Project Server Help Blog: Posts http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/AllPosts.aspx RSS feed for the Posts list. Tue, 21 May 2013 09:04:29 GMT Microsoft SharePoint Foundation RSS Generator 60 en-US Project Server Help Blog: Posts http://www.projectserverhelp.com/_layouts/images/homepage.gif http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/AllPosts.aspx Web’n’Learn : There is no “I” in Project Server 2013 Presented by Bill Raymond http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=210 Title: Web’n’Learn : There is no “I” in Project Server 2013 Presented by Bill Raymond
Body:

Please join Bill Raymond's one-hour Web'n'Learn "There is no "I" in Project Server 2013" on May 29, 2013 12:00 am  http://bit.ly/12rZZmC

Effective collaboration tools help build more effective teams across corporate boundaries, companies, and projects, providing quick answers to questions, speedy decision-making, and improved communications.

This Web'n'Learn helps you to become a more effective collaborator using Project Server 2013.

In this session, you learn:

How SharePoint 2013 and Project Server 2013 enables real-time collaboration for project teams

New product capabilities that enable:

Collaborative idea generation

Document sharing and collaboration

SharePoint-based Project Management

 

Published: 5/2/2013 8:16 PM
Modified By: Gary Chefetz
]]> Gary Chefetz Fri, 03 May 2013 00:16:16 GMT http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=210 Repairing an Upgrade Failure after Installing Project Server 2013 March 2013 Public Update (PU) http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=209 Title: Repairing an Upgrade Failure after Installing Project Server 2013 March 2013 Public Update (PU)
Body:

msProjectExperts recommends extreme caution when preparing to install the Project Server 2013 March 2013 PU as a flaw in the release does not allow either the PWA instance(s) or the Project Server database(s) to upgrade. Specifically, if you follow the installation with PSConfig or Upgrade-SPFarm command to upgrade Project Server 2013 RTM, the upgrade is unsuccessful. You should delay running the SharePoint Configuration Wizard, PSConfig, or the Upgrade-SPFarm commands until you consecutively install the Project Server 2013 April 2013 CU or a later CU release. See the TechNet blog for further details of this issue.

The first thing to note about this particular patch, Project Server 2013 Public Update, is the new baseline for applying any future updates to Project Server 2013. For those of you familiar with previous products this would be similar to the requirement to install SP1 prior to any releases post the Service Pack 1 release. There is also a Project Server 2013 Hotfix release date of April 9, 2013; this hotfix resolves an issue post installation that causes the March 2013 PU to fail during the upgrade.

If you need to fix a failure of the March 2013 PU, follow the instructions below for applying the Project Server 2013 Hotfix Package April 9, 2013.

Warning: If you are reading this prior to installing the Project Server 2013 March 2013 PU, Microsoft suggests that you wait until the release of the Project Server 2013 Server Rollup Package due the week of April 22, 2013.


Project Server 2013 March 2013 PU

Please read all of the documentation provided by Microsoft prior to installing the March Public Update, and remember to complete a full backup of your farm prior to installing any release in case you need to roll back to a previous state in your farm. Refer to this link for specific items this release fixes:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/projectsupport/archive/2013/03/18/project-server-2013-march-public-updates.aspx

Information: Post applying the patch may detail errors in the upgrade logs possibly with the following:

EventID of ajxnf:

WARNING Project Web Instance 'SharePoint - 80:PWA' can only be upgraded once its database 'ProjectWebApp' has been upgraded

ERROR Cannot upgrade [ProjectSite Name=f959de76-c4e9-4fa7-91a5-d9d9e287714b]. 38c20f9c-fdcc-b07a-f785-09836d46c179 and the error at the end of the configuration wizard, or in the PSCDiagnostics logs would be something like: ERR Task upgrade has failed with a PostSetupConfigurationTaskException An exception of type Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.PostSetupConfigurationTaskException was thrown. Additional exception information: Failed to upgrade SharePoint Products.

These messages repeat for each PWA site in your farm, and the fix for this issue is in the April Cumulative Update for Project Server 2013, which Microsoft expects to release April 22, 2013.


