Making Effective Business Decisions Using Microsoft Project (eBook)

Tim Runcie is an industry-recognized technology and methodology expert. His twenty-plus year career has helped organizations leverage technologies (including Project, Project Server, and SharePoint) to achieve better ROI and cultural maturity in project, program, and portfolio management. Mark 'Doc' Dochtermann has spent more than thirty years working in almost every major corporation: from IBM, Oracle, Microsoft, Xerox, and in organizations that are focused on project and portfolio management. ADVISICON is a consulting firm that delivers strategic project control solutions using advanced project and portfolio management methodologies, custom application development, and consultative training. Their clients throughout North America and Latin America have realized quantifiable results through a unique approach of combining knowledge transfer, optimization and sustainability of processes, and technology while increasing stakeholder competencies. Advisicon's team of professionals includes PMI-certified Project Management Professionals® (PMPs), Microsoft Certified Professionals®, and Microsoft MVPs.

1 Business Intelligence: Knowledge of Key Success Ingredients for Project Server 2010 1

In This Chapter 1

Maximizing PPM Ingredients, Culture, and Technology for Business Success 2

What Is the Project Management Lifecycle? 7

Information: What Fuels a PMO's Success? 16

Stakeholders in a Project Management Environment 21

Technology Meets Strategy: Welcome to the Business User Network 29

Important Concepts Covered in This Chapter 32

References 33

2 Value Proposition by Role of Project Server 2010 35

In This Chapter 35

Clairvoyance with Project/Server 2010: Forecast Future Results 37

Important Concepts Covered in This Chapter 75

References 77

3 Meeting CFO Needs with Project/Server 2010 79

In This Chapter 79

How the CFO Gets the Attention of the PMO 79

What and Why Is Work Management Critical to Organizational Success? 87

Synchronization of Strategic Objectives to Actual Effort 93

Important Concepts Covered in This Chapter 97

Reference 98

4 The Business Shakes Hands with the Microsoft Project 2010 Platform 99

In This Chapter 99

Logical Architecture Is More Natural for Business Users 100

Microsoft Project 2010 Platform Is Highly Extensible 122

Important Concepts Covered in This Chapter 130

References 131

5 End Users' Critical Success Factors: Using MS Project 2010 133

In This Chapter 133

Project Management in Small Business and the Enterprise 134

Initiating and Managing Projects Using the Microsoft Project Desktop Client 143

Being an Effective Enterprise Project Manager Using Microsoft Project Server 161

Fluent Project Management Using the Fluent UI: Introducing the Ribbon 171

Important Concepts Covered in This Chapter 181

References 182

6 Thinking Local, Going Social: Project Teams Can Thrive Using Microsoft Project Server 2010 185

In This Chapter 185

Project Management Looking Ahead 185

PPM Lifecycle 188

Important Concepts Covered in This Chapter 202

7 Better Together: Microsoft Project 2010 Worksites Using SharePoint Server 2010 203

In This Chapter 203

Integration of Collaboration, Social Media, and Project-Related Information 203

SharePoint Server 2010 Offers Critical Business Capabilities 208

Being Social in a Project Environment 217

Important Concepts Covered in This Chapter 221

8 Effective Transition of Strategy and Execution: Program Management Using Microsoft Project Server 2010 223

In This Chapter 223

Projects Are the 'How,' Programs Are the 'Why' 224

Important Concepts Covered in This Chapter 249

References 249

9 Intelligent Business Planning and Controlling Using Microsoft Project 2010 251

In This Chapter 251

Understanding Strategic Planning with Project Server 251

Creating and Managing Portfolio Lifecycle for Project Server 256

Understanding and Building Business Drivers 259

Using Project Server to Master Demand Management 268

Building Project Selection Criteria 286

What the Effi cient Frontier Is and How to Use It 292

Working with Constraints in Portfolio Planning 296

Creating and Running Multiple Scenarios for Portfolio Planning 303

Applying Strategic Analysis for Corporate to Departmental Needs 306

Committing New Work Portfolios and Measuring for ROI 309

Project Server Optimizing Governance for PMOs 315

Important Concepts Covered in This Chapter 319

References 320

10 Intelligent Business Planning and Reporting Using Microsoft Project 2010 321

In This Chapter 321

What Is Dynamic Reporting . . . 321

Creating Easy-to-Access Reporting in Project Server/SharePoint BI 324

Important Concepts Covered in This Chapter 361

Index 363