F A Q

ValleySpeak Project Server - Frequently Asked Questions

Frequenty Asked Questions

Welcome to ValleySpeak Help and Support section. ValleySpeak endeavors to provide support to its customers in every possible way.

General Questions

What is ValleySpeak Project Server and how is it used?

ValleySpeak Project Server is a companion program that works with Microsoft Project client. ValleySpeak Project Server enables online collaboration between project managers, team members, Executives and other stakeholders. ValleySpeak Project Server also enables your company to share standards across projects, view resource availability and other resource information across projects, and manage and report on portfolios of projects.
ValleySpeak Project Server enables secure Web Access for your Microsoft Project files, such that your Team Members can view and submit updates to your Project information in real-time. By allowing the Project Mangers to work us usual in Microsoft Project, ValleySpeak Project Server offers an effective solution for team collaboration. ValleySpeak Project Server fosters efficient communication between team members, project managers, executives and stakeholders.

How does Project Server enable team collaboration?

As a Project Manager, you simply continue to do your scheduling and tracking work within Microsoft Project. Once you are ready to publish your Microsoft Project updates to your team members, you simply click on the ValleySpeak Publish button in Microsoft project to send your updates to ValleySpeak Project Server. Once your updates are published to the server, your team members can view the latest information about the project, using any standard Project Web Access.
Your team members do not need to have Microsoft Project installed on their computers, and can simply use a Web browser to securely access your Microsoft Project plan. They can view the project information stored in ValleySpeak Project Server, such as their task assignments and they can submit progress updates for your approval. Once you approve their updates to your plan, the updates are merged back into your Microsoft Project files.
The Project Manager controls which Team Members can access and submit updates to their project using explicit security settings.

What are the required components for using Project Server?

ValleySpeak Project Server is a secure web based portal that does not require any server software to be installed by the organization using it.
For Project Managers, the only required components for using ValleySpeak Project Server is an installation copy of Microsoft Project and Internet Explorer web browser. Project Managers need to do a brief one-time setup of their environment. Movie based help is available on ValleySpeak web site that shows how this setup can be done.
For Team Members, only an Internet connection is required and ValleySpeak Project Server can be accessed securely using any standard web browser working on any major operating system.
Optionally, Project Managers and Team Members can opt-in to receive email alerts and use any standard email client such as Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Outlook Express, Evolution or web based email services such as Yahoo Mail, Gmail, Hotmail etc.

How is information displayed in Project Web Access?

ValleySpeak Project Server organizes information into different tabs, such as the Dashboard tab, Projects Tab, Tasks Tab, Issue Tab, Calendar Tab etc. On each tab, relevant information is displayed related to the portfolio of projects available to a Project Manager or Team Members.
The Project Manager defines which team members and executives can view & submit updates to his or her project. Below is a summary of the functionality found in each tab

• Dashboard Tab - This tab is your quick view into your projects, tasks, calendar, risks, documents, forums & issues. After you log on, the Dashboard tab lists outstanding tasks, status reports, and other important project information that is relevant to you.
• Projects Tab - This tab displays the list of projects in your portfolio of projects. This list can be used to drill-down into granular details about each task in the project.
• Resources Tab - This tab is used to select the list of resources that a Project Manager would like to utilize on his/her project and to grant access to the project. Using this tab, Project Managers can build
  a team from the enterprise resources available in the server.
• Tasks Tab - This tab displays the tasks assigned to the Project Manager or Team Member on each project. Individuals can quickly get to only the tasks relevant to them using this tab and view the change
  history of tasks.
• Calendar Tab - This tab displays calendar information, such as meetings, for a specific project or for projects across the organization.
• Timesheet Tab - This tab can be used to record and submit detailed timesheet information related to project tasks.
• Issues Tab - This tab is used to record the problems related to each project and the associated resolutions.
• Risks Tab - This tab is to record risks related to each project and the status of those risks.
• Forums Tab - This tab can be used to discuss and converse with other individuals in a threaded forum setting.
• Documents Tab - This tab displays documents related to each project which are stored in a version controlled manner with security settings and history.
• Reports Tab - This tab can be used to generate PDF status reports related to various aspects of the project.
• Preferences Tab - This tab can be used to configure user level preferences such as email opt-in.
• Admin Tab - This tab is available to the administrator for managing users and viewing licensing information.

How can I track project progress using Project Server?

Once the ValleySpeak Project Server administrator has set-up the Project Managers and Team Members user accounts, the exchange of Project information and keeping track of task progress becomes an easy, collaborative process.
Using Microsoft Project, Project Manager can communicate task assignments to their team members. When a Project Manager publishes task assignments to Project Server, team members can use the Tasks tab to view those assignments. Team Members can additionally submit progress updates as they complete work on their assigned tasks.
When Team Members submit updates about their task information back to the Project Managers, the Project Managers can approve or dis-approve the changes. Only Task updates that are approved by Project Managers are merged back into the Microsoft Project files of the Project Manager.
After incorporating changes into your project, Project Managers can verify their effect on the project and make the necessary adjustments. Once Project Managers publish the current project schedule to ValleySpeak Project Server, the team members can view it in secure web portal of ValleySpeak Project Server (depending on Team Member permissions)

What enterprise features does Project Server enable?

