"Microsoft Project doesn't work for my business"

It never ceases to amaze me that every time I speak to large audiences about Project Scheduling, Resource/Capacity Planning, Project Collaboration or integration with Microsoft Dynamics SL, I always ask two questions:
1)How many of the people in the audience have used Microsoft Project (every time nearly everyone in the audience raises their hand).
2)How many people that raised their hand to question number 1, still use Microsoft Project (every time I lose almost half of the hands).

After the usual laughs that incur and the usual quotes about MS Project like:
· "We use it for the initial schedule that the Client requires, then we don't use it anymore"
· "We bought it thinking it would solve our Scheduling conflicts, but it only made it worse"
· "All of our Project Managers keep their individual schedules on Project, but spend all their time e-mailing project plans to each other, which actually takes more time than not using Project."
· "We bought xx number of copies of Project, but now only 1 or 2 people still use Project".


I usually take this opportunity to ask the following questions:
· "Have you ever heard of Microsoft Project"
· "Are you using Project Server with Microsoft Project"?
· "What if I told you that Project Server is the key to making Microsoft Project work for your business"?


We then go through the usual comments about they don't understand hardware or IT items and they typically think Project Server is a big computer that IT needs to deal with related to Microsoft Project. What amazes me is that Project Server is the key to making Microsoft Project work properly for project organizations. It is funny because it is an easier tool to use than Microsoft Project, and it is the key to unlocking the potential that makes companies buy Microsoft Project to begin with. I guess you can say I am on a personal mission to help companies understand the value of Microsoft Project Server. I talk to companies about the fact that running Microsoft Project without Project Server is like running Microsoft Outlook without Exchange. So if Project Server makes Microsoft Project work for project organizations, what does it do?


Here is a list of some of the basic features that you can immediately take advantage of:

· Project Server immediately takes all Microsoft Project plans, that in the past, were on individual project managers computers and publishes them to everyone in the organization to provide visibility to all projects.
· Project Server takes the tasks of all projects and publishes them to all project resources.
· Project Server takes control of provisioning a Project SharePoint site so that everyone can collaborate about the project. This includes Project Resources, Subcontractors, Owners/Clients, and Project Executives. This SharePoint site then becomes the common location to surface issues/risks, document management, and review project plans.
· Project Portfolio management allows the organization to view all the projects that your organization is either working on or considering working on. This provides breakdowns by divisions, project managers, type of work and location.
· Resource Planning to view either individual resource capacity or global resource capacity.

This is just a basic list of the immediate advantage of turning on Project Server for your organization. I guess I hope that between now and the release of Project 2010, New Vision can start doing a better job of evangelizing the value of Project Server to the non-Microsoft Project Server community. It is easier to use than Project, provides value to the whole project organization and gets information to project stakeholders when they need it and where they need it. If you haven't looked into Microsoft Project Server I encourage you to look into the value of turning on Microsoft Project Server to connect project plans, communicate project data to your whole organization and to most importantly resolve the question where I don't have to hear anymore at these meetings "Microsoft Project doesn't work for my business".

www.nvprojectsolutions.com

Microsoft Project Conference 2010

As I am gathering my thoughts from the Microsoft Project Conference 2010, I have to admit, it is two weeks later and I am still blown away by the conference and more importantly the release of 2010. First you have to know that as a solution provider and someone who presents software to people as a living, I don't often get very excited about demos, presentations or other "hype" around new releases (unless of course I am the one presenting). I guess what excites me the most about Project 2010, isn't the improvements to SharePoint 2010, which make the product so much easier to use as well as providing so much more workflow. It isn't the Project Server improvements, which make using Project Server very difficult to distinguish between what can't be done in Project Server versus Project Professional (this is amazing). It isn't even Portfolio Server being included with Project 2010 (although this will absolutely assist larger organizations in doing Project Portfolio Management and Planning). I guess what excites me the most is that I believe Microsoft Project 2010, will bring Project Management to the smaller organization in a way no other release of Project or any other Microsoft application has done. I look at how they have made functionality for smaller project organizations, that don't have a history of Project Management Methodologies, or PMs that have extensive history with Project Management, to begin to take advantage of Project Management solutions that are easy to use. All companies need project management. Microsoft Project 2010, now provides project management for the small, mid and large organization.

The Project Conference in Phoenix had the usual benefits of connecting with users and partners and sharing of ideas, but the buzz around the new release was something I haven't seen before from this conference. The great thing is that Project 2010 builds on the foundation of what was built in Microsoft Project 2007, so our clients and our own company, need to continue to improve with 2007 and let Project 2010 enhance that internal improvement. I had the luxury of meeting with many from the Microsoft Project team and the fact that they have been using Project 2010 internally for so long has helped to fuel a passion that I have to admit is contagious. It makes me want to get to 2010 as soon as we can, and it allows our organization as well as our clients to continue to finish the initiatives started on Project 2007, so we can fully take advantage of the enhancements of Project 2010.

As a solution provider of Microsoft Dynamics SL, Microsoft Project and Microsoft SharePoint I have never been more excited about how these solutions are going to change the way our companies manage their businesses. It is not often that hype around a product, lives up to the actual product. I have to admit that they hype for Project 2010, really delivers solutions that I know will help New Vision and our clients be more successful in managing projects. Mid to large companies will benefit from the improvement workflow, portfolio management, resource planning and scheduling improvements. However, I have to admit the most excitement for me centers around the ease of use that will allow small organizations, who are so desperate to find a way to better manage projects, to finally have tools they can utilize to manage their business.

I have included some great links to more information about the conference and Project 2010.

http://www.microsoft.com/project/2010/en/us/default.aspx

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/projectserver/default.aspx

 

www.nvprojectsolutions.com