EPM, Microsoft Project and You

BY: Collin Quiring

For those that don’t know, there is a great organization out there called MPUG – the Microsoft Project User Group.  I just wrote a brief article for them in regards to the fact that there is no longer an Active X control in Project Server 2010.  This is one article in a series by various Project Server experts about some of the new features in the 2010 version.

View the article at:  http://www.mpug.com/News/Pages/MicrosoftProject2010FeatureRallyNoMoreActiveX.aspx , or, here is a copy of it:

Project Server 2010 has many new features, abilities and enhancements that make it a great product.  However, there is one modification to the 2010 version that will go unnoticed by new administrators and will hopefully soon be forgotten by administrators that have worked with previous versions.  I am referring to the fact that the ActiveX controls are no longer part of Project Server.  My non-technical explanation of what an ActiveX control does is that it adds functionality to Project.  In the case of Project Server, there are a number of places it is used but the most noticeable is that it allowed you to see the information within Project Center and Resource Center. 

 I can’t count the number of times I would have a user contact me and tell me that they were getting an error message that looked like this one:

The catch?  Well, if the person isn’t an administrator (or high level permissions) on their machine they can’t download the ActiveX control.  And, there are other settings that have to be configured in Internet Explorer as well.  If the client machines were “locked down” by a central IT group, then they had to administer the installation of these controls.  It isn’t always easy to get the controls pushed out from the central IT administration folks!  Then, when some system updates (Project or not) are done, the ActiveX controls have to be downloaded/pushed out again.  At one client of mine, this is a constant issue and there are always a handful of users that can’t access Project Server due to the hardware and software update cycles and I know for a fact that this has slowed the adoption of the tool overall.

With all of the improvements and new components of Project Server 2010 I hope this now defunct “feature” becomes one of those topics of conversation that “old” administrators tell each other about the “old days” and how much better it is now!  

The catch?  Well, if the person isn’t an administrator (or high level permissions) on their machine they can’t download the ActiveX control.  And, there are other settings that have to be configured in Internet Explorer as well.  If the client machines were “locked down” by a central IT group, then they had to administer the installation of these controls.  It isn’t always easy to get the controls pushed out from the central IT administration folks!  Then, when some system updates (Project or not) are done, the ActiveX controls have to be downloaded/pushed out again.  At one client of mine, this is a constant issue and there are always a handful of users that can’t access Project Server due to the hardware and software update cycles and I know for a fact that this has slowed the adoption of the tool overall.

With all of the improvements and new components of Project Server 2010 I hope this now defunct “feature” becomes one of those topics of conversation that “old” administrators tell each other about the “old days” and how much better it is now! 

By: Collin Quiring

I have a previous post about upgrading from Project Server 2003 to 2007 or waiting for 2010.  I mentioned some of the timing and costs associated with the two upgrades.  I recommend that you read that post, however, the Project Server 2010 Technical Review is released!  Microsoft has told me that I am the list of those that will get a chance to test it.  Of course, I will let you know what I think about it if and/or when I get a copy to test (within whatever confidentiality agreements!).

Here is what Microsoft has released about Project 2010 and I will start to upack some of these items in future posts:

Project 2010 builds on the Project 2007 foundation to provide an end-to-end work management platform. The key investment areas are targeted at letting you choose the right tools that can evolve with you:

• Enhance user experience and appeal
  • Fluent user interface
  • User controlled scheduling
  • Powerful new views
  • Web-based project editing
• Improve execution with effective collaboration
  • Integration with SharePoint Server 2010
  • Richer workgroup collaboration
  • Enhanced time/status tracking
• Unify project and portfolio management
  • Common user experience through full PPM lifecycle
  • Improved demand management
  • Better reporting and BI
• Simplify deployment and extend interoperability
  • Microsoft Exchange integration
  • 64-bit compatibility of client and server
  • No ActiveX dependency