1. 1 Cross-Project Links Report Madison MPUG Chapter Meeting April 13, 2011

2. 2 Background n Project Sponsors want a clear high-level view of dependencies between projects n Communicate early on how schedule changes within one project impact dependent projects

3. 3 Current Process n Report is updated and published monthly n As new cross-project dependencies are identified, these projects are being added to the report

4. 4 Milestones Professional n Software recommended by a co-member of the Madison MPUG (Microsoft Project Users Group) Chapter n Produced by KIDASA Software, Austin, TX n Contains numerous templates that can be used to create custom reports with MS Project data n Provides more flexibility than Visio for this type of reporting

5. 5 Sample Report

6. 6 MS Project Server n Some setup needed in project server –  External predecessor logic: Example: AMI-MDMS schedule: External predecessor is Task ID # 28 in the AMI-RCDM schedule In the MDMS schedule, enter “AMI-RCDM\28” in Predecessor ID field to set up the link AMI-RCDM\28

7. 7 MS Project Server  AE uses the Text 30 field in MS Project  Populate Portfolio ID with PM initials + number scheme  Must be unique across all projects on server

8. 8 MS Project Server Another option is to create a formula to populate the Portfolio ID field – ensures ID is unique:

9. 9 MS Project Server When viewing the schedule in project server, the predecessor task from the external project appears in gray (disabled) above the dependent task Note: We are currently viewing the AMI-MDM schedule

10. 10 Vice-versa when viewing the schedule with the predecessor milestone (successor task in external project appears in gray) Note: We are currently viewing the DMS Upgrade schedule MS Project Server We’ve found this functionality to be useful – makes it clear to the PM that there is an external project dependency, and which task is impacted.

11. 11 Milestones Professional Can set up smart symbol tags to track project milestones and timelines

12. 12 n Refresh report with updated project schedule with the push of a button – automatically updates timeline/milestones Milestones Professional

13. 13 Milestones Professional

14. 14 n Timing: Consider how you will sync timing of report creation to when PMs update schedules (might require expectation setting with report recipients) n User Interface: This is not a Microsoft product – different user interface – there is a bit of a learning curve n Refresh Process: When refreshing, first open the project schedule in MS Project before selecting “refresh” in Milestone Professional – speeds up refresh process Milestones Professional - Tips

15. 15 Questions: