Thông tư Quản lí chapter19

Chapter 19 - Exchanging Project Information with Team Members and Others Introduction Workgroup Setup for E-mail, an Intranet, or the World Wide Web Setup Requirements for a Workgroup That Uses E-mail For Workgroup Members and the Workgroup Manager For the Workgroup Manager Only For Workgroup Members Without Microsoft Project Only Setup Requirements for a Workgroup That Uses Web-Based Messaging What All Workgroup Members Need What Only the Workgroup Manager Needs Install a Web Server Select E-mail, an Intranet, or the World Wide Web Refining the Workgroup Setup Make an E-mail System Receptive to Workgroup Messages Add a Resource's Workgroup Identifier to Your Project Change the Workgroup Messaging System for a Workgroup Member Customize Workgroup Messages Set Notification Options for Receiving a New Workgroup Message on the Web Remove a Resource from a Web-Based Workgroup By Any Route: Track Workgroup Assignments Workgroup Message Viewing in the E-mail Inbox, WebInbox, or TeamInbox Open the E-mail Inbox Open the WebInbox - for the Workgroup Manager Open the TeamInbox - for Workgroup Members Send a TeamAssign Message Send a TeamUpdate Message Send a TeamStatus Message Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page of 21 Reply to a TeamAssign Message Reply to a TeamUpdate Message Reply to a TeamStatus Message View and Act on New Workgroup Messages as the Workgroup Manager Send Updated Status to the Workgroup Manager at Any Time Send Updated Status by Using Microsoft Outlook Send Updated Status for Your TeamInbox Tasks to the Workgroup Manager By Web or Intranet Only: Managing Tasks in the WebInbox and the TeamInbox Changing Passwords in the WebInbox or TeamInbox Change the WebInbox Password - for the Workgroup Manager Change the TeamInbox Password - for Workgroup Members Log Off the TeamInbox Without Exiting the Browser-for Workgroup Members Task Management in the TeamInbox-for Workgroup Members Update Tasks in the Task List of Your TeamInbox Change the Report Period, Display Overtime Work, and Modify Other Options of Your Task List in the TeamInbox Delete Tasks in the Task List of Your TeamInbox By E-mail Only: Send and Route Project Files Send a Project File Route a Project File View and Forward a Routed Project File Working with Hyperlinks Create a Hyperlink Add Additional Hyperlinks to a Task, Resource, or Assignment Go to a File Using a Hyperlink Copy, Paste, or Move a Hyperlink Change the Destination of a Hyperlink Delete a Hyperlink Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page of 21 Introduction When the success of your project depends on your team members working together, it may be vital that they are able to communicate with one another quickly Teams can waste valuable time when communications systems are slow or restrictive, such as when mailing information to people in different countries Recognizing this, more and more businesses are connecting their team members through electronic communications systems Connecting a project team with an effective means of communicating is essential to meeting project goals When Microsoft Project interlinks team members in tightly knit workgroups, it makes it easier for team members to exchange information about their project To use Microsoft Project to exchange information, these workgroups must first be connected through some means of electronic communications Once connected electronically and interlinked, the workgroup can use special Microsoft Project assignment, update, and status messages to: • Assign tasks • Accept or decline a task assignment • Request and submit status reports • Send and receive task updates To receive and send workgroup messages, team members use electronic inboxes These inboxes must be connected through e-mail, the World Wide Web, or an internal network (an intranet or internal web) They can also be connected through all three at the same time The World Wide Web is a system for exploring web sites, including home pages and other documents, that reside on the Internet The Internet links millions of individual computers — as well as thousands of computer networks — in a global network that carries all kinds of information The World Wide Web is the most visible and popular component of the Internet In general, anyone with a computer linked to the Internet can view any web site on the World Wide Web An intranet, on the other hand, is confined to people within an organization It is an internal network with web sites accessible only to members of that organization In addition to exchanging workgroup messages, you can also provide access to other documents from your project file, such as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, Microsoft Word documents, and Microsoft Access databases When you click a hyperlink in your project file, you can launch a network document that contains valuable information for the entire team A hyperlink is a portion of text, distinguished by a color, that contains a link to another file, or a location within a file, that usually resides on an intranet or the World Wide Web When you click the hyperlink, a web browser will search for and display the document associated with the hyperlink Workgroup Setup for E-mail, an Intranet, or the World Wide Web Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page of 21 The workgroup communications systems from which you can choose have several requirements in common To set up basic workgroup communications, at minimum you must the following: • Select a communications system for the workgroup (e-mail, an intranet, or the World Wide Web) • Set up each workgroup member with the system you select • Create a resource list for your project • Add each resource’s workgroup identifier, such as an e-mail address or name, to your project The following section describes the basic setup requirements for each of these items, except how to create a resource list For information about creating a resource list for your project plan, see Chapter 7, "Assembling Your Resources and Specifying Working Times." Setup Requirements for a Workgroup That Uses E-mail While the requirements vary, to communicate on an e-mail system everyone in the workgroup needs to satisfy basic prerequisites For Workgroup Members and the Workgroup Manager For the Workgroup Manager Only For Workgroup Members Without Microsoft Project Only For Workgroup Members and the Workgroup Manager All workgroup members must meet two requirements They all must be connected to a network, and they all must use a MAPI-compliant, 32-bit e-mail system A Network All of the workgroup members’ computers must be connected to a network that’s capable of conveying e-mail messages The typical choice for this function is a local area network, or LAN A MAPI-Compliant, 32-bit E-mail System A number of e-mail systems comply with the Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) MAPI is the standard programming interface proposed and supported by Microsoft for accessing electronic messaging Some popular MAPI-compliant e-mail products are Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Exchange, and Microsoft Mail For the Workgroup Manager Only Microsoft Project must be installed on the workgroup manager’s computer For Workgroup Members Without Microsoft Project Only If workgroup members don’t have Microsoft Project on their computers, they’ll need to run WGsetup.exe, which is on the CD included with Microsoft Project The workgroup