When: Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 9:00 AM – Friday, January 13, 2012 at 5:30 PM (GMT) Where: Technology House Shottery Brook Office Park Timothy’s Bridge Road CV37 9NR Stratford Upon Avon United Kingdom Hosted By: Technology Associates Technology Associates International Limited is one of the leading global project management consultancies specialising in Microsoft Office Project and Enterprise Project Management Solutions. Since 1990, Technology Associates have provided deployment, consultancy, development and training services to more than 500 organisations including some of the world’s leading companies, and we have an international presence throughout the world.   Technology Associates is proud to partner with RMC Project Management Inc . Technology Associates brings the highly acclaimed courses developed by Rita Mulcahy and her organisation to the UK. Courses are run using the same structure and RMC materials as used on the RMC courses in the USA and utilise experienced RMC PMP Exam Prep instructors so that delegates get the full benefit of these courses without having to travel to the USA! Register for this event now at: https://pmpexamprep2day120112-rss.eventbrite.com Event Details: PMP® Exam Prep Course (2 days) This accelerated learning course is designed to help you prepare for the PMP ® Exam—and gain the most understanding   with the least amount of study. Developed by Rita Mulcahy, this course is designed to decrease your after-class study time from hundreds of hours to less than forty. We offer unique activities and exercises designed specifically to increase learning and knowledge retention—without rote memorization. The course materials include Rita Mulcahy’s entire PMP ® Exam Prep System (retail value $399). Please contact us if you would like information on in-company courses. Course Learning Objectives This course will also assist you in finding and documenting the gaps in your knowledge, so you can leave the class knowing exactly what you know, and exactly what you need to work on prior to sitting for the exam. By the end of this course you will: Have focused training on areas where students have the most difficulty with the current exam. Have the latest information from over 19 years of experience helping thousands of project managers pass the exam. Be ready to take the exam – this is a preparation and review course. Have learned “what you don’t know”. Develop a personalised study plan to help reduce your follow on study time to less than forty hours. Why Take This Course? Study Time Only 40 hours of study or less needed after this course. That is 70% less study than is usually necessary with other courses. Retention Students recently scored an incredible average 83.25% on a sample PMP ® exam after taking this course, before they even began studying. Passing level is 61% for the PMP ® exam. Materials and Extras A comprehensive education system. These materials include the best-selling book PMP ® Exam Prep by Rita Mulcahy, PM FASTrack ® Exam Simulation Software, and Hot Topics flashcards. Also included in this course are materials not available to the general public. Instruction This course uses accelerated learning techniques . Project managers who are also expert trainers teach our courses! We hear, “This was the best class I have EVER attended on ANY topic!” On completion of the course, you will be awarded 16 contact hours (16 PDU’s). Course Outline Overview of the exam: How to study and create a study plan Tricks for memorizing formulas Tricks to help you understand how the PMP ® questions are written Tricks for shortening your study time Tricks for taking the exam Tricks for finding holes in your project management knowledge Reasons people fail the exam and how to make sure you do not do the same Exercises to help you understand, memorize and conceptualize the information you need to know Understanding PMI ® -isms Detailed coverage of: The process of project management The framework of project management Integration management Scope management Time management Cost management Quality management Human resources management Communications management Risk management Procurement management Professional responsibilities Develop a personalised Study Plan Course Materials You will receive the following exceptional training products which were developed by Rita Mulcahy, p ublished by RMC Publications, Inc: ·          JumpStart ~ E-learning course (pre-course work up to four hours) ·          PMP ® Exam Prep Book ·          Hot Topics PMP® Exam Flashcards ·          PM FASTrack® PMP® Exam Simulation Software   Created with the assistance of a psychometrician (just like the actual exam) PM FASTrack ® is designed to simulate the actual exam in every detail. The program’s database of 1,500+ questions allows you to take exams by knowledge area, process group or keyword/concept.

