EPM Team

The Catapult EPM team is responsible for delivering Microsoft project and portfolio management solutions. Their blog reflects team insights and real-world experiences developing world-class EPM solutions.
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Jun1

Daily Timesheet Comment Functionality from Ganesh Jat

Nice post from Ganesh on the GJ Tech Blog yesterday on adding daily timesheet comments to Project Server 2007 (and presumably 2010).   Make sure to check it out:   http://gj80blogtech.blogspot.com/2010/05/daily-timesheet-comment-in-project.html...
Posted by Andrew Lavinsky on Tuesday, 1 Jun 2010 07:59.
0 Comments | Categories: MOPS 2007

 
May14

Project Server 2007 Timesheet Tied Mode Rev 2

I think I missed the memo on this one in March, but as I just found on the newsgroups, Stephen Sanderlin of MS Project Experts has released a new (and undoubtedly improved) version of the timesheet tied mode code onto Codeplex.    http://autostatusplus.codeplex.com/   Just making sure nobody else missed it- although I must admit that I am not entirely sure how many folks will be implementi...
Posted by Andrew Lavinsky on Friday, 14 May 2010 04:38.
0 Comments | Categories: MOPS 2007, Deployment

 
Mar3

Using Intelligent WBS Codes in Microsoft Project

This is a question that’s come up multiple times with folks I’ve worked with, and is something I consider best practice.  The last time someone asked me about this, I figured I’d just blog it up with screenshots and send him the URL.  So Daniel, this post is for you…. For years Project has had a function which remarkably few people know about, and even fewer people use – that is the intelligen...
Posted by Andrew Lavinsky on Wednesday, 3 Mar 2010 07:57.
0 Comments | Categories: Project Professional 2007, MOPS 2007

 
Nov19

Good Practices in Documenting MOPS 2007 Security

Here’s what’s evolved into my own personal method of documenting security for a MOPS implementation.  Figured that I would throw this out and welcome any and all suggestions on how to improve this.  MOPS 2007 security can be broken out into two major chunks: functional requirements and configuration specifications:   Functional Security Requirements   Functional MOPS 2007 requirements m...
Posted by Andrew Lavinsky on Thursday, 19 Nov 2009 05:18.
3 Comments | Categories: Best Practices, MOPS 2007, SharePoint

 
Nov16

Architecting a Migration Ready 2007 Deployment

Parked this one aside back in September, and just realized that it never went out.  Here's a flashback to what I was thinking just a month or two ago: Watching the Ignite presentation today on the migration path from 2007 to 2010, it just confirmed that if you’re planning a 2007 deployment right now, you should deploy it as follows: PWA in its own site collection and content db. Project ...
Posted by Andrew Lavinsky on Monday, 16 Nov 2009 08:26.
0 Comments | Categories: MOPS 2007, Project Server 2010

 
Sep23

EPM Implementations as an Exercise in Metaplanning

For years, the PMI has teased me with mentions of a Schedule Management Plan in the PMBOK.  It obviously existed, and even was listed as an input to one of the Time Management processes, but it never got called out as its own separate artifact with its own planning process.  Obviously, this implied some sort of bias against the scheduler caste.  Didn’t Risk, HR, Communications, Quality and Proc...
Posted by Andrew Lavinsky on Wednesday, 23 Sep 2009 08:10.
2 Comments | Categories: Best Practices, MOPS 2007, Project Management, Project Portfolio Server 2007, Project Server 2010, Project Professional 2007

 
Sep15

ProjCon - Change your thinking on Timesheets and Tasks in MOPS 2007

I attended a breakout session this morning regarding MOPS 2007 Timesheets and My Tasks, and didn't learn much that I didn't already know.   Timesheets are intended to be the source of information for accounting (and things of that nature) purposes. The time records you find in Timesheets may or may not completely agree with those you find in Task Updates.   Task Updates are intended to be t...
Posted by Peter Elkin on Tuesday, 15 Sep 2009 02:22.
0 Comments | Categories: MOPS 2007, Project Conference 2009

 
Sep15

Some Cool Third Party Project Tools

One of the great benefits of attending the Project Conference is the ability to network with the larger Microsoft Project implementing community.  After the reception, a group of us headed out into the quiet night of downtown Phoenix for dinner.  (Peter will be posting the video of the discussion later if he can actually figure out how to use the Flip.) We ended up chatting with Vadim Bogdanov...
Posted by Andrew Lavinsky on Tuesday, 15 Sep 2009 08:48.
1 Comment | Categories: MOPS 2007, Project Conference 2009, Project Professional 2007

 
Sep13

A SQL tidbit

This is not news, but it was a small slap to the medula in terms of remembering it. The best practice for MOPS 2007 in terms of SQL is this: MOPS can share a SQL Server (or a cluster) with a lot of other applications. But, and this is important, you should put MOPS in it’s own SQL instance. Why, you ask. MOPS is churning through calculations all the time. The sever-side scheduling engine is ...
Posted by Peter Elkin on Sunday, 13 Sep 2009 02:49.
0 Comments | Categories: Best Practices, MOPS 2007

 
Sep12

Catapult's coverage of the Project Conference begins!

Hello, and welcome to the Catapult EPM Team's wall-to-wall blogging coverage of the 2009 Microsoft Project Conference, live (or nearly so) from lovely, and warm, downtown Phoenix Arizona.   Your correspondents for this week's shindig are: Andrew Lavinsky - Managing Consultant from our Houston office Tony Castronovo - Director of Service Delivery from our Houston office Peter Elkin - our EP...
Posted by Peter Elkin on Saturday, 12 Sep 2009 12:55.
0 Comments | Categories: Project Server 2010, MOPS 2007