members will be able to receive and send workgroup messages on the e-mail system once they’ve installed this program Setup Requirements for a Workgroup That Uses Web-Based Messaging Choosing an intranet or the World Wide Web for exchanging project information enables you to communicate without installing the kind of network hardware and software that you would need to install for an e-mail system You and your team can get started fairly quickly because the network is already there Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page of 21 What All Workgroup Members Need What Only the Workgroup Manager Needs Install a Web Server What All Workgroup Members Need Workgroup members will need a web browser, a web server, network access and a network identifier, and an Internet connection and address The workgroup manager also needs each of these items, except for the web browser Web Browser To display workgroup messages on a web site, team members need a web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer Web Server A web server is a computer that connects a workgroup to an intranet or the World Wide Web It acts as a facilitator for delivering workgroup messages among the workgroup members If you know that your organization has a dedicated web server, you can contact your organization’s web server administrator, or webmaster, and have that person set up a share volume for your workgroup (Your webmaster may or may not be your system administrator.) You’ll also need to get the web server’s network address (URL) and network path (UNC) from the webmaster Or, by installing Microsoft Personal Web Server (on a computer using Windows 95), you can set up a web server on your own computer or on any computer that has access to your organization’s intranet Network Access and a Network Identifier (an Intranet Requirement Only) Every computer in the network needs to have a unique network identification so that the workgroup feature can identify the participating computers on the network and communicate with them If you’re unsure about whether you’re on a network or what your network identification is, contact your system administrator Internet Connection and Address (a World Wide Web Requirement Only) To operate as a workgroup on the World Wide Web, you and your workgroup members must be connected to the Internet Your organization may have a direct server connection to the Internet, or it may access the Internet through an Internet service provider (ISP) If you’re unsure whether you or your workgroup members have an Internet connection, contact your system administrator What Only the Workgroup Manager Needs Microsoft Project must be installed on the workgroup manager’s computer Though not necessary, it may also be installed on the computers of the other workgroup members The workgroup manager also needs access to the web server Install a Web Server To make it easier to set up a workgroup that uses your organization’s intranet or the World Wide Web, Microsoft Project comes with Microsoft Personal Web Server for Windows 95 (which is included on the Microsoft Project for Windows CD only, not on disk) Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page of 21 The web server can reside on any computer For convenience, you might want to install it on your computer Remember, though, the computer that has the web server will need to be running any time a workgroup member needs to use the TeamInbox That computer also needs to be connected to the Internet if workgroup members use the Internet to access the web server There is no need to install a web server if one of your workgroup computers is running Windows NT Server 4.0 or later By default, Windows NT Server 4.0 has an activated web server, the Internet Information Server (IIS) The URL for the web server incorporates the network identification of the computer on which the web server resides For instance, if the computer has its network identification set to be WorkgroupManager, then the URL for the web server on that computer would be as follows: http://workgroupmanager/ If the web server is running Windows 95, you can install Microsoft Personal Web Server To install a web server Install Microsoft Personal Web Server from the Microsoft Project CD When you have finished installing the web server, click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel Double-click Personal Web Server Click the Administration tab, and then click Administration Your web browser opens to a settings file that has been newly installed to your computer Scroll down if necessary, and then click WWW Administration Click the Directories tab For the directory C:\WebShare\wwwroot, click Edit in the Action column Scroll down if necessary, and then select the Execute check box in the Access section To share out the web server folder for others to access In Windows Explorer (not the Internet Explorer), click the Webshare folder On the File menu, click Properties, and then click the Sharing tab Click Shared As, and then click Add In the Name list, hold down ctrl, and then click the name of each workgroup member who will be receiving workgroup messages Click Full Access, and then click OK Click Web Sharing, and then select the Share folder for HTTP, Read Only, and Execute Scripts check boxes Select E-mail, an Intranet, or the World Wide Web Microsoft Project supplies three types of workgroup messages you can send to your team members, but it doesn’t furnish the communications system over which those messages can be sent As the workgroup manager, you need to choose e-mail, an intranet, or the World Wide Web to deliver TeamAssign, TeamUpdate, and TeamStatus workgroup messages Once you decide, all team members must set up their computers to use the agreed-upon workgroup communications system All three systems can be available at the same time Before setting up the computers, though, you need to have access to a web server (for web-based communications) or access to a MAPI-compliant, 32-bit e-mail system (for e-mail–based communications) If you’re using a web server for workgroup communications, workgroup members need to be notified of the uniform resource locator (URL) address that points to the web server so they can find the TeamInbox using their web browser URL is the standard for naming and locating a web site on the Internet It can be supplied by the individual responsible for the web server To select e-mail or a web as the method for workgroup communications On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Workgroup tab In the Default workgroup messaging for resources box, click the workgroup message option you want to use for most of your resources (you can change the message option for individual resources) o To send workgroup messages through a MAPI-compliant, 32-bit e-mail system, click Email o To send workgroup messages through a web server (making use of an intranet or the World Wide Web), click Web o To send workgroup messages through both a MAPI-compliant, 32-bit e-mail system and a web server (making use of an intranet or the World Wide Web), click Email and Web Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page of 21 To prevent workgroup messages from being sent to resources, click None (Select this option only if most of your resources don’t have access to an e-mail system, an intranet, or the World Wide Web.) If you chose a web server, enter the Internet address (URL) for the web server that is servicing the workgroup