What is ProjectOffice.net?
ProjectOffice.net is a web-based project management and collaboration solution built
with a cutting-edge Web 2.0 technology. Besides essential project management features,
it offers all-in-one functionality with more intuitive approach to organizing communication
and enhanced collaboration. With ProjectOffice.net you and your team can
create projects and tasks, assign tasks to project members and track
task progress through the
Gantt chart.
You can also track time and
issues and use
wikis to
boost collaboration and knowledge sharing. Additionally, you have basic reports
at your fingertips to make reporting easier.
Who can use ProjectOffice.net?
ProjectOffice.net does not require any special skills or previous knowledge and
training. Its simplicity offers a short learning curve so anyone can become a master
in using it within a few minutes.
How can ProjectOffice.net facilitate your everyday work?
To view and manage the daily activities in one place;
To reduce the number of e-mails exchanged between the
team members;
To increase the level of collaboration in the company or the team;
To improve knowledge sharing;
To decrease the level of hierarchy in the organization;
To reduce the possibility of data loss, misunderstandings and data inconsistency.
How common ProjectOffice.net workflow does look like?
A project manager creates a project.
The project manager invites a user (or a group of users) to join the project team.
He/She may also assign tasks to his/her team
members. On the dashboard, the project manager can view recent changes and
all related team activities on all projects that he/she manages and creates personal
to-do lists.
The Space manager is the owner of the
space. He/she can add as many active users as he/she paid for; view all projects;
create new projects (he/she shall be the Project Owner (Creator) and in this project
shall have a role of a project manager) and can be added in other Project Teams
with another role.
Team members receive notifications when they have been assigned to a task. They
report time invested in completing tasks.
All projects and tasks are visually presented through the
Gantt chart. A project manager can use the Gantt chart view to coordinate
team members' tasks. The project manager can check if specific team member's
tasks are overlapping or how is the team doing completing a specific task.
Project owner receives task updates from Team members. Also the project owner can review, approve or reject task updates.
By using the ProjectOffice.net issue tracking system,
a project manager or team member can create and assign issues to other team members and track the status of all issues until they are resolved.
A project manager can create a wiki
and encourage team members to start sharing knowledge and collaborate using the
wiki.
The project manager can view, export and print real-time project status through 9 predefined reports.
How does ProjectOffice.net work?
The information is stored in the ProjectOffice.net database that communicates with
the application servers. You can access ProjectOffice.net by using web browser.
The application is Ajax powered which means that the response time from the http
request sent to the web servers by the user is much shorter and enables a rich user
experience. The Ajax engine allows the user's interaction with the application
to happen asynchronously - independent of communication with the server.
How can I start using ProjectOffice.net?
ProjectOffice.net is an online hosted web-based project management application.
All you need is an internet connection; browser and an account in order to use it.
Every user must register and create an account in order to use ProjectOffice.net.
Do you offer In-house solution?
We do offer ProjectOffice.net as intranet solution. This means that you can install
ProjectOffice.net in-house on your network and infrastructure.
How can I use the RSS feeds in the application?
If you want to be informed about the recent changes notifications and recent changes
extended content (Wikis, Projects, Tasks, Resources...) without logging in the application,
you should subscribe to RSS feeds. The RSS icon
is in the upper right corner in the application and by clicking it you will be asked
with what application/RSS news aggregator/RSS reader you like to be subscribed to
the feed. The compatible applications/RSS news aggregator/RSS readers from which
you can choose are:
FreeReader
FeedDemon
Rss Bandit
Outlook 2007
How can I register for a trial?
To register for ProjectOffice.net FREE account you need to follow 3 simple steps:
1. Go to www.projectoffice.net
2. Click on Register Here for your FREE account!
3. Fill in the required fields and REGISTER
Your trial account will be unlimited and valid for 30 days.
How to login if I forget my password?
On the login page choose the
option, I forgot my password, than enter your user name (e-mail address),
and the password will be sent to you by e-mail. Now you will be able to login with
the new password.
What are the main modules of ProjectOffice.net?
1. Dashboard - This is the
heart of ProjectOffice.net. It provides a list of your projects and tasks, recent
changes from all spaces where you are a member, gives you the ability to create
a personal My To-Do list and displays a list of all your tasks for the
current day. The Calendar placed on the dashboard redirects you to the Calendar
module. The Quick Add option saves you time in adding new: projects, tasks,
issues and resources.
2. Projects&Tasks - Allows you to create projects, add tasks, assign tasks to team members and invite new users to your ProjectOffice.net space. Additionally it provides visualization of the projects and tasks through the Gantt chart and tracking the progress and the status of the task through the task progress and status bar. In this module you can also Import project from MS Excel or MS Project, create projects from predefined templates and save projects as templates. With Project portfolio view you can see all of your projects and tasks in single Gantt chart view.
3. Timesheet - Depending on your role, you can report time spent on tasks (Team members) or track and approve the task updates sent by the Team members (Project managers) in order to update task and project status. This enhances the effectiveness and team's performance quality.
4. Wikis - The concept of wiki enhances collaboration between you and your team members and enables you and your team members to share the knowledge gained during a project and task work.
5. Issues - The issue tracking system enables
both project managers and team members of a particular project to assign issues to team members and track the issues status until they are resolved.
6. Calendar - It helps you to organize your work month by month and displays all the relevant tasks on daily bases, as well as the timesheets overdue.
7. Reports - Here you can export and print seven basic reports: Project Information, Who Does What, Who Does What When, Late Tasks, Tasks in Progress, Issues report and Milestones.
8. Search - Helps you find specific keyword
by searching in specific spaces (your space, your team members' spaces or all
spaces you are member of) and modules (Dashboard, Projects&Tasks, Timesheet,
Wikis and Issues).
What is “My Space”?
The concept of space can be understood as a virtual office. You can view projects
where you are a team member or
project manager, track task progress through the Gantt
chart and task progress and status bar, track time on assigned tasks,
share the knowledge by using the wiki and track the status of the issues by the
issue tracking system and receive all the relevant information from different spaces
where you are a member on your dashboard - all with a single login.
In your space you are by default space manager.
In every space there can be multiple space managers but there must be minimum one
space manager. In other spaces where you are invited you can have all predefined
roles regarding how the space owner has assigned you. On a certain project the resources
roles in the project team can be different from those in the space. When you are
a project manager (project owner) on
a project - you can change resources role and set them with different role from
their role in the space. On the projects you create- you are project manager and
project owner by default. After saving of the created project you can assign another
resource as a project owner of the available project managers in the project team.
Consider the benefits of being a member of multiple spaces from the following picture.
How can I create a space?
When registering in the system you are asked to name your personal space. You can
administer only one space, but you can be a member of multiple spaces. You can be
a member of multiple spaces and, at the same time, administer multiple spaces if
your role is a space manager.
How can I change the space name?
You can change the space name in Settings>Space Settings.
How can I become member of multiple spaces?
You can be a member of multiple spaces if you are invited by the space owner.
How can I navigate between spaces?
On the right upper corner of the screen there is a drop-down box where you can select
the space where you want to view or edit information (depending on your permissions
in the selected space).
What formats can I export the data in?
ProjectOffice.net application can export the data to PDF and XLS formats.
Does ProjectOffice.net have Unicode support?
ProjectOffice.net has Unicode support and that means you can enter information in
any language you prefer.
Does ProjectOffice.net provide Cross referencing?
Yes, cross referencing is an additional feature of ProjectOffice.net available between the modules.
In the Projects&Tasks, Timesheet and in the Wikis module, the cross referencing column is present, with references to both tasks and projects. The icons in the cross reference column show whether cross reference is available for the specific task or project. If the icon is clicked, you are redirected to the page where this information is available. For example, if the icon indicates that there is wiki available for a certain task, you will be redirected to the Wikis page for that task and vice versa.
Also, if the icon points out that there is an issue created for specific task, you will be redirected to the Issues Module for that task and vice versa.
Can I customize the columns in the tables?
