PM Central Portfolio – Portfolio Summary tab

PM Central Portfolio – Portfolio Summary tab

Overview of the PM Central Hierarchy Overview of the Portfolio Site

NOTE: The Web Parts shown on the Department Summary page of department sites are the same as those on the Portfolio Summary page. The content displayed in the Web Parts will be determined by the department site’s filter configuration.

The Portfolio Summary tab and associated pages were added in PM Central 4.3.
Portfolio Summary Page

Name / Web Part Description
1. SharePoint Navigators Provides a link to the Lessons Learned page
2. Portfolio Summary

Bamboo Chart Plus Web Part

A visual representation of the number and percentage of projects created in the Portfolio by Project Status (Active, Pending, Cancelled and Completed).
3. SharePoint Navigators

The Portfolio Summary tab displays the Task Summary and Milestone Summary charts associated with Active Projects by default. Users can view summaries for Pending Project, Completed Projects, Cancelled Projects and All Project views by clicking the respective icons.

  • The My Projects displays offer similar views, but only for projects where the logged-in user has been assigned as the project manager
4. Task and Milestone Summary Charts

Bamboo Chart Plus Web Part

The Task Summary and Milestone summary charts identify the number and percentages of tasks by status, and milestones by status, based on the status of the project.

  • Both Chart Plus Web Parts use the Summary List (found on the Portfolio site) as the data source. The Summary list is updated by the Bamboo Update Summary List timer job.
5. Lessons Learned

Bamboo Data-Viewer Web Part

A rolled up display of lessons learned captured by the project team as part of project close-out or phase end.
Lessons Learned data view display

Overview of the PM Central Hierarchy Overview of the Portfolio Site

PM Central Portfolio Site – Lists and Libraries

PM Central Portfolio Site – Lists and Libraries

Overview of the Portfolio Site Overview of PM Central General Settings

Icon-WarningIMPORTANT: DO NOT delete any of the default lists and Libraries. Changes to the default lists should be made with caution due dependencies in the application. Please refer to the Customization Guide before making any changes

Libraries
PMCentral Pages The PMCentralPages library stores all PM Central Web Part pages for the site. The pages in this library should not be deleted or renamed as that will impact navigation in the site
Pics A picture library that stores the default site images and logos
PM Central Skins By default, there will be no items found in this document library. Items will only be added to the library if the template skin is changed
Lists
Alert Plus Configuration List Alert Plus Configuration List – Holds alert configurations for the Alert Plus service. It is recommended that edits or new alerts be created from the Alert Plus Web Part
Bamboo List Rollup Configuration list
Bamboo Project Dashboard Data Mapping Maps the Project Health data to the associated fields in the Project Dashboard list for the Gantt View of Active Projects. The contents of this list must be manually refreshed.
Change Requests This list is referenced by List Rollup Schema to rollup items entered in Change Request lists on project sites. This list will not contain content at the portfolio site
Configuration Checklist This list is pre-populated on site creation and provides instructions for final configuration steps. The Warning Web Part pulls its configuration status from this list.
Department Site The Department Site list is used to store information related to the URL, the Department Manager and the Site ID. Items are added to this list automatically when a Department Site is created using the provided Site Creation Plus tool
Enterprise Resource Pool The Enterprise Resource Pool List is used by project managers for resource management and allocation.
FAQs Used to store any desired FAQ content for the Help page. Comes with sample content. Should be updated with real content prior to deployment.
Favorites The Favorites list stores favorite links added from the PMC Favorites section of the Page ribbon.
Gantt Chart Information This list is used for the system to store the task’s information (Title, Start Date, Due Date, Assigned To…etc.) to display data in the Resource Assignments report. Do not delete or modify any of the columns in this list.
Issues This list is referenced by List Rollup Schema to rollup items entered in Issues lists on project sites. This list will not contain content at the portfolio site
Lessons Learned This list is referenced by List Rollup Schema to rollup items entered in Issues lists on project sites. This list will not contain content at the portfolio site
Modified Pages This list is used to track and save all the changes to the pages at the top site by the applications or by the users to prepare for future upgrades.
Monthly Resource Actual Cost Allocation Summary This list is used to store the monthly resource actual cost allocation for the resources of all the projects.
Monthly Resource Cost Allocation Summary This list is used to store the monthly resource cost allocation for the resources of all the projects
Monthly Resource Work Allocation Summary This list is used to store the monthly resource work allocation for the resources of all the projects.
Portfolio Dashboard list The Portfolio Dashboard List comes with the Bamboo Project Portfolio Dashboard Web Part. It stores data about all of the projects, including project status, start and due dates, project health and more, and populated by the Update Dashboard list timer job.
Project Creation Request The Project Creation Request list is used to submit a request for a new project site for approval.
Project Creation Workflow Configuration This list defines settings for project creation workflows used with Workflow Conductor (sold separately)
Project Health The Project Health List stores key information about the project including Project Manager, Start Date, Due Date, % Complete and key performance indicators. This list is referenced by List Rollup Schema to rollup Project Health information from the project sites. This list will not contain content at the portfolio site
Report Information This list is used for the system to store histories of the reporting requests submitted for background processing. Do not delete or modify any of the columns in this list.
Report Settings This list stores options for PM Central reports.
Risks This list is referenced by List Rollup Schema to rollup items entered in Risks lists on project sites. This list will not contain content at the portfolio site
Summary list The Summary List is a list that PM Central uses to update the counts of tasks, issues and milestones from all projects. This list is used to display tasks, issues and milestone charts from all projects. The list is updated by the Bamboo Update Summary List timer job
Tasks This list is referenced by List Rollup Schema to rollup items entered in Tasks lists on project sites. This list will not contain content at the Portfolio Site
Timesheet Links The Timesheet Links liststores the Time Tracking and Management site URL, if Time Tracking and Management is integrated with PM Central.
Top Site Navigators The Top Site Navigators List is used to create the tabs. It contains columns such as Menu Title, Description, URL, Parent Menu and Sort Order. This list is pre-populated with data.