in the Web Server URL (for resource) box For example, the URL might point to a web server set up on the workgroup manager’s computer If the network identification for that computer has its name set to be WorkgroupManager and the web server files are in a "project" folder, then the URL for that computer would be as follows: http://workgroupmanager/project/ If you chose a web server, enter the path to where the web server software resides on the web server computer in the Web Server root (for manager) box The Microsoft Project workgroup feature will set up directories and files to manage the activity of the workgroup on this path For example, if you install Microsoft Personal Web Server on your computer, and you want the folder for Microsoft Project information to be Project, the path statement could be as follows: \\workgroupmanager\webshare\wwwroot\project To apply your workgroup selections to all new projects, click Set as Default Click the General tab In the User name box, type the name by which you want to be identified in the workgroup messages you send If you selected Web or Email and Web on the Workgroup tab, Microsoft Project will notify you after you close the Options dialog box that it needs to copy files to the web server to set up the workgroup To allow it to so, click Yes o Refining the Workgroup Setup After you select and set up a workgroup messaging system, you can tailor it to the needs of your workgroup members For example, you can: • Enable workgroup members without Microsoft Project to send and receive workgroup messages, if they use a MAPI-compliant, 32-bit e-mail system • Assign each workgroup member a unique workgroup identifier to make sure that each workgroup member receives only his or her workgroup messages • Change the workgroup messaging system for a particular workgroup member • Specify how workgroup members and the workgroup manager will be alerted when they receive a workgroup message on the web • Remove a resource from a web-based workgroup The following sections discuss each of these items in detail Make an E-mail System Receptive to Workgroup Messages Add a Resource’s Workgroup Identifier to Your Project Change the Workgroup Messaging System for a Workgroup Member Customize Workgroup Messages Set Notification Options for Receiving a New Workgroup Message on the Web Remove a Resource from a Web-Based Workgroup Make an E-mail System Receptive to Workgroup Messages If some project workgroup members don’t have Microsoft Project on their computers, that’s OK If everyone has a MAPI-compliant, 32-bit e-mail system, they can still send and receive workgroup messages Running WGsetup.exe on their computers will let those workgroup members without Microsoft Project benefit from its messaging capabilities To make an e-mail system receptive to workgroup messages The workgroup manager copies WGsetup.exe from the Microsoft Project for Windows CD onto two disks On disk 2, copy Prj98-2.cab On disk 1, copy all the other files Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page of 21 The workgroup manager gives the two disks with WGsetup.exe to a workgroup member who doesn’t have Microsoft Project Insert the first disk into the disk drive of the workgroup member’s computer Click the Start button, and then click Run In the Open box, type: a:\WGsetup.exe Click OK, and then follow the instructions Alternatively, the workgroup manager can copy WGsetup.exe from the Microsoft Project for Windows CD to a network directory or folder that workgroup members can access The workgroup members can then install WGsetup.exe from the network Add a Resource’s Workgroup Identifier to Your Project To ensure that each workgroup message is received by the correct team member, you need to assign each team member a unique workgroup identifier Workgroup identifiers distinguish one workgroup member from another By default, Microsoft Project uses a resource’s e-mail name as the workgroup identifier If an e-mail name isn’t available, Microsoft Project uses the names on your resource list (for example, on the Resource Sheet view) as the workgroup identifiers to direct messages to the appropriate TeamInboxes To enable Microsoft Project to direct a workgroup message to the correct resource, make sure you give each resource a unique name You can add each resource’s e-mail address to the project This procedure is necessary only if the resource’s email address is not exactly the same as the resource’s name in Microsoft Project For instance, if a resource’s name and e-mail address are both Chris, then you don’t need to perform this procedure However, if the e-mail address is ChrisLu instead of just Chris, then you need to add that resource’s e-mail address To add a resource’s e-mail address to your project On the View Bar, click Resource Sheet On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Entry In the Resource Name field, select a resource whose e-mail address you want to add Click Resource Information , and then click the General tab In the Email box, type the e-mail address for that resource, and then click OK If the resource is located outside your organization, be sure to include the entire address For example, if the resource’s e-mail name is Chris and that resource can be reached through an Internet service provider called Provider (whose web server is registered as provider.com), the following address would be correct: Chris@provider.com Repeat steps through for all the other resources Change the Workgroup Messaging System for a Workgroup Member When you select an electronic communications system to use with Microsoft Project, you’ve selected a workgroup messaging system That system becomes the default for all workgroup members But if you have a resource who can’t receive workgroup messages by the default method, you can change that resource’s method of receiving workgroup messages To change the workgroup messaging system for a workgroup member In a resource sheet view, select the resource whose messaging method you want to change Click Resource Information , and then click the General tab In the Workgroup box, click the method of workgroup messaging most appropriate for the resource If you want to follow the settings on the Workgroup tab of the Options dialog box, click Default Customize Workgroup Messages Workgroup messages convey the task and assignment information that the project manager needs to monitor project progress and keep the project on track The information needs may vary from project to project For example, the Task Name, Work, Start, and Finish fields appear in the TeamAssign and TeamStatus workgroup messages by default But what if it’s important in your project to know what portion of each task has been completed by a specific date? Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page of 21 You can customize workgroup messages to meet your needs For example, you can include the % Complete field and other fields, remove fields you don’t need, change the report period, and track overtime work To customize workgroup messages On the Tools menu, point to Customize, and then click Workgroup To add a field, click Add In the Field box, click the field you want, and then click OK To change the name of the field you select in the Field box, type its new name in the Title box, and then click OK To remove a field, click the field you want to remove, and then click Remove To change the time interval in which workgroup members report completed work, click the interval you want in the Ask for completed work box o To report the number of hours per day that a workgroup member has worked on a task, click broken down by day o To report the number of hours per week that a workgroup member has worked on a task, click broken down by week o To report the total number of hours a workgroup member has worked on a task during the entire reporting period, click as a total for the entire period To track overtime work, select the Track overtime work check box To return workgroup messages to their default settings, click Return to Default Settings Set Notification Options for Receiving a New Workgroup Message on the Web Unlike e-mail systems that automatically provide audio or visual notification when a message arrives, a webbased system can’t signal incoming messages But if the workgroup member is using the World Wide Web (which includes an e-mail account for each resource who’s connected to it) or e-mail and an intranet as your messaging system, you can choose to have Microsoft Project send notification messages to team members’ e- mail inboxes whenever the TeamInbox receives workgroup messages In effect, the e-mail inbox becomes the mouthpiece of the voiceless TeamInbox Each notification message includes a hyperlink back to the member’s TeamInbox If the workgroup members don’t use an e-mail system, then they must check their TeamInboxes regularly for workgroup messages As the workgroup manager, you can choose to be notified whenever you receive a message in your WebInbox To use this option, you must use a web-based messaging system A dialog box is displayed in Microsoft Project when a workgroup message is received To set notification options for receiving a new workgroup message On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Workgroup tab Click the notification option that best suits your needs: o If you’d like Microsoft Project to notify you when workgroup members have replied to a web workgroup message you sent, select the Notify when new web messages arrive check box If you’re in Microsoft Project when a reply arrives, a tone will sound and a dialog box will appear asking if you want to open the WebInbox If you’re not in Microsoft Project when a reply arrives but Microsoft Project is running, a tone will sound and the Microsoft Project task box will blink on the Windows taskbar o If workgroup members are using the TeamInbox and a MAPI-compliant, 32-bit e-mail system, select the Send hyperlink in E-mail note check box to send an e-mail notification with a hyperlink embedded in it when a web workgroup message is sent When workgroup members open the notification and click the hyperlink, it opens their web browser so they can log on and respond to the workgroup message To have your workgroup selections apply to all new projects, click Set as Default Remove a Resource from a Web-Based Workgroup Occasionally a resource moves away, takes a job somewhere else, or for one reason or another is removed from a project After you’ve removed the resource from your project file, you should also remove that resource from your workgroup in the WebInbox to clear the resource’s files from the web server When you remove a resource, the tasks that the resource was working on remain in the schedule, but the resource’s assignments are removed from the web-based tracking files that reside on the web server To remove a resource from a workgroup In a task view, open the file that was tracking the resource’s contribution Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page of 21 On the Tools menu, point to Workgroup, and then click WebInbox If necessary, enter your password Click Remove Resource Select the resource that you would like to remove from your workgroup, and then click Remove Click Yes By Any Route: Track Workgroup Assignments Whether you use an e-mail system, an intranet, or the World Wide Web to communicate with team members, you’ll want to exchange core information about your project For example, you’ll want to send task assignments and receive confirmations and updates With Microsoft Project, you can exchange a core set of project information with your workgroup as long as you use an e-mail system or a web-based system (If you want to route messages, you can so with an e- mailsystem only.) If you’re the workgroup manager and you’re using an e-mail system only, you can receive responses to your TeamAssign, TeamUpdate, and TeamStatus messages only in the inbox of your e-mail program If you’re using a web-based system only, you can receive responses to your workgroup messages in your WebInbox only Workgroup Message Viewing in the E-mail Inbox, WebInbox, or TeamInbox The e-mail inbox, WebInbox, and TeamInbox coordinate workgroup messages between the workgroup manager and workgroup members If you use an e-mail–based messaging system, the workgroup manager sends workgroup messages from Microsoft Project Workgroup members receive these messages in their e-mail inboxes and send their replies to the workgroup manager’s e-mail inbox In a web-based messaging system, the workgroup manager uses the WebInbox to receive workgroup messages, and workgroup members use the TeamInbox to send and receive messages The general process is as follows: • The workgroup manager assigns tasks to workgroup members using TeamAssign messages in Microsoft Project • Using a web browser, a workgroup member logs on to the TeamInbox, receives his or her TeamAssign messages, and accepts or declines the task assignments A workgroup member can view only the tasks that are assigned to him or her If the workgroup manager has assigned tasks for multiple projects to a workgroup member, the TeamInbox organizes the tasks according to each project’s file name • The workgroup manager uses a password to log on to the WebInbox in Microsoft Project to receive workgroup members’ responses From these responses, the workgroup manager can update the project schedule Because web-based communications systems can’t signal incoming messages, workgroup members need to check their TeamInboxes regularly for new messages If you’re using both an e-mail–based and a web-based system, however, Microsoft Project can send notification messages to a member’s e-mail inbox whenever the TeamInbox receives workgroup messages Open the E-mail Inbox Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page 10 of 21 If you use an e-mail system to send and receive workgroup messages, you’ll need to open your e-mail inbox before you can view and act on the workgroup messages you receive For the most popular e-mail programs, the general process is as follows: • Start the e-mail program • Click or double-click the inbox icon • Double-click the message you want to view Open the WebInbox - for the Workgroup Manager If you’re the workgroup manager, you’ll receive project-related messages in the WebInbox from within Microsoft Project To open your WebInbox On the Tools menu, point to Workgroup, and then click WebInbox If you’ve set up a password for the WebInbox, you’ll be prompted for the password Enter your password Open the TeamInbox - for Workgroup Members If you’re a workgroup member and you use an intranet or the World Wide Web to communicate with other workgroup members, you’ll send and receive project-related messages in your TeamInbox To view and send project-related messages, you’ll first need to open the TeamInbox To open the TeamInbox Start your web browser In the Address box, enter the URL