KB2760261 Hotfix Installation Steps

If you are reading this due to issues that arose after applying the March 2013 PU and your upgrade results in a failure, please read the additional documentation from Microsoft on repairing a patch failure prior to installing the Project Server 2013 hotfix package: April 9, 2013 . You will need to follow the below steps to repair your installation:

  1. Navigate to the KB2760261 hotfix at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2760261 on the application server running Project Server 2013 as shown in PU Fix 1, and click the Hotfix Download Available button to download the hotfix.

PU Fix 1: Project Server 2013 hotfix package

  1. Read and accept the terms and conditions and then click the Accept button to accept the terms of the agreement.
  2. Complete the Hotfix Request form by selecting the checkbox next to the hotfix you want to download, enter the e-mail address in the Email field to request the download link from Microsoft, and complete the Confirm e-mail field by re-entering the e-mail address.
  3. After completing the email address section, in the Enter the characters you see section as shown in PU Fix 2, enter the characters that display above the field. By entering the characters this confirms that a person is requesting the download and not a system sending an automatic response, then click the Request Hotfix button.

PU Fix 2: Hotfix Request form

  1. When you receive the confirmation email, copy the download link within the e-mail text. Paste the link in the address bar in a new browser window on the server where you are applying the hotfix, then click the Enter key on your computer keyboard.
  2. In the resulting Do you want to run or save 462098_intl_x64_zip.exe (71.4 MB) from hotfixv4.microsoft.com? dialog shown in PU Fix 3, click the Save pick list, select the Save as item, and then browse to a location where you want to save the file as shown in PU Fix 4.

PU Fix 3: Hotfix download dialog

PU Fix 4: Save As dialog

  1. Once the download is complete click the Open folder button, or navigate to the save location to install the update later.
  2. Right-click the file name and select the Run as Administrator item to install the file using the local machine administrator role.
  3. In the Microsoft Self-Extractor dialog, click the Continue button to extract the files onto your system as shown in PU Fix 5.

PU Fix 5: Microsoft Self-Extractor dialog

  1. Click the OK button to close the Microsoft Self-Extractor dialog as shown in PU Fix 6.

PU Fix 6: All files were successfully unzipped

  1. After extracting the .zip file, right-click the file name 462098_intl_x64_zip.exe and select the Run as Administrator item on the pick list.
  2. In the Hotfix for Microsoft Project Server 2013 (KB2764026) 64-Bit Edition dialog, select the Click here to accept the Microsoft Software License Terms checkbox, and then click the Continue button to install the hotfix as shown in PU Fix 7.

PU Fix 7: Accept the Microsoft Software License Terms

  1. After the installation of the hotfix completes, the resulting Hotfix for Microsoft Project Server 2013 (KB2760261) 64-Bit Edition dialog displays with a Do you want to reboot now to complete the installation of this package? message. Click the Yes button to reboot the server now as shown in PU Fix 8.

PU Fix 8: Do you want to reboot now?

  1. Once the system reboots, open the SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard and click the Next button to run the wizard to complete the upgrade for the PWA instance(s) and the Project Server database(s) as shown in PU Fix 9.

PU Fix 9: SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard dialog

  1. In the SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard dialog, click the Yes button to continue the configuration to allow the restart of the following services: Internet Information Services, SharePoint Administrative Service, and SharePoint Timer Service as shown in PU Fix 10.

PU Fix 10: Choose yes to restart the services

  1. The SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard dialog displays the Completing the SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard page. Do not change any of the default settings, and then click the Next button to continue.
  2. When the Configuration Successful dialog displays, click the Finish button to close the wizard and launch the SharePoint 2013 Central Administration website to continue.
  3. Once the SharePoint 2013 Central Administration site launches, from the Quick Launch menu click the Upgrade and Migration link. On the resulting Upgrade and Migration page, click the Review the Patch Status link to review the status of the upgrade as shown in PU Fix 11. In the Microsoft Project Server 2013 section, shown in PU Fix 12, you see the Hotfix for Microsoft Project Server 2013 (KB2760261) 64-Bit Edition with an Installed status.

