ANNOUNCING: Announcing The Release Of Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Microsoft Project and Project Server 2010

Microsoft has announced the release of Service Pack 1 for Microsoft Project and Project Server.

You can find details on the enhancement for this service pack at: Announcing Service Pack 1 for Microsoft Project & Project Server 2010.

Microsoft recommends that you read the guidance below and the information on the service pack prior to installing:

• Description of Project 2010 SP1 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2460052
• Description of Project Server 2010 SP1 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2460047
• How to deploy Microsoft Project and Project Server 2010 SP1 Deploy Service Pack 1 for Project Server 2010.

Microsoft is also strongly recommending deploying the June 2011 Cumulative update for Project and Project Server when you install the SP1 update.

• Project 2010 June 2011 Cumulative Update: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2536590
• SharePoint and Project Server June 2011 Cumulative Update: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2536600
• How to deploy Project Server Cumulative Updates: Updates for Project Server 2010

For more information go to the official Microsoft announcement at: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/project/archive/2011/05/16/project-2010-sp1.aspx

Yes, you too can get a preview of what’s coming in Microsoft Project 2010.  Microsoft has released the beta for Microsoft Project Professional 2010 and Microsoft Project Server 2010.  We’ve seen these products in the office for some time as HMS is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner who has the Microsoft EPM Competency plus I worked on Microsoft’s EPM Partner Advisory Council for years and completed my participation on that council only recently. 

But now you can start seeing what will be coming in the new product.

Among functionality that I think will be well received you’ll see:

In Project Professional:

• Timeline View.  This is like the Visio timeline bar that many people like for summary views
• Team Planner.  This interactive view lets team managers drag and drop tasks onto a team member’s schedule
• The ribbon menu (also known as the fluid user interface)

In Project Server:

• Integrated Portfolio and Project Server functionality.  Yes, they’re together at last.
• Project Data Pages.  Not enough has been said about these but I think they may end up being the most powerful aspect of what people will now do with Project Server.  The PDPs let you create forms to gather data and then use workflow to move data into different parts of the EPM system based on the context of the data at that stage of the workflow.

You can find the beta for Project Professional 2010 at: www.microsoft.com/project/2010/en/us/default.aspx.
The Project Server 2010 beta is at: www.microsoft.com/global/project/2010/en/us/RichMedia/secondary/server_home.html.

It’s called “The Stack” over at Microsoft.  It refers to the layers of technology that are required to get the Microsoft EPM functional.  For those who only have experience with Project Desktop this will sound unfamiliar.  After all, what’s to know?  You put the DVD in the box, you hear a whirring sound.  When it’s over the DVD pops out and you start entering tasks in Project. 

 If only Project Server were that simple. 

Microsoft made the decision years ago to leverage the  different technologies that Microsoft produces for its server products.  When we’re asked to deploy the Microsoft EPM “Solution” for Project 2007, here are the Microsoft Products we need to think about:

Windows Server
Internet Information Services (IIS)
Active Directory
SQL Server
SQL OLAP Services
SQL Reporting Services
Microsoft Office
SharePoint Services (WSS) or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS)
Project Professional
Project Server
Project Web Access (PWA CALs)
Portfolio Server
Portfolio CALs

That’s pretty much been the list since Project Server was first introduced and later when Portfolio Server was introduced.  With Project 2010, we know the list will change a little:

Windows Server
Internet Information Services (IIS)
Active Directory
Exchange Server
SQL Server
SQL OLAP Services
SQL Reporting Services
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2010 is now required
Project Professional
Project Server
Project Web Access (PWA CALs)

At first glance the list doesn’t seem that different.  The Portfolio Server license is now woven into Project Server and a new option for Exchange Server is added.  But, let’s take a peek below the hood.

In Project 2010 you will need MOSS.  The Project team is leveraging technology available only in MOSS so it’s not an option and the option to use Windows SharePoint Services is discontinued.  Ok, that may have an impact on your licenses or perhaps not but lets think about the impllications.

