Collaboration Using Windows SharePoint Services


Project Server alone allows people to easily see project schedules and update task progress. It also allows you to create and update team status reports. But it does not have a place for your team to communicate about and manage issues, risks, and documents without WSS. With WSS, you can use issues to discuss and prioritize current problems on the project. You can use the risks feature to discuss and plan for future problems or opportunities, to help you build mitigation and contingency into your project plan, and you have one place that everyone can access to see and update the project documents. If you choose to be a forward-thinking project manager, you can use the project workspace (something like a project website) to create a place for team members and other stakeholders to go to get the latest project information. In fact, in some organizations, team members may use WSS more than Project Server. The team may simply click on the URL for the project's workspace to see the current project information and work on documents, issues, and risks frequently. They may only access the Project Web Access (PWA) Tasks page to update tasks just once a week.

To understand a bit more how you can think about using WSS, let's look at the two places you can get to WSS and its features. Figure 18.1 shows the Risks, Issues, and Documents tabs in Project Server. If you select any one of these tabs, you can get to a list of projects you are allowed to see. Clicking on a particular project takes you to the specific issues, risks, or documents list for the project.

Figure 18.1. Risks, issues, and documents in PWA.


You can also get to the risks, issues, and documents for a particular project via the workspace in the Project Center. Figure 18.2 shows how you can select a project in the Project Center and then click on Go to Selected Project Workspace in the left side pane to access a project's workspace.

Figure 18.2. Selecting the workspace for a particular project.


When you do this, you go to a screen similar to the workspace shown in Figure 18.3.

Figure 18.3. The WSS project workspace.


Notice the items here called Shared Documents, Issues, and Risks in the left side pane. These are exactly the same items you had in Project Server under the Risks, Issues, and Documents tab. Also note the URL in Figure 18.3. Team members may choose to just save the URL as a favorite and then click on it whenever they want to access the project workspace directly. Note also that you can use features such as discussions, announcements, events, and surveys to promote different kinds of communication about your project. You can also add links to other locations on the intranet or extranet. This website may become the main communication forum for the project team.

TIP

Many organizations deploy Project Server with a plan on how they will build project schedules, but many do little with risks, issues, documents, and the project workspace. Consider adding a bit more time to the design of the system for your organization by creating a standard for using each of the WSS functions and have some of your most effective project managers lead the charge in using them.


Permissions in WSS

Permissions for using the WSS functions are set up based on the Project Server group permissions. However, they are tied to WSS site group permissions, and it is important to understand how the permission schema works. You will need to know how to update permissions in WSS because you may want stakeholders who do not have permission to PWA to be able to use the project workspace, or you may want to change some of the default permissions settings (such as team members being allowed to delete documents). To do so, you must understand how WSS site groups and permissions work.

Project Server creates four site groups within the workspace environment to control an individual's rights to the workspace: Project Managers, Readers, Team Members, and Web Administrators. If you are using WSS, Project Server places individuals into the site groups based on their Project Server security permissions and their assignments on the project schedule. Each time the project is published to the server, users are synchronized to the project workspace and placed in the appropriate site group. Table 18.1 describes the four site groups.

Table 18.1. Site Group Permissions in WSS

WSS Site Group

Description

Project Managers (PM)Microsoft Office Project Server

Users who have published this project or who have Save Project permission in Microsoft Office Project Server

Readers (Rdr)Microsoft Office Project Server

Users who have View Project Documents, Issues, and Risks permission in Microsoft Office Project Server

Team Members (TM)Microsoft Office Project Server

Users who have assignments in this project in Microsoft Office Project Server

Web Administrators (Web)Microsoft Office Project Server

Users who have Manage Windows SharePoint Team Services permission in Microsoft Office Project Server


Individual List Security

WSS also defines the functions you can perform on the lists that exist in WSS. That is, you have access to an issues list, risks list, and documents list. You can also create other kinds of lists, such as a change management list, which you would want to set up list security for. In addition to the Project Workspace permissions established by Project Server, each individual list has customizable security permissions that can be modified. By default, a new list inherits the permissions from the parent workspace. Table 18.2 describes what those default permissions are per site group. Notice that a team member can delete a document. You may want to change this for your particular project.

Table 18.2. Site List Permissions in WSS

List Rights

PM

TM

Rdr

Web

Manage List Permissions. Grant, deny, or change user permissions to a list.

No

No

No

Yes

Manage Lists. Approve content in lists, add or remove columns in a list, and add or remove public views of a list.