PU Fix 11: Manage Patch Status dialog, upper section

PU Fix 12: Manage Patch Status dialog, lower section

  1. Finally, check the database status by clicking the Upgrade and Migration link on the Quick Launch menu to display the Upgrade and Migration page. On the Upgrade and Migration page, click the Review Database Status link to display the Manage Databases Upgrade Status page. On the Manage Databases Upgrade Status page shown in PU Fix 13, for Type: ProjectDatabase and Content Database the status should indicate No action required for all instances in your farm. This indicates that your upgrade was successful for all of the PWA instances and corresponding databases.

PU Fix 13: Manage Database Upgrade Status dialog

 

Best Practice: msProjectExperts recommends as a best practice to follow any patches or updates with a system validation such as following the guidelines in Module 05: Verifying Project Server Functionality in Implementing and Administering Microsoft Project Server 2013 by Gary Chefetz & Bill Raymond.

Published: 4/22/2013 12:40 PM
Modified By: Margaret Wallace
]]> Margaret Wallace Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:40:51 GMT http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=209 The Ultimate Study Guide for Microsoft Project 2013 Certification http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=208 Title: The Ultimate Study Guide for Microsoft Project 2013 Certification
Body:

Score high on the 74-343 Managing Projects with Microsoft Project 2013, certification exam with purple power from msProjectExperts. Ultimate Study Guide: Foundations Microsoft Project 2013 now available for presale.

msProjectExperts announces the presale availability of the Ultimate Study Guide: Foundations Microsoft Project 2013 by authors Dale Howard, and Gary Chefetz. "This is the ultimate self-study guide for novices starting out with the tool and the ultimate roadmap to certification," commented Dale Howard. "Microsoft Project 2013 offers a set of new and powerful features that make your job easier. I guarantee you will love the new dashboard reports feature that allows you to create reports that include Excel charts and Word tables. Download the sample files, work through the hands-on exercises and you will master it in no time," he continued. The purple book is now available for consumer prepublication sale and for wholesale ordering.

"We are extending our presale offer on both Implementing and Administering Microsoft Project Server 2013 and What's New Microsoft Project 2013 through May 10 to celebrate our latest release," said Marlene Roth, V.P. Customer Experience. "You can also find our certification boot camp sessions for Microsoft Project 2013 on our website.

The Microsoft 74-343 certification exam is one of two certifications for Microsoft Project 2013 and Project Server 2013 consultants must hold to be eligible to contribute to a Microsoft partner silver PPM competency requirements. The second exam is 74-344 Managing Programs and Projects with Project Server 2013. Microsoft partners achieving the gold PPM competency must employ consultants with both project certifications and a SharePoint certification.

msProjectExperts is the world leader in Microsoft Project and Microsoft Project Server education products and training. msProjectExperts offers the only current in-market Project Server 2013 training, the only validated self-paced computer-based training system for Microsoft Project 2010, and the only validated training for Microsoft Project Server 2010. msProjectExperts' instructor-led open-enrollment courses are available at its New York City training center, partner sites, and for on-line attendance. Along with standard and custom on-site training programs, msProjectExperts provides Project Server deployment consulting, Quick-Start solutions, books, and software add-ons. For more information about msProjectExperts' suite of services, visit http://www.msprojectexperts.com or email info@msprojectexperts.com

Published: 4/17/2013 11:33 AM
Modified By: Gary Chefetz
]]> Gary Chefetz Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:33:39 GMT http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=208 Two Must-Have Books for Microsoft Project 2013 and Project Server 2013 http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=207 Title: Two Must-Have Books for Microsoft Project 2013 and Project Server 2013
Body:

Unleash your inner Project Server guru with orange and red from msProjectExperts. Implementing and Administering Microsoft Project Server 2013 (orange) and What's New Microsoft Project 2013 (red) enable you online and on-premises.

