Chapter 1: Introducing Microsoft Project Server

Overview

Project Server is an enterprise-capable project management automation system designed to support business and industry-specific project management and tracking requirements. It is both an out-of-the-box project assignment tracking system and a platform for business-specific configuration and customization.

Project Server is Microsoft’s second-generation server-based project management solution. Its predecessor, Project Central, introduced with Project 2000, offered workgroup-style collaborative features. With Project Server, Microsoft has introduced a more robust architecture that offers enterprise-wide deployment capabilities lacking in Project Central and has added a cadre of features to support its enterprise worthiness.

The combination of Microsoft Project 2002 Professional and Project Server provides a powerful enterprise portfolio management system that is feature rich, but fraught with complexity and challenges. My goal is to help you maximize the feature benefits and minimize the deployment frustrations.

I begin this chapter with a discussion of the product’s pedigree and lineage, and then I discuss the Project Server big picture to give you a good idea of what you’re getting into when you commit to deploying it in your organization.