More actions drop down-menu is placed in all tables in
the application. By choosing
Manage columns option from
the drop-down menu, you can choose additional columns to be visible or not visible
and rearrange their order.
Resizing columns is available as well, by mouse roll over on the
Column
name field borders and drag left and right.
Moreover, you can sort the columns in ascending or descending order by clicking
the

in all columns and use the Excel 2007 type filter to choose which information will
be shown it the section.
These functionalities are presented in all tables in the application.
How is my data secured?
Your data is secured over secure channel communication over HTTPS. Hypertext Transfer
Protocol over Secure Socket Layer or HTTPS is a URI scheme used to indicate a secure
HTTP connection.
What will happen with my data when new version of ProjectOffice.net is released?
Your data is safe. You don't have to do anything. When the new version is available,
you simply log in and continue with your work.
How Ajax constraints affect ProjectOffice.net usage?
ProjectOffice.net is an Ajax - powered application which allows your interaction
with the application to happen asynchronously - independent of communication with
the server.
Using AJAX to asynchronously load bits of content into an existing page conflicts
with the way you are used to navigate. Clicking the Back or Forward button in a
browser might not have any effect, since the URL was unchanged (even if parts of
the page were changed). The browser is not certain to show the previous state of
the application on hitting Back/Forward buttons.
Thus, while using ProjectOffice.net you need to adapt to this change in browser
behavior.
What happens if the application is opened in multiple tabs/windows?
Using the application in multiple tabs or windows in a browser might cause a risk
of data lose.
The changes made in the first tab/window might not replicate in the second tab/window
and they would be lost.
It is highly recommended that you use the application in a single tab/window.
What is the recommended screen resolution?
The recommend resolution is 1280 x 1024 pixels, or at least 1024 x 768 pixels, in
order to gain the best view and avoid the problems of not being able to view some
popup windows and some elements.
How Adblock Plus Firefox add-on affects ProjectOffice.net usage?
Adblock plus Firefox add-on might create an error in loading some script elements,
for ex. calendars in the task section, Projects & Tasks Module. It is recommended
that this add-on be disabled for www.projectoffice.net. There is no need for a complete
un-installation; however, a restart of the browser is required after the change
in the Adblock Plus settings.
Which versions of Internet Browser are supported?
Internet Explorer versions 6 and higher or Firefox 2.0 and higher.
What is Seavus Project Viewer and how is it integrated with ProjectOffice.net?
Seavus Project Viewer
is a cost effective solution for the team members to open and view Microsoft®
Project (mpp) files without the need of MS® Project. Besides the established
ability for SPV users to view (read) and print project plans originally created
in Microsoft Project® , this functionality will now allow you to use Seavus
Project Viewer to view and print your projects created in ProjectOffice.net.
How to subscribe to the RSS feed using MS Outlook 2007?
While adding the RSS feed to MS Outlook 2007, when asked "Add this RSS Feed to Outlook?"
click on the Advanced button and a pop-window will request that you enter your ProjectOffice.net
login details. As soon as you enter your details the feed will be added to your
MS Outlook 2007.
Which settings are available in My Settings?
My settings provide:
General: General settings provide the option to customize time and date format,
time zone, application language, session duration as well as sending email notifications. Regarding sending email notifications, beside project manager, now the team member can also choose whether he wants to receive email notifications or not.
My profile: In My profile you can enter all relevant contact information such as: home and business details, contact options and option to add more e-mail addresses.
Change password: In the Change password section you can change your password. Additionally, we will suggest whether your password is strong enough.
My contacts: All contacts that you enter manually or that you import from e-mail clients are stored in the My contacts section.
Which settings are available in Space Settings?
General: In the general Space settings you can customize the settings for all the space where you are a space manager. Here, you can change the space name, space language and change the logo in the application header and choose the task update method.
Base Calendar: A Base Calendar is used as a template that the project calendar, resource calendars, or task calendars are based on. It defines the standard working and nonworking times for the space. It specifies the work hours for each work day, the work days for each week, and any exceptions, such as holidays. One can select a Base Calendar to use as the project calendar or as the basis for a resource calendar. The user can also apply a Base Calendar to specific tasks. There are 3 predefined calendars available or you have option to create new calendar.