 

msProjectExperts announces the presale availability of the two books that most enable Project and Project Server professionals to rapidly assimilate Microsoft Project 2013, Project Server 2013, and Project Online by authors Gary Chefetz, Dale Howard, and Bill Raymond. "This is the ultimate action pack for Project pros," commented Chefetz. "You get the complete 1040-page Project Server 2013 reference along with everything you need to know about changes to Project Pro 2013." Both books are now available for consumer prepublication sale and for wholesale ordering.

"I believe this is the best edition of the orange book because Bill Raymond is an awesome coauthor," said Chefetz. "Another reason this edition excels is that we used our monthly Implementing and Administering Microsoft Project Server 2013 Technical Boot Camp training to vet the content completing two training cycles before going to press," added Raymond. "The fact that powerful changes to the platform rock, such as the ability to create Project Server 2013 workflows with SharePoint Designer, certainly made the writing easier."

Implementing and Administering Microsoft Project Server 2013 includes a foreword by Chris Crane, Director of Microsoft Project & Visio Marketing, who introduces Microsoft's vision for its latest version of its PPM platform. The book takes a deep dive into new capabilities such as creating idea management and project intake and governance workflows, configuring and using workflows for portfolio analysis, and explores new lightweight project management configuration opportunities. These are just some of the compelling new Project Server 2013 capabilities. This book applies to both Project Online and on-premises implementations of Microsoft Project Server 2013.

What's New Microsoft Project 2013 is a concise update on new features only. "We create this book for experienced users and it is a perfect companion for the orange book," commented Dale Howard. "Microsoft Project 2013 offers a set of new and powerful features that make your job easier. What's New Microsoft Project 2013 gets you up to speed quickly. I guarantee you will love the new dashboard reports feature that allows you to create reports that include Excel charts and Word tables. Download the sample files, work through the hands-on exercises and you will master it in no time."

msProjectExperts is the world leader in Microsoft Project and Microsoft Project Server education products and training. msProjectExperts offers the only current in-market Project Server 2013 training, the only validated self-paced computer-based training system for Microsoft Project 2010, and the only validated training for Microsoft Project Server 2010. msProjectExperts' instructor-led open-enrollment courses are available at its New York City training center, partner sites, and for on-line attendance. Along with standard and custom on-site training programs, msProjectExperts provides Project Server deployment consulting, Quick-Start solutions, books, and software add-ons. For more information about msProjectExperts' suite of services, visit http://www.msprojectexperts.com or email mailto:info@msprojectexperts.com

Published: 4/2/2013 6:55 PM
Modified By: Gary Chefetz
]]> Gary Chefetz Tue, 02 Apr 2013 22:55:06 GMT http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=207 Top 5 reasons to adopt Project Server 2013 http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=206 Title: Top 5 reasons to adopt Project Server 2013
Body:

Welcome to the year of the cloud! For the first time, Microsoft is releasing its most powerful Project and Portfolio Management system in two variations. Microsoft Project Online is now available as a monthly subscription for organizations using Office 365 and for installation behind your firewall. This release, heavily influenced by the SaaS and IaaS revolution and Microsoft's continuing mission to rewire Project Server 2013 into the SharePoint 2013 framework, is one of the most compelling ever.

Governance workflows using SharePoint Designer 2013

For those of us already living in the Project Server world, I believe the ability to use SharePoint Designer to build governance workflows is the likely top pick for reasons to upgrade to Project Server 2013. This long over-due ease-of-use feature unleashes the ultimate business tool potential of Project Server 2013. Workflows allow you to embed intelligence into business processes automation. SharePoint Designer 2013 allows non-programmers to build governance workflows. While the declarative (non-code) workflows you build using free-for-download SharePoint Designer 2013 are limited when you compare them to Visual Studio or third-party add-ons, this new ability using a familiar tool finally enables many organizations to get off work-flow square one. I know that in our Implementing and Administering Project Server 2013 training, that building a project governance workflow is a class highlight for every student.

