However, those parameters are often incomplete and you must customize them in order to make them sense to your project. This is the case of Risk Categories. When registering a new risk, you have the dropdown menu for the category but it is populated only with “(1) Category 1, (2) Category 2, (3) Category 3” options.

So, how can you customize this list? Easy enough. First, enter the Risk list by clicking the Risks link in the quick launch menu on the left of your project workspace. You’ll see the list below.

Now click on the Settings button and it will display several options. Click on List Settings.

Now locate the Columns list and search for the Category column. Click on it.

Go to the Additional Column Settings and locate the options for the Category column.

Change this list for your custom list and set which category you want to use as default.

Click on OK and return to the list. Create a new risk and check your customized cat
egory list.

If you find that this list should apply to all your projects, ask your system administrator to customize the project workspace template so it is included every time you publish a new project into your project server.

Posted By: Rene Alvarez

1. Open Microsoft Project Professional 2007 and connect

2. When prompted, log in to connect to Project Server.

3. Click Tools > Enterprise Options > Open Enterprise Global. This opens the Enterprise Global template.

4. The new project will appear blank. You know you’re working with the Enterprise Global Template because of the file name at the top.

5. Next open the Visual Basic Editor. Click Tools > Macro > Visual Basic Editor.

6. In the Project Explorer window you will most likely see the following projects: Global.MPT, Checked-out Enterprise Global, Global (+ non-cached Enterprise) and Project1. 

7. Make sure that you are working in the Checked-out Enterprise Global.

8. Right click on VBAProject (Checked-out Enterprise Global) >Insert, then Left click on Module.

9. This expands the VBAProject (Checked-out Enterprise Global) to reveal its Modules folder and highlights the new Module for you. In this example the new module is Module4.

10. When finished creating the macro click Save. 

11. Close the Visual Basic window.

12. You will return to the Checked-out Enterprise Global file in Microsoft Project Professional. Click Save.

13. Close the Checked-out Enterprise Global template.

14. When prompted Check-in the Enterprise Global template.

Posted By: Rick Nobleman

By Kevin Williamson, Senior Portfolio Advisor, Advisicon

———————————————————————————-

Do you find yourself having to clarify project tasks sent out to resources after you publish a Project schedule? Do you spend unnecessary time clearing up confusion around resources assignments?

One of the biggest timewasters in a project is having to clarify task assignments.  

From your experience, rank the actions (below) by which one the majority of your project resources will choose if they do not understand a task assignment notification they receive by e-mail?

A.      Do nothing until you check with them to see if they have started the task. (‘Passive’ Response)

B.      Do nothing, but complain to others that they don’t understand your task assignments. (‘Passive Aggressive’ Response)

C.      Start working anyhow and assume all of the risks associated with working without clarity. (‘Half-cocked’ Response)

D.      Try to figure out what your assignment means, drill into the task details, then call the project manager . (‘Independent’ Response)

E.       Call or e-mail the project manager  to ask for clarification. (‘Direct’ Response)

 

We have probably experienced all of these responses. Personally, I prefer ‘E’. But no matter how you rank the responses or how your project resources tend to respond to unclear task assignments, every response requires more time than you likely built into your project schedule.

Main Point:  Resources need to understand a task assignment before they can start working on it effectively. 

The My Tasks page and My Assignments view in PWA do not at first glance reveal the larger project context for a given task assignment. 

 

 

To see the task in the context of its project task path, Work and Remaining Work, Related Assignments, or task Notes, a resource will need to click on the Task Name to drill down to the Assignment Detail view (see screen shot below).

 

 

For those exceptional resources that choose D. above and try to figure out assignments on their own before they call you, a lot can be learned from the Assignment Detail view.  If they are very resourceful, they can also communicate with other resources who are assigned to related tasks in the Related Assignments section by hovering over the resource name under the Assigned To column, click on the circle, which opens a menu of options (see below):

 

 

 

A resource can select to Send Mail to coordinate directly with other resources (or select from the other options). Unfortunately, the Send Mail option does not automatically reference the subject or insert any reference to the project or task context of the communication.

In general, though, you and your resources are better off if the task assignment is clear to begin with.

Task Management Best Practice #2:  Write task names as verb phrases.

To save yourself the hassles of project management communications delays because project resources do not understand project task assignment descriptions, follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Tasks are things to do. The best way to describe a task is with a verb phrase. Complete the Task Name field for each task with a verb phrase that accurately describes the action you want each resource to complete.

Example: Elicit, document, validate, and verify user stakeholder class representatives’ requirements.

Step 2: Ask yourself: Will this Task Name (verb phrase) communicate clearly what this particular resource needs to do based on this Task Name alone, or do I need to give them more detailed instructions?

If the task is more involved than a single verb phrase can sufficiently describe, use the Notes field to describe the task in more detail. The level of detail you use in task notes will depend on your working history with each resource, their knowledge, and whether you are confident that the resource will understand exactly what you need them to do or not. If not, use the Notes field for that task: 

Example of using Notes field to specify task directions: 

1.       Review business case and project initiation request.

2.       Review technical specifications.

3.       Choose elicitation technique that has worked best with this user class stakeholder requirements in the past – ask previous project managers or look at previous project documentation.

4.       Prepare elicitation documentation.

5.       Elicit and document user stakeholder class representatives’ requirements.

6.       Review requirement documentation for completeness and accuracy.

7.       Map user requirements to business case requirements and technical requirements to ensure they correspond.

8.       Analyze user requirements for internal consistency.

9.       Analyze user requirements for feasibility within project schedule, cost, and resource requirements/constraints.

10.   Review user class stakeholder requirements documentation with user stakeholder class representative to verify.

11.   Have user stakeholder class representatives sign off authorization of requirement documentation.

12.   Send verified user class stakeholder requirements documentation to Project Manager.

Step 3: Ask yourself, “Would it be more time-efficient to review this task with the resource in person or by phone than just depend on how PWA presents a task?” There may be a lot of factors that you weigh in answering this question, but, ultimately, you will want to err on the side of clarity to avoid unnecessary delays due to confusion.

Posted By: Kevin Williamson

We need them to be able to view the Task Updates page. To do this, check the Allow box (the leftmost one) for View Approvals under the Views section at the bottom of the list.

Now that they have the ability to view the Tasks Update page, we need to give them the ability to approve or reject task updates. To do this, click the name of the category that is assigned to the group, and a list of permissions will appear below it. From that list, they will need two permissions under the Project section, Accept Task Update Requests and Open Project. Check the Allow box next to both of these permissions.

One thing to check is if they are assigned to multiple categories, whether they are denied in any of these permissions in the other categories. If they are, remove those because even though they are allowed the permission somewhere else, the deny permission trumps it.

Once you have all these settings correctly set, click Save at the bottom of the page.

Posted By: Jason Stegner

To change the Assignment Owner on a task, follow these steps:

1. Make sure you are in the Gantt chart view.

2. RIGHT Click in the empty gray box, in the upper left corner of the Gantt table, where the column and row headers meet.

3. Choose “…Assignment Owner” from the list of available tables.

4. LEFT Click to select the table. You will see the columns in your table change.

5. Find the appropriate task row that you want to change and Double Click on any cell in that row. This will bring up the Task Information window.

6. On the Task Information window click the “Resources” tab.

7. In the “Assignment Owner” column use the dropdown menu to choose the new Assignment Owner. Your choices will be limited to those resources you recruited to this project team from the Global Resource Pool.

8. Click “OK”. The name will change in the “Assignment Owner” field in the project. from the Global Resource Pool.

Posted By: Rick Nobleman