Using the default permissions in Project Server 2010, project managers can see all of the resources in the Enterprise Resource Pool. For example, notice in Figure 1 that the Build Team dialog shows all resources in the Enterprise Resource Pool for a project manager who is a member of only the Project Managers group in PWA. Notice that the project manager, George Stewart, added four resources to the project team (David Baker, Lisa Brack, Mark Fagan, and Renee Hensley) shown in the Project Resources list on the right side of the dialog.
Figure 1: Build Team dialog shows all resources
However, suppose that George Stewart selects the same four resources in the Resource Center page in Project Web App and then clicks the Resource Assignments button. Which resources will he see in the Resource Assignments page? Surprisingly, he sees no resources in the Resource Assignments page, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Resource Assignments page shows NO resources
How is it possible that Project Server 2010 could show a project manager all resources in the Build Team dialog in Microsoft Project 2010, and show none of the selected resources in the Resource Assignments page in PWA? The answer lies in the interaction between Groups and Categories. In our Implementing and Administering Microsoft Project Server 2010 book, we explain Groups and Categories as follows:
- Groups control what users can do.
- Categories control what users can access (projects, resources, and views).
- The interaction between Groups and Categories controls what users can do with what they can access.
Let's take a look at the Category permissions for the Project Managers group to see the default permissions for this security Group. Figure 3 shows the Categories section of the Add or Edit Group page for the Project Managers group. For the sake of brevity, I collapsed the Projects section to show you only the permissions in the Resources section. Notice in Figure 3 that I selected the My Organization category, revealing the permissions for resources specified by this Category. By default, the My Organization category grants total access all resources in Project Server 2010. As defined by the permissions in the Categories permissions grid, members of the Project Managers group can do the following with all resources:
- View Enterprise Resource Data - This permission allows project managers to see every resource in the Build Team dialog in Microsoft Project 2010.
- Assign Resource – This permission allows project managers to add resources to the project team using any resource shown in the Build Team dialog.
By virtue of these two My Organization category permissions in the Project Managers group, a project manager can see every resource in the Build Team dialog, and from there can add any available resource to the project team.
Figure 3: My Organization permissions for resources
Figure 4 shows the Categories section of the Add or Edit Group page with the My Projects category selected. By default, the My Projects category grants access to only the resources that are team members of the projects managed by the project manager. In other words, the My Projects category grants access to only the project manager's team members, and to no one else. As defined by the permissions in the Categories permissions grid, members of the Project Managers group can do the following with the resources that are their team members:
- View Enterprise Resource Data - This permission allows project managers to see their own team members in the Build Team dialog in Microsoft Project 2010.
- View Resource Assignments in Assignment Views– This permission allows project managers to see their own team members in the Resource Assignments page in Project Web App.
Figure 4: My Projects permissions for resources
So, why can't George Stewart see David Baker, Lisa Brack, Mark Fagan, and Renee Hensley in the Resource Assignments view in PWA? Project Server 2010 does not show him these four resources because they are not team members in any of his projects. This is the direct impact of the default permissions for Groups and Categories in Project Server 2010.
However, what if your organization requires that project managers be able to see the resource assignments for every resource on the Resource Assignments page in PWA? To meet this reporting requirement requires a very simple change by the Project Server administrator using the following steps:
- Log into Project Web App with administrator permissions.
- Click Server Settings Ø Manage Groups.
- Click the Project Managers group to open this Group for editing.
- In the Categories section of the page, select the My Organization category in the Selected Categories list on the right side of the page.
- In the Resources section of the Permissions for My Organization data grid, select the Allow checkbox for the View Resource Assignments in Assignment Views permission.
- Click the Save button.
After changing this one simple permissions setting, project managers can now see every resource in the Resource Assignments page in PWA. For example, Figure 5 shows the Resource Assignments page after the Project Server administrator changed the single security setting in the Project Managers group. Notice that George Stewart can now see the assignments for all four selected resources.
Figure 5: Resource Assignments page after changing permission setting