Transcript Project Server Conference 2006

Project Server Conference 2006
Report on Key Benefits for Delta Dental
Quoc Le
Carl Paul
Beverly Powell
Chris Custer
Quick Hits on P12
 Integration is the Main Story

Across the Data Platform

Among Reporting Tools

With SharePoint and with Office 12
 Great New Features

Example: Multi-Level Un-do

Resource Plans

Proposals

Centralized Scheduling Engine
Slide - 2
Other Key Stories
 TimeControl timesheets third-party add-in lets
Delta do allocated costs
 UMT Portfolio Management acquired by Microsoft
— permits greatly increased IT and portfolio
governance
 IIL Training capabilities could supplement our
services
 Quantum PM Schedule Auditor could enhance our
services
Slide - 3
How Big is
P12
?
“…is this a breadbasket or a refrigerator or is it
something in between, bigger than a
breadbasket, smaller than a refrigerator. Mike
[Anguillo, project manager] says this is a sub
zero, this is the biggest set of innovations we've
done in Project in a long, long, long time. ”
– Steve Ballmer
Slide - 4
Enterprise-Ready Performance
 PWA is now a SharePoint site

Improved Error logging

Dashboard can be customized at home page
 UMT Portfolio Management

Pairwise comparisons of drivers, projects, constraints

Scatter diagrams

Efficient frontier diagram
Slide - 5
PWA for the Enterprise
In P12, a user group can have a different look and feel
applied to its PWA home page and customized by the
Project Server Administrator.

Example:
1. An executive group can have its PWA site
include Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for
Portfolio Enterprise Projects
2.
PM and Team members group can have their
PWA site include Milestone Status reports
Note: Sharepoint Portal services and Score Card Server
will need to be included with P12 in order to create KPI.
Slide - 6
Enterprise-Ready Performance - 2
 Architecture – new .NET middle layer

Includes timesheets that are a separate module,
but which can be integrated into your accounting
rules
 Support for PM Maturity Process


Understand scheduling through visibility of actions,
using multi-level undo
Admin Time becomes a task itself or resource
exception
Slide - 7
Enterprise-Ready Performance - 3
 Maintenance/Ops time is a separate task —
no Admin Plans needed!
 Integration with Outlook and other Office
tools, no ActiveX interaction needed:
speeds delivery of forms to users in the
formats/tools that they are used to
 Has been road-tested with huge projects



Stryker Project
300,000 tasks
30,000 cross project links
Slide - 8
Enterprise-Ready Performance - 4
Project 2003
P12
LAN
WAN
LAN
WAN
Open file-1
34s
>1000s
70s
80s
file-2
35s
>1000s
12s
17s
Full save
22s
>1000s
22s
22s
Assumptions: Medium project (1,800 tasks, 200
resources, 9,000 assignments). P2003 uses a terminal
server across the WAN.
Slide - 9
Portfolio Management in P12 - 1
 The “Proposals” area in PWA gives you a quick start
with a project schedule

Use before an “official” project
• Costs may increase
• Knowledge gained at this phase not needed for
long term
• Only need “partial” schedules, as you are not
required to complete a full set of dates
• All time, all work IS tracked
 The “TeamBuilder” webpart will show resource
availability, if you have permissions
Slide - 10
Portfolio Management in P12 - 2
 Resource Plan

New feature: FTE unit for resources

Helps track work, deliverables, assignments
 New Feature: Deliverables

Like Milestones, but independently tracked

Can be linked between projects

Not for tracking costs (done separately)
Slide - 11
Portfolio Management in P12 - 3
Support for Master Projects

Architecturally, Peak Load support

Real-Time reporting

Drill-in-place for sub-projects within Project
Center

Dependencies (live-links with drill-down)

Easy integration and automation
 Extend the program with unlimited custom
fields
Slide - 12
Portfolio Management in P12 - 4
More support for Master Projects

Rich Events Workflow Engine

Unified SharePoint

Multiple tracking of costs with timephasing of
resources, tasks, etc.

Visibility and Insight tools
 Enterprise reports from SQL
Slide - 13
P12 Timesheets - 1
 Standalone package
 Different fiscal periods supported
 Billable/non-billable time supported, as well as
overtime
 Maximum 24 hours per day entry per resource
 Future time reporting
 More timesheets views
Slide - 14
P12 Timesheets - 2
 Can have two tasks with the same name
 Can start next week’s task this week
 Can set a resource as his or her own timesheet
approver
 Allows administrative time/calendar exceptions
Slide - 15
P12 Timesheets - 3
Approvals & Audits — Now possible

“Surrogate Timesheets”
 For business users — will let PM do their
timesheets
 For all — will allow easy vacation substitutes

Closing Tasks enabled

Resources now have a “Timesheets Manager”
(does the global permissions) and a “Default
Assignments Owner” (progresses the tasks)
Slide - 16
More on P12 Timesheets
 Can bulk create (but not bulk-delete!) 52 weeks of
timesheets
 Workflow-based

Accept

Reject

Recall

Administrative Time with restrictions on who
approves and the effects on availability
Slide - 17
Answers to Our Questions
TimeControl (add-in module)

Tracks Allocated Costs as we do

Allows import/export of Excel and flat files

Is process-oriented (customizable)


Example: rejected timesheets imports can follow a
review/exception process that you design
Allows procedures with vendors for faster payment
and resulting discounts

Integrates with P12, Project 2003, Primavera, Mercury,
and other well known PMIS packages

$120 a license in volume purchases over 100
Slide - 18
UMT Portfolio Management

Portfolio Planner: Designed to balance and align
resource utilization with business demands, while
allowing the flexibility to create multiple scheduling and
resource capacity scenarios

Portfolio Dashboard: Designed to achieve full visibility
over the status of project portfolios, enabling clients to
make timely, fact-based decisions that optimize their
companies' performance
Slide - 19
UMT Portfolio Management (continued)

Portfolio Builder: Designed as a single data-entry
point to capture everything you need to know on each
proposed project, from investment cost and benefits, to
scope, dependencies, risk and alignment, to strategic
objectives, which can then be used to generate business
cases

Portfolio Optimizer: Designed to assist clients in
aligning their project portfolio with business strategy
and in optimizing the portfolio against multiple
constraints, including cost and resource (See next slide)

Works with P12, Project Pro 2003, Primavera, Mercury,
other PMIS packages
Slide - 20
UMT Portfolio Management (continued)
Slide - 21
Project Pro Usability
 Scheduling is more Transparent
 Visibility of the effect of changes: color-coded
 Task drivers: warnings re “specialness” of tasks
 New Templates/Visual Reports, using Excel reports with
charts and graphs for reporting
 Better data connectivity between Project Server and
Project Pro:

Web service calls for data (v. ODBC)

Incremental saves of data, even better performance

Faster opening of files
 Use of local caching will improve response times
Slide - 22
Project Pro Usability (continued)
 More and better canned reports for Project Pro
 More visual data, more easily available through
Excel charts (integration with reports)
Slide - 23
Questions?
 Perhaps some answers
 Reference materials

Handouts from vendors and conference program

DVDs are on the way
Slide - 24