Project Calendar: The Project Calendar is a calendar that will be used for particular time specific project/s. It can be based on already created and predefined Base calendars or a new calendar can be created if there is no existing that will meet the project working time needs.
Task Calendar: The Task Calendar is a calendar that will be used for particular time specific task/s. It can be based on already created and predefined Base calendars or a new calendar can be created if there is no existing that will meet the task working time needs.
Resource Calendar: The Resource Calendar is a calendar that will be used for particular resource. It can be based on already created and predefined Base calendars or a new calendar can be created if there is no existing that will meet the resource working time needs.
What is the difference between application language and space language?
The Application language represents the interface language of the application:
menus, messages and toolbars. The Space language is the language of the specific
space, the language in which the e-mail communication and recent changes
notifications are communicated.
How can I edit My profile?
Editing your information is possible in the My Settings section inside the application
(top right corner) where you can change your personal data.
Where can I import contacts from?
Importing contacts is available from: MS Outlook 2003/2007, Yahoo Mail, AOL, Gmail,
Hotmail and/or ProjectOffice.net Resource pool.
How can I create CSV file with my contacts and export it from Outlook?
To export a CSV file from Outlook:
1. Open Outlook 2003/2007
2. Select the File menu and choose Import and Export
3. A wizard will open, where you should select Export to a file and click
the Next button
4. Select Comma separated values (Windows) and click the Next
button
5. Select the Contacts folder you would like to export and click the Next
button
6. A filename shall be chosen and a place to save the file (for example, “Contacts.csv”
in My Documents) and the Next button clicked
7. Make sure that the checkbox next to Export� is checked and click the
Finish button
8. The Contacts will be exported and saved in the file that you specified before
How can I upload the exported file from Outlook to ProjectOffice.net?
To upload the exported file to ProjectOffice.net:
1. Go to
Settings in the application header and select the
My Settings>
My contacts
tab
2. Click the
Import contacts button
3. Select MS Outlook
4. Choose your exported CSV file and then click the
Upload Contacts button.
Which information from the Contacts in Outlook will be imported in ProjectOffice.net?
The following data will be imported from Outlook in projectOffice.net:
Full Name (First, Middle, Last)
Company
Job title
E-mail
Business phone
Home phone
Business fax (Fax)
Mobile phone
Business address
Home address
How can I change the password?
In order to change the password go to Settings>My Settings> Change password.
What information is viewed on the dashboard?
1. My projects - list of all projects of which you are a member.
2. My tasks - list of your tasks per project for the current day.
3. Project Status - shows bar charts of all project statuses � their %complete.
4. Recent changes - list of all recent changes in all modules that are of your interest.
5. Issues - list of all issues created by you with their status and the name of the responsible person.
6.My-To-Do list - you can create your personal to-do list, you can change your password or update your profile.
7. Calendar - by clicking any day in the calendar you can view list of your daily activities.
8. Late Tasks - list of tasks that were suppose to be finished in the past, but they are still not finished. You can see how many days the tasks are late.
9. License Details � shows your space name and available disc space.
10. Quick Add - shows shortcuts for quick new creating of Projects, Tasks, Issues and Resources.
Can I customize the Dashboard?
Yes, you can customize the Dashboard by dragging and dropping the boxes where you
want them to be and resize them to fit your needs.
What is Project Porfolio view?
Project Portfolio view enables you to see all tasks to which you are assigned in all projects in one single Gantt Chart so you can have an overview of all your projects activities for each day.
Can I enter Overtime hours?
Yes, there is a possibility to enter Overtime hours as well. In order to enable overtime hours, the project manager when creates the particular task, in the Task Information window should check the Has Overtime check box.
Where can I import resources from?
You can find the Import resources option in the Projects&Tasks > Resources. Importing contacts is available from: MS Outlook, Excel and CSV.
How can I invite new resources to my space?
