What would you like to see in P14?

[ssanderlin]

I'm hearing totally unsubstantiated rumors that Microsoft is looking to have P14 out within the next year or so...

I'd love to see:

• Permanent control over Permission Levels in PWA and PWSes
• Ability to alter Email Notification Text from Server Settings
• Ability to enable/disable certain kinds of notifications from Server Settings
• Less complicated FBA... or at least one that doesn't require the users.xml process for new users
• Improved controls in the Custom Fields configuration pages
• Native Ability to backup/restore the PS Configuration into a nice XML file
• Less BUGS!!!

Thoughts?

[troys]

There should be a better mechanism where Resources can have multiple std rates rather than the Cost Rate Table mechanism. With businesses that are consulting, every project would/could have a different std rate (ie the billable rate) for the Resource as that Resource works on many different projects for external clients. In this business environment you want to be able report the project against the client's agreed upon budget.

[ssanderlin]

Originally Posted by troys

There should be a better mechanism where Resources can have multiple std rates rather than the Cost Rate Table mechanism. With businesses that are consulting, every project would/could have a different std rate (ie the billable rate) for the Resource as that Resource works on many different projects for external clients. In this business environment you want to be able report the project against the client's agreed upon budget.

I've considered this in the past... and while I think this would be a "good thing", the problem is that this goes against the intended purpose of "enterprise resources".

Perhaps if there were an option, like there is with Task Tracking, whereby a project could maintain seperate rates or the administrator could choose to enforce enterprise rates across all projects would solve this... What do you think?

[arangas]

I'd like to see:

• content type for issues, risks, etc. defined at the site collection level (i.e. changing a list doesn't have to be done in EVERY workspace)
• reporting database allows reporting on any fields added/updated/removed from any workspace list
• lookup table that references a list of resource names

Out of your list the most important for me are workspace permissions, FBA, and backup/restore of config to XML.

Alex Angas
Alex Angas

[ssanderlin]

Originally Posted by arangas

I'd like to see:

• content type for issues, risks, etc. defined at the site collection level (i.e. changing a list doesn't have to be done in EVERY workspace)
• reporting database allows reporting on any fields added/updated/removed from any workspace list
• lookup table that references a list of resource names

Out of your list the most important for me are workspace permissions, FBA, and backup/restore of config to XML.

Alex Angas
Alex Angas

Good list.

#1 is interesting, more SP than PS... Along the same lines, I'd really like to see the capability of multisite template updates in the next version.
#2... this would be a tall order, but could be done... an interesting "bonus" would be the ability to add these custom fields into the cubes.
#3 is a good idea, but not one that I see Microsoft building in... However, you could accomplish the same thing using a timer job or event handler!

[jimaksel]

A real cost accounting fiscal year based calendar

More flexible deadlines and constraints. Example: Many times we are given due dates such as "The final speficiation is due 30 calendar days after receipt of customer comments on the draft specification." I want that deadline date to be flexible in the Deadline Date field and tied to a separate task. For now, I have to hand calcuate it and change it when necessary.

The "created" field is helpful. A new field "LastChanged" providing the date someone last changed something about a task.

[ssanderlin]

Originally Posted by jimaksel

A real cost accounting fiscal year based calendar

More flexible deadlines and constraints. Example: Many times we are given due dates such as "The final speficiation is due 30 calendar days after receipt of customer comments on the draft specification." I want that deadline date to be flexible in the Deadline Date field and tied to a separate task. For now, I have to hand calcuate it and change it when necessary.

The "created" field is helpful. A new field "LastChanged" providing the date someone last changed something about a task.

More robust (*cough*) task update auditing would be great, but consider the volume of data we would be talking about... On a plan under development, we could be talking about thousands of changes in the course of a month. Is the ability to restrict updates to PWA not enough for you?

As for the constraints, have you tried creating a 0-day (milestone) task that's a predecessor to the hypothetical "specifications" task? You could make that milestone a successor to the "customer comments" task. I rarely use constraints or deadlines on "real" tasks anymore -- pretty much only milestones.

[subbucse]

Originally Posted by ssanderlin

I've considered this in the past... and while I think this would be a "good thing", the problem is that this goes against the intended purpose of "enterprise resources".

Perhaps if there were an option, like there is with Task Tracking, whereby a project could maintain seperate rates or the administrator could choose to enforce enterprise rates across all projects would solve this... What do you think?

I totally agree. I'm with Aurigo Software (Construction Project Management & Estimation Software, Real Estate ERP Solution, Microsoft Dynamics AX, Rate Analysis & Contract Management Software Online - Aurigo) involved in constructing a MS Project integrated solution for the Construction Industry. Across different Projects, we require that resources (say a Foreman) should have flexible rates. This leads us to think only of (local) Project Resources instead of using Enterprise Resources.

But the next requirement is that we should be able to make Time-Phased Actual Work entries to the assignments those resources are involved in. Currently Status Update feature does not support Project Resources. We have rely on Project Professional to do this, which is not acceptable to our proposed solution.

Cost rate flexibility of Enterprise Resources would be deeply appreciated!

[subbucse]

As of now, Cost resources are useless when it comes to recording Time-Phased Actual Work (Cost) done, because Status Update does not support them at all. Once again, we need to depend on Project Professional.

This I feel would be a great improvement.

[ssanderlin]

Originally Posted by subbucse

As of now, Cost resources are useless when it comes to recording Time-Phased Actual Work (Cost) done, because Status Update does not support them at all. Once again, we need to depend on Project Professional.

This I feel would be a great improvement.

I agree that this would be an excellent enhancement!