This document contains questions and answers about Microsoft Project and Portfolio Management (PPM). Some key points addressed include: - How tasks are updated when moved in a project plan. - Reporting capabilities including RAG reports and collated project reports. - How programs and program management are supported in PPM. - Integration options with other systems such as SAP, SharePoint, and TFS. - Licensing and pricing models for PPM. - Customization options within PPM.

1. Guillaume Garcin & Baz Khinda | January 28th 2015

2. When moving tasks on team planner, how does it tell the
resource the task has moved?
The task changes would only take effect once the Project Manager
‘publishes’ the changes back to Project Online. At that point resources
would receive an email alert (depending on settings) and also see an
update on the task data within Project Web App…

3. Can you show a RAG report for the portfolio? And the
Highlight Report? And can you produce a collated set of
project reports?
Yes, you can report at many levels of hierarchy using a wide variety of
solutions including Excel, Power BI and SSRS…

4. What does PPM mean?
PPM = Project and Portfolio Management

5. How are programs managed in MS PPM? For example,
can all projects and activities associated with a
programme be tracked by a Programme Manager?
When setting up a new project you can specify if it’s a Programme, a
Project that belongs to a programme or a standalone project.
Through metadata and linking there are a number of options available
to accommodate not only the management of programmes but also
the reporting.

6. Can Project Online connect to TFS?
Project Online cannot connect yet to TFS but a solution already exists with Project Server
(On-Premise)

7. Are there implementation options which provide for an
'on premise' model?
Yes, Microsoft PPM is also available for on-premise implementation in
the form of Microsoft Project Server 2013…
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=38834

8. Large organisations already have SAP for Financial
management/ERP - How does Project Server integrate
with SAP ?
There are a number of SAP connectors available from a number of
service providers.
https://help.sap.com/saphelp_epc20/helpdata/en/09/a1db4b3e524a62
a845509d006374a5/frameset.htm

9. Does PPM support file and document management?
Can you link files stored on SkyDrive with PPM and track
history/distribution?
Yes. SharePoint Sites can hand file and document management,
OneDrive for business can be linked but not managed in the same way.

10. Have the applications been tested on Macs?
Project Pro for Office 365 and Project Online can be used via any web
browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome) on any platform (PCs,
Macs, Android tablets, Windows Phone, iPhones, iPads, etc.)

11. For a multi-national with virtual teams does the cloud
version have peering arrangements so that pages are
cached locally/regionally or is all content in a single
repository?
All content is stored and cached on the home data centre in a single
repository for an organisation, there is no distributed cacheing.

12. How compliant to P3O is the product?
Project Online & Project Server can be configured to suit a wide range
of recognized or bespoke methodologies including the P3O model…

13. Is a full Project license required before users can use the
Office 365 in their browsers to view and manipulate
project plans? Also, there are a number of predefined
views that were highlighted. Are these customizable?
A number of licensing options are available for Project Online…
http://products.office.com/en-us/project/microsoft-project-licensing
The majority of views that were demonstrated are customizable.

14. Does this system support task estimating tools /
benchmark standards?
Project Online and Project Server 2013 have been designed to work
with Microsoft Project Professional 2013. Third party connectors to task
estimating tools may also exist but are not officially supported…

15. Is it possible to see how you add risks and issues?
Risks and Issues are created within the Project Sites, a basic example is
provided below…

16. Resource management and task alignment, can you
allocate time where resources are aligned to BAU
activities and are not available for project tasks?
Yes, this can be accommodated in a number of ways i.e. modification of
a resources maximum available units, through the resource calendar,
through the timesheet or through the use of a BAU plan…

17. What benefits do you believe this system provides over
other scheduling tools (say Primavera?)
• Project PPM is comparatively less expensive than various Oracle solutions. The Project offerings can be structured
and differentiated by various personas (light vs heavy users) at discriminated price points.
• Some of Oracle PPM solutions are only available on-premise, while others are only in the cloud. Comparatively,
Microsoft offers a choice of either on-premises or cloud-based option with full enterprise PPM capabilities in either
solutions (Project PPM does not require add-on solutions.
• Ease of integration
• Office web apps
• Project partner ecosystem
• SharePoint/Lync/Outlook/Office/Project familiarity
• Easier End User Adoption / Low Training

18. In the project strategy section of PPM, can you (as PM)
customise the priority level descriptors?
The global descriptors would have to be set by an administrator, but the
Project Manager does have the capability to rate the project against the
available drivers on the Project Detail Page, you also have the option of
creating driver sets, where drivers can be prioritized according to i.e.
department…

19. Is the customisation for the home page something that
the user can do - without the requirement for a
consultant?
If you are referring primarily to the branding elements yes, further
customization would also be possible by an end user once they’ve
undertaken relevant training…

20. Can you change the type of the project once it has been
created?
Yes, this is possible…

21. What have you done about the unreliability of the
connection between server and client particularly on
slow network links?
Much work has been undertaken in 2013 to ensure reliable connections
between rich client and Project Server/Project Online Service.
There are not major open issues in the current release.