By clicking the Resources button from the menu and then clicking the Add
new resource button. Here, the new resources will be added in the resource
pool.
What are the roles permissions?
1. The - Guest - can only view information about the projects and
tasks that he/she is assigned to, view wikis and issues. However he/she cannot edit
or add information.
2. The - Team member - inherits the Guest's permissions and
can additionally report time in the timesheet, create issues and edit issues assigned
to him/her, create and edit wiki pages.
3. The - Project manager - inherits the permissions of the Team
member but can also create and edit projects and tasks, create the project team
and assign resources to tasks.
The Project Owner is a project manager with additional permissions
to approve timesheets, time offs and expenses.
4. The - Space Manager - is the owner of the space; he/she “administers”
the space. One Space can have more than one Space Manager. Each Space Manager can
change the role of the other Space managers or even delete them. The space manager
has permissions to view every information in the space, add new resources, manage
the resources status, view all projects, create new projects and can be added in
other Project Teams with another role.
What are active and not active users?
Active is the status of all current users. These resources may
view the Space that they are working in and can collaborate.
Not active are users that are still viewable in the resource pool
but cannot view the Space where they have been working in. When they login to ProjectOffice.net
with their account, they will not be able to view the space where they have been
deactivated. If the Space manager activates
them again, they will continue working where they left off. All assignments and
information will be visible as they were before. The resource will have the same
role that he/she had at the time before he/she was deactivated, both in the space
and in all projects where he/she is a member.
How can I add more project managers?
ProjectOffice.net allows multiple project managers on a project. You can make a
team member into project manager very
simply by going to the Resources submenu, click on the resource's name you want
to make a project manager and change the resource role into project manager.
How can I create new project?
By clicking on the Create new project option in the Projects section,
the Project Information section appears.
You need to enter Project name and Project description, create
your project team, and determine project's start date. The project's
end date is calculated according to the last task's finish date. These are the
mandatory fields; all the others are optional and should be added if you need them.
How can I import project already created in Excel?
You are able to import projects previously created in Excel 2003/2007. After creating
your task list, entering task attributes and/or assignments in Excel, you will be
able to import that task list in ProjectOffice.net as a new project. The option
Import project from Excel is in the Projects sub menu from where
you can choose the Excel file you want to import.
After you upload the Excel file, you need to enter the project name and map the
columns in the Excel file with columns in ProjectOffice.net and Excel Resources
with ProjectOffice.net Resources.
Which information from the Excel files will be imported in ProjectOffice.net?
In general, you cannot import excel files that contain images, pivot tables, graphs
or not common data types. Your Excel file needs to be created in a way acceptable
for importing in ProjectOffice.net. You should adapt the Excel columns so they can
be easily mapped with the columns available in ProjectOffice.net, such as: Task
Name; Task ID; Start Date; End Date; Duration; ETC; % Completed; Predecessors and
Resources.
Which templates does ProjectOffice.net offer for creating new project?
For now, ProjectOffice.net offers 10 project templates: Business plan, Implementing
SCRUM, Weight Loss, General Sales plan, Employee Performance Evaluation, Marketing
Plan, New Product Launch, A house reconstruction plan, Annual financial statement
and New web site creation and launch. This option for creating new projects from
previously defined templates is available in the Projects sub menu.
What is Gantt Chart?
Gantt chart is bar chart that illustrates a project schedule. The Gantt chart illustrates
the start and finish dates of the tasks and the dependency relationships between
tasks. You can access the Gantt chart in two ways. The first way is by clicking
the Gantt chart View icon
(for particular project) from the column View in Projects section
(Projects&Tasks module). The second way is by clicking the
Gantt chart View in Tasks section (Projects&Tasks module).
How can I use the Gantt chart?
A Gantt chart is extremely useful tool for planning and scheduling your projects.
A Gantt chart is helpful when monitoring a project's progress. It provides easy
coordination of the task activities and simple and smooth planning and task tracking.
By clicking on the Gantt chart view in the Task Menu you can view
all tasks for a particular project visually presented.
