspaces for projects that have been closed or made inactive. Locating workspaces just got much easier with our new Project Workspaces Filter giving you the ability to create up to five additional virtual views for the Project Workspaces web part.
This web part uses a similar approach to the My Tasks Constant Filter, in this case removing projects from the listing the same way My Tasks Constant Filter removes unwanted tasks. For the Project Workspaces Filter, we provide you with the ability to create filter conditions to skinny down the results returned to the page using simple Transact SQL syntax that you can enter into fields in the web part control panel. The following figure shows the Project Workspaces web part displaying an additional "virtual" view that I created using the web part control panel fields.
Notice the new selection in the View pick list that now includes "Open Projects." I call this a virtual view because it is not possible to create new views for this web part. Rather, what the Project Workspaces Filter web part does is filter the default All Workspaces view based on the criteria I set in the web part filter building tools. In this case, I set a filter to remove all projects from the view with the status value of "Closed" in a project-level custom enterprise field. I could have just as easily set the filter based on % complete or any other project-level criteria.
The Project Workspaces Filter web part delivers capabilities that many Project Server 2007 users have asked for. We hope it helps solve your Project Server usability challenges.
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