I am back from three great days attending and speaking at the Microsoft TechEd conference in Madrid.
In this blog post, I want to show something extremely simple, that can be used in various ways to support your registration of ideas in a central place. The 10 step guide aims for users of Project Online or Project Server 2013, to quickly set up a place where new ideas are created, ranked and later mapped directly into the PWA.
1. Add a new Custom List app in the Project Web App
2. Give the new list a name e.g. Innovation Hub
3. Go to new list and navigate to “List Settings”
4. Choose “Rating Settings” and allow for items to be rated e.g. using the “Star Rating” option
5. Now go back the list settings and hit “Project Server Settings”
6. Map the fields you need between your list (columns) and the available Project Server custom fields. This will automatically make sure that a mapping template has been created before ideas are upgraded to actual Projects.
7. Go back to your list and create a couple of new ideas. Notice that you and others are now able to rank the ideas using the stars.
8. Now lets try to convert the ideas into real projects. Notic, that by selecting them allows for a “Create Projects” button to become visible in the ribbon. Click on it!
9. The mapping template will now open up and allow the custom fields to be connected to the list elements (columns). You can now also choose which EPT (Enterprise Project Type) the new project should be Associated with.
10. After having clicked on “Create Projects” the new projects are now visible from the Project Center and everywhere else withing the PWA
These 10 steps are the basic ones needed in order for you to build a connection between registration of ideas, ranking them and converting to real projects in your PWA. Obviously, you can extend the list with more fields, workflows and much more. Just remember to map your fields to the Project Server custom fields. Have fun!