SharePoint is the fastest growing server product in Microsoft’s history.  A large number of organizations have adopted the platform in its 2007 incarnation.  Let’s imagine that you’ve *just* finished deploying SharePoint 2007 and now Microsoft comes along to explain how great Project Server 2010 will be.  But, in order to take advantage of Project Server 2010, you had to adopt “the Stack”.  That means you’ll need to upgrade your SharePoint from 2007 to 2010.  That may be quite a challenge.  You might have extensive customizaiton in SharePoint 2007 that would have to be migrated.  You might have applications that only work with SharePoint 2007 and not yet with SharePoint 2010 or that might have to be upgraded themselves to work with the new SharePoint. 

Only a version ago, Project Server was viewed as the vanguard; the product that would “pull-through” technologies like SharePoint into the organization.  Now, however, that same link may have organizations think twice about going to the new technology because of the platform they’ve adopted.

Interestlingly I had a conversation about this just last week with my friends at Occam who have been doing Project Server hosting for years.   Hosting the new technology might be an attractive solution for many project offices who are keen for the new technology.  It has been attractive for a minority of users thus far, but if going to a hosted model eliminates the challenge of confronting “the Stack” then it may well be attractive when Project Server 2010 hits the streets next year.

I was talking last week about the announcement of Project Server 2010.  It’s part of a much larger communication of course.  The whole release that’s due in the first part of next year will be Office 2010 and that includes a whole pile of products.  It’s worthwhile keeping note of that because the new information available in Microsoft Project may well get lost in the noise of what is to come when the Office Marketing machine gets cranked up to full speed as it always does for a big launch.

One of the biggest elements of the Information Worker Division at Microsoft (that’s the part that releases business products like Office) is the next release of SharePoint.  SharePoint has become the go-to platform for Microsoft and almost every other part of Microsoft is working on leveraging it. 

What does this mean in practical terms?  It means that Microsoft Dynamics accounting software will have an interface based in SharePoint.  It means that the Browser-based interface of Visual Studio Team Services is based on SharePoint.  And, like the last 2 versions, it means that Project Server’s Web Access (PWA) Interface is based on SharePoint.  The interface of Project Portfolio Server has now been woven into the PWA interface also and therefore it too now is based on SharePoint.

Project Server is not the most algorithmic product.  It’s strength is not based on the incredible resource levelling calculation or it’s the flexibility of its critical path methodology calculations.  Project Server’s power is in being a collaborative project management tool.  For an organization that says “We’re not interested in collaboration.  We just want a heavy project scheduling calculation engine then working with a desktop product may be more appropriate.  There are many to choose from.  Primavera, Deltek and Planview all have desktop versions that are very powerful.  Even Microsoft Project Standard might be more palatable for that kind of requirement.

Project Server, however, is squarely targeting those interested in collaborative project management and SharePoint becomes a big part of that.  In fact, when you take the requirements apart, the ability of SharePoint to collaborate may make the addition of Project Server more of an afterthought and don’t think that Microsoft hasn’t thought of that already. 

Already when we go to clients who ask “Should we upgrade from Project Server 2003 to Project Server 2007 now or should we wait for Project Server 2010 next year?” the answer has little to do with the relative functionality in each version.

“What are your plans for SharePoint?” we ask.  If the company has already adopted SharePoint 2007 and has no intent to upgrade straight away next year, then we recommend Project Server 2007.  If the company is already committed to SharePoint 2010 or isn’t committed at all to a collaboration platform then we can consider waiting until the new version.  There’s plenty to do in the meantime if the plan is to go with 2010.  Architectural plans, pilot groups, training and system design can all be worked on now with an intent to roll out at the middle of next year.  The key is SharePoint.

Can we be that far away from Microsoft saying “Project Server is just another blade of a SharePoint Server?”