IT Employment

Ask something
Discussion Locked

MS Project -- Distributing Reports

0 helpful
4 replies

by ehme

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

I am using MS Project 98 -- have gotten pretty good at creating and customizing reports using the reporting tool within the product. BUT haven't figured out how to distribute copies of the reports electronically. This seems like a HUGE HOLE in the product. I have project participants who don't have MS Project and even when they do, unless you give very specific instructions re: the report setup they can get a different version.

I am managing a large project with a lot of constituents andreally want to find a better way.

4 replies

by james r linn

to create PDFs and distribute them.

That way you control eactly what the user will see.

The "writing software" is not expensive, and the reader is free.

James

by lee

hi:

I don't see a method for Project inside the program. However, I have always used Adobe Acrobat (full version) to make electronic copies of documents from any program.

There is the PDF writer utility that gets installed as a printer. Then, you can print from within the program to this print driver and it will create a PDF. After that, I just send out as an attachment in an email.

I will be writing an article for techrepublic on useful reports in project in the next two months. iwill try to research options that are free and include in the article.

by davidnesbit

l'd concur with James and Lee that Adobe Acrobat PDF format Reports are definitely prefered where the audience is:
-of considerable size
-of varying skill base (ie, understanding use of MSP software)
-unlikely to have a copy of MSP software

Working on similarly large projects l too have found exactly the same issues / problems with electronic delivery to be "problematic" where other PMgt teams used an alternate brand of PMgt software [converters are not always available], etc.

Adobe PDF format is universally used, it comes with the free viewer, and (most importantly) the document creator can control document layout via the internal "security control" features of the Adobe software.

Note: Where the audience are seasoned PMgrs with copies of MSP then electronic delivery is less problematic.

You could also consider use of the new MSP ProjectCentral functionality though many comments in other MSP Discussion Forums appear to indicate stability of MSP ProjectCentral itself is still "problematic" [maybe that is a subject for another thread].

Rgds - Dcn

PS - users looking for answers to highly technical queries ought to visit the MS-TechNet Discussion Forums as these are an excellent resource for experienced users of MSP software.

This discussion is closed to new replies.