Following a session I delivered at SharePoint Conference 2011 in October, as well as few emails received recently, and following the very strong momentum Microsoft Project Server 2010 has, a common topic “du jour” customers are asking: does Project Server 2010 supports multi-tenancy? Hence, the goal of this post is to answer this question. What is multi-tenancy? First before I go any further I think it’s important to define multi tenancy since people have different expectations to its meaning and implications. Wikipedia’s definition of Multitenancy is: Multitenancy refers to a principle in software architecture where a single instance of the software runs on a server, serving multiple client organizations (tenants). In this SharePoint 2010 document on TechNet: Model: Hosting architectures for SharePoint Server 2010 it says: Multitenancy refers to the ability to partition data of otherwise shared services or software in order to accommodate multiple tenants. This is in contrast to setting up separate hardware or even running multiple instances of a service. Spencer Harbar in this post Rational Guide to Multi Tenancy with SharePoint 2010 does a great job defining multi-tenancy in the SharePoint 2010 world, and in particular mentions: “ Multi-Tenancy in SharePoint 2010 isn’t a “feature” that lights up. It’s a combination of many things which all together enable the scenario we are interested in.” Project Server 2010 and multi-tenancy Can you have multiple customers/business units/departments on the same SharePoint and Project Server farm and infrastructure? YES you can! But please remember these Project Server considerations for multi-tenancy: Project Server 2010 does not support multi-tenant environments (like SharePoint 2010 does) Requires SQL Server Analysis Services for reporting (OLAP cubes) Queue Services: introduced in Project Server 2007 to handle spikes in transactions like users submitting their timesheets on Friday for instance Resource Pool a key capability of PS which enables to model your capacity and demand and hence figure out shortages or surplus Authorization/Permission Model: while authentication is handled by SharePoint, authorization is specific to Project Server and has a lot more granularity that the out of the box SharePoint’s Cross-farm services not supported Must be installed on each application server and front-end Web in the farm On-Demand Hosting Services for Project Server 2010 With the above factors in mind, yes again you can have multiples customers and instances on the same infrastructure and farm, and just because we do not support multi-tenant like SharePoint does in 2010, it does not mean you need multiple farms to serve your customers. Clear examples of multi-tenancy today are on-demand hosting companies like Project Hosts and BeMo (more listed here ) that offers shared online environment for their customers. We also have customers that have been providing Project Server to internal business unit since the 2007 version (internal multi-tenancy). Please note that I wrote this post last year on the topic of should you have a dedicated farm for Project Server or leverage a central SharePoint farm and infrastructure: Project Server 2010 and SharePoint 2010: one farm or multiple? Please find below an example of multi-tenancy following feedback from the hosting companies mentioned above: In summary yes you can have multiple tenant on the same Project Server 2010 farm and infrastructure but it cannot be achieved using the SharePoint 2010 multi-tenancy features. For any additional questions/feedback about this topic feel free to contact me via this blog. Useful resources: Plan for performance and capacity (Project Server 2010) Model: Hosting architectures for SharePoint Server 2010 White paper: SharePoint 2010 for hosters (SharePoint Server 2010) Rational Guide to Multi Tenancy with SharePoint 2010

The Cumulative updates for October 2011 for both the 2007 and 2010 versions have now been released.  Full details over on the admin blog at https://blogs.technet.com/b/projectadministration/archive/2011/11/02/microsoft-project-server-and-sharepoint-2007-and-2010-october-cu-2011-announcement.aspx I’ve also included the usual details on the 2007 CU which was released last week (The packages containing SharePoint Foundation were withdrawn and re-released earlier this week). Enjoy!

Following the recent release of the Team Foundation Server 2010 and Project Server Integration Feature Pack ( Team Foundation Server 2010 and Project Server Integration Feature Pack has released! )  I’m happy to announce this third case study showcasing the integration of TFS and Project Server 2010: IT Department of Global Cosmetics Company Cuts Time in Meetings by up to 30 Percent Key quotes First and foremost, with the Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010 and Project Server Integration Feature Pack we have reduced the number of project planning and status meetings. The feature pack allows people to raise flags more quickly and in a more comfortable setting—which means we make fewer mistakes. With the feature pack, the team leads can take more responsibility for exactly what they are doing and be more accountable to the other members of their team. Benefits Up to 30 percent less meeting time needed Productivity gains of 2–5 percent Improved risk management Improved time-recording procedures Increased responsibility Other Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) case studies: TechResult Microsoft IT Other case studies can be found here: Microsoft Project & Project Server customer successes .