of the web server that is servicing your workgroup, the file name of the workgroup program (mspjhttp.exe), and a question mark For example, if the web server name is workgroupmanager, then the URL for the web server (plus the workgroup program file name) is: http://workgroupmanager/project/mspjhttp.exe? Your workgroup manager can tell you the name of the URL In the User Name box, click your name If the workgroup manager has not yet assigned you to any tasks, you will not be able to log on to the TeamInbox and your name will not be listed In the Password box, enter your password If you haven’t logged on to the TeamInbox before, leave the Password box empty If you try to enter a password, you’ll get an error message Click Go Now you’re ready to read your workgroup messages Send a TeamAssign Message When you want to assign tasks to a workgroup member, you can notify that person by sending a TeamAssign message The person receiving a TeamAssign request can either accept or decline the task assignments To send a TeamAssign task request Select the tasks to which you want to assign a resource On the Tools menu, point to Workgroup, and then click TeamAssign To send a request about the selected task only, click Selected task, and then click OK To send a request about all the tasks in your project, click All tasks, and then click OK In the Subject box, type the subject of the request You may use the default subject, which is TeamAssign In the message area, type your message If a resource hasn’t already been assigned to the task: o o Select the To field for a task, and then click Assign Resources In the Name field, select the resources you want, and then click Assign Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page 11 of 21 As an alternative, type the e-mail name of the resource you want to assign to the task in the To field, and then press ENTER Resources already assigned to the task that have not confirmed their assignment are listed automatically in the To field If a resource is new, it is added to the resource pool when you send the message Repeat step for each task to which you’re assigning a resource for the first time Click Send In the Indicators field of those tasks for which you’ve requested a resource, an envelope icon with a question mark appears, signifying that you’ve sent an assignment request but haven’t yet received a response from the resource Send a TeamUpdate Message As your project progresses, task start and finish dates may slip, resource assignments may change, and so on To inform team members of these changes, send them TeamUpdate messages When team members are informed of schedule changes, they can alert you about how those changes affect them, thus helping you avoid potential schedule problems You can send a TeamUpdate message only to a resource assigned to a task If you remove a resource from a task, you won’t be able to send that resource a TeamUpdate message To send a TeamUpdate message On the Tools menu, point to Workgroup, and then click TeamUpdate In the Subject box, type the subject of the update In the message area, type your message Click Send Send a TeamStatus Message Monitoring project progress can be tedious, as you continually type up-to-date task information into a schedule A more efficient way for a workgroup manager to incorporate changes into a project schedule is to exchange TeamStatus messages with workgroup members As a workgroup manager, you can send a TeamStatus message to a workgroup member and request information about the progress of a task To send a TeamStatus message Select the task for which you want status information To get status information on several tasks, select each of the tasks On the Tools menu, point to Workgroup, and then click TeamStatus To send a request about the selected task only, click Selected task, and then click OK To send a request about all the tasks in your project, click All tasks, and then click OK In the Subject box, type the subject of the status request In the message area, type your message Click Send An indicator appears notifying you that you’ve sent a status request but have yet to receive a response Reply to a TeamAssign Message If you’re a workgroup member, and you receive a TeamAssign message that requests your acceptance of an assignment, you can check your schedule to determine your availability, and then accept or decline the assignment If you use the TeamInbox or Microsoft Outlook, the tasks you accept are automatically added to your task list in that program To reply to a TeamAssign message In your e-mail program or TeamInbox, open the TeamAssign message o To open a TeamAssign message in your TeamInbox, click the envelope icon o To open a TeamAssign message in your e-mail program, click Reply In the message area, type a reply Accept or decline the request: Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page 12 of 21 To accept the request, type Yes in the Accept? field (e-mail) or select the Accept? check box (TeamInbox) o To decline the request, type No in the Accept? field (e-mail) or clear the Accept? check box (TeamInbox) Click Send o Reply to a TeamUpdate Message After you receive a TeamUpdate message from your workgroup manager informing you of proposed schedule changes, you can type comments about those changes and send them back to the workgroup manager To reply to a TeamUpdate message In your e-mail program or your TeamInbox, open the TeamUpdate message o To open a TeamUpdate message in your TeamInbox, click the envelope icon o To open a TeamUpdate message in your e-mail program, click Reply Review the changed schedule dates, and then one of the following: o Reply to the message In your TeamInbox, type your reply in the Message box, and then click Send In your e-mail program, type your reply in the Message box, and then click Send o In your TeamInbox or Microsoft Outlook, change your record of the tasks to reflect the update, and then click Update Task List o Close the message without replying In your TeamInbox, click Inbox In your e-mail program, click Close Reply to a TeamStatus Message After you receive a TeamStatus message from your workgroup manager, you need to supply the requested data, such as the actual work and remaining work on a task, and then send the new information back to the workgroup manager To reply to a TeamStatus message In your e-mail program or your TeamInbox, open the TeamStatus message o To open a TeamStatus message in your TeamInbox, click the envelope icon o To open a TeamStatus message in your e-mail program, click Reply In the appropriate fields, enter information about the task’s actual status for each period For example, type the actual start date in the Start field and the remaining work in the Remaining Work field In the Message box, type your message Click Send View and Act on New Workgroup Messages as the Workgroup Manager As the workgroup manager, you’ll receive responses to your TeamAssign, TeamUpdate, and TeamStatus messages either in your WebInbox or in your e-mail program You need to act on responses to your TeamAssign and TeamStatus messages only The TeamUpdate messages you send to workgroup members are informational only They tell workgroup members about changes in the schedule, such as tasks that have slipped their dates A response to a TeamUpdate message, therefore, typically describes how the schedule change affects the resource’s work schedule It doesn’t usually convey numerical task information that you can