Project Online (Office 365)

For Microsoft, this is the play for the decades and a very big gamble, for the small and mid-market public sector this is the software win of a lifetime. The ability to arm a business with enterprise class software for nothing but a monthly payment commitment is finally a reality. The barrier to entry is so low that the challenge for Microsoft and its partners is to help people with a simplified approach to a very complex technology that provides an opportunity for growth that no other competitor provides. Certainly this is a landmark event in Project Server history and that's why we cover it thoroughly in all of our books for Project Server 2013.

SharePoint Permissions Mode

At the center of a simplified management approach to Project Server 2013, SharePoint permission mode is a complete mask to Project Server security, a necessarily complex matrix for some, but not for the larger masses and certainly not necessary for midmarket customers that might be strongly attracted to Project Online. Although taken by itself, it doesn't sound like much but it enables new lightweight project management support and much of the maturity story that Project Server 2013 now supports. With that statement I open a can of worms that requires more explanation than the confines of this blog post allow.

Ideation and Demand Management Improvements

Most companies require a simple, easy to use solution to capture great ideas. Sometimes these ideas transform into projects that you want to triage through portfolio selection and manage with Project Server. Although you need only a SharePoint list, you can now create SharePoint sites for employees to propose ideas, or even request on-demand support tickets. Project Server 2013 provides the missing link between free-form ideation and formal portfolio selection with both manual transferability and workflow governance. You can create SharePoint workflows to govern the ideation or proposal process and seamlessly hand them off the SharePoint list items to Project Server for governance without writing code. Say hello to PPM for the masses!

Architecture and Performance

Microsoft made a huge under–the-hood investment in Project Server 2013, upgrading and refitting it with performance characteristics worthy of the Office 365 infrastructure. While the Project Online user may be oblivious to these improvements the organization installing Project Server 2013 in its datacenter immensely benefits from them. I can best compare it to upgrading the airplane from turbo prop to jet propulsion. It takes a while to build and tune the environment, but it is quite amazing how well it performs. Most of the students in our first two classes have been well experienced with Project Server and just as amazed as we are by the whiplash speed we have Project Server 2013 running in our training environment.

After more than a year of working with various iterations of this software, these are my top picks of the most influential drivers for Project Server 2013 adoption. Keep in mind that this is barely scratching the surface of the changes in this version and that it is not just a Project Server story when you include SharePoint and SQL Server.

Learn More Now

If you are serious about trying Office 365, contact us at info@msprojectexperts.com

Let's discuss this in our Linkedin group

Published: 3/12/2013 7:46 PM
Modified By: Gary Chefetz
]]> Gary Chefetz Tue, 12 Mar 2013 23:47:27 GMT http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=206 Project Pro 2013 Prevents You from Editing the User Logon Account field http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=205 Title: Project Pro 2013 Prevents You from Editing the User Logon Account field
Body:

Quick Start for Project Server Veterans

Overcoming the lock on the Windows Logon Account field

Another new Project Pro 2013 and Project Server 2013 behavior catching veterans by surprise is the new lock on the User Logon Account field. Microsoft chose to hide this functionality behind a registry value to signal the ultimate goal of relying completely on SharePoint for authentication. The objective makes sense because SharePoint already recognizes many authentication providers and will ultimately be able to handle anything; but it's not there yet for organizations with complex and granular security requirements, and the web-based management interfaces are not yet robust enough to replace Project Pro 2013 as part of the Project Server's management suite. The Project Pro 2013 client is still the best way to stage a resource pool for import as it allows you to perfect the metadata for resources at the same time. Fortunately, Microsoft included a registry value that re-enables the User Logon Account field. It works in Project Pro 2013 when connecting to a Project Server instance that is using Project Server permission mode. Do not enable this for any site using SharePoint Permissions Mode!

 

Warning: Editing the registry is potentially risky. You should always back up your registry before editing it.

 

Start the Windows Registry editor by running the regedit command. The system opens the Registry Editor window shown in the figure, which also shows as expanded to the following path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\MSProject\Profiles\ProfileName

 

Registry Editor expanded to profile

Notice at the bottom of the window that I added a new WindowsAccountEditable string value and then set the value to Yes. You must do this for each Project Server 2013 profile for which you want to unlock the Windows account field for editing. Of course, you need to create the profile before you can add the registry string.