I’ve posted over on the admin blog – https://blogs.technet.com/b/projectadministration/archive/2011/10/28/project-server-2007-service-pack-3-and-the-october-2011-cu-announced.aspx so go there for more details. There is a slight delay on the release of the 2010 October 2011 Cumulative Updates – more details when I have them. Don’t miss the next Cumulative Update webcast where we (or more correctly, Adrian) will also talk about SP3 (briefly – as there isn’t much to say) Here’s the URL for the 11/8/2011 8:00:00 AM – Information about Microsoft Project and Project Server October 2011 Software Update https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032493962&Culture=en-US

I get questions on templates fairly often so I wanted to do a quick post pointing to a previous post we did on this topic. Essentially, if you are new to Project or starting a project and want to see a generic plan for how others broke down the work, check out a Project template . To access templates in Project 2010, go to File – New – Office.com Templates section. In Project 2007, go to File – New and in the New Project pane either select On Computer or Templates on Office Online. Now here’s where you come in… We are always looking to add more templates and wanted to get feedback from you. What templates should we add? You can either post comments directly to this blog (note they won’t show up right away) or you can send me your thoughts by emailing projrep@microsoft.com And here’s some template trivia for you: Our most popular template is the Project Management Plan My personal favorite template is the Wine Tasting Fundraiser since two tasks actually involve drinking wine. Sounds like a great time to use a recurring task.

  We’ll be making a trip to Dallas this year and spending some time with the PMI community. Let us know if you’ll be there! @MSFTProject Booth #301 will feature 8 kiosks and a theater filled with product demos and the experts from our amazing Partner Network . Booth #700 will offer hands-on labs continuing our success from PMI GC 2010, so be sure to sign up when you arrive to guarantee your spot. Microsoft is also giving out USB keys to all of our visitors and special prizes including the chance to win a free pass to Project Conference 2012 in Phoenix, AZ! Finally, please join us for three presentations at the product theater: October 24th at 3:45 PM, Leveraging Project 2010 with Office 365 for Project Management Success with Dux Raymond Sy (Innovative-e, Inc.) October 25th at 12:30 PM, Quickly Automate Microsoft Project Server 2010 Governance Workflows with Ben Chamberlain (UMT) October 25th at 3:45 PM, Making Life Simple for Small and Mid-sized PMOs: A Pre-Configured Microsoft Project & Project Server 2010 Solution with Greg Bailey and Tad Haas (SharkPro Software) PMI ® Global Congress 2011—North America October 22–25 2011 Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, USA Hope to see you there! Get a head start and a chance to win some great prizes (more info to come) by registering for Project Conference 2012 now!  

Pink Floyd are not the only ones re-releasing their back catalog this month – we have re-released the SharePoint Foundation 2010 August Cumulative Update.  As this is also contained in the roll-up packages then these too have been re-released.  Unfortunately the title of the Project Server package has also been updated to reflect this new release date and it could make it look like the October Cumulative update released early – so take care! The re-released Project Server package at https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2553049 is still the August Cumulative Update, although it is labeled Description of the Project Server 2010 cumulative update package (Project server-package): October 13, 2011.  This is NOT the October CU coming early!  The version has been incremented to 14.0.6109.5005 to reflect the new build, but it is just the SharePoint Foundation component that has been updated.  The Project Server only package at https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2553047 is still showing the original date and version, as it was not rebuilt as it does not contain the SharePoint Foundation component. (sts-x-none.msp). I think the change in the SharePoint package is support for updates to Russia, Fiji and Samoa daylight saving time (DST) settings in SharePoint Foundation 2010 – I’ll see if I can get confirmation.