PM Central Portfolio Site

PM Central Portfolio Site

Overview of PM Central Hierarchy

The Portfolio Site is the top site in the PM Central hierarchy and provides a place where information regarding the health of projects managed within the portfolio can be quickly relayed to executives and stakeholders through dashboards that report on tasks, issues, risks and schedules, and data views and charts that are easily accessed using site’s navigation links.

The 8 default navigation tabs for the Portfolio site

Name / Web Part Description
1. Top Site Navigators

SharePoint Navigators

The eight default items in the Top Site Navigator view of the Top Site Navigators list make up the Portfolio sites top level navigation.

The tabs take users to different aspx pages that contain Web Parts that are used to display specific content relevant to the Portfolio site.

2. Central Actions Menu

Central Actions drop down menuThe Central Actions menu provides quick access to areas where common activities are performed on the site, including Adding a New Site and the PM Central Control Panel.

Keep In Mind:
1. Use the bulls eye icon Bullseye iconto access Central Actions in 2013
2. Users must have Design permissions or higher on the site to see the PM Central Control Panel in the Central Actions menu
3. Users must have Full Control to see the Add New Project link in the Central Actions menu.

3. Site Actions Menu

Site Actions drop down menuThe SharePoint Site Actions menu provides shortcuts to commands commonly used when working with SharePoint sites. The command options you see depend on your permissions on the site.

Notes:
1. New Sites should be created using the PM Central Site Creation Plus tool NOT from SharePoint’s New Site page
2. A list of Site Contents is available here

Overview of PM Central Hierarchy

Portfolio Control Panel – Resource Center

Portfolio Control Panel – Resource Center

Overview of Portfolio PMC Control Panel

The Resource Management link in the portfolio’s PM Central Control Panel, provides access to the Resource Center which consists of 4 separate subsections.

The Resource Center in PMC

Function
1.

The contents of the portfolio’s Enterprise Resource Pool (ERP) list are displayed on the landing page of the portfolio Resource Center.

When working with the ERP keep in mind:

To add users to the ERP:

  1. Manually add user information into the list list by selecting the Add New Item link found on the page and completing the associated form.

    OR

  2. Import users with the User Profile Import utility (see #4)

2.

Under the Resource Assignments tab you will find a Gantt display of all tasks for all projects sorted by resource.

  • For information on using the web part click here.

  • For information on changing the number of items per page, click here.

3.

The Resource Allocation and Capacity Planning tab provides access to a number of reports detailing resource capacity, allocation by resource, project, resource availability and others.

  • Click here for a summary of the PM Central Resource reports available
  • For information on how to generate a resource report, click here

  • For information on configuring the PM Central resource reports, click here

4. User Profile Imports provides a tool to import resource information into the Enterprise Resource Pool from the SharePoint User Profile Database.

PM Central Portfolio – Project Central

PM Central Portfolio – Project Central

Overview of PM Central Hierarchy Overview of the Portfolio Site

Project Central is the default home page of the portfolio site.

Image of the Portfolio Home Page

Name /Web Part Description
1. PMC Message Configuration Web Part

PM Central Custom Web Part

The Warning message displayed in the custom PMC Message Configuration web part provides a reminder to complete the site’s Configuration Checklist. The warning text will remain on the page until all Mandatory items in the checklist have a Closed status. A Complete welcome message will be displayed when all Mandatory items are closed.

2. All Department Sites

PM Central Custom Web Part

The All Department Sites custom web part will only be displayed on the page after a department site has been created using the provided site creation tool.

  • By default, the display will include the URL to the department site and information about the Department Manager, as well as any notes relating to the department.

  • This information is kept in the Department list on the portfolio site

3. Create New… button

PM Central Custom Web Part

This button, which provides a quick link to the PM Central site creation tool, will only be visible to users who have the Create Sub-sites SharePoint permission. This permission is associated, by default, with the Full Control permission level.

