Introduction

A First Look at Microsoft Office 2003

Welcome to First Look Microsoft Office 2003. This book introduces you to the new, far-reaching features of Microsoft Office 2003 and shows how you can put them to work in your business, organization, or home. If you work with ideas- and we all do, in one way or another-your imagination will kick into high gear as you see how Office 2003 can support the total lifespan of an idea, from that first scribble on the back of your business card, to the final Web publication produced by your management team, and the translation and distribution of the smart document to your satellite offices in 14 countries around the globe.

You don't have to be part of a large organization to get maximum benefit from the new features in Office. Employees of small to mid-size businesses, entrepreneurs, and independent contractors-anyone who exchanges ideas and data with someone else-will find features in Office that enhance communication and collaboration; make project management simpler than ever; capture innovative ideas from everyone on the team; and easily produce and change documents, Web pages, reports, and presentations based on data saved in structured formats. It's the 'create-it-once, use-it-many-times' idea, which allows you to work smarter and faster by streamlining the creation process and reducing the margin for error among different versions of the same document.