Yes

No

No

Yes

Cancel Check-Out. Check in a document without saving the current changes.

Yes

No

No

Yes

Add Items. Add items to lists, add documents to document libraries, add web discussion comments.

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Edit Items. Edit items in lists, edit documents in document libraries, edit web discussion comments indocuments, and customize web part pages in document libraries.

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Delete Items. Delete items from a list, documents from a document library, and web discussion comments in documents.

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

View Items. View items in lists, view documents in document libraries, view web discussion comments, and set up email alerts for lists.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes


NOTE

The Project Workspace template modifies the permissions for the Team Member site group on the issues and risks lists to remove the Delete permission. This prohibits team members from deleting items within these lists. However, the Project Workspace template does not modify the permissions on the document library, which allows team members to delete documents in the library.


Rights to Changing the Website

The administrator and project manager also have rights to change the project website itself. That is, they can define the permissions on the website and also change the look and feel of the project website itself. Table 18.3 describes some of the major website design and management functions that each site group can perform. For instance, in Table 18.3, the project manager cannot change site groups as shown in Table 18.1 for his project workspaces. Perhaps he needs that control, and the administrator should change this permission to allow the project manager to manage site groups. Review Table 18.3 to understand what rights each site group has for functions on a project website.

Table 18.3. Site Rights in WSS

Site Rights

PM

TM

Rdr

Web

Manage Site Groups. Create, change, and delete site groups, including adding users to the site groups andspecifying which rights are assigned to a site group.

No

No

No

Yes

View Usage Data. View reports on website usage.

Yes

No

No

Yes

Create Subsites. Create subsites such as team sites, meeting workspace sites, and document workspace sites.

Yes

No

No

Yes

Manage Web Site. Grant the ability to perform all administration tasks for the website as well as manage content and permissions.

No

No

No

Yes

Add and Customize Pages. Add, change, or delete HTML pages or web part pages, and edit the website using a Windows SharePoint Servicescompatible editor.

Yes

No

No

Yes

Apply Themes and Borders. Apply a theme or borders to the entire website.

Yes

No

No

Yes

Apply Style Sheets. Apply a style sheet (.CSS file) to the website.

Yes

No

No

Yes

Browse Directories. Browse directories in a website.

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

View Pages. View pages in a website.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes


Personal Rights to WSS

Individuals also have some rights in WSS. For instance, they can create their own views and web parts that no one else can see but that they can use to analyze or view things they want individually. For instance, a team member might want to set up a personal link or web part on his view of the project workspace so that he can look up an Internet address quickly on the site. Table 18.4 describes the personal WSS rights for each site group.

Table 18.4. Personal Rights in WSS

Personal Rights

PM

TM

Rdr

Web

Manage Personal Views. Create, change, and delete personal views of lists.

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Add/Remove Private Web Parts. Add or remove private web parts on a web part page.

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Update Personal Web Parts. Update web parts to display personalized information.

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Create Cross-Site Groups. Create a group of users who can be granted access to any site within the site collection.

Yes

No

No

Yes


Building Templates

A workspace template is created when you first install WSS. This template is set up with specific functions such as discussions, surveys, events, and announcements, and allowing for issues, risks, and documents. You can change the template so that all project websites have the same settings and functions. The risks, issues, and documents templates may be changed per project worksite. However, your organization may want to create overall standards that are different from the out-of-the-box configuration of those lists. To do so, you need to modify the Project Server WSS template, which may be changed by an administrator.

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Modifying Settings

On all the default lists in WSSRisks, Issues, and Documentsyou have the capability to add to and change the fields that display for the lists. Figure 18.4 shows the default settings for the issues list.

Figure 18.4. Default fields and settings for the issues list.


For example, the Category column may be set to Category 1, 2, or 3, which are values provided out-of-the-box. You may actually have values you want to enter in this column so that you can sort by those categories (such as technical, managerial, legal, or operational). Also, maybe you want to add another column you want to track called "Actions Taken." You can change columns and settings on the main list for each project under Modify Settings and Columns as shown in Figure 18.5.

Figure 18.5. Modify settings and columns.


When you select Modify Settings and Columns, you see a screen as shown in Figure 18.6.

Figure 18.6. Screen to customize your list settings.


The screen is divided into three sections:

  • General Settings You can set general rules about navigation and email as well as permissions for this particular list.

  • Columns You can add new columns, change their order, or add or change values and formats to the current columns showing.

