This is the third and final piece of our Real Time Reporting mini series. The previous posts discussed the primary reporting tools available out of the box, and how to manage the data in a coordinated way so as to produce portfolio level reporting:
Real-Time-Reporting-in-Project-Online-and-Project-Server-2013 part I
Real Time Reporting in Project Online and Project Server 2013 part II
The final component we will take a look at is auditing data updates. “What?” you say. “All the data in every project in our portfolio is always kept up to date – no exceptions!” Well, perhaps. But if you want to check, here are some suggestions.
The first suggestion is to provide a Project Managers view in Project Center. This truly can be helpful to both the project managers and the PMO/Portfolio Manager. Project managers can use the view as a quick check to ensure they are up to date and don’t need to adjust their health evaluations. The PMO can use the view to monitor project updates to ensure portfolio reporting has current information.
MS Project Now suggests the following fields for this Project Center view:
- Status Date
- Last Published
- Baseline Finish
- Finish
- Baseline Work
- Work
- Baseline Cost
- Cost
Timesheet reports are also available. In Microsoft Project Server 2013, a Timesheet Report is available in Excel Services Reporting. In Microsoft Project Online, a Timesheet Report can be created using the Odata tables. If you want the report to be proactive, you can also have one coded using SSRS. This allows you to automatically run and either email or post the report, depending on your needs.
MS Project Now is available to provide assistance and develop reports you might need to get maximum value from your Microsoft Project Online or your Microsoft Project Server 2013 installation. Let’s talk!
