PWA and Sharepoint Designer

"This web site has been configured to disallow editing with Sharepoint Designer"...

If you have seen this "error", then you, like me, were interested in modifying the homepage of PWA to meet your needs. However, in this version of the tool, it isn't supported to use Sharepoint Designer (or likely Visual Studio for that matter) to customize the PWA site as there is a risk of accidentally changing code. Remember the old FrontPage days, when it thought it was smarter than you? Apparently, those days are not completely gone.

That said, you can customize all other sites on the server (even the root site, or a project workspace) with Sharepoint Designer.

There are supported ways to modify the user experience. Some suggestions are below...

Manage the base look and feel through the web interface.
This site, as with all WSS sites, allows for themes, general look and feel settings and the creation of new lists. In addition, you can edit PWA webparts like the auto included Reminders web part to show or hide each type of Project Server reminder. Be careful not to modify/delete the permissions or the "Proposal proxy list", "Proposal Workflow History" or the "Proposal Workflow Tasks".

Add web parts through the web interface.
This is supported and clicking the Site Actions - Edit Page link will allow you to add/remove/modify several web parts, for example, an image part for branding purposes. At the bottom of this page is an Advanced link which will take you to a full listing of all web parts available to this site. Of special note here is the XML web part which allows for inclusion of external XML and XSL. You could link this to an external SQL data feed for instance...

Publish the WSS server root homepage to your users instead of PWA.
This will allow additional user experience development (but reduces the web part choices you have related to PWA considerably). Once here, users can then navigate over to PWA as well seamlessly. You can even use "old" tricks such as iframes to host additional webparts or functionality that you want to share. On a side note, this site or a subsite of this path should be where you develop the template you will want to use for your Project Workspace sites.

Technet Plus (Direct)

I recently signed up for the TechNet Plus Direct subscription from Microsoft TechNet. This $349 package is a 1 year subscription to just about all retail products including the full MS Project product line. It is licensed for evaluation only and, in my case, for an individual to use for said evaluations. Additional licensing options are available on their website (link below).

This subscription will allow you to download, install and evaluate several components running concurrently. It also gives you access to knowledge bases, beta software and private newsgroups. It includes two complimentary Professional Support incidents, which alone are worth more than the price of the subscription. Although different in scope, it's product listing is much more impressive than the similarly priced MS Partner program's Action Pack (which shares many of the same benefits such as the support incidents mentioned above).

The licensing is also unique to the evaluation audience. Per the MSTP subscription site:

"We understand that TechNet subscribers have unique needs, so we have included special activation privileges for TechNet subscribers.

• TechNet Subscription product keys can be used to activate up to 10 machines.
• Although you must go through the activation process each time you reinstall on the same PC, your total number of activations will not be decremented.
• For Windows, TechNet subscribers have a 60-day grace period before the product must be activated. If you will be reinstalling the software in less than 60 days, you do not need to activate it. Please note that Windows Update and Windows Genuine Advantage require that the installation be activated.
• For Office 2003, TechNet subscribers have 50 launches before the product must be activated.
• Software may be reinstalled on the same machine as many times as needed without reactivating it. However, if the hard disk is reformatted prior to re-installation, reactivation may be required however the total number of activations will not be decremented."

This makes this a great way to prepare yourself for MCP exams, expose yourself to the latest beta software and increase your knowledge of a product prior to an engagement with a customer. I will be using these resources (including MS VirtualServer & MSVirtualPC) to create sandboxes for WSS, MOSS, Project Professional, Project Server, Project Portfolio Server, SQL Server, Office 2007, Sharepoint Designer, SQL Reporting Services and other pertinent MS products. This will allow me the ease of use and flexibility to create and destroy images in a safe, pre-production environment.

