Show All

Hide All

Team members can export (exporting: Transferring data from Project to another program, such as Excel. When you export data, you choose or create a map that specifies the relationship between the fields in Project and the columns in the ouptut file.) information in their timesheet grid to an Excel worksheet, and they can import (importing: Transferring data into Project from a source program, such as Excel. When you import data, you choose a map that defines how the data in the source program should be mapped to information in Project.) their task list from Outlook into their timesheet (timesheet: In Project Web Access, the timesheet is a page where resources can record their progress on tasks and send updates to the project manager.). The new timesheet application programming interface (API) in Project makes it possible for an external third-party timesheet to replace the Project timesheet view in Microsoft Office Project Web Access. This same API also makes it possible for the timesheet to work with an organization’s general ledger system to capture time and expense information for accounting and billing.

Export timesheet information to Excel

In Project, the timesheet grid containing task (task: An activity that has a beginning and an end. Project plans are made up of tasks.) assignments can now be exported to Excel. When the user clicks the Export Grid to Excel link under the timesheet grid, all the tasks in the currently filtered (filter: Specifies which task or resource information should be displayed or highlighted in a view. For example, when you apply the Critical filter, only critical tasks are displayed.) timesheet grid, even those outside the scroll area, are exported and displayed in Excel.

 Note   To export the timesheet grid, you must have Internet Explorer version 5.5 or later.

Import tasks from Outlook

If timesheet users maintain tasks in Outlook, they can import those tasks into their timesheet by clicking the Work with Outlook icon on the right side of the Project Web Access Home page. If an organization has set up Microsoft Windows® SharePoint™ Services with Project Server and also uses Outlook, timesheet users can export assignments to the Outlook Calendar. They can view assignments (assignment: A specific resource that is assigned to a particular task.) and also submit progress updates from the Calendar.

Integrate with a third-party external timesheet

If an organization is already using a third-party timesheet external to Project, the timesheet API in Project Web Access makes it possible for Project Server to interface with this external timesheet. This integration is implemented as follows:

• The administrator (administrator: Sets up and manages user accounts, assigns permissions, and helps users with network or server access issues. This person can also manage and customize various elements in Project Professional and in Project Server.) assigns the Integration With External Timesheet System permission to specific users. This permission is set in the Admin page of Project Web Access.
• The Project Web Access timesheet pages are disabled at the enterprise level. This prevents team members from submitting actuals from the timesheet and enforces that actuals (actual: Information that shows what has actually occurred. For example, the actual start date for a task is the day that the task actually started.) be submitted from the third-party timesheet.
• If the third-party timesheet is a Web-based system, a menu item can be added to the Project Web Access user interface to simplify the team members’ user experience.
• The administrator can optionally define the Project Server reporting method to map to the third-party system’s reporting periods (report period: The span of time during which you track and update a task that the workgroup manager has assigned to you. You can change the unit of time to days, weeks, or a single unit of time for the whole task.). This enables actuals submitted from that system to be protected in Project Professional, just as they would be with the Project timesheet.
• Custom code is written to call Project Server, through the Project Data Service (PDS), to update task status for team members based on actuals entered in the third-party system.
• Project managers are notified when actuals are submitted through the PDS. As with the Project timesheet, they use the Project Web Access Updates page to review submitted actuals and update the project plan.

With this implementation, team members enter their actuals in a single timesheet system, and both the organization’s system and Project Server are updated at once.

Integrate with a general ledger system

Through the configuration of the new timesheet API in Project, organizations can use actuals captured in the Project timesheet to post actuals data to their general ledger system. This directly supports customer billing for work completed on a project. This integration between Project Server and a general ledger system is implemented as follows:

• The administrator defines the Project Server reporting periods to map to the general ledger system’s reporting periods.
• The administrator defines the resource breakdown structure (RBS) (RBS: The structure that describes an organization's hierarchy. The RBS code defines the hierarchical position that a resource holds in the organization.) enterprise resource outline code and assigns all enterprise resources (enterprise resources: Resources that are part of an organization's entire list of resources. Enterprise resources can be shared across projects.) the appropriate RBS value.
• The administrator configures one or more resource manager and finance categories to define a functional manager’s ability to track and adjust actuals.
• The administrator defines one or more administrative projects and grants functional managers the permission to manage these projects.
• Project managers publish assignments (publish assignments: If you use Project Server as your team collaboration solution, you publish assignments to notify your resources of new and changed assignments to tasks.) in their projects.
• Team members report time spent on assignments using the Project timesheet.
• Project managers use the Project Web Access Updates page to review submitted actuals and update their project plan based on the submitted actuals.
• The administrator opens and closes reporting periods to synchronize with the organization’s general ledger system.
• Custom code and PDS extensions are written to extract submitted actuals in closed periods from the Project Server database and then update the general ledger system.

Three new PDS methods support programmatic updates to the timesheet tables in the Project Server database for both third-party timesheet and general ledger system integration. The new PDS timesheet methods are:

• AssignmentsGet, which returns the assignments for a specified resource or resources (resources: The people, equipment, and material that are used to complete tasks in a project.) for a specified time period.
• AssignmentsSave, which allows actuals to be reported for assignments.
• AssignmentsProjectManagerUpdate, which updates the project manager’s resource actuals entered or updated by a team member or an AssignmentsSave call.

Through improved integration with external systems, Project Server and its timesheet provide the flexibility and extensibility that organizations require. Project data is captured accurately, which not only expands project management efficiencies but also enhances the organization’s bottom line.