 

Opening the Enterprise Resource Pool in Project Pro 2013

Before you can manually enter your organization's enterprise resources using Project Pro 2013, you must open the enterprise resource pool. To open the enterprise resource pool in Project Pro 2013, complete the following steps from Project Web App:

  1. In your web browser, click the Resource Center link in the Resources section of the Quick Launch menu. The system opens the Resource Center page shown in the following figure.

Resource Center page

  1. On the page, you can select any resources for editing, but you must select at least one. I call your attention to the hidden selector menu shown in the following figure that appears over the checkbox column in the grid only when you float your mouse pointer over the column header. Make note of this, as this is a characteristic of the grid object and applies to many pages in the system. Otherwise, this feature is not easily discoverable.

Hidden Column Header Selector

  1. Once you make or clear your selections, (in this case I leave one resource selected), in the Editing section on the Resources ribbon, click the Open button. The system opens the enterprise resource pool for editing as shown in the following figure. Notice that the project displays "Checked-out Enterprise Resources – Project Professional" at the top of the screen whether or not you opened any existing resources. You now have a check-out handle on the resource pool and you can create new resources and new users at the same time if you enabled the registry entry and you are working with a Project Server site in Project Server classic permissions mode.

Resource Pool Open in Project Pro 2013

Warning: The RTM version of Project Server 2013 does not allow you to open the enterprise resource pool without selecting at least one existing resource to edit. This is a change in behavior from previous versions. However, if you select a resource that is already checked out, after clicking through two error messages, you end up with a checked out enterprise resource pool without any resources checked out.

 

Project Pro 2013 opens to the Resource Sheet view. This is the view that you use to enter resource information. You should create all of your resource custom fields prior to entering resources; otherwise you will find yourself going back and forth attributing your resources.

Category: Project Server Administration; Project Server General; Project Server Usage
Published: 2/19/2013 9:57 AM
Modified By: Gary Chefetz
]]> Gary Chefetz Project Server Administration; Project Server General; Project Server Usage Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:57:50 GMT http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=205 Project Server 2013 Shock, Horror and Awe http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=199 Title: Project Server 2013 Shock, Horror and Awe
Body:

Quick Start for Project Server Veterans

Everyone has heard of the five stages of grief; Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. Shock, Horror and Awe are the stages that an experienced Project Server professional goes through when first absorbing Project Server 2013. At first I thought this was a personal phenomenon, but after watching colleagues and friends I now realize this is a normal and expected reaction. Thankfully the cycle time is nowhere near as protracted as grief. And, you now have the advantage of expecting it.

The shock sets in when you launch PWA for the first time. Where did my interface go? The following figure shows a fresh new instance of Project Web App. Notice the abbreviated Quick Launch menu. As a veteran, you no doubt want to get started with the Server Settings page, which by the way has a new name, PWA Settings page. Click the gear icon in the upper right of the interface.

The system displays the menu that was the Site Actions menu, shown in the following figure.

   

Select the PWA Settings item from the menu. The system displays the PWA Settings page shown in the following figure.

This is where the Horror part happens as you notice things are missing. Where did they go? The answer is two-fold. Some of the items have relocated to SharePoint Central Admin while still others are in suspended animation. To locate the migrants, launch SharePoint Central Admin and click the General Application Settings link. The General Application Settings page displays as shown in the following figure.

At the bottom of the page, in the PWA Settings section, click the Manage link. The "blue flag" PWA Settings page displays. I say blue flag as this page carries standard SharePoint flag rather than Project Server's emerald green emblem. Otherwise, another distinguishing feature is the appearance of the Project Web App Instance selector in the upper right hand part of the content area. Here, what you can do for one, you can do for many.

As the purpose of this post is to get you started on your own adventure, I am not going to get deep into specifics on the page. The reason for this change is to make this more intuitive to SharePoint administrators and further adopt the SharePoint management model. Some management functions appear in both locations.