incorporate into the schedule The following procedures apply only to responses to TeamAssign and TeamStatus messages To view and act on new workgroup messages if you use a web-based system On the Tools menu, point to Workgroup, and then click WebInbox Enter your password if you have one, and then click OK The WebInbox displays any messages that haven’t been deleted Select the message you want to view, and then click View To accept the workgroup member’s reply and incorporate it into your project file, click Update Project Microsoft Project updates the project file, returns you to the WebInbox, and marks the workgroup member’s reply message as updated Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page 13 of 21 To update all messages at once, click Update All To return to the WebInbox without acting on the message, click Cancel To view and act on new workgroup messages if you use an e-mail system In your e-mail inbox, double-click the reply message to view it To reply to the workgroup message, click Reply, type your response, and then click Send To update your project file, click Update Project To return to the inbox without acting on the message, click Cancel Send Updated Status to the Workgroup Manager at Any Time A workgroup member can send an updated status message at any time For example, the workgroup manager may ask workgroup members to send updated task status information at the end of every week, but might not send a TeamStatus message to prompt the workgroup members to so Workgroup members can send updated status at any time by using Microsoft Outlook or the TeamInbox In both cases, the workgroup member must first receive a TeamAssign message from the workgroup manager Microsoft Outlook can incorporate tasks from a TeamAssign message into its task list The task information can be updated in Microsoft Outlook and then sent to the workgroup manager Send Updated Status by Using Microsoft Outlook Send Updated Status for Your TeamInbox Tasks to the Workgroup Manager Send Updated Status by Using Microsoft Outlook You can use Microsoft Outlook to accept TeamAssign messages, maintain a task list, and send updated task information to the workgroup manager To send an updated status about your Microsoft Outlook tasks to your workgroup manager Open Microsoft Outlook On the Outlook bar, click Tasks On the Tasks menu, click New TeamStatus Report Select each project that contains tasks for which you want to send an updated status To specify the time period covered by your status report, enter dates in the From and To fields In the Report actual work box, click the timescale by which the new TeamStatus report will display tasks To display overtime work in the new TeamStatus report, click Track overtime work Click OK A message is created for each project you selected in step On the Outlook bar, click Inbox, click New TeamStatus Report, and then click Reply 10 Click Send Send Updated Status for Your TeamInbox Tasks to the Workgroup Manager When you accept a task assignment from the workgroup manager, that task is added to your Task List As you make progress on your tasks, you can update them in your Task List, and then send your updates to the workgroup manager immediately To send updated status for your TeamInbox tasks to your workgroup manager Open your TeamInbox Click Task List Select each project that contains tasks for which you want to send updated status For each task you want to update, change the fields that require updating Click Send By Web or Intranet Only: Managing Tasks in the WebInbox and the TeamInbox Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page 14 of 21 The WebInbox is located within Microsoft Project It’s used by the workgroup manager to receive and store responses to the TeamAssign, TeamUpdate, and TeamStatus messages that he or she sends to the team members The WebInbox can receive only those workgroup messages that a team member sends from a TeamInbox Messages sent directly from an e-mail program never appear in a WebInbox When communicating across a web — whether it’s an intranet or the World Wide Web — all workgroup members must have access to a common web server When you set up Microsoft Project to use web communications, Microsoft Project installs the TeamInbox on the web server Using Microsoft Project, you can then send workgroup messages, such as task assignments, to workgroup members These messages are posted in the TeamInbox Workgroup members not use Microsoft Project to access the TeamInbox Rather, they use their web browser to open the TeamInbox This is similar to how they would access any other web site, except that the TeamInbox has a logon password to make the site secure Once workgroup members log on, they will see any workgroup messages that the workgroup manager has sent to them Workgroup members use the TeamInbox to: • Update task status and send the new status to the workgroup manager • Delete tasks that have been cut or completed • Change the TeamInbox password to protect message security Changing Passwords in the WebInbox or TeamInbox To ensure message security, it’s good practice to change your password at regular intervals, at least every month or two You can change the password for the WebInbox and the TeamInbox Change the WebInbox Password - for the Workgroup Manager Change the TeamInbox Password - for Workgroup Members Change the WebInbox Password - for the Workgroup Manager As the workgroup manager, you receive workgroup messages in the WebInbox within Microsoft Project To change the WebInbox password in Microsoft Project Open your WebInbox If you’ve set up a password for your WebInbox, enter the password when prompted Click Password In the Old password box, type your old password If you’ve never entered a password in the WebInbox, the Old password box is unavailable In the New password box and the Confirm new password box, type your new password Change the TeamInbox Password - for Workgroup Members Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page 15 of 21 Workgroup members who communicate across an intranet or the World Wide Web send and receive workgroup messages in the TeamInbox To change the TeamInbox password for a workgroup member Open your TeamInbox Click Change Password In the Old Password box, type your old password If you’ve never entered a password in the TeamInbox, leave this box empty In the New Password box and the Confirm Password box, type your new password Click Go Log Off the TeamInbox Without Exiting the Browser-for Workgroup Members When you finish using the TeamInbox, you can log off and still remain connected to the intranet or the World Wide Web To log off the TeamInbox without exiting the browser • Click Logoff The TeamInbox logs off and is replaced by the logon screen Task Management in the TeamInbox-for Workgroup Members A workgroup member’s task assignments are stored in the Task List in the TeamInbox As the project moves forward, the status of tasks in a workgroup member’s Task List will change Tasks will be either completed, in progress, or not yet started As a workgroup member, you can use the TeamInbox to indicate and report on the status of each task in your Task List You can: • Update tasks • Send updated task status to your workgroup manager • Change the report period of your Task List • Delete tasks, such as tasks you’ve completed or that have been removed from the project • Save changes in the Task List The TeamInbox is your personal communications hub for managing