While still having access to all of the features of Microsoft Project when using in conjunction with ValleySpeak Project Server, you can additionally do the following:
Work Offline - You can continue to work on your Microsoft Project files locally on your desktop, and when you choose to publish your Project to ValleySpeak Project Server, the data in your Microsoft
Project file is saved to ValleySpeak Project Server.
Build Project Teams - Project managers can see information about all resources and use the “Build Team” feature to allocate resources to projects that meet their project’s requirements.
View a Portfolio of Projects - Since your project data is stored in ValleySpeak Project Server, other Project Managers, Team Members and Executives with appropriate permissions can view the portfolio of projects from across the organization using a secure web portal.

How can I manage documents or track issues and risks with Project Server?

Using ValleySpeak Project Server, tracking project-related documents, issues and risks is simple and intuitive. ValleySpeak Project Server comes pre-configured with the capability to track documents, risks, and issues and does not require installation (unlike some competing products).
Managing Documents - Project Documents can provide important audit trails & helpful information about the project. Documents in ValleySpeak Project Server are version controlled and security controlled. The history of the document is maintained in ValleySpeak Project Server along with the numerous versions.
Tracking Issues - Issue tracking is a fundamental part of project management and it allows communication of problems and related actions with team members and other stakeholders. In ValleySpeak Project Server, Issues can be associated with project and tasks within the project so
as to keep track of their status. Issues are also bubbled up to the dashboard and are clearly marked by colors & icons. Depending on actions taken to resolve issues, issues appear in different statues. Project
Managers and Team Members can set up ‘opt-in’ email alerts for themselves in order to be notified of issues statues.
Tracking Risks - Proper Risk tracking on a project enhances the chances project success. ValleySpeak Project Server helps identifying and planning for potential problems, and enabling the monitoring of project risks. Risks can be associated with projects and tasks. Risks are also bubbled up to the dashboard and are clearly marked by colors & icons.
Users specify the probability and impact of each risk, and using this information ValleySpeak Project Server calculates the exposure. Detailed notes and comments about every risk can be tracked with their history in ValleySpeak Project Server in an auditable fashion.

Does Project Server work with Outlook?

Yes, ValleySpeak Project Server has built in email integration will works with most email clients including Microsoft Outlook.

Do I need to install ValleySpeak Project Server?

With our On-Demand model, customers do not need to ValleySpeak Project Server and can start using the server within minutes of singing up for use.

Do I need to have any technical knowledge to use ValleySpeak Project Server?

No technical knowledge is required to use ValleySpeak Project Server. The ValleySpeak Project Server setup makes it super simple for Project Managers to publish their projects to the server. Team Members do not need to install anything to be able to collaborate using ValleySpeak Project Server.

How can I make ValleySpeak Project Server secure?

ValleySpeak Project Server has built-in security and administrators do not need to take any additional steps to make the system secure. The server can only be accessed by Project Managers as well as Team Members over a secure HTTPS connection.

How do I upgrade ValleySpeak Project Server?

You do not need to do any actions to upgrade the server. ValleySpeak manages the server and takes care of maintenance including upgrading the server.

What should I do to receive email alerts?

All you need to do in order to receive email alerts is to ensure that a valid email id for a user and a valid domain name has been set in the user’s profile.

Can I try out ValleySpeak Project Server without having to sign up for a trial?

We are soon going to release an online demo which you can try without even having to sign up for a beta trial of our product. We will post the URL on our web site once the demo is ready.  You will then be able to experience the functionality of the ValleySpeak Project Server version 3.0 product in a matter of minutes.

What is new in the 3.0 Version?

The most important new feature in version 3.0 are: Support for Microsoft Project 2007, Support for offline editing of Microsoft Project 2007 files and availability of server in the on-demand SaaS model.

Project Managers

A Project Manager who owned the project has left the company and there is a new Project Manager who needs to be the owner. What do I do?

Your ValleySpeak project server Administrator can change the ownership of any project. Please contact your ValleySpeak Project Server Administrator to make the requisite changes.

What if I accidently closed my web browser or logged out of ValleySpeak Project Server while I was editing a project in Microsoft Project?

Your Microsoft Project connection remains even if you accidently log out or close the web browser. Changes that you make in Microsoft Project will not get lost even after logout and you can choose to publish your Microsoft Project file at any time of your liking.

How do I import my existing Microsoft Project files into ValleySpeak Project Server?

Project Managers and the Administrator can import an existing project from Microsoft Project. Before importing a project, please ensure that your environment setup is done (please see the setup video in the training videos section). To learn more about importing a project click here.

Why do some tasks not show up in the task dropdown of timesheet application?

