Project 2002 Editions and Architecture

There are two different versions of Microsoft Project 2002, as well as an accompanying program that enables enterprise-wide project collaboration. The version of Project you choose will depend on your own specific project management needs.

The basic version of the program is Microsoft Project 2002 Standard. Project Standard is the best choice for individual and small businesses and their project managers. It’s the logical upgrade from the previous version, Microsoft Project 2000, and runs on any standalone PC.

If you’re managing projects for a medium- or large-sized business, you should consider using Microsoft Project 2002 Professional. Project Professional is new to Microsoft’s project management lineup, and enables a team of individuals from across an enterprise to collaborate on their project management activities.

Table 1.1 details the differences between the Standard and Professional products.

Table 1.1: Differences between Project Standard and Professional)

Feature	Project Standard	Project Professional
Intuitive Planning Tools
Dynamic task scheduling	Yes	Yes
Gantt charts, calendars, and task sheets	Yes	Yes
Project Guide	Yes	Yes
Intuitive Planning Tools
Microsoft Office XP interface	Yes	Yes
Smart Tags	Yes	Yes
Integration with Microsoft Excel and Outlook	Yes	Yes
Resource Management
Resource pooling	Yes	Yes
Resource leveling	Yes	Yes
Resource availability graphs	Yes	Yes
Generic resources		Yes
Enterprise resource pool		Yes
Skill-based resource assignment and replacement		Yes
Collaboration
Access to Project 2002 Server	Yes	Yes
E-mail notifications		Yes
Web-based timesheets and reports		Yes
Document library		Yes
Issue tracking		Yes
Web-Based Analysis and Reporting Tools
Project portfolio views		Yes
Modeling and scenario analysis tools		Yes
Real-time reporting		Yes
Customization
Macros	Yes	Yes
Visual Basic for Applications	Yes	Yes
Enterprise codes and custom fields		Yes
Project data security layer		Yes
Storage
XML save and load	Yes	Yes
Database save and load	Yes	Yes
OLE DB provider	Yes	Yes
Enterprise portfolio		Yes
Enterprise templates		Yes
Microsoft Project Server accounts		Yes

Note 

There is an additional member in the Project 2002 family: Microsoft Project 2002 Server. This is a server-based product that enables you to implement project management across an entire corporation. Installation of Project Server is necessary to take advantage of all the enterprise collaboration features of Project Professional.

The versions of Project 2002 are discussed in more depth in the following sections.

Project 2002 Standard

Mcrosoft Project 2002 Standard is a stand-alone project management software package designed for individuals and small businesses. It can also be used in larger organizations if your collaboration needs are simple and can be accomplished via e-mail.

Project Standard includes everything you need to manage both simple and complex projects, including task scheduling, resource management, tracking, and reporting. The 2002 version uses the familiar Office XP interface—complete with adaptive pull-down menus and task panes—and a series of wizards to guide you step by step through a project’s creation and management.

Project Standard is recommended for individual users who manage projects from their own PCs.

Project 2002 Professional

 Pro   Microsoft Project 2002 Professional is part of Microsoft’s Enterprise Project Management solution. The program is designed for users in mid-sized and large organizations who want to collaborate on projects over the company’s network.

The key difference between Project Standard and Project Professional is that Professional enables sophisticated multiple-user collaboration over the company’s network. With Professional (running on Project 2002 Server), an entire team can access and collaborate on a single project across the network. This type of collaboration is enabled by the use of Project 2002 Server (discussed next), and facilitated by the use of Project Web Access that enables access to a project from any web browser.

Project Professional is recommended for organizations utilizing team-based project management.

Project 2002 Server

 Server   Microsoft Project 2002 Server is the necessary component to enable the enterprise-wide collaboration features of Project Professional. Project Server can be installed on any network running Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, and serves as the platform for team project management across the enterprise.

Project 2002 Server replaces Project Central, a similar component in Microsoft Project 2000, and includes many new features such as enhanced security and the integration of Microsoft SharePoint Team Services.

To fully implement all the features of Project 2002 Professional, an organization must be running Project 2002 Server.