  • Views You can create new kinds of sorting for the kinds of reports (views) you can see about the issues list.

General Settings

You can change the settings you see in gray on the first page. Use the following fields to change general settings:

  • Name and Description Allows you to change the name of the list. The default value describes the list as Issues, Risks, or Documents. If you have another word that describes the list, you could change the name here. Also, describe what the list is for so that your team members understand how to use the list.

  • Navigation The default Yes indicates that the list name will show on the project workspace Quick Launch bar, which is the left side pane area of the project workspace. Select No if you do not want the list name to show in the project workspace Quick Launch bar. This affects only the list on the project website workspace, not the way issues are seen in Project Server.

  • Attachments The default Enabled indicates that you want to attach documents to the list item. Select Disabled if you do not want to see attachments on the list items. You might select Disabled if you are trying to save disk space.

  • Email Notification The default No indicates that you do not want an email sent if someone is assigned to the list item or something has changed. Select Yes if you want emails sent when the list item is assigned or changed.

When you make a change, click OK at the bottom of the screen to set the change.

Change Permissions for This List

When you click on Change Permissions for This List, a screen similar to the one shown in Figure 18.7 displays.

Figure 18.7. Use the Change Permissions screen to add users and change permissions.


Note that you can inherit the permissions of the parent website. The parent website is the settings set up for the project workspace. For instance, in some lists, team members can delete the list items, but for issues and risks, team members cannot delete risk or issue items.

If you want to add a user to the list, follow these steps:

1.

Click on Add Users on the action bar. You are taken to the Add Users Wizard for the kind of list you are in.

2.

The first step allows you to add the email address, username, or group names for stakeholders you want to add to the site (other than those people who have permission via Project Server permissions).

3.

The second step allows you to choose the specific permissions, such as the View, Insert, Edit, Delete, and Change Settings permissions.

4.

Click Next.

5.

In Step 3, Confirm Users, you confirm the information for each user you added.

6.

In Step 4, Send E-mail, you decide whether you want to send the user an invitation email.

7.

Click Finish, and you return to the Change Permissions screen where you see the new users at the end of the list.

To remove a selected user or site group, click on the item in the list and click Remove Selected Users on the action bar. You will receive a message, and if you click OK, you will remove the user or site group.

To edit the permissions listed next to the site group or user, follow these steps:

1.

Click on Edit Permissions of Selected Users in the action bar.

2.

A screen opens where you can change the permissions of View, Insert, Delete, and so on.

On the Change Permissions screen, you also see two actions on the left side pane:

  • Change Anonymous Access Specifies the options for people who are not the actual users of the list to have anonymous access to the site.

  • Manage Request Provides a setting so that a nonuser of a list can ask the administrator for access to the site.

Columns

When you want to change the default columns that show in the risks, issues, or documents lists, you update information in the Columns section.

To change a column name, format, or values go to the specific field to change what you want. Click on the column you want to change. A screen similar to Figure 18.8 appears. For more about completing the fields, see the following discussion on how to add a column.

Figure 18.8. Customize WSS list items on the Change Column screen.


NOTE

You cannot change the type of information in the column (choice or calculation field). If you want to change the type, you need to delete the column and create a new one with the new type.


To add a new column, follow these steps:

1.

Click on Add a New Column under the Column section. A screen similar to Figure 18.8 appears.

2.

Enter the column name and select the type of information you want to designate that this column should have. Click on the radio button for the type of field you want to create. Your selections are listed below the Column name.

NOTE

The section called Optional Settings for Column changes based on which type you select, although the following Steps 3 through 6 are constant.

3.

Under Optional Settings for Column, for each type you can enter a Description to help users understand how they should use the column.

4.

Under Optional Settings for Column, select whether an entry is required in the field. Select Yes or No in the Require That This Column Contains Information field.

5.

Under Optional Settings for Column, enter information into Default Value if you want a like value to show up in the column. Users can change the field if necessary, but you can use this to prepopulate the field. If you have chosen a text field, make sure that you keep the Text radio button selected. For a calculation field, you can select the Calculated Value radio button.

6.

Under Optional Settings for Column, select Add to Default View if you want the column to show in the default view of the list; otherwise, remove the selection.

7.

Based on the format type of a field, also enter the following under Optional Settings for Column for each type of information you choose:

  • Single Line of Text Allows you to format the field to permit entry of one line of text up to a maximum of 255 characters. You can change the number of characters to fewer than 255 in the Maximum Number of Characters field.

