Chapter 28. Enterprise Project Management Customization IN THIS CHAPTER Although Microsoft's Enterprise Project Management (EPM) solution is a robust, complete EPM system, the one-size-fits-all approach won't cover every organization's needs. An organization might need even greater reporting capability, another organization might want a custom project initiation tool, still another might be happy with the scheduling part of the EPM solution, but might have different needs around the collaboration tools. This chapter and Chapter 29, "Extending Enterprise Project Management Through Customization Overview," are here to help you understand the customization options available. Each section in the next two chapters covers a different customization alternative: Customizing the WSS Project Workspace By default, project workspaces are created for every project initiated within Project Server, and they come with useful tools to track issues, risks, and share documents. The default installation may not exactly fit your needs, and you'll want to consider customizing the WSS Project Workspace. Customizing PWA Presenting a specialized, high-level view of the information in the Project Server database is one example of what you can do with Customizing PWA. VBA macros Some organizations require the same setup for every schedule at project initiation and might find that VBA macros give them the automation required to get the process going quickly and smoothly. PDS Using the PDS, you can automate and control tasks that Project Server normally does behind the scenes. SharePoint Portal Server Project workspaces are a great tool made to assist in team collaboration for an individual project. But if you want the ability to search across WSS sites and aggregate WSS sites, you'll want to integrate EPM with SharePoint Portal Server. Extending the cube The out-of-the box Portfolio Analyzer provides a myriad of information, but it might not provide the precise data point you need. If not, you'll want to extend the OLAP cube.
Windows SharePoint Services offers a wide array of options for customizing the EPM solution; therefore, it is a good place to begin. |
