Creating and adding Projects to #ProjectServer 2013 #PS2013 #SP2013 #Office365 Part 2
   I am a Project Server and SharePoint consultant but my main focus currently is around Project Server.
I have been working with Project Server for nearly five years since 2007 for a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner in the UK, I have also been awared with the Microsoft Community Contributor Award 2011. I am also a certified Prince2 Practitioner. This article has been cross posted from pwmather.wordpress.com (original article) |
Following on from Part 1, this post will look into the SharePoint Task List and Connected SharePoint sites. As mentioned in part 1, I did create a post on this for the Preview release of Project Server 2013.
For those of you that missed Part 1:
This post will revisit the SharePoint Task List and Connected SharePoint site functionality. Similar but simpler SharePoint Task List functionality does exist in Project Server 2010 with the New > From SharePoint List option in the Project Centre. This functionality has been improved and extended in Project Server 2013.
In Project Server 2010 you had to create the SharePoint task list before adding the project to Project Server, in Project Server 2013 this has changed and improved. Clicking the New > SharePoint Tasks List from the Project Centre button will now prompt you for a project name:
Clicking Create will create the SharePoint site, with a Tasks list and then take you to the newly created tasks list.
As you can see the project now exists in the Project Centre also:
Clicking the project name from the Project Centre view will take you to the tasks list on the SharePoint site, as you can see I have created two tasks:
You can also import other SharePoint sites to Project Server 2013 using the Add SharePoint Sites button on the Project tab in the Project Centre:
Clicking this button will load a new window displaying all SharePoint sites within the PWA site collection that contain a Tasks list:
In this example I am going to add the “Design new theme” site, the tasks can be seen below:
At this point it is worth noting that Paul Mather already exists in the Project Server resource pool but User H doesn’t. Also there are only 5 Apps on this site:
I will now select the “Design new theme” project and click Add, the pop will now advise you that the project is being created:
After a short amount of time you will see the project is in the Project Centre:
Now this project is in Project Server, you will notice any users that were assigned to tasks on the tasks list that didn’t previously exist in the Project Server resource pool now exist as resources in the enterprise resource pool. Also the other thing I highlighted, the Apps on the site. After adding the SharePoint site to Project Server you will see the familiar lists from the Project Site:
This is because the Project Web App Connectivity site feature is activated when the site is added to Project Server.
Using both methods to add SharePoint Task lists to Project Server will sync the task list data with Project Server. At the time you add a SharePoint task list site to Project Server, that data will be synchronised instantly. Additional changes to the tasks on the tasks lists such as adding new tasks, updating % complete etc. is not updated in Project Server instantly. This synchronisation is triggered by a SharePoint Timer Job called “Project Server: Task List Synchronizer for SharePoint Tasks List Projects job for Project Services Application”
Once changes have been made to the connected SharePoint sites and the timer job has run, all data in Project Server will be correct and in sync with the task list. This includes the resource assignments / availability views, Project Centre Gantt charts and the Reporting tables / views in the Project Server database.
The connected SharePoint site task lists can either be updated from the sites using the web browser or using Project Professional 2013. When using Project Professional 2013, connected SharePoint site projects are opened the same way as a full Enterprise Project. When editing a connected SharePoint site in Project Pro you only have the option to save, no publish. Saving this type of project from Project Professional automatically fires off a publish job keeping the data in the system in synch – you don’t have to wait for the Timer Job.
Connected SharePoint sites can become full Enterprise Projects and full Enterprise Projects can become just a SharePoint task list connected site. This is update in Server Settings > Connected SharePoint Sites:
Converting a SharePoint Task list project to an Enterprise Project will disable editing of the tasks list from the SharePoint site, the tasks can only be modified via the Project Web App or Project Professional 2013. Converting an Enterprise Project to a SharePoint Task list project will disable editing of the schedule in PWA and enable tasks to be edited in a SharePoint task list or Project Professional.
Overall a great way to manage simple lightweight projects and gain visibility of these projects in Project Server! 
SharePoint (and Project Server) Shenanigans 