| Articles » Top Ten Reasons to Upgrade to Microsoft Project 2003 |
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Top Ten Reasons to Upgrade to Microsoft Project 2003 |
| by Dave Paradi |
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| After you get past the marketing hype surrounding the new version of Microsoft Project, here are ten reasons why you, as a project manager, should seriously consider this upgrade. |
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| 1. Customizable Project Guides |
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| One of the biggest challenges in using any project management software is entering the information in the correct order and without missing any key steps. The new project guides walk you through the process step by step. And, if you don't completely agree with the way it is laid out, you can customize the steps to match your preferred work practice. This can help increase the consistency of project plans across an organization. |
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| 2. Calendar Wizard |
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Up to this version, setting the proper calendar and working time settings has required the project manager to go to two or three different places. If all the settings did not match up, the project schedule would be affected. This new wizard pulls all the steps into one access point and explains the interaction between the various settings, helping to ensure that calendar settings do not throw the project schedule off.
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| 3. Tracking Setup Wizard |
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In previous versions, the suggested tracking method was to use percentage complete. This method is not as accurate as entering actual and remaining work. Project 2003 allows you to choose your tracking method and then automatically sets up a view based on the chosen method.
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| 4. Smart Tags for Scheduling |
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Any adjustment to the fields that control how tasks are scheduled can have a dramatic effect on the project schedule. The new smart tags highlight when one of these fields is changed and give you options to consider, given what effect the change will have on the schedule. This will lead to less frustration when adjusting the project plan.
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| 5. Backward and Forward Compatibility |
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One of the problems with saving a file to a previous version of the software is that all of the new features that may have been used are lost. The new Project 2003 file format can be read by Project 2000 and any changes will be incorporated without losing the new features provided by 2003. This also will allow new features from subsequent versions to be viewed by Project 2003.
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| 6. Import/Export Mapping Wizard |
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| One of the most powerful features of Project is the ability to import data from other sources and to export data to other file formats. This can be very useful when sharing data with others who do not have Project. This new wizard makes the process much simpler, by stepping the user through what previously was a complex set of screens.
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| 7. Multiple Baselines |
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| It is a fact that once the project is started, it will change. With many approved change requests, the project plan is modified and a new baseline is agreed to. This new feature adds ten baselines that can be saved during the life of the project. It also leaves intact the ten interim plans that were available in previous versions.
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| 8. Ability to Drag Columns on the Display |
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| One of the long standing frustrations of adjusting the view displayed on screen was that to move a column of information, it required the user to delete the column in the current position and insert it in the new spot. Project 2003 allows users to drag and drop the columns, increasing the speed at which new displays of information can be created.
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| 9. DEL Key No Longer Deletes the Entire Row |
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| To users who were familiar with spreadsheets, the fact that the Delete key erased the entire row of information in previous versions of Project was quite an annoyance - especially since the single level of Undo meant not catching the error quickly resulted in lost data. In the new version, the Delete key erases only the contents of the cell, and you have the option of deleting the entire row when the key is pressed in the Task Name column.
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| 10. Header Cell Text Wrapping |
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| Some of the Column names can be quite long, and in previous versions you were forced to use short forms if the data below the column header was not as wide as the title. Project 2003 allows column header text to wrap, allowing better understanding of what data a column contains. |
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| For more information about this article, please contact bia™ at info@bia.ca. |
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| © David Paradi, Business Improvement Architects |