  • Multiple Lines of Text Allows you to format the field to permit entry of large strings of text. You can change the Number of Lines to Display field to more than 500 lines, but make sure that you make this usable for people who would actually enter text into this field. Also, select Yes in the Allow Rich HTML Text field if you want to allow text formatting in the field, or select No if you want simple text only in the field.

  • Choice Allows you to enter values that your users can choose from. You have several selections for designating the format for the values. Under Type Each Choice on a Separate Line, enter all the values you want users to have. Select one of three options for displaying the values: Drop-down Menu, Radio Buttons, or Checkboxes. Checkboxes allow for multiple value selections, not just one value. Select Yes under Allow "Fill-in" Choices if you want users to be able to enter other values than what is displayed, and select No if you want them to use only the values provided.

  • Number Allows you to enter parameters for the format of the Number field. Under Optional Settings for Column, you can specify a minimum and maximum allowed value (such as 1 for Min and 100 for Max). Also you can set the Number of Decimal Places, with the values of Automatic and 05. Set the Default value as a Number or Calculated Value. You can also select Show As Percentage.

  • Currency Allows you to enter parameters for the format of the Currency field. You can specify a minimum and maximum allowed value (such as 1 for Min and 100 for Max). You also can set the Number of Decimal Places, with the values of Automatic and 05. Set the Default value as Currency or Calculated Value. You can also select the currency format (such as U.S. dollars, Mexican pesos, and so on).

  • Date and Time Allows you to enter the date format. You can specify a Date Only and Date & Time format. You can also set a default value, Today's Date, or enter a specific date you choose. You can also select the value to be a Calculated Value.

  • Lookup Allows you to select data from a list or library from the project site to include in the column. You can select where you will Get Information From to show the Display Name, ID, Email, or User Name from the list or library you select. By selecting Include Presence Information you can also show online status of the people using the list.

  • Yes/No (check box) Allows you to select Yes or No in a check box to indicate the status of the column. For example, you might have a column saying "Required project document?" to indicate whether the document you are saving is required or an optional document for project work.

  • Hyperlink or Picture Allows you to set a column where you can enter a URL as a hyperlink or a picture.

  • Calculated Allows you to set a formula to indicate the result of a calculation on two or more columns. The Help function for this selection has a great deal of information to describe the use of formulas for calculated fields.

NOTE

The Help section for Optional Settings for Column is extensive. Click on Show Me More Information under Optional Settings for Column to learn more about how to use types and their options.

8.

When you are finished creating the new column, click OK.

To delete a column, click on the column you want to delete. Scroll to the bottom of the Change Column screen that appears, and click Delete. Any data that has been entered into that field will be lost, so use this with caution.

To change the order the columns appear in, click on Change the Order of the Fields in the Columns section of the Customize list screen. The Change Field Order screen appears including all columns of the list. You can type the order of the column by selecting a value in the Position from Top field. Click OK to have the changes take effect.

Views

Views allow you to filter and group your WSS lists according to how you want to see them. It can be important to have various viewing options when lists become long. You can select one of the current views by clicking on the Views hyperlink in the Views section and change some of the selections. You can also add a new view and select one of the views as shown in Figure 18.9.

Figure 18.9. Types of views you can select.


To create a Standard view, click on Standard view on the Create View screen. You see a screen that allows you to name the view; select whether it is a public or personal view; select the columns you want to display in the view; specify the sorting, filtering, and grouping forms; specify the columns you want to see in the totals; select the style (table formatting of the view); and set the limit for the number of items in the list that will be returned in the view.

To create a Datasheet view, click on Datasheet View on the Create View screen. You see a screen that allows you to name the view, select whether it is a public or personal view, select the columns you want to display in the view, specify the sorting and filtering, specify the columns you want to see in the totals, and set the limit for the number of items in the list that will be returned in the view.

To create a Calendar view, click on Calendar View on the Create View screen. You see a screen that allows you to name the view; select whether it is a public or personal view; select the columns based on the date the column was Modified, Created, or its Due Date; choose the calendar setting of month, week, or day; and specify the filtering that will be returned in the view.



    QuantumPM - Microsoft Office Project Server 2003 Unleashed
    Microsoft Office Project Server 2003 Unleashed
    ISBN: 0672327430
    EAN: 2147483647
    Year: 2005
    Pages: 227
    Authors: QuantumPM LLC

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