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Managing issues, risks, and documents in Project Web App

 

Applies to: Project Server 2010

Topic Last Modified: 2012-01-06

Summary:  The sixth article in a series of eight articles about how to use Microsoft Project Web App to work with Microsoft Project Server 2010 data and to perform project management-related tasks.

Applies to:  Project Server 2010 | Project Web App

In this article:

  • Introduction to managing issues, risks, and documents

  • Project risks

  • Project issues

  • Project documents

Introduction to managing issues, risks, and documents

The beauty of the EPM Solution is the collaboration capabilities that are native to the product because of the components that have been incorporated into the solution mix. This function is greatly enhanced by using Microsoft SharePoint Foundation as the framework from which team collaboration can be better managed.

Project artifacts such as Risks, Issues, and documentation can be stored, linked and attached to projects or tasks. A project site (subsite) is automatically created for a project when a project plan is published in the Microsoft Project Professional 2010 environment. Each subsite is created with its own library so that risks, issues and documents can be linked.

When you use Microsoft Project Server 2010, the following collaboration features are enabled:

  • Risks   Risk management involves proactively identifying and tracking events and conditions that can potentially affect future planning for a project. Risks can be rated by severity and assigned an estimate for how likely they are to occur.

  • Issues   Issues can be used to track work items that are not easily identified as assignments or tasks in projects. Project managers, resource managers, and team leads can then determine whether the issues will affect the project and identify strategies to manage the issues before they become larger problems.

  • Documents   A document library provides a location for team members to collaborate and share documents and other project artifacts with project team members.

  • Project Site   A project site can exist for each project saved to the Project Server database. The project site enables additional collaboration features (for example, announcements, alerts, deliverables and the ability to link these to your project tasks) by providing a Web site for each project that makes the capabilities of SharePoint Foundation available to a project team.

As a project manager, it is important to know how to understand and manage the collaboration capabilities of project sites that you manage.

Project risks

Risks are events or conditions that can have a positive or adverse effect on the outcome of a project; in many ways, managing risks is critical to the success of managing projects. Risk management involves proactively identifying and tracking events and conditions that can potentially affect future planning for a project. Identifying risks differs from tracking issues because it involves identifying an event or condition that can affect the outcome of a project instead of tracking an actual effect on the outcome of a project. Risks can exist in the present time and can have up to a 100 percent probability of occurring. Risks can also exist in the far future and have up to a 100 percent probability that they will eventually be a factor in the life cycle of a project.

Project risks can be submitted and tracked on the project site. This allows for greater communication between team members and provides a central repository for concerns. Risks can be accessed through Microsoft Project Web App (PWA).

Adding project risks

Use the following procedure to add a project risk through Project Web App.

To add a project risk

  1. From the Project Center, select the project and the Project Site button, and then click the project that will store the risk information.

  2. After the project site opens, click the Risks option on the Quick Launch.

  3. After the Risks page opens, click Add New Item.

  4. Specify the Risk information on the Risk Template (this template can be modified by the system administrator).

  5. You can Attach a file to this risk, or Link Items to this risk by selecting the associated button in the Risk ribbon.

Viewing and managing risks

Use the following procedure to view project risks that are assigned to you. When viewing the risk, you have options to change the risk, such as adding an item, deleting, or managing permissions.

To view the risks assigned to you

  1. From the Project Web App Quick Launch, click Issues and Risks.

  2. Click the Project name with the risk that you want to open.

  3. From the project site Risks page, choose the risk that you want to view or change.

  4. You can Add a new item, Edit the risk, Delete the risk, Manage Permissions on this form, or set an alert by using the SharePoint Foundation notification mechanisms, if it is enabled.

Project issues

Issues tracking can be an important part of project management. Issues are best used to capture work items that are not easily identified in assignments or tasks within projects. Team members and project managers can use the Issues page in the project site. Project managers, resource managers, and team leads can then determine whether the issues will affect the project, and they can identify strategies to manage the issues before the problems become larger.

Adding project issues

Use the following procedure to add a project issue through Project Web App.

To add a project issue

  1. From the Project Center, select the project and the Project Site button, and then click the project that you want to store the issues information.

  2. After the project workspace opens, click the Issues option on the Quick Launch.

  3. After the Issues page opens, click Add new item.

  4. Specify the Issue information on the Issue Template (this template can be modified by the system administrator).

  5. Similar to Risks, you can Attach a file to this risk, or Link Items to this issue by selecting one of the buttons on the Issues ribbon.

Viewing and managing issues

Use the following procedure to view issues that are assigned to you. On the issue details page, you have options to add items to the issue, delete the issue, and manage permissions for the issue.

To view the issues assigned to you

  1. From the Project Web App Home Page, click Issues and Risks.

  2. Click the Project Issue that you want to open.

  3. From the Issues page, choose the issue that you want to view or change.

  4. You can Add a new item, Edit the issue, Delete the issue, Manage Permissions on this form, or set an alert by using the SharePoint Foundation notification mechanisms, if it is enabled.

Project documents

Project Server 2010 integrates document management into the overall project management process by incorporating the SharePoint document library feature. A document library can be associated with any project that is published to the Project Server database, and it can provide a location for team members to collaborate and share documents (including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and many other document types and formats) outside a project. In addition to document libraries, a public library can be used to store documents that are related to all projects in your organization.

You can access the document management feature of Project Server 2010 by clicking the Libraries link in Project Web App, by selecting Shared Documents, or by directly going to the project site from Project Web App. You can create document libraries for each project that is published to the project site. Documents are used to capture non-structured, project-related information that is not otherwise available in a typical project.

Adding project documents

Use the following procedure to add a document to a document library on a project site.

To add a project document

  1. From the Project Center, select the project for which you want to open the Project Site, and then click the Project Site button on the ribbon.

  2. After the project site opens, click the Project Documents option on the Quick Launch.

    The Project Document page opens.

  3. After the Project Documents page opens, click Add document to upload or import one or more files into the document list. You can also modify list settings and process with the correct permissions by clicking the Library tab, Library Settings.

  4. From here you can View or Edit Properties, Manage Permissions, Edit, or Delete the document, Send to using e-mail if it enabled, Check Out (a function of SharePoint Services that manages version control), or set an alert (for any revisions to a document).