Keep in mind:

  • The Create New.. button is only found on the Portfolio home page (default.aspx), but you can easily access the page to Add a New Project from the link found in the Central Actions menu
4. SharePoint Navigator

The Project Central tab defaults to the Active Project View under All Projects. Users can view Pending Project, Completed Projects, Cancelled Projects and All Project views by clicking their respective icons.

  • The My Projects links provide similar displays, but only for projects where the logged-in user has been assigned as the Project Manager
5. Project Summary

Bamboo Data Viewer Web Part

Project Name and Site Path links in the Project SummaryThe Project Summary displays high-level status information for each project, including % Complete, Project Start Date and Project End Date. This information, including the displayed KPI’s is maintained in the project site’s Project Health list.

Keep in mind:

  • Select the link under the Project Name header to view/edit project related data, or click the link under Site Path to access the project site.

  • The contents of the Project Summary display are security trimmed and the web part will show 25 items per page by default.

  • When Auto Update is selected in a Project Health list the Bamboo Update… Tasks Timer job will be responsible for updating the contents of the Project Start Date, Project End Date and % Complete field’s

  • Enabling filtering in the Data-Viewer web part will allow users to avoid the need to page to find project information.

6. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Project Health Key Performance IndicatorsThe Key Performance Indicators associated with the Project Health list provide insight into the health of projects.

  • Information about the KPI settings is available here.

Overview of PM Central Hierarchy Overview of the Portfolio Site

Portfolio Control Panel – General Settings

Portfolio Control Panel – General Settings

Overview of Portfolio PMC Control Panel

Like everything in PM Central the options presented under PM Central General Settings are security trimmed. The features available to users working with a standard PM Central portfolio will depend on whether they have Full Control or Design permissions on the portfolio site.

Image: PM Central General Settings in portfolio site Control Panel

NOTES:
1. The images in the Function column show the default configuration settings.
2. The Resource Center Settings link will not be available under PM Central General Settings if the portfolio was created using a Lite template.

Link Permissions Function
Lists Full Control / Design

Provides access to the list of all lists, libraries and sites on the site. For a summary of the default List and Libraries included in the portfolio site, click here.

NOTE: This page can also be accessed by selecting View All Site Content under Site Actions

Site Settings Full Control only Provides access to the standard SharePoint Site Settings page
Alerts Setup

Referenced in the portfolio’s Configuration Checklist

Full Control only The Alerts Setup link provide access to the Alert Plus Web Part where the predefined alerts can be enabled and/or modified, and new alerts created.
image of the default alerts in Alert Plus
Manage PM Central Features Full Control only There are several optional features that can be activated or deactivated from the Manage PM Central Features page of the portfolio site.
Change Skin Full Control only Five site skins are provided for the portfolio site to allow the look and feel of the site to be quickly changed.
Delete Site Full Control only Using the Delete Site link in the portfolio’s Control Panel will delete the portfolio site and all the portfolio’s sub sites (project sites).
Icon-Warning IMPORTANT: You cannot undo this action
Delete site screen
Resource Center Settings

Referenced in the portfolio’s Configuration Checklist

Full Control/ Design

Image of the Resource Settings Screen in the Portfolio Control Panel

1. Working Settings
Define the Working Days and Hours that will be used in PM Central. The settings here should be consistent with the settings specified when completing the project site’s Configuration Checklist

Icon-Warning IMPORTANT: If a project site in the portfolio was configured to use a greater number of working hours than those identified here at the portfolio site, the project’s working hours will be used to calculate the capacity of all resources assigned to tasks on that site. More information is available here

2. Holiday List Settings
Associate the Resource Center with a holiday list so your company’s designated holidays are not included in resource capacity calculations.

  • Enter in the URL to the site where the holiday list is located

  • Click the green arrow button to populate the drop down selector with the list found on the site.

  • Select the desired list and click Save

Icon-WarningImportant: The same holiday list will need to be referenced by other Web Parts in PM Central. Click here to find out more.

3. Report Settings
By default all resource reports are security trimmed so users with access to the Resource Center will only see resource information pertaining to projects they have permissions to access.
To allow all users with access to the Report Center to see reports generated by the System Account that will contain comprehensive information on all resource allocation across the portfolio, click the Report Settings check box.
The Report Settings feature was added in PM Central 4.3

Auto Update Settings

Referenced in the portfolio’s Configuration Checklist

Full Control only Administrators can set the default value of the Project Health list’s Auto Update field to Yes by checking the Auto Update box. This default setting will be applied to all new sites created in the portfolio.
Auto Update screen

Auto Update Settings were added in PMC. 4.3.

Overview of Portfolio PMC Control Panel

Portfolio Control Panel – Update Data

Portfolio Control Panel – Update Data

Overview of Portfolio PMC Control Panel

Screen shot of the Central Actions drop down menu.
The Update Data page lets users with Full Control permissions to the portfolio site initiate actions that will update specific PM Central data.

