The Projects and Work Tracker template uses a Projects Tracker list called Projects. This tracker manages the high-level details of several projects. You can also use the template to manage the work, issues and documents associated with each project. In this way, the template acts as an alternative to creating an individual Project Lite for each site.
The Projects and Work Tracker template is not as full-featured as larger templates like Project Structured. But it is a great choice for quick and easy project management.
Notes: Only one Projects Tracker list can exist in the Projects and Work Tracker template.
This template uses a unique Selected Project interface to add tasks, issues or documents to your project.
On the Selected Project page, if you choose a project in the Select a Project drop-down, you will set that project as your site default. This means that when you next add a task to the Project Tasks list, it will default to using your selected project. This also works for your Project Issues or Project Documents.
When you have selected a project as your site default, the details of your project will show on the Selected Project page. You can use this page to manage your project, or use the drop-down to see how other projects are doing.
Tip! The Select a Project drop-down shows items from a customizable view. Just click Configure Project Selector Settings when editing the "Select your default project" web part. Here you can choose the list you use for the project selector and filter the items by a view or CAML. This is a good way to narrow down the projects you can see in the drop-down list.
The Selected Project page has reports that let you view the selected project by Open Work, My Work or All Work.
Finding your work is simple. The Projects and Work Tracker home page has a My Work web part where you can see all your assigned work in all projects. You can also click All My Work on the left hand Quick Launch to see more cross-project reports. Reports include: Work Due Soon, Overdue Work, a Gantt chart, and any recent Modifications made to your work.
You can also focus on your work in a single project by using the Selected Project page. Click Selected Project on the left hand Quick Launch and select your project from the Select a Project drop-down. Then click the Selected Project My Work report tab to see all your assigned work for the project.
Tip! This project is now your Selected Project and will be set as your site default for working with the Tasks, Issues or Documents lists.
The Selected Project page also is good for making quick updates to projects. Use the Project Tasks, Project Issues or Project Documents web parts to edit items or add new documents.
Note: Dragging and dropping a document to the Project Documents library will not assign it a default Title. You will need to update the Title yourself for any documents added in this way.
You can add multiple projects at once using the (Quick Edit) view in the Projects page. You can also use the All Items by Title view to sort your Projects by their Title.
Tip! You can add a project to the Projects list in the Selected Project page too.
Note: You cannot delete projects from the Projects list if they are referenced by anything else in the site.
Tip! You can use this method to add issue items or documents too.
Click All Issues on the left hand Quick Launch. Now you can see all of the issues across all of your projects.
If you want to manage the issues of a specific project, click Selected Project on the left hand Quick Launch and select the project you want to manage from the Select a Project drop-down. Now you can see all of the issues in this project and you can make any adjustments you want.
On the Projects and Work Tracker homepage, you should see a Project Summaries web part. There are indicators showing you whether the projects are doing fine, or running into trouble.
If you want to know more about a project that is running into trouble, you can click its title to show the Project Statement where you can see more details.
To focus on a particular project, click Selected Project on the left hand Quick Launch and select the project from the drop-down. The Selected Project page will now only show information and items related to the selected project.
Click All Tasks on the left hand Quick Launch to see all the tasks associated with all projects in the Projects and Work Tracker site.
Click All Issues on the left hand Quick Launch to see all of the items created using the Issues list in the Projects and Work Tracker site.
Tip! Items marked as issues do not appear in the Issue list. These items show in Project Office and Project Area Issues reports where the Projects and Work Tracker site resides.