Monte Carlo Risk Analysis

<ipa>

The majority of projects I’m involved in concentrate more on people and process than anything else (some customers really want to think “tools, tools and tools” and I need to reset their thinking in order to increase the chances of a successful implementation).  If analysing and managing RISK is a major part of your . . . → Read More: Monte Carlo Risk Analysis

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A small formula for my friends in Finland

<Tazza (and Led Zeppelin (Dancing Days) on the radio, thank goodness for BBC 6 Music)>

So, you know who you are, and I said I’d write this up…  For everyone else, this is a simple formula with graphical indicators to show the “Deadline cushion” between a deadline date and the Finish date of a task. . . . → Read More: A small formula for my friends in Finland

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Automatically approve task status updates

<Earl Grey>

Project Server 2010 allows for the option of auto-approving task status updates, and since SP1, this has become even more useful as the option to publish the update has been added (see here). 

However, due to the complexity of setting up the rules and lack of documentation regarding them, PMs have either . . . → Read More: Automatically approve task status updates

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Exporting tasks from Project into your Outlook calendar

<Guinness>

This is something that in the past I have done manually, but due to a discussion on a Web2.0 application somewhere I had the idea that it would be possible to semi automate this. 

I guess the 1st thing to ascertain is why we might want to do this – for me it . . . → Read More: Exporting tasks from Project into your Outlook calendar

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Deploying Project Server in a global environment

<flat white>

I’m starting to see this small issue more and more, as Project Server deployments become global in nature.  The issue is around the display of dates, specifically (for my customers at least) the difference between US and European dates when displayed in the short date format.  A date displayed as 12/01/11 is the . . . → Read More: Deploying Project Server in a global environment

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How to automatically change the colour of a task name

<Leffe Blond>

This requirement came from a customer more as a general query rather than a full demand, but I thought it should be an interesting enough problem to invest some time in.

Changing the font, colour, or any of the other options available under Format | Text Styles can only be done automatically for . . . → Read More: How to automatically change the colour of a task name

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Project Server Security explained

<Cool cold water>

I seem to spend quite a bit of time, during training courses, explaining (in some depth) how Project Server security works.  People generally understand Groups pretty easily, and then global permissions, but really struggle with the concept of categories, their relationship to groups and category permissions, and what happens is a user . . . → Read More: Project Server Security explained

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Project Server 2010 Administrator’s guide

<Yorkshire tea!>

I rarely re-blog existing blogs, but I thought this one was worth it.   MS have just released the grandly named Microsoft Project Server 2010 Administrator’s Guide.  It’s a weighty tomb of 302 pages, but it does a good job of filling part of the documentation requirements for Project Server.  Anyway, make your own . . . → Read More: Project Server 2010 Administrator’s guide

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Displaying the Day count for a task

<Youngs bitter>

A customer on a recent training course asked if how he could create a view that didn’t display dates, but rather showed the day number from the project start date, that each task started on. 

Depending on whether you want to include working days or not, the formula is different; for example, . . . → Read More: Displaying the Day count for a task

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Understanding Departments in Project Server 2010 (part 2)

<baileys>

Resource Departments

In my last blog I introduced the concept of departments.  Let’s now look at how departments can be used with resources.  When project server is installed an Enterprise Custom Field is created called Resource Department, and this is associated with a lookup table called Department.  This can be a multi level lookup . . . → Read More: Understanding Departments in Project Server 2010 (part 2)

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