Background Information
Project Server 2007 allows project managers to attach
Deliverables to tasks using Collaborate > Manage Deliverables in Project
Professional 2007. When attaching a Deliverable to a task, the project manager
can give the Deliverable a unique name, and can set a Start and Finish date for
the Deliverable. The project manager can also capture the Baseline date
information for the Deliverable; this information is stored in the Baseline
Deliverable Start and Baseline Deliverable Finish fields.
Beyond this basic use of Deliverables, Project Server 2007
does not offer any default method for analyzing date variance for Deliverable
dates. This means that there is no default enterprise field called Deliverable
Start Variance or Deliverable Finish Variance. If your project managers need to
manage Deliverable date variance, the Project Server administrator should create
two custom fields, and a custom Table as well.
Resolution for Project Server 2007
To create custom enterprise Task fields to manage Deliverable
date variance, the Project Server administrator should complete the following
steps:
1. Launch Project Professional 2007 and connect to
Project Server with administrator permissions.
2. Open in Read-Only format any
enterprise project containing Deliverables.
3. Click Tools - Customize - Fields.
4. In the Custom Fields dialog, select the Task option,
if necessary.
5. Click the Type pick list and select the Duration
field type.
6. Select the first available Duration field and then
click the Rename button.
7. Name the new custom field Deliverable Start Variance
and then click the OK button.
8. Click the Formula button.
9. In the Formula dialog, enter the following formula:
IIf([Deliverable Start] = ProjDateValue("NA"),
0, ProjDateDiff([Deliverable Start], [Start], [Project Calendar]))
Note: In the preceding formula,
you must manually type the [Deliverable Start] field, as it is not available in
the Fields pick list.
About the Preceding Formula:
Using the preceding formula in a Duration field, if a task
has no Deliverable Start date (meaning that the task does not have an
attached Deliverable), then the formula returns 0 days Duration.
If the task does have a Deliverable
Start date, the software subtracts the difference
between the current Start date and the original Deliverable Start date and
returns the answer in working days defined by the Project Calendar (specified in
Project - Project Information in each project).
A positive number is the number of days beyond which the Start
date has slipped past the original Deliverable Start date.
A negative date indicates that the Deliverable Start date is later than the
current Start date (which is a good thing).
10. Click the OK button to close the Formula
dialog, and then click the OK button in the warning dialog.
11. Select the next available Duration field
and then click the Rename button.
12. Name the new custom field Deliverable
Finish Variance and then click the OK button.
13. Click the Formula
button.
14. In the Formula
dialog, enter the following formula:
IIf([Deliverable Finish] = ProjDateValue("NA"),
0, ProjDateDiff([Deliverable Finish], [Finish], [Project Calendar]))
Note: In the preceding
formula, you must manually type the [Deliverable Finish] field, as it is not
available in the Fields pick list.
15. Click the OK button to close the Formula
dialog, and then click the OK button in the warning dialog.
16. Select the Deliverable Start Variance
field and click the Add Field to Enterprise button.
17. Click the OK button in the Add Field to
Enterprise dialog and then click the OK button in the confirmation dialog.
18. Select the Deliverable Finish Variance
field and click the Add Field to Enterprise button.
19. Click the OK button in the Add Field to
Enterprise dialog and then click the OK button in the confirmation dialog.
20. Click the OK button to close the Custom
Fields dialog.
21. Close the Read-Only enterprise project
without saving it.
22. Exit Project Professional 2007.
After importing the Deliverable Start
Variance and Deliverable Finish Variance fields into Project Server 2007, you
must now rename the fields in Project Web Access using the following steps:
1. Log into Project Web Access with
administrator permissions.
2. Click Server Settings -
Enterprise Custom Field Definition.
3. On the Custom Fields and Lookup
Tables page, click the name of the Deliverable Start Variance field.
4. Remove the (Durationx)
text from the name of the field.
5. Click the Save button.
6. Click the name of the Deliverable
Finish Variance field.
7. Remove the (Durationx)
text from the name of the field.
8. Click the Save button.
Creating a
Deliverable Date Variance Table
Beyond completing the above set of steps,
you may also want to create a custom enterprise task Table to help your project
managers analyze Deliverable date variance. To create this Table, complete the
following steps:
1. Launch Project Professional 2007 and connect to
Project Server with administrator permissions.
2. Open in Read-Only format any
enterprise project containing Deliverables.
3. Click View - Table - More Tables.
4. In the More Tables dialog, select the Entry table
and then click the Copy button.
5. Name the new Table something like _Deliverable Date
Variance and select the "Show in menu" option.
6. Include the following fields in the following order:
7. Click the OK button to close the Table Definition
dialog.
8. Click the Apply button to test the new Table.
9. Press the F9 function key to manually recalculate
the project and clear any error values.
10. Adjust column widths and alignment, as needed for
any of the fields.
After creating and testing the new Table, you must
copy the _Deliverable Date Variance table into the Enterprise Global file to
make it available to all of your project managers. Copy the new Table
using the following steps:
1. Leave the Read-Only enterprise project open.
2. Click Tools - Enterprise Options - Open
Enterprise Global.
3. Click Tools - Organizer.
4. Click the Views Available In pick list in
the lower left corner and select the Read-Only enterprise project.
5. Click the Tables tab.
6. Select the new _Deliverable Date Variance
table on the left side and then click the Copy button.
7. Click the Close button.
8. Save and close the Enterprise Global file.
9. Close the Read-Only project but do not save
it.
10. Exit and relaunch Project Professional 2007
and connect to Project Server.