Option Updates
Bamboo Update Summary List

Clicking the Update Now button updates data from project sites’ Tasks, and Issues lists to the portfolio site’s Summary List which updates the sums and counts of the tasks issues, and milestones from all projects. The Summary List is the data source for the portfolio site’s Tasks, Issues, and Milestones charts, and is used by PM Central to determine what department sites a project may be associated with.

NOTES:
1. Only the local Summary List is updated by this action.
2. By default, the Bamboo Summary List Timer Job is scheduled by default to run every 59 minutes and will update all Summary Lists associated with portfolio sites found in the specified web application.

Bamboo Update Tasks, Issues, Risks and Project Health List

This process updates fields in the Tasks, Issues and Risks lists with project information found in the Project Health list.

The Project Name field, found in all three lists, will be updated, along with any other default project information fields (Project Department, Project Manager, Project Type, etc.) found in the list.

The process also updates the following fields in the Project Health list, if the Auto Update box is checked:

  • Project Start Date
  • Project End Date
  • % Complete

NOTES:
1. Only the projects in the local portfolio will be updated by this action.
2.The Bamboo Update Tasks, Issues, and Risks Timer Job is scheduled by default to run every 59 minutes and will update all projects found in the specified web application.

Bamboo Reporting Calculation

Initiates a process that will update items in the Report Info lists on each project site based on data calculated from the project site’s Task’s list. The process then queries the Report Info lists based on the report query item found in the portfolio site’s Report Information List. The query results are attached to the original request, and the Report Status is changed to Done, at which time the report is made available to the requesting user.

This option was added in PM Central 4.4

Icon-Warning IMPORTANT: Item limit thresholds may limit your ability to use this option. See your Sharepoint Administrator for additional information.

NOTES:
1. Only data in the local portfolio will be updated by this action.
2.The Bamboo Reporting V4 timer job is scheduled by default to run daily, starting at 11:45 PM and will update all PM Central sites in the specified web application.

Overview of Portfolio PMC Control Panel

Portfolio Control Panel – PM Central Help

Portfolio Control Panel – PM Central Help

Overview of Portfolio PMC Control Panel

.

Link Permission Function
Configuration Checklist Full Control / Design

The portfolio site’s Configuration Checklist provides instructions for completing the configuration of the Portfolio site. When there are Mandatory items in the list with an “Open” status, a warning message will be displayed on the Portfolio home page.
Open item in the Configuration check list

Icon-Warning IMPORTANT: While users with Full Control and Design permissions can see the configuration checklist, Full Control permissions are required to complete the associated steps.

Health Check

Referenced in the portfolio’s Configuration Checklist

Full Control / Design Use the Health Check to make sure that PM Central’s Web Parts, timer jobs and other components have been installed correctly.
PMC Health Check Web Part
Information on troubleshooting components that were not correctly installed is available here
Product Version

Full Control / Design Provides a list of all PM Central’s components and Web Parts, their assembly names, and their product version.
Project Version display

Overview of Portfolio PMC Control Panel

Portfolio Control Panel – Manage PMC Features

Portfolio Control Panel – Manage PMC Features

Overview of Portfolio PMC Control Panel Overview of PM Central General Settings

Manage PM Central Features, found under PM Central General Settings in the portfolio’s PM Central Control Panel, allows administrators to enable or disable optional site features with the click of a button.

Image of the manage features options available from the Portfolio control panel

Function
1. Bamboo PM Central My Favorites
This option is activated by default and allows users create favorite links to frequently accessed PM Central pages using the PMC Favorites section of the Page ribbon.
PMC Favorites in the ribbon
2. Enhanced Central Actions Menu
The Enhanced Central Actions menu is activated by default. Deactivating this option at the portfolio level will remove the Request Project Site items from the drop down menu.
Image of Central Action menu with the feature activated and deactivated
3.

Enable Resource Management and Reporting on the Portfolio site
A portfolio created using the PM Central Lite template can be upgraded to a standard PM Central site by clicking Enable. This will activate Resource Management and Reporting features on the site.

Icon-Warning IMPORTANT: You cannot undo this action

NOTE: If the portfolio site was created using a Standard template this option will be grayed out and the Status will be On.

4. Enable Resource Management and Reporting on all sites
Select this option to centrally activate the Resource Management and Reporting features on all sites in the portfolio created using a Lite template.

Icon-Warning IMPORTANT: You cannot undo this action

Overview of Portfolio PMC Control Panel Overview of PM Central General Settings

Completing the PM Central Portfolio Configuration Checklist

Completing the PM Central Portfolio Configuration Checklist

Getting started with PM Central Overview of Portfolio PMC Control Panel

The Configuration Checklist associated with the portfolio site provides administrators with instructions on how to prepare the site for use. A link to the Configuration Checklist will be available in the warning message displayed at the top of the Portfolio home page.