Part two of the horror cycle is realizing that the familiar security management controls for groups and categories are absent from the PWA Settings page at the site level in the default presentation. This is because new instances, not upgrades, but new instances of Project Server arrive in the new default SharePoint Permissions mode. This new way of managing users is worth exploring before writing it off as seems to be a popular first reaction. I strongly encourage you to keep an open mind and imagine some of the new scenarios this might support for your organization or customers.

In the name of brevity, you no doubt want to know how to escape this mode. If you are working on your own server, you use PowerShell. Launch the SharePoint 2013 Management Console from the server Start menu as shown in the following figure.

You can change permissions mode using the following PowerShell cmdlet for your in-house system.

Set-SPProjectPermissionMode –Url <URL> -Mode <Mode>

(<Mode> = ProjectServer or SharePoint)

   

Warning: This action is completely destructive in that it removes all users from all groups including administrators except for the service account. If you cannot logon using the service account identity, you should add the following switch to the above command to add yourself back to the instance as an administrator:

-AdministratorAccount <String>

 

If you are using Project Online, you can change the permissions mode by navigating to the SharePoint admin center for your tenant and expand the Project web App menu as shown in the following figure.

Selecting the Settings item displays the site collection with project web app settings dialog shown in the following figure

For those of you who want to get Project Server 2013 to a classic Project Server state, you must perform two more small tasks. From the PWA Settings page, click the Quick Launch link to display the menu editing page shown in the following figure.

Select the items that you want to display and then click the Save &Close button. The last step is to reset the default project type. This time from the PWA Settings page select the Enterprise Project Types link and set the default enterprise project type to the Enterprise Project Type rather than the SharePoint list. At this point you are in classic Project Server mode.

Finally, the awe part is up to you. How fast do you adapt to new ideas? Can you appreciate a little disruptive thinking? If, so spend some time exploring and digesting. There are lots of new scenarios supported by the raft of changes in Project Server 2013. Bill Raymond and I deep dive into all of this for you in the new version of the Orange book.

Published: 12/7/2012 11:09 PM
Modified By: Gary Chefetz
]]> Gary Chefetz Sat, 08 Dec 2012 04:09:58 GMT http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=199 First eBook for Microsoft Project Server 2013 Now Available http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=200 Title: First eBook for Microsoft Project Server 2013 Now Available
Body:

Install and evaluate with comprehensive guidance for installing and configuring services for Microsoft Project Server 2013 from msProjectExperts

 

NEW YORK, NY, January 14, 2013 – Deploy Microsoft Project Server 2013 with the most comprehensive installation and configuration guidance available, introducing msProjectExperts' new offering Microsoft Project Server 2013 Install and Wire-Up, the first in its "Orange Pages" Amazon Single series for the Kindle. Born from the recognized industry standard, Implementing and Administering Microsoft Project Server 2013, this Kindle single is a fully-illustrated step-by-step guide to installing Microsoft SharePoint 2013 and Microsoft Project Server 2013 including configuring SharePoint 2013 service applications for Project Server 2013, and installing and configuring Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with Analysis Services.

 

"Microsoft is releasing its products into the market place earlier than ever. As a result, our readers need access to comprehensive information earlier in the cycle," said Gary Chefetz, co-author. "Our goal is to get this vital information to our readers as rapidly as possible by publishing incrementally through Amazon's Kindle platform" he commented.

 

"Reduce your time to install and evaluate. We did the learning for you," remarked Bill Raymond, co-author. "Virtual Machine technology, a remote desktop connection and the Microsoft Project Server 2013 Install and Wire-Up eBook are all you need to install Project Server 2013 from home. Do it in your pajamas and no one will even notice!" he quipped.

 

msProjectExperts is the world leader in Microsoft Project and Microsoft Project Server education products and training. msProjectExperts offers the only Project Server 2013 training, the only validated self-paced computer-based training system for Microsoft Project 2010, and the only validated training for Microsoft Project Server 2010. msProjectExperts' instructor-led open-enrollment courses are available at its New York City training center, partner sites, and for on-line attendance.