22. What does EPT mean?
Enterprise Project Type…
https://support.office.microsoft.com/en-gb/article/Enterprise-Project-
Types-c576de02-a25c-4ea1-9de6-
02be44dbb0a6?CorrelationId=614dcb69-3531-4ad7-868f-
2be879f24ec6&ui=en-US&rs=en-GB&ad=GB

23. Does Wellington create 3rd party program interfaces
such as JD Edwards?
Wellingtone do not create 3rd party program interfaces…

24. How does PPM tie in with existing methodologies - eg
PRINCE2? Agile?
Through Enterprise Project Types, Microsoft PPM is able to
accommodate any recognized or bespoke methodologies, this is
something that partners such as Wellingtone are able to assist with…

25. How is project planning supported (as opposed to
managing existing project schedules)? i.e. Building the
WBS and development of a logic network
New projects are created typically through an Enterprise Project Type,
which can include within them a template project schedule which can
be modified…
https://support.office.microsoft.com/en-us/article/Enterprise-Project-
Types-c576de02-a25c-4ea1-9de6-
02be44dbb0a6?CorrelationId=22c9b959-1162-4f9b-b730-
1ab6ef6d6c19&ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US

26. As I understand that Project Server is not certified when
integrate with Oracle. What can resolve this?
Project Server only runs on Microsoft SQL but can integrate with Oracle
system with 3rd party integration tools.

27. What opportunities are there to pull information in from
other enterprise toolsets such as existing ERP systems
etc.?
Depending on the ERP solution a third party connector may already
exist, alternatively there is the Project Server Interface (PSI), the API to
use for developing applications that integrate with Project Server 2013
on-premise…
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/office/ms488627(v=office.15).aspx

28. When is work management scheduled for release?
Estimate date for Work Management release is March/April - to be
confirmed.
Once confirmed, you will find more information in the Office 365 Public
Roadmap here: http://roadmap.office.com/en-us
Work Management integration with Project Online is scheduled for a
later update.

29. Do you have a lite version of O365 for smaller SME's?
There are various licensing options for both Office 365 and Project
Online…
http://products.office.com/en-us/project/microsoft-project-licensing
https://products.office.com/en-gb/business/compare-office-365-for-
business-plans

30. By putting all this information online, does this not
increase the risk of sensitive data becoming
compromised, especially in light of recent cyber security
issues?
Despite the breaches, confidence in cloud security has grown, since, in many instances it is safer
than some traditional methods of storing and sharing data. We restrict physical data centre access
to authorised personnel and we have implemented multiple layers of physical security, such as
biometric readers, motion sensors, 24-hour secured access, video camera surveillance, and
security breach alarms. We enable encryption of data, both at rest and via the network as it is
transmitted between a data centre and a user. Data isn’t mined for advertising purposes and it is
backed up regularly.
You can find more information on the Office 365 Trust Center: https://products.office.com/en-
gb/business/office-365-trust-center-cloud-computing-
security?legRedir=true&CorrelationId=895dad9c-2595-4437-8739-b0c9afcd91bd

31. How much time should a PM allocate to setting up and
bespoking a project?
This would depend upon the complexity of the project and
organisations PM processes…

32. Is there a way to forward this webinar presentation to
some of my colleagues?
Yes, the webinar has been recorded and is now available on YouTube
on the APM channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDcgEK8PPGY

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The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the
part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.
Contact Details
Baz Khinda BA(Hons), MBS, PRINCE2 Practitioner, MCTS,
Microsoft P-Seller (P-SSP)
E: baz.khinda@wellingtone.co.uk
M: 07507 659619
W: http://www.wellingtone.co.uk
Guillaume Garcin
Product Marketing Manager Project & Visio (UK)
E: guilga@microsoft.com
M: 07581267241
W: http://products.office.com/en-gb/project
Interested in Learning More?
http://www.wellingtone.co.uk/apm-trial