As part of one of the projects, I fully configured and adapted the corporate project management information system based on Microsoft Project Server, ensuring its readiness for use by the entire project team.
The project covered the full cycle of work — from the technical analysis of requirements to supporting managers in publishing projects on the server. Thanks to a comprehensive approach, the company was able to improve the quality of planning, enhance control over the project portfolio, and create a unified information environment.
Configuration of corporate views and project portfolio structure
The first stage of the work involved creating a system of views that visually represent the project portfolio in MS Project Web Access. To achieve this, the following were configured:
- portfolio views,
- individual project views.
These tools enabled managers to quickly track project status, key parameters, and task progress. Thanks to properly configured view structures, the company received a unified data center where each participant could quickly access up‑to‑date information.
Development of a corporate project view template
One of the key results was the development of a corporate project view template for different types of initiatives. The template included:
- a set of mandatory attributes,
- corporate fields and calculations,
- tools for controlling timelines and budgets.
This made it possible to unify the planning process across the organization, reducing variability and errors that previously arose from using different plan formats. All new projects began to be created strictly according to the corporate standard, which significantly simplified their comparison and evaluation.
Implementation of corporate fields and calculated indicators
To improve the quality of analysis and decision-making, corporate fields were developed and configured to calculate financial metrics. The system gained the ability to automatically compute:
- cost forecasts,
- budget variance,
- financial indicators of projects,
- efficiency parameters and risk indicators.
Additionally, graphical indicators were configured, allowing the project status to be assessed visually and quickly. These indicators appeared in all key views and significantly accelerated data analysis for management.
Development of corporate resource calendars
The company worked with various groups of resources, contractors, and internal specialists, each with their own schedules. To enable realistic planning, I developed corporate calendars that accounted for:
- different work schedules for employees,
- contractor and external provider schedules,
- specifics of shift work,
- requirements for tracking non-working days in different departments.
These calendar settings became critically important for the correct calculation of timelines, resource loading, and project execution forecasts.
Support for project managers when publishing projects
After system configuration, a support process was organized to assist project managers in publishing their projects on the server. As part of this work, I:
- helped properly prepare and upload project files,
- monitored compliance with corporate requirements,
- consulted managers on filling in corporate fields and applying templates.
This allowed teams to quickly adapt to the new rules and ensured high data quality in the system from the very first days of use.
Project outcomes and results
The implementation of the corporate project management information system based on MS Project Server brought several significant improvements to the company:
- transparency of the project portfolio thanks to standardized views;
- increased accuracy of financial calculations due to corporate fields and automatic computations;
- improved planning quality thanks to accurate corporate calendars;
- process unification through the introduction of a corporate project template;
- accelerated decision-making supported by visual indicators;
- increased project management maturity through training and support for managers.
The system became a full-fledged foundation for all project participants, providing a unified standard for management and analysis.