 

Along with standard and custom on-site training programs, msProjectExperts provides Project Server deployment consulting, Quick-Start solutions, books, and software add-ons. For more information about msProjectExperts' suite of services, visit http://www.msProjectExperts.com or email info@msprojectexperts.com

Free Kindle viewers available for your favorite device
Internet Explorer
Other Browsers

 

Published: 1/14/2013 1:43 PM
Modified By: Gary Chefetz
]]> Gary Chefetz Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:43:27 GMT http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=200 Create New Timeline Reports in Microsoft Project 2010 http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=198 Title: Create New Timeline Reports in Microsoft Project 2010
Body:

Several weeks ago I taught a Project Server 2010 class for project managers at a client in Ridgeland, Mississippi. During our class, we completed a class exercise to create a custom Timeline report by customizing the default Timeline view. At the conclusion of this exercise, all of my students agreed that the Timeline view is awesome for single project reporting. And then one of my students asked, "Is it possible to create additional Timeline reports?"

My first instinct was to say no, but instead I answered, "Let's find out." To my surprise and my delight, I discovered it is possible to create multiple Timeline reports in Microsoft Project 2010. Are you surprised that a Microsoft Project MVP learned something new about Microsoft Project 2010? Remember that no one knows everything about the software, and we can all learn something new every week or every month simply by the act of using the software to meet our project management needs.

OK, so what did I learn? Figure 1 shows the Timeline report that our class members created by customizing the default Timeline view that ships with Microsoft Project 2010. Notice that this Timeline report shows information about important summary tasks and subtasks in the project, and includes only one milestone task.

Figure 1: Customized Timeline view

Creating a New Timeline View

After you create an initial Timeline report by customizing the default Timeline view, how do you create additional Timeline reports? To do this, complete the following steps:

1. Close the Timeline pane to display only the Gantt Chart view.

2. Click the Task tab to display the Task ribbon.

3. In the View section of the Task ribbon, click the Gantt Chart pick list button and select the More Views item at the bottom of the pick list. Microsoft Project 2010 displays the More Views dialog shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: More Views dialog

4. In the More Views dialog, click the New button. Microsoft Project 2010 displays the Define New View dialog shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Define New
View dialog

5. In the Define New View dialog, select the Single view option and then click the OK button. Microsoft Project 2010 displays the View Definition dialog for a new view, as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4: View Definition dialog

6. In the View Definition dialog, enter a descriptive name in the Name field. For example, I want to create a new Timeline report that shows major milestones in the project, so I enter the name Timeline Milestones in the Name field.

7. In the View Definition dialog, click the Screen pick list and select the Timeline screen. This step is the key to creating a new Timeline report, by the way.

8. Click the OK button to close the View Definition dialog, and then click the OK button to close the More Views dialog.

Displaying and Customizing the New Timeline View

After creating the new Timeline view, how do you actually display it so that you can create the additional Timeline report? Complete the following steps to display any additional Timeline views in Microsoft Project 2010:

1. Click the View tab to display the View ribbon.

2. In the Split View section of the View ribbon, select the Timeline checkbox.

3. Click the Timeline pick list to the right of the Timeline checkbox and you will see any additional Timeline views that you have created to date. For example, notice in Figure 4 that I can now see my new Timeline Milestones view in the Custom section of the Timeline pick list.

Figure 5: Custom Timeline Milestones report

4. In the Custom section of the Timeline pick list, select your new Timeline view.

5. Customize the new Timeline view, as needed, to create your new Timeline report. For example, Figure 6 shows my new custom Timeline Milestones report, created by adding each major milestone to the new Timeline Milestones view and then formatting some of the milestones.

Figure 6: New Timeline Milestones report

Category: Project 2010; Project Professional Client; Project Standard Edition; Training
Published: 11/13/2012 6:51 AM
Modified By: Dale Howard
]]> Dale Howard Project 2010; Project Professional Client; Project Standard Edition; Training Tue, 13 Nov 2012 02:23:38 GMT http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=198