Image of the warming configuration message with link to the Configuration Checklist

When working with the Configuration Checklist keep in mind:

  • You will need Full Control permission on the Portfolio site to complete items in the checklist.

  • The Warning message on the Portfolio Home page will be displayed until all Mandatory items associated with the Configuration Checklist have a been closed.

Open item in the Configuration checklist

NOTE: The contents of the Portfolio Configuration Checklist changed in PMC 4.3

Action Description
Verify the successful installation of all PM Central components
  • Review the Health Check display, accessed from the PM Central Control Panel or from the item’s action link, to confirm PM Central Timer Jobs and Web Parts were successfully installed.

  • If a specific web part did not install successfully, run the setup.exe for the specific component found in the SA12 folder on the SharePoint server.

Review the Resource Center settings

Standard templates only

The working days, hours, and holidays defined in the Resource Center settings will be referenced by PM Central when generating Resource Allocation and Capacity reports.
By default, resource reports are created individually for each user with access to the PM Central Control Panel, and the report contents are security trimmed.

  • From the PM Central Control Panel, or this item’s action link, access Resource Center Settings and validate the work schedule.

  • Check the Report Settings box if you want to use the System Account to generate reports, making all resource allocation information available to users with access to the Resource Center.
    (Feature added in PM Central 4.3)

    Icon-WarningImportant:
    The working days, hours, and holidays identified here must be consistent with the settings used on the project sites. If using a holiday list it must be created with a SharePoint Calendar list, and the same list must be used throughout the PM Central Portfolio and associated sites.

Determine if projects should “Auto Update” by default

When the Project Health list’s Auto Update check box is checked, a regularly scheduled timer job will update the Project Start Date, Project End Date and % Complete fields, based on the contents of the project’s associated Tasks list.

If you want to enable Auto Update by default on newly created project sites complete the following step:

  • From the PM Central Control Panel on this site, or this item’s action link, access Auto Update Settings and set the value to Yes.

    (Feature added in PM Central 4.3)
Enable Alert Plus notifications

PM Central uses Alert Plus to send automated reminder notifications to users. Each of the 6 pre-defined alerts will send a notification to assigned users when specific criteria are met; a task or issue is due in 3 days, a task or issue is overdue, etc. By default, these alerts are configured to be sent daily as a summarized notification.

  • From the PM Central Control Panel, or this item’s action link, access Alert Plus web and change the status of the desired alerts from disabled to Enable.

  • Optional modifications to Event frequency, Mail format, etc. can also be applied.

NOTE: PM Central Lite Portfolio sites will have 5 pre-defined alerts.

Populate the Enterprise Resource Pool

Standard templates only

The Enterprise Resource Pool (ERP) is a centralized list of users who are available to work on projects created under the Portfolio site. User information can then be easily copied from the ERP into the Project Resource Pool on each project site.

  • Click the Resource Management link under Resource Center in the PM Central Control Panel, or this item’s action link, and populate the ERP using one of the two available methods:

    1. Click Add New and enter user information directly into the provided form.
    2. Go to the User Profile Import tab and use the provided tool to copy user information from the SharePoint User Profile Database.

    NOTE: This option requires specific SharePoint services to be available and the use of SharePoint Server or Enterprise.

Decide if resource reports will be complied on page load

Standard templates only

Resource reports on the Portfolio site are compiled, by default, every evening at 11:45 PM. Specific reports, however, provide a Run Now option in the configuration tool pane that when checked will generate the associated report on page load.

To change the default setting on a report you will need to complete the following steps:

  • Go to Resource Management in the PM Central Control panel for this site, or use this item’s action link, to access the resource reports under Resource Allocation and Capacity Planning.

  • Navigate to the appropriate report and edit the report web part

  • Check the Run Now check box

Icon-WarningImportant: Administrators should monitor pages using the Run Now option as request timeout errors can occur.

Run Now is a configuration option associated with the following reports:

  • All Allocations
  • By Resource
  • By Project
  • By Project Department
  • Allocation by Manager
  • Resource Availability
  • By Department
  • Risk Chart (accessed from the Risks tab)

    NOTE: By default, the Risk Chart is only available to users with Design permissions or higher on the Portfolio site. To make the chart available to all users, check Allow View Report in the Risk Chart configuration tool pane.

Expose the Budget Cost Status KPI in the Project Summary dashboard

Standard templates only

When Standard Rates are associated with user profiles in the Enterprise Resource Pool, and tasks are assigned to Project Team Resources, PM Central can calculate the human resource cost of the project. The calculated Project (Human) Cost can then be compared with the Budget (Estimated) Cost value entered in the Project Health list, and the budget health of the project displayed in the Budget Cost Status KPI.

