Understanding Enterprise Project Management | Microsoft Office Project 2003 Inside Out

The enterprise features of Project Professional scale up the power of Microsoft Project beyond the individual project to multiple departments and groups in a mid- to large- size multiple-project business. With enterprise project management, information stored in the Project Server database from every resource and every project in the entire company can be quickly collated and reported . Enterprise project management is implemented through Project Professional together with Project Server, Project Web Access, SQL Server 2000, and Windows SharePoint Services.

For any business that works on multiple projects, rich customization, resource management, reporting, and analysis capabilities become possible through enterprise project management. Executives, customers, and other managing stakeholders can review and analyze information on all projects and all resources in their organization, providing for a comprehensive understanding of the nature and progress of the activity within the organization. In addition, the enterprise features help individual project managers plan and control their projects within the context of their organization.

The following steps detail a typical process for working with multiple projects in an enterprise environment:

The project server administrator uses Project Professional to create the enterprise global template , the basis for all project plans to be created throughout the enterprise.

This global template contains standardized project elements such as custom fields, currency format, tables, formulas, and VBA modules created to reflect the organization's requirements. The use of the global template propagates the custom elements as the organizational standard for all projects.
The project server administrator or resource manager uses Project Professional to build and manage the enterprise-wide resource pool, which includes vital information such as resource skill sets, costs, and availability for project assignments.
Project managers throughout the organization use Project Professional to create and check in brand new enterprise projects based on the enterprise global template.

Project managers can also import existing local projects as enterprise projects.
Project managers submit, or check in , their project plans from Project Professional to Project Server as enterprise projects.

Project Server interfaces with SQL Server, which provides the Project Server database. Project Server also interfaces with Project Web Access, the Web-based view of project information.
Project managers use Project Professional to access the enterprise resource pool and find resources in the organization who have the right skill set and availability for their individual project requirements.

Project managers can specify generic properties for required resources and then automatically build their team and assign real resources to tasks .
Executives can use Project Web Access to view multiple projects in the organization using the portfolio view. Using the Portfolio Analyzer, executives can review a high-level summary of projects throughout the enterprise, including information about scheduling, costs, resources, and more.

Cross-References
For system requirements for Project Server and the enterprise features, see Appendix A, "Installing Microsoft Office Project 2003."

Standardizing and Customizing Enterprise Projects

A key element of effective management and control systems is standardization. One purpose of standardization is to ensure that one project is operating with the same ground rules as any other project. Another is consistency throughout the organization.

You can standardize and customize the use of Microsoft Project for the way your enterprise specifically does business, as follows :

Tailored fields, calendars, views, VBA modules, and other consistent Microsoft Project elements are applied throughout all projects through the use of the enterprise global template.

Individual project templates are also available in the Project Server.

Your organization's project server administrator can use enterprise custom fields, create formulas and outlines, and pick lists for skill codes or titles.

Project management efforts can therefore be tailored to the specific processes of the organization.

Managing Enterprise Resources

The lack of a skilled worker for a job can cause serious delays or loss of business. Likewise, having underutilized resources can be an unnecessary drain on the business treasury and can reduce profits.

Project Professional can provide valuable insight into resource utilization, allocation, and availability throughout the enterprise. Although it's not a human resources management tool, the Microsoft Project enterprise features help project managers, resource managers, and functional managers maximize their resource usage while keeping an eye on overallocations.

You can access, assign, and manage resources to leverage the many skill sets available throughout the enterprise. With Microsoft Project enterprise project management, you can obtain up-to-date information about the availability and utilization of thousands of resources in an enterprise as follows:

All resource assignments throughout the enterprise are visible to project managers, resource managers, and other authorized stakeholders.

This enterprise-wide visibility ensures that all parties have access to accurate information regarding resource availability. Resource assignments can be checked out, edited, and checked in again.
The Team Builder helps you find resources throughout the enterprise who have the right skills and availability to work on your project.

Filter and query the enterprise resource database to fine-tune your project for the right resources.
The Resource Substitution Wizard analyzes the skills needed by tasks in a project, matches those with skills possessed by resources in the enterprise, and determines their availability.

By using the Resource Substitution Wizard while still building the project plan, project managers can find and assign tasks to the right resources in the right project.
Resource availability graphs enable project managers to quickly identify when and why resources might be underallocated or overallocated.
With workgroup collaboration features, project managers and team members can automate their communications with each other and get the assignments and actuals they need.

Cross-References
For further information about managing projects with enterprise resources, see "Building Your Enterprise Project Team".

Analyzing Your Enterprise Project Activities

A key benefit of implementing Microsoft Project enterprise project management is that a view of all projects, that is, the organization's project portfolio , can be presented for a set of summary information that provides a unique view into multiple projects. In such a portfolio summary, executives can analyze schedules, costs, resource utilization, and other factors at a high level across all the projects taking place throughout the organization.

The Portfolio Analyzer presents spreadsheet or graphical summary information through the use of o nline analytical processing (OLAP) cubes , used for both projects and resources. This tool enables the user to "mine" the enterprise data for specific kinds of information drawn from the entire organization.

Through the use of the Portfolio Analyzer, management can make informed decisions in support of enterprise priorities and initiatives.

Cross-References

For more information about high-level enterprise project reporting and analysis, see Chapter 24.