Using Window SharePoint Services (WSS) in Project Management

With this solution Project Managers at Encodex are finding it is easy and efficient to collaborate with each other on project management and use past experiences to improve project planning and estimates.

Encodex has been developing and deploying innovative business solutions for its clients since last 8 years. Each project needed a number of documents and as the client base and projects were increasing. Storing and circulating these project related documents through emails and shared drives was becoming clumsy. Access restrictions were also becoming an issue as the documents are kept on physical location. A strong need was felt for a common repository where employees could share and publish project related documents.

At the same time Managers at Encodex were looking for a system which could track time spent by its employees on each project on daily as well as monthly basis. This was very important because Encodex is a project driven organization. Project manager is responsible for completing projects on time and on budget. But with manual tracking of resource utilization for each project, this information was isolated on Project Manager’s computers, making it impossible for other Project Managers to use this data to manage resources and schedules.

Encodex required an enterprise project management solution, one that would provide central location to store project plans so that information could be easily shared and would enable timesheet information to be synchronized automatically with project plans.

In short a small scale MIS was urgently needed which could keep track the projects.

Since Encodex wanted this systems up and running in very less time, Encodex engineers decided to use Window SharePoint Services (WSS). Microsoft SQL Server 2000 was used as its database.

• Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 2.0
• Microsoft SQL Server 2000
• Microsoft .Net Framework 1.1
• C#, Visual Studio 2003

1. Project Management: This was developed as an web part using C# and Visual Studio 2003. Project Manager can enter project details like project title, estimated & actual start date, estimated & actual end date, estimated & actual time, Tasks, etc. It allow PM to manage project related documents.

2. Project & User Mapping: This web part allows Project Manager to map resources to different projects.

3. Time Sheet Management: This web part allows the resources to select the project and task and enter date and time against each task.

Project Managers now find it easy to collaborate with each other in all phases of project life cycle. With the ability to share project related documents and access to time spent on projects, they use it to analyze the data and improve their project planning and estimates. As the timesheet data is integrated with project data, Project Managers are saving time of maintaining and tracking resource utilization.

Web based access to timesheet allows project resources to enter time worked on projects and real time database integration helps to keep project information up to date at all times. This facilitates Project Manager to make well informed decisions regarding the projects.

When Project Managers are planning resource requirements and schedules for future projects, they can leverage past experience and can rely on the accuracy of their planning and projections with greater assurance.

Technologies: Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 2.0, Microsoft SQL Server 2000, Microsoft .Net Framework 1.1, C#, Visual Studio 2003