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Determine the number and types of users that require access to Project Server

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Summary: Learn about the different types of users that require access to Project Server and Project Web App.
Applies to: Project Server Subscription Edition, Project Server 2019, Project Server 2016, Project Server 2013

The number and types of users in your organization who use Project Server features have a direct effect on the scalability and performance needs of your organization.

Number of Project Server users

When you determine the number of Project Server users that your organization needs to support, also consider the maximum number of concurrent users. This is especially critical if your organization plans to support the time tracking scenario.

It is helpful to categorize users to determine the different types that you need to support, as well as how many of each type. For example, project managers who use Project Professional create the greatest load on the system; viewers create the smallest amount of load.

Types of Project Server users

The types of users that you need to support, and the percentage of each compared to the total number, affects the configuration decisions that you make during your planning process. Each user type places a load on the system. The most common user types are as follows:

  • Project managers

  • Resource managers

  • Team members

  • Portfolio viewers

  • Administrators

Project managers

Project managers are responsible for overseeing and completing projects, sometimes coordinating with other project managers and resource managers in the organization. Project managers use Project Professional to do the following:

  • Create and publish projects to Project Web App

  • Modify projects based on feedback

  • Assign team members to project tasks

  • Track progress by incorporating task updates from team members

  • Determine target and actual project timelines and costs

Resource managers

Resource managers are responsible for managing resources and defining skills based on capabilities. They work with project managers and other resource managers to ensure that qualified resources are assigned to tasks in projects. Resource managers use Project Web App to do the following:

  • View workload and availability by project over time

  • View workload and availability by resource over time

  • Add team members to project teams

  • Post issues and upload documents

  • Use Portfolio Modeler to determine resource availability

  • Modify resource skills and other codes

Team members

Team members are resources who are assigned to tasks in projects. A team member typically works on multiple projects at any given time and is responsible for completing tasks according to a schedule. Team members typically use Project Web App rather than Project Professional.

Team members use Project Web App to do the following:

  • Meet deadlines by identifying current and upcoming tasks to prioritize daily work

  • Report time spent working on tasks by entering progress in timesheets

  • Delegate and add tasks

  • Record and respond to project-related issues and risks

  • Link issues to tasks

  • Submit status reports

  • Work collaboratively with other team members on project-related documents

Team members use Outlook to do the following:

  • View assigned tasks

  • Report on assigned tasks

Portfolio viewers

A portfolio viewer is a user who uses Project Web App to view status or reporting on a project or multiple projects. For example, a portfolio viewer can oversee several different projects that are managed by different project managers to gain an overall perspective on schedule and budget. Portfolio viewers use Project Web App to do the following:

  • View project and resource reports in Portfolio Analyzer

  • Submit issues to project and resource managers

Administrators

Administrators deploy and manage Project Server and related applications. These users manage access to the server. Administrators use Project Web App to do the following:

  • Define timesheet views

  • Lock reporting periods and actuals in timesheets

  • Create standardized reports for Portfolio Analyzer views

  • Add team members to, and delete team members from, the Enterprise Resource Pool