The Budget Costs Status column is not displayed in the Project Summary dashboard by default. To display this column you will need to complete the following steps:

  • From the Portfolio home page (Project Central tab) edit the Project Summary web part
  • Click the Data-Viewer Web Part Settings button
  • Click Bamboo List Rollup on the left navigation pane
  • Click the Column Display Settings button and check the Budget Cost Status box
  • Click Save & Close and OK to exit the configuration tool pane

Note: The Budget Cost Status column was removed from the default display in PM Central 4.3

Site skins available in PM Central

Site skins available in PM Central

Configuring PM Central Using PM Central

A variety of skins are available to allow you to quickly and easily change the appearance of PM Central Sites. Users with Full Control permissions can change skins from the PM Central General Settings section of the PM Central Control Panel.

NOTES:
1. PM Central Custom, Team and Classic skins are available for all sites.
2. Skins with the Mega Menu feature are only available for the Portfolio and Department sites
3. Mega Menu skins were introduced in PM Central 4.2

Portfolio and Department Sites

PM Central Custom
This color scheme is associated with the Bamboo PM Central Top Site – Custom TemplatePreview of the Custom PM Central skin
PM Central Team
This color scheme is associated with the Bamboo PM Central Top Site TemplatePreview of the Default Team Site skin
PM Central Classic
Preview of the PM Central Classic skin
Custom with Mega Menu for Report & Resource Center
Preview of the Custom skin with Mega Menu feature
Classic with Mega Menu for Report & Resource Center
Preview of the Classic skin with Mega Menu feature

Project Sites

PM Central Custom
Preview of the Custom PM Central skin
PM Central Team
Preview of the Default Team Site skin
PM Central Classic
Preview of the PM Central Classic skin
Blue
Preview of the Blue skin
Sky Blue
Preview of the Sky Blue skin
Yellow Green
Preview of the Yellow Green skin

Overview of Portfolio PMC Control Panel Overview of PM Central General Settings

Configuring PM Central’s site creation tool

Configuring PM Central’s site creation tool

Site Creation Plus is configured to simplify the overall site creation process in PM Central. No additional configuration of the Web Part is required, however you may want to modify the configuration settings to use another default template, or to predefine the permissions that will be used on the site.

When working with Site Creation Plus keep in mind:

  • You can configure the web part to display PM Central templates that were customized for your organization.

  • Customized “Lite” PM Central templates will not be displayed in Site Creation Plus, due to a known limitation. Click here for information on creating sites from a customized Lite template.

  • The columns available for display in the Project Health section of the Site Creation Plus Web Part are hard coded. Custom columns created in the Project Health list will not be displayed in this Web Part.

  • When used in PM Central the Site Creation Plus Web Part has configuration options that are specific to the application, such as the inclusion of Project Health information.

The Site Creation Plus Configuration tool pane

Site Creation PLus configuration tool pnae
Function

A. Site Creation Plus is configured to use the text entered into the Title field as the site URL.


B. The Site Templates drop-down presents all the site templates available in the site collection


C. The Available template selector will only PM Central project or department templates. This will include any custom templates created for your organization.

Use the < or > arrows to add or removed templates from the Selected template box
Icon-Tip Consider removing the Bamboo Project Site – Custom with Sample Data from the selected templates. For more information about the template options click here.


D. Use the selector to remove any Project Health columns that are not used by your organization


E. If the site creator chooses to use Unique Permissions, three new user groups will be created. The naming convention can include either the Title or Description entered by the end user.


F. Administrators can remove the permissions section of the user display and predefine if sites will use inherited or unique permissions.Hide permissions radio buttons


G. By default, users will be taken to the new site on creation.

Configure Site Creation Plus to use a custom PM Central template

1. Use the Add New Project link under the Central Actions menu or the Create New Project… button on the portfolio home page to access the Site Creation Plus Web Part page

Links to create a new PMC site

NOTE: The page will need to be in edit mode for you to access the Web Part’s configuration tool pane.

2. Use the selector arrows to add the customized PM Central template(s) to the list of available templates and remove templates that should not be used. (C)

3. Arrange the available templates so the desired default PM Central project template is at the top of the list (C)

4. Optional: Determine which Project Health columns will be available from this web part (D.)

5. Optional: Predefine what permissions will be associated with the site on creation (F & E)

6. Click Save & Close and stop editing the page to see your changes.

Which PM Central site template should I use?

Which PM Central site template should I use?

Getting started with PM Central

PM Central includes several templates that provide different project management capabilities.

  • PMC Standard/Full Templates

  • PMC Lite Templates

  • PMC Stand-alone Templates

To an overview of the site templates is provided below. To see a feature comparison, click here.

PMC Standard/Full Templates
When to use:

Use the Full PM Central templates when you want to create sites that have all PM Central’s resource management, and reporting features activated by default.

  • Key information (project health, tasks, issues, risks, etc.) from project sites created under this top site will be automatically rolled up and displayed in the dashboards and summary views provided natively in the Portfolio site.

  • Full templates are available by default when PM Central is installed

Standard/Full templates available:

Portfolio Site

  • Bamboo PM Central Top Level Site – Custom Template

  • Bamboo PM Central Top Level Site

Icon-Warning IMPORTANT: There is no difference in the functionality offered by these templates. The only difference is the appearance of the site on creation. Click here for a preview.