-T

(I leave you now with some more Microsoft PR on this subscription:)

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/default.aspx

"Below are the great features available with a TechNet Plus subscription:

• Microsoft software licensed for evaluation purposes: Evaluate full-version commercial products--without time limits or feature limits, including Windows Vista™ Microsoft Office System and Exchange Server 2007. With full-version software, IT Professionals can make informed decisions about new technologies and deployments at their own pace.
• Beta software: Automatically receive pre-release versions of Microsoft operating systems, servers and business applications.
• Exclusive tools: Get access to exclusive tools not available to the general public such as System Center Capacity Planner. System Center Capacity Planner helps size and plan deployments of Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft Operations Manager. It provides you with the tools and guidance to deploy efficiently, while planning for the future by allowing for "what-if" analyses.
• Professional Support incidents: For the toughest technical questions, a TechNet Plus subscription also comes with two complimentary Professional Support incidents**. Subscribers can talk to a Microsoft Support Professional to quickly resolve their mission-critical technical issues fast.
• Unlimited Managed Newsgroup support: TechNet Plus provides access to over 100 Managed Newsgroups. Subscribers can exchange ideas with other IT Professionals and get expert answers to their technical questions within the next business day — guaranteed.
• Technical resources for Microsoft products: Subscribers also get the TechNet Library containing the Microsoft Knowledge Base, security updates, service packs, resource kits, utilities, technical training, and product documentation to keep their systems and IT skills up to date.
• Microsoft E-Learning courses: To prepare them for certification or simply to help them build their technical skills, TechNet Plus includes a selection of Microsoft E-Learning courses for free each quarter.
• Online Concierge Chat: Subscribers can chat with a Microsoft Search Assistant online for help finding the technical resources they need or for assistance with non-technical questions.
• Free subscription to TechNet Magazine:†† Subscribers also receive a free subscription to TechNet Magazine. TechNet Magazine provides hands-on information to help IT Professionals maximize their system’s security, reliability, scalability and interoperability"

The price hasn't changed in 21 years

Here is a great retro look at Microsoft Project running in MS DOS (circa 1986). Most of the features we use today are in there back in 1986. The show also reviews several contemporary competitors.

Grab your parachute pants and your Huey Lewis albums and set the wayback machine for the pre-windows project management world...

http://www.archive.org/details/ProjectM1986

15 PDUs from listening to a podcast

While certainly not the only podcast on Project Management, I have been very pleased with the PM Podcast (http://www.thepmpodcast.com/). The quality of the audio is professional and does not induce any ear fatigue. The quality and relevance of the subject matter has been great so far.

So, can you earn 15 PDUs just by listening to a podcast? Seems you certainly can. According to the PM Podcast website: "We have worked with Tom Bates, who is the PMI's Certifications Standards Supervisor, and on October 13, 2006 he gave all PMPs the "thumbs up", that listening to project management related podcasts is a qualifying activity for Category 2-SDL PDUs (SDL stands for Self Directed Learning and please refer to the PMI's official list of Professional Development Unit (PDU) Qualifying Activities for all the details about PDUs.)"

Here are instruction on how to claim these PDUs:

• Go to the http://www.pmi.org/ website.
• Log in with your username and password.
• Select "claim / view" PDUs online (you may be required to log in again)
• Select "PMI PDU Self Report Form"
• Select "Category 2 SDL..." and click continue
• Enter the information about the 15 category 2 SDL PDUs you want to claim and submit the page.

MS Project showing at Tech-Ed 2007

I like going to Tech-Ed. It isn't by any means the only MS conference to attend, but it's just so big and covers a bit of everything. But this year, there was a stand out. Or maybe a "stand aside"? MS Project Server.

Now we all know this isn't the darling product line that exchange or commerce server is. It's fairly obscure in context of the rest of the product line, but it had at best a weak showing this year. It wasn't the fault of the presenters, who were very good. Or the men who wore the shirts and manned the meager 2.5 foot booth (the very same presenters mostly). It was really just a lack of presence and content. Perhaps this is a reflection of the focus for the upcoming project conference.

There were about 3 sessions (in the 50-60 seat "breakout theaters"), and a self paced lab. Meh. That said, I did get a lot out of these sessions and the related SharePoint sessions were great. So…

Microsoft, please have a bigger Project Server showing next time!

MS Project Conference 2007 info

Not that every other MS Project blog hasn't already posted this info, but the Seattle, WA; Oct 28-31 MS Project Conference 2007 agenda has been posted. What you may not know, is that there is a discount entry fee of just under $700 for the first 1000 folks to sign up. That means you…

You'll hear Steve Ballmer, Howard Putnam and Mike Angiulo along with over 60 sessions ranging from pure techie to full on PM strategies (sans tools). Here is the current session agenda (across 3 main tracks). I believe this is the second conference exclusively for this product line and should include some important members of the project team as well as key 3^rd party vendors like EPK (who held their first user conference earlier this year).