task assignments over a web-based communications system Update Tasks in the Task List of Your TeamInbox After you accept a task assignment and start working on the task, you’ll probably want the status of the task to appear in the schedule, so the workgroup manager can see how much progress you’ve made Incorporating your task status into the schedule is a three-step process First, you change the task status information in your TeamInbox, and then you send this information to your workgroup manager After the workgroup manager receives your task status, he or she then adds this information to the schedule To update a task in your TeamInbox Open your TeamInbox Click Task List If your Task List includes tasks from multiple projects, select the check box for the group of tasks for which you want to send updates In the fields provided for entering the work performed on a task, enter the actual amount of work performed for each period o If you have overtime hours in a period, enter those hours in an overtime field for that task, if an overtime field is displayed o In the Remaining Work field, type the amount of time you think it will take to complete the task To save your task updates without sending them to the workgroup manager, click Save Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page 16 of 21 Change the Report Period, Display Overtime Work, and Modify Other Options of Your Task List in the TeamInbox By default, the Task List shows the days of the week that compose the report period For example, if the report period is from Monday 12/30 to Sunday 1/5, you’ll see a column for each day of the week in that period However, you can change the report period or the time units displayed in the Task List The time units that are available include: • Total for the entire period, which displays a separate field for the total amount of work that has been performed on the task • Day, which is the default setting and displays a separate field for each day in the report period • Week, which displays a separate field for each week in the report period This option is helpful when the tasks continue for several weeks When you change the timescale, all the work values currently saved in the Task List will be erased You can also choose to display overtime work and change the day on which the week starts To change the options of your Task List Open your TeamInbox Click Task List, and then click Options In the Period From and to boxes, enter the new dates for the report period These two dates are included as part of the report period In the Broken down by box, click the timescale by which the Task List will display tasks To change the day on which the week starts, click the day you want in the Week starts on box To display overtime work in the Task List, select the Display Overtime Work check box To save your changes, click Set new period options Delete Tasks in the Task List of Your TeamInbox As you complete task assignments and report their final status to your workgroup manager, you may want to delete these tasks from your TeamInbox To delete a task Click Task List For each task that you want to delete, select the Delete? check box Click Delete By E-mail Only: Send and Route Project Files If you and your workgroup team use an e-mail system to exchange project information, your workgroup has two advantages over those groups who use a web-based system only You and your team can send and receive a whole project file attached to a message, and you can send the same message to one person at a time in a predetermined order by routing it Send a Project File To inform people in your workgroup about the project schedule, you can give each member a printed copy to review, and then call a meeting to get comments or else speak to each member individually An easier and more efficient way to inform workgroup members and get their feedback in one stroke is to send a single e-mail message that contains the entire project file To review the schedule, recipients must have Microsoft Project To send an entire project file Open the project file On the File menu, point to Send To, and then click Mail Recipient In the To box, type the e-mail names of the recipients In the message area, type your message Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page 17 of 21 Click Send Route a Project File When you want a project to be reviewed by team members and others, you can route the project file You can route a project sequentially — so that one person at a time gets it, reviews it, and sends it to the next person — or you can send it to everyone on the routing list simultaneously To route a project file On the File menu, point to Send To, and then click Routing Recipient Click Address, hold down CTRL, click the names of the recipients, click To, and then click OK To change the order of the recipients, click a name, and then click a Move button In the Subject box, type the purpose of the routing message In the Message text box, type instructions or other information Under Route to recipients, click the delivery option you want If you don’t want the file returned to you after the last recipient on the routing list receives the project, clear the Return when done check box If you don’t want to be notified each time the file is routed to the next recipient on the routing list, clear the Track status check box If you aren’t ready to send the file, click Add Slip to save the routing slip with the project file 10 To send the project file to the recipients, click Route View and Forward a Routed Project File After you’ve completed the cycle of receiving a project file attached to an e-mail message, reviewing the schedule, making changes, and adding comments, you can return the project file to the originator of the routed message or forward the message to the next person on the routing list To forward a routed project file In your e-mail program, open the routed message To open the project, double-click the Microsoft Project icon in the e-mail message Review and modify the project, and then click Save On the File menu, point to Send To, and then click Next Routing Recipient To send the project to the next recipient on the routing list, click OK Working with Hyperlinks It’s true that you can enhance your project file by writing notes and creating graphics within Microsoft Project However, from time to time you may want to bring in other kinds of information for your project team to read as they choose For example, you could give people the opportunity to read about a particular part of the project in depth, provide tips that are helpful but not essential, or provide other material that is pertinent but best created in another program or shared by several files Such information is only a click away when you add hyperlinks to your project file When you click the hyperlink text or graphic, you go from your project file to another file The destination can be practically any file, such as another Microsoft Project file, a Microsoft Word document, a Microsoft Excel workbook, a Microsoft Access database, a Microsoft PowerPoint® presentation, or any web site on an intranet or the World Wide Web When you click a hyperlink, the destination file opens on your screen Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page 18 of 21 One common way to use a hyperlink is to include information from a web site For example, you can create a hyperlink right in a project task that goes to a web document recounting the complete