NOTE: The look of any PM Central site can be modified after the site has been created by changing the site skin.

Department Site

  • Bamboo PM Central Department Level Site

Project Site

  • Bamboo PM Project Site – Custom Template

  • Bamboo PM Project Site

  • Bamboo PM Project Site – Custom Template – With sample data

  • Bamboo PM Project Site – With sample data

  • Bamboo PM Project Site – Discussion Board Plus Template
    The PM Central Discussion Board Plus template was added in PMC 4.3

NOTE:
1.A licensed copy of Discussion Board Plus (sold separately) is required to make the PM Central Discussion Board Plus Template available
2.Templates with sample data are provided to make testing PM Central easier. It is not recommended that these templates be used in production. For information on removing this template from the displayed options click here

To create a Standard/Full Portfolio site:
  1. Create a portfolio site using either the
    Bamboo PM Central Top Level Site – Custom Template or the Bamboo PM Central Top Level Site

  2. The following project and department sites can be used in association with a PM Central “Standard/Full” Portfolio:

  • Bamboo PM Central Department Level Site
  • Bamboo PM Central Department Level Site – Lite Template
  • Bamboo PM Project Site – Custom Template
  • Bamboo PM Project Site – Lite Template
PMC Lite Templates
When to use:

Use the provided Lite templates to create sites when your organization needs to manage multiple projects but does not need the resource management or reporting features provided with the Full templates.

  • Key information (project health, tasks, issues, risks, etc.) from project sites created under this top site will be automatically rolled up and displayed in the dashboards and summary views provided natively in the Portfolio site.

  • Lite templates are not available by default. The site collection feature for each Lite template must be activated to make the Lite template option(s) available.

NOTES:
1. Resource management and reporting capabilities can be enabled as needed
2.Custom sites created with the Lite template will not be available through the PM Central site creation tool. Information on creating and using Custom “Lite” templates is available here

Lite templates were added in PM Central 4.0

Lite templates available:

Portfolio Site

  • Bamboo PM Central Top Level Site – Lite Template

Department Site

  • Bamboo PM Central Department Level Site – Lite Template

Project Site

  • Bamboo PM Project Site – LiteTemplate
To create a Lite portfolio site:
  1. Create a portfolio site using the Bamboo PM Central Top Level Site – Lite Template.

NOTE: The Bamboo PM Central Top Level Site – Lite Template site collection feature must be activated to make this template available.

  1. The following project and department sites can be used in associated with a PM Central Lite Portfolio:
  • Bamboo PM Central Department Level Site – Lite Template
  • Bamboo Project Site – Lite Template
PMC Stand-alone Template
When to use: Stand-alone sites are intended to do just that: stand alone. These project sites are not connected to portfolio or department sites. Use this template when you want to create a project site allows you to monitor issues, risks, and tasks for a single project, but do not require a central dashboard for executives and managers to view the associated data.

Standalone templates were added in PM Central 4.0

Stand-alone templates available:

Project Site

  • Bamboo PM Central Project Site- Stand alone template
To create a Standalone PM Central site:
  1. Create a portfolio site using the Bamboo PM Central Project Site- Stand alone template

NOTES:
1.The Bamboo PM Central Project Site – Stand alone template site collection feature must be activated to make this template available.
2. Do not create a PM Central Stand-alone site within an existing portfolio site.

Poll

 

Poll.png Use the Poll web part to conduct custom user polls and gather valuable voting feedback from your sites. This product contains two components that allow for online question management, result exporting, and the display of poll results in a color chart or graph style.

 

Highlights Release Notes Complementary Products

 

Install

Permissions

License

Permissions

ServerAdmin ServerAdmin

Configure

Permissions

Work With

Permissions

SiteAdmin User-1
Click here if you would rather see a complete list
of all topics for this product.
Bamboo Shopping BagClick on the shopping bag or here to download a trial of the product or to purchase it.

PM Suite Releases

PM Suite Releases

NOTE: Release Notes will open in a new browser tab

WSSv3/MOSS SharePoint 2010 SharePoint 2013
Release Notes Release Notes Release Notes
Microsoft ended mainstream support for SharePoint 2007 in October 2012. See Microsoft’s Lifecycle Support Policy.
At that time, Bamboo stopped enhancements to our SharePoint 2007 product line, but continues to provide support and bug fixes to customers with active support contracts until October 2017. Previously purchased licenses will continue to function after October 2017, but support for these products will end, and no additional bug fixes will be provided beyond that time. Bamboo plans to cease selling new licenses and annual support contacts for its SharePoint 2007 products in October 2016 to ensure customers will be eligible to receive support for at least one year after purchase.
Microsoft plans to end mainstream support for SharePoint 2010 in October 2015. See Microsoft’s Lifecycle Support Policy. At that time, we will stop any enhancements for our SharePoint 2010 product line but will continue to provide support and bug fixes for our SharePoint 2010 products to customers with active support contracts until October 2020. Previously purchased licenses will continue to function after October 2020, but support for these products will end, and no additional bug fixes will be provided beyond that time. Bamboo plans to cease selling new licenses and annual support contacts for its SharePoint 2010 products in October 2019 to ensure customers will be eligible to receive support for at least one year after purchase.