On the left side of the section, the task sheet view with included all columns is
provided. There are some functionalities which you can't see on the first sight
but are available in the Gantt chart view. The following tip-offs are on hand:
Right click on the header of the tasks sheet and the Insert, Hide, Edit and Sort
columns option appears. Arrange your view as you wish to show.
By clicking on the View full screen link button in the right upper corner
of this section, you can view the Gantt chart of all tasks in a particular project
in a full size. Click the Back link button in the right upper corner of
this section to return to the previous screen.
You can get a preview of actual task bar in the Gantt chart by clicking on the specific
task name. The Gantt chart takes you to the task bar which has been selected.
To keep in track with your assigned resources, next to the specific task bar there
is information about all people who work on that particular task.
You can get more information about your task directly in the Gantt chart. Click
on the specific task bar in the Gantt chart and information about: Task name; Start
and End date, task duration and % completed are accessible for that specific task.
Wish to resize the Gantt chart? We provide an option for left pane resizing.
How does Task's status and Progress bar works?
The task's progress bar shows the task's status and the % completed. If
the task is late it is colored Red,
if the task is on time it is colored
Green and if the task might become critical in near future, it is colored
Orange. If the user rolls over
the status bar, more detailed information about the task's status are shown
How can I create subtasks?
After you create the task, in the task sheet view you need to select the task and
then to indent the task to the desired level. This change will also affect the Gantt
chart where you can see all the changes that you have made.
How is “Work” calculated in Tasks?
The field named Work in Task Information view is calculated using
this equitation:
Work= Duration x Units
The task properties are defined as follows:
Work= Number of hours of planned work
Duration= Difference between the task start and end dates
Units= The percentage of a resource's time spent working on the task (Resource
Allocation Units- our resources are 100% allocated, but more than one resource may
be assigned to a task)
What is a milestone?
Milestone is a reference point marking a major event in a project and it is used
to monitor the project's progress. Any task with zero duration is automatically
displayed as milestone.
How can I add task predecessor?
You need task predecessors if you have dependent tasks that should be finished before
the specific task you currently work on. You may add task predecessors when you
click on the Predecessors tab in the Task Information view. Predecessors
are viewable in the Gantt chart and in the task sheet view.
What do I use timesheets for?
Timesheets are used by the team members for reporting the actual hours spent on a task or the %complete depending of the chosen task update method. The Timesheet menu offers the following options: Day View, Week View, Pending Updates, Update History and Resource view.
When the Day View or Week View is selected, daily or weekly overview of the tasks and the working hours spent on a specific task are presented. If you are team member, after filling out the work hours or %complete on the particular task, you need to save the changes and submit the timesheet to the project owner and wait for approval. With the color of the field you can easy determine the status of the updates (accepted, rejected, modified, pending or not yet submitted). You can add notes to specific task update by clicking the marked corner of the updated field.
In Pending Updates you can see the submitted updates that are not yet reviewed by the project owner.
Update History will show you list of all previous updates that were reviewed by the project owner along with their approved status. By clicking on each approved update, it will expand so you can see the update details and comments.
In Resource View by selecting the desired resource from the drop-down list of resources you can view the Timesheets for the chosen resource.
How can I update my task progress?
You can update your task progress by selecting Day View or Week View in Timesheet. Here you can report the actual working hours you spent on the task or the %complete depending of the chosen task update method.
After entering your task updates, they should be saved and submitted to your project managers for reviewing and approving them. Until they are not reviewed, their status will be Pending. When processed by the project manager, depending of the action, the update status will change in Accepted, Rejected or Modified. Later, in the Task Information section you can view your estimated time to completion (ETC) in the My ETC field and your % completed in the My % completed field.
What do I use approvals for?
The Approvals button in Timesheet tab is available only for the project owners. In the Approvals option you as a project owner can find all submitted task updates by your team members. By clicking on each update, it will expand so you can see the update details. You can accept, reject, modify the received update and you can add comments to it.
In the Approvals history you can view all of your previously submitted approvals, their status and update details by clicking on each of them.
