The EPM Solution is an end-to-end collaborative project and portfolio environment that helps your organization gain visibility, insight, and control by enhancing decision-making, improving alignment with business strategy, maximizing resource utilization, and measuring and increasing operational efficiency. For more information, refer to the EPM Solution Product Home Page.

Portfolio management provides executives, portfolio analysts, and project management office (PMO) staff with tools and techniques to improve decision-making and help ensure that the selected portfolios align with the organization’s business strategy. Portfolio management helps organizations select the investments that will maximize business value, whereas project management helps ensure that the investments are successfully executed and deliver the forecasted benefits. Organizations need both disciplines to be successful.

No. The EPM Solution consists of the following Project products, each of which is sold separately:

• Office Project Professional 2007 (includes one Office Project Server 2007 CAL)
• Office Project Server 2007
• Office Project Web Access (Office Project Server 2007 CAL)
• Office Project Portfolio Server 2007
• Office Project Portfolio Web Access (Office Project Portfolio Server 2007 CAL)

 Note   The EPM Solution also requires:

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server CALs
• Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (a component technology for Windows Server 2003) for file management, issue and risk tracking, and for using Project Web Access
• Microsoft SQL Server 2000 or higher for Project Server; or Microsoft SQL Server 2005 SP1 for Project Portfolio Server
• Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0

Office Project Professional 2007 includes all the capabilities in Office Project Standard 2007. In addition, Office Project Professional 2007 provides enterprise project management capabilities when connected to Office Project Server 2007.

Office Project Professional 2007 gives you robust project management tools with the right blend of usability, power, and flexibility, so you can manage projects more efficiently and effectively. You can stay informed, control project work, schedules, and finances, and keep project teams aligned, while becoming more productive through integration with familiar Microsoft Office system programs, powerful reporting options, as well as guided planning, wizards, and templates.

Office Project Server 2007 is the flexible platform that supports the resource management and collaboration capabilities in the EPM Solution. Office Project Server 2007 enables organizations to store project and resource information centrally and consistently. It also integrates with Windows SharePoint Services for file management and collaboration capabilities, helping team members to work together more effectively. For more information, see the Office Project Server 2007 Product Home Page.

Office Project Portfolio Server 2007 is a top-down portfolio management solution that helps organizations to realize their potential by identifying, selecting, managing, and delivering portfolios that best align with their business strategy. Office Project Portfolio Server 2007 integrates with Office Project Server 2007 to provide organizations with an end-to-end project portfolio management solution.

For more information, please refer to the Office Project Portfolio Server 2007 page.

Office Project Portfolio Web Access is a Web client used to access the information stored in Office Project Portfolio Server 2007. Using Office Project Portfolio Web Access requires an Office Project Portfolio Server 2007 Client Access License (CAL). Office Project Portfolio Web Access provides users with access to the following modules:

• Portfolio Builder
• Portfolio Optimizer
• Portfolio Dashboard

Office Project Web Access is the Web portal that enables you to connect to the project and resource information that is stored in Office Project Server 2007 and collaborate on projects. Team members, executives, and resource managers — in other words, anyone who needs access to Office Project Server 2007 information but does not require the scheduling capabilities of Project Professional — can use Office Project Web Access through a Web browser to view, update, and analyze information. For additional information, please see the Office Project Server 2007 page.

Because the EPM Solution is a collection of products that are deployed in accordance with enterprise needs, the cost of the EPM Solution will depend on the mix of products and number of Client Access Licenses a customer purchases. Find pricing and licensing information on the 2007 Microsoft Office system pricing page.

To properly roll out an EPM Solution in an enterprise, customers will also need services and training. Customers can make use of Microsoft’s extensive partner network for both training and services.

The prices for Office Project Standard 2007 and Office Project Professional 2007 will remain the same as the 2003 versions. For details on the other products, please refer to the pricing and licensing information on the 2007 Microsoft Office system pricing page.

The EPM Solution follows the server client access license (CAL) licensing model:

• Office Project Server 2007 license (a license for each server)
• Office Project Portfolio Server 2007 license (a license for each server)
• Office Project Portfolio Server 2007 CAL (a client access license to access the server)
• Office Project Server 2007 CAL (a client access license to access the server)

The Office Project Server 2007 CAL gives a user the right to access the services of Office Project Server 2007. Users with an Office Project Server 2007 CAL can view and update information in Office Project Server through the Web interface.

The Office Project Portfolio Server 2007 CAL gives a user the right to access the services of Office Project Portfolio Server 2007. Users with an Office Project Portfolio Server 2007 CAL can view and update information in Office Project Portfolio Server 2007 through the Web interface.

No. An Office Project Portfolio Server 2007 CAL provides users with access to Office Project Portfolio Server 2007 only. If you need to access functionality in Office Project Server 2007, you will need to purchase a separate Office Project Server 2007 CAL.

No. The Office Project Server 2007 CAL provides users with access to Office Project Server 2007 only. If you need to access functionality in Office Project Portfolio Server 2007, you will need to purchase a separate Office Project Portfolio Server 2007 CAL.

In Office Project Server 2007, Microsoft will provide a simple mechanism to track the number of users that are Office Project Professional 2007 users. Microsoft will also display the number of CAL users, who are not also Office Project Professional 2007 users. This should display a more accurate number of the CALs required.

System requirements have changed for products in the EPM Solution as follows:

• Office Project Server 2007 requires SQL Server 2000, Service Pack 3 (SP3) or later, but Project Portfolio Server requires SQL Server 2005 SP1 or higher
• Office Project Web Access requires Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
• Project also requires the .NET Framework 3.0
• Project Server requires Windows Workflow Foundation to manage event handlers
• Office Project Portfolio Server 2007 requires Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 for document management

View the Office Project system requirements.

For full system requirements for each product in the EPM Solution, please refer to the Office Project system requirements.

The EPM Solution can be configured to support a variety of standard industry best practices.

Microsoft and its partners will be offering EPM Solution training in sales and portfolio management best practice implementation.

Microsoft has a large and diverse community of experienced partners that will be ready to help you implement the EPM Solution.

Downloads on Microsoft Office Online is your one-stop resource for Office Project Portfolio Server 2007 software updates, downloads, add-ins, templates, service releases, online services, and more.

 Note   This site will not have Office Project Portfolio Server 2007 code until after the launch of the solution.