Project Level Information (2003)

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First off let me say that I am new to Project; very new. In fact I have not gone thru the help file or any training on the product. I’ve played around with it in the past but nothing serious. I now am running my own consulting business and instead of using various files & apps (ie Excel/Spreadsheet, Word/Docs, etc) to keep track of my work I’d like to use Project. I’m not looking for any complex reporting or analysis just a way to list tasks for a project along with percentages completed and time to complete; just the basics. I’ve setup a simple project template for one of the more common services I provide and while the detail level information, stuff at the Task level, is fine so far, I’m having a hard time trying to get at Project level data.

For example aside from the file name of the mpp file where do I go to list iniformation/details that are specific to the project as a whole and not a single task? Things like the clients name and contact. Do I have to use Project Server to do something like this?

I also was hoping for some way in Project to see a list of all outstanding projects but all I can do so far is see a list of tasks within a project. Do I need Project Server for this as well?

If the answer is to go with Project Server then can I do this without needing another computer running a server OS?

Thanks In Advance
Ed

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You have a lot of methods to get project level information. The easiest is to add a Project level task by selection Tools ==> Options the View tab and check the Show Project Summary Task in the lower left of the dialog box. This will add a Summary task for the entire project. There are also Project reports. Select View Reports and go the the Overview category.

You can add a Task Note to capture the clients name and contact information. You can select File ==> Properties and fill in the fields and these fields then become available to Headers and Footers of Project Reports. The comments section becomes a task note associated with the Project Summary Task.

Not sure if you are asking about all outstanding projects or outstanding task work. If you want to see multiple projects in a single file you can create a Master Project file that will display all the Projects in a single linked consolidated window. If you are asking about incomplete task work you can filter for Uncompleted tasks by using the filter dropdown in the formatting toolbar. It is the dropdown that by default says All Tasks. You can additionally select View ==> Reports and go the the Current Activities section and there are several different reports showing status of task work.

For Project Server you would need a server with Windows 2003 Server, SQL Server, IIS, and Exchange Server to use the features offered. It is a somewhat challenging and expensive setup. It is designed for large organizations and probably not appropriate for a small office. Master Project/ Subproject and Shared Resource Pool features of desktop Project will in most cases fill the needs of a small office.

Carla

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