history of that task: problems encountered, changes in resource assignments, reasons for delays, and so on Anyone who opens the project file can jump to that task information Create a Hyperlink When you want to include in your project file external information from an intranet or the World Wide Web, the most common and easiest way is to create a single hyperlink in a sheet view After you create the hyperlink, it appears in the Indicators field as an icon that you can click A hyperlink appears with its associated task or resource in all sheet views Before you can create an effective hyperlink, you should know a few things about how to make hyperlinks work: • The essential ingredient of each hyperlink is a path to a destination file, called its URL (uniform resource locator) or, more commonly, its address Be sure to include the full address of the destination file in your project file • Make sure there is a destination file located at the hyperlink address • When creating a hyperlink to a file on a network server, use the following convention when supplying the address: \\\\\\ • When creating a hyperlink to a file on the World Wide Web, use the following convention when supplying the address: http://www./ To create a hyperlink to a task, resource, or assignment in a sheet To view hyperlink addresses, view display the Hyperlink table in a Open the project file in which you want to create the hyperlink sheet view In a sheet view, select a task, resource, or assignment Click Insert Hyperlink In the Link to file or URL box, enter the address of the destination file o If the destination file is located on your computer or on the network, click Browse to locate it o If the destination file is located on a web site you’ve visited recently, click the address in the Link to file or URL box Add Additional Hyperlinks to a Task, Resource, or Assignment Occasionally, you might want to add more than one hyperlink to a task, resource, or assignment For example, there might be both a Microsoft Word document and a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that contain important information about a task If there is more than one file that you want to associate with a task, resource, or assignment, you can add several hyperlinks To add more than one hyperlink to a task, resource, or assignment In a sheet view that contains the task or resource, click the task, resource, or assignment Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page 19 of 21 Click Task Notes, Resource Notes, or Assignment Notes In the Notes box, enter the addresses of the files to which you want to create hyperlinks Add a space between each address or enter each address on a separate line by pressing ENTER after you enter an address o To enter the location of a file (such as on a computer or a network), type: file: For example, file:\\computerX\folder\goodfile o To enter the location of a web site, type: http: For example, http://www.goodfile.com When you add a hyperlink to the Notes tab of the Task Information, Resource Information, or Assignment Information dialog box, appears in the Indicators field of the task or resource for which you added the hyperlink Go to a File Using a Hyperlink The method you use to go to, or follow, a hyperlink differs depending on how you created the hyperlink: with the Hyperlink command on the Insert menu or with the Notes tab in the Task Information, Resource Information, or Assignment Information dialog box To follow a hyperlink created with the Hyperlink command To stop a hyperlink before it is Switch to a sheet view that contains the task, resource, or assignment followed, click Stop Current to which you’ve added the hyperlink Jump on the Web toolbar In the Indicators field, click To follow a hyperlink added to the Notes tab Switch to the sheet view that contains the task or resource to which you’ve added the hyperlink In the Indicators field, double-click In the Notes box, double-click the hyperlink you want to follow Copy, Paste, or Move a Hyperlink A hyperlink to a document that contains useful information about one task or resource may contain information that’s also useful for other tasks or resources Or, a hyperlink that is currently associated with one task or resource might be better applied to another To associate an existing hyperlink with the appropriate tasks and resources, you can copy, paste, or move it To copy, paste, or move a hyperlink Switch to a sheet view On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Hyperlink In the Hyperlink field, select the task, resource, or assignment whose hyperlink you want to copy or move To select the field, click a field next to the hyperlink, and then use the arrow keys to move into the field If the hyperlink contains information in the SubAddress field, you need to also select the Address and SubAddress fields so that all three fields are selected To select multiple fields, click a field next to the Hyperlink field, hold down shift, and then use the arrow keys to select all necessary fields To copy the hyperlink, click Copy To move the hyperlink, click Cut In the Hyperlink field, select the task, resource, or assignment to which you want to add the hyperlink Click Paste Change the Destination of a Hyperlink Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page 20 of 21 As time marches on, web sites change addresses, much as people A hyperlink becomes outdated as soon as the file or web site it points to moves to a new location When a file or web site moves, you must update the associated hyperlink to include the new address To change the destination of a hyperlink In a sheet view, select the task, resource, or assignment that contains the hyperlink Click Insert Hyperlink In the Link to file or URL box, enter the new destination address If you want the hyperlink to jump to a specific location within the destination file, enter the location in the Named location in file (optional) box If you want a hyperlink to a directory to locate the linked file by using a path relative to the location where the project file that contains the hyperlink is saved, select the Use relative path for hyperlink check box If you want a hyperlink to a directory to use the same address regardless of where you save the project file that contains the hyperlink, clear the Use relative path for hyperlink check box Delete a Hyperlink When a hyperlink jumps to a document that’s no longer useful, or you decide for any reason that a hyperlink shouldn’t be associated with a particular task or resource, you can delete the hyperlink The method you use to delete a hyperlink differs depending on how you created the hyperlink: with the Hyperlink command on the Insert menu or with the Notes tab in the Task Information, Resource Information, or Assignment Information dialog box To delete a hyperlink created with the Hyperlink command Switch to a sheet view On the View menu, point to Table, and then click Hyperlink In the Hyperlink field, select the task, resource, or assignment that contains the hyperlink you want to delete To select the field, click a field next to the hyperlink, and then use the arrow keys to move into the field Press DELETE To delete a hyperlink added to the Notes tab In a sheet view, select the task, resource, or assignment containing the hyperlink Click Task Notes, Resource Notes, or Assignment Notes In the Notes box, select the entire text of the hyperlink Press DELETE Microsoft Project 98 – Chapter 19 Page 21 of 21