The task dropdown shows only the tasks that are assigned to you. The task will not show up in the dropdown if its percentage completion is 100% or the status of the project to which it belongs, is not Active.

Can I manage multiple projects using ValleySpeak Project Server?

Absolutely. This is one of the most used feature of our product to centralize your organization’s projects in one place where your team members can view and submit updates to your projects.

My Team Members are in geographically dispersed offices, can they access my Project plans using VPS?

Yes, ValleySpeak Project Server is accessible securely via HTTPS over the internet so multiple geographically dispersed teams and project managers can access each other’s project plans conveniently.

Does ValleySpeak control my Microsoft Project files data?

No, your Microsoft Project files remain on your desktop and you keep them under your direct control at all times. With On-Demand ValleySpeak Project Server, your Microsoft Project files reside on your desktop and you have full control over your data at all times. Unlike other SaaS solutions, you don’t have to worry about your precious project files going out of your direct control.

Can I archive Projects in ValleySpeak Project Server?

As a project manager, if you would like to Archive a project for any reason (such as compliance purposes), then all you need to do is to place the project in ARCHIVED status. The project statuses help you manage the status of your projects much more efficiently.

I am not yet ready to publish my project to the team, can I keep my project private while I am drafting it?

If you are not ready to have your team view and submit updates to your projects in ValleySpeak Project Server just yet, then you can place the project in DRAFT status. Once you are ready to give others visibility into your project, you can change the status of your project from DRAFT to ACTIVE.

How do I import my existing Microsoft Project files into ValleySpeak Project Server?

You can import your existing Microsoft Project files into ValleySpeak Project Server. We have posted a video on our web site at www.valleyspeak.com which walks you through the steps of importing your MPP files into ValleySpeak Project Server. Once you are done with importing your files, you can continue to work with them as always and not have the added functionality of being able to Publish newer iterations of your files to the server.

Can the server time zone be changed?

Yes. ValleySpeak can change the time zone settings of the server for you upon request.

Can I use Vista Operating System?

Yes, Vista is a supported operating system for project managers.

Can multiple Project Managers use the same ValleySpeak Project Server

Yes. In fact this is the intended use of the server whereby multiple project managers in an organization can use the same ValleySpeak Project Server and can publish their portfolio of projects to the same server.

Can more than one project manager own a project at a time in ValleySpeak Project Server

No. Only one project manager may own a project at any one point in time.

Can a Project Manager  view  projects that are owned by other project managers?

Yes. If the second project manager gives access to the first project manager (by including the second project manager in the “Build Team” interface then the second project manager can view the project also.

Is there any way to edit the project file offline and then upload changes with the server when back online?

Yes. You can edit and make changes to your Microsoft Project file anywhere (such as an aeroplane) and then publish the project when you back on the internet.

I am still in the process of drafting the project and I don’t want email alerts sent out every time I publish the project, what should i do?

If you are still drafting the project then please change the status of the project to “draft”. In the “draft” status, the project is not visible to others and email alerts are also not sent out.

Senior Management

I manage a team of Project Managers, how can I see the entire portfolio of projects for my project managers?

As an executive, you can be.

Do I get a dashboard that shows me each of my PMs and can drill down into their projects if required?

Yes. ValleySpeak Project Server provides drill down capabilities for Executives right down to the individual task level.

Licensing

How is licensing charged?

Licensing is charged only for users in ACTIVE status. You do not get charged for inactive users. Only active users count against the license fee. The minimum license sold is for 10 users. A 25 user license means that excluding the Admin you can have 25 “Active” users in the system. An Active user can be a Project Manager or a Team Member. Inactive users are not counted in the license.

Are there any restrictions and differences between demo and licensed version?

No. The demo version is a fully functional version of the product and does NOT come with any reduced functionality as compared to the licensed version.

I am using the evaluation version, what happens to my data when I purchase a license?

Your Microsoft Project files remain in your possession and control at all times and purchasing a license entitles you to continue using the product with the same set of functionality as was available in the trial.

I am using the evaluation version, what happens to my data when decide NOT to purchase a license?

Your Microsoft Project files remain in your possession and control at all times. If you decide not to continue with our product at any time, then you can retain possession of your Microsoft Project files.

Team Members

What do I need to be able to access Microsoft Project plans published by my Project Manager?

Project Team Members ONLY need a web browser to establish a secure HTTPS session and be able to view and submit updates to the projects published by their project managers. No other software or setup is needed by team members to use  ValleySpeak Project Server.

Why do some tasks not show up in the task dropdown of timesheet application?

The task dropdown shows only the tasks that are assigned to you. The task will not show up in the dropdown if its percentage completion is 100% or the status of the project to which it belongs, is not Active.

Can I use Vista / Ubuntu / Fedora / Cent OS?

Yes. You can use any of these Operating Systems running any standard web browser to access ValleySpeak Project Server.

Can I be a team members on multiple projects using ValleySpeak Project Server?

Yes. At the discretion of the project managers in your organization, you can be included as a team member on multiple projects.