I’m very excited about this announcement this morning: Microsoft Officially Welcomes Skype . I have a fairly international family spread across multiple continents and every time I travel it’s exciting to see how broadly Skype is used and a recognized brand worldwide. This opens up lots of exciting opportunities in the future… About a month ago I wrote this post Celebrating 10 years at Microsoft and it’s amazing how many major announcements we have made since September, a non exhaustive list below: Microsoft Reimagines Windows, Presents Windows 8 Developer Preview Xbox 360 Teams Up With Entertainment Leaders to Transform TV Microsoft Expands Data Platform With SQL Server 2012, New Investments for Managing Any Data, Any Size, Anywhere More Microsoft Press Releases Archives here . In the end I’m all fired up about the future and MSFT continuous innovation!

When: Monday, December 5, 2011 at 9:00 AM – Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at 5:30 PM (GMT) Where: Central London Hosted By: Technology Associates Technology Associates International Limited is one of the leading global project management consultancies specialising in Microsoft Office Project and Enterprise Project Management Solutions. Since 1990, Technology Associates have provided deployment, consultancy, development and training services to more than 500 organisations including some of the world’s leading companies, and we have an international presence throughout the world.   Technology Associates is proud to partner with RMC Project Management Inc . Technology Associates brings the highly acclaimed courses developed by Rita Mulcahy and her organisation to the UK. Courses are run using the same structure and RMC materials as used on the RMC courses in the USA and utilise experienced RMC PMP Exam Prep instructors so that delegates get the full benefit of these courses without having to travel to the USA! Register for this event now at: https://pmpexamprep2day051211-rss.eventbrite.com Event Details: PMP® Exam Prep Course (2 days) This accelerated learning course is designed to help you prepare for the PMP ® Exam—and gain the most understanding   with the least amount of study. Developed by Rita Mulcahy, this course is designed to decrease your after-class study time from hundreds of hours to less than forty. We offer unique activities and exercises designed specifically to increase learning and knowledge retention—without rote memorization. The course materials include Rita Mulcahy’s entire PMP ® Exam Prep System (retail value $399). Please contact us if you would like information on in-company courses. Course Learning Objectives This course will also assist you in finding and documenting the gaps in your knowledge, so you can leave the class knowing exactly what you know, and exactly what you need to work on prior to sitting for the exam. By the end of this course you will: Have focused training on areas where students have the most difficulty with the current exam. Have the latest information from over 19 years of experience helping thousands of project managers pass the exam. Be ready to take the exam – this is a preparation and review course. Have learned “what you don’t know”. Develop a personalised study plan to help reduce your follow on study time to less than forty hours. Why Take This Course? Study Time Only 40 hours of study or less needed after this course. That is 70% less study than is usually necessary with other courses. Retention Students recently scored an incredible average 83.25% on a sample PMP ® exam after taking this course, before they even began studying. Passing level is 61% for the PMP ® exam. Materials and Extras A comprehensive education system. These materials include the best-selling book PMP ® Exam Prep by Rita Mulcahy, PM FASTrack ® Exam Simulation Software, and Hot Topics flashcards. Also included in this course are materials not available to the general public. Instruction This course uses accelerated learning techniques . Project managers who are also expert trainers teach our courses! We hear, “This was the best class I have EVER attended on ANY topic!” On completion of the course, you will be awarded 16 contact hours (16 PDU’s). Course Outline Overview of the exam: How to study and create a study plan Tricks for memorizing formulas Tricks to help you understand how the PMP ® questions are written Tricks for shortening your study time Tricks for taking the exam Tricks for finding holes in your project management knowledge Reasons people fail the exam and how to make sure you do not do the same Exercises to help you understand, memorize and conceptualize the information you need to know Understanding PMI ® -isms Detailed coverage of: The process of project management The framework of project management Integration management Scope management Time management Cost management Quality management Human resources management Communications management Risk management Procurement management Professional responsibilities Develop a personalised Study Plan Course Materials You will receive the following exceptional training products which were developed by Rita Mulcahy, p ublished by RMC Publications, Inc: ·          JumpStart ~ E-learning course (pre-course work up to four hours) ·          PMP ® Exam Prep Book ·          Hot Topics PMP® Exam Flashcards ·          PM FASTrack® PMP® Exam Simulation Software   Created with the assistance of a psychometrician (just like the actual exam) PM FASTrack ® is designed to simulate the actual exam in every detail. The program’s database of 1,500+ questions allows you to take exams by knowledge area, process group or keyword/concept.