Bamboo Solutions has also begun releasing Bamboo Apps to the SharePoint Store, for additional details, see the SharePoint Apps & Mobile products page where you can get the latest info about each of our Apps as they release to the Microsoft Store.

A separate installation package and license key is required for SharePoint 2013 deployment. For additional details, review the following knowledge base articles:

Understanding Bamboo Releases:

  • Bamboo offers Trial, Basic and Premium support.
    • Free Trial support expires after 30 days.
    • For more information about Basic and Premium support, please see the Support Plans page.
    • There may be a fee to upgrade from a major version to another.

See Also:

PM Central’s Site Collection features

PM Central’s Site Collection features

Configuring PM Central Getting Started with PM Central

BambooFeatureActivation.pngWhen PM Central is deployed there are a number of features that need to be activated at the Site Collection level before PM Central will be operable.

Accessing the provided Bamboo Feature Activation and entering in the site collection URL, will ensure that all the required features are activated.

Note: Enter the URL to site. Do not include library and page (eg: /SitePages/Home.aspx)or the utility will return an error message

Below is a list of the PM Central Site collections features that can be activated on an as-needed basis.

Bamboo PM Central Projects Site Creation Area Use this feature to activate/deactivate the option under the Site Actions and the projects area for creating Bamboo Project Management Central portfolio site or stand-alone project site.
Icon-WarningImportant: This feature must be activated to allow you to create a portfolio site
Bamboo Project Central Content Types. Activating this feature will make the Bamboo Project Central site columns available under Site Gallaries, making it easy to modify choice values for the Project Type and Project Department columns.

Icon-WarningImportant:
1. Not all choice columns can have their values modified. Please refer to the customization guide before making changes.
2. Activating the feature will expose the Bamboo PM Central Content Types. The structure of these content types should not be modified

Site Templates
Bamboo PM Central Department Level Site – Lite Template Activating this feature make the Bamboo PM Central Department Level Site — Lite Template available in the drop-down selector in PM Central’s Site Creation Plus tool
Bamboo PM Central Top Level Site – Lite Template Activating this feature make the Bamboo PM Central Top Level Site – Lite Template available in the drop-down selector of the Create New Site dialog box.
Bamboo PM Project Site – Discussion Board Plus Template

Activating this feature will allow users to create PM Central project sites with Discussion Board Plus integration.

NOTE: A licensed copy of Discussion Board Plus (sold separately) is required.

PM Central Discussion Board Plus template was added in PMC 4.3

Bamboo PM Project Site – Lite Template Activating this feature make the Bamboo PM Central Project Site — Lite Template available in the drop-down selector in PM Central’s Site Creation Plus tool
Bamboo PM Project Site – Stand-alone template Activating this feature make the Bamboo PM Central Department Level Site — Lite Template available in the drop-down selector in PM Central’s Site Creation Plus tool

Read this BEFORE you create a PM Central site

Read this BEFORE you create a PM Central site

Getting started with PM Central

While PM Central is easy to implement, there are some best practices that should be observed:

  • Make sure that you have a root site collection on the web application where PM Central sites will be created.
    You do not have to use the root site collection for PM Central, it just has to be there.

  • The PM Central Portfolio sites (or any other PM Central sites) should not be created at the top of the site collection.
    PM Central site templates have been hidden in Central Administration in PM Central 4.0 and later releases, but it is worth emphasizing the point.

  • The top site of the site collection should be a SharePoint Team Site.
    Do not use a Publishing template for the root site of the site collection where PM Central sites will be created.
  • It is recommended (but not required) that PM Central be created is its own site collection. This allows greater administrative flexibility when it comes to backing up content, migrations etc.
    You should strongly consider using a separate site collection if changes have made to Master Pages and/or the Themes, Look and Feel are inherited by other sites in the site collection
  • Sites in PM Central should not be created using SharePoint’s New Site dialog box.
    Use the PM Central specific tools to create Portfolio, Department and Project sites. Information about accessing and using these tools is part of the Getting Started.. guide.
  • Icon-WarningDo not delete any of the columns in the default PM Central lists, or delete any of the lists themselves.
    Doing so will impact your ability to upgrade to newer versions of this product. It may also render some functionality inoperable. Review the Customization guide before making changes in the application.

Entering project information in the Project Health list

Entering project information in the Project Health list

Completing the Project Checklist

The Project Health list contains basic information about the project, the contents of which are visible throughout the PM Central hierarchy.

Project Summary dashboard showing Project Health details

When working with the Project Health list keep in mind:

  • There will only be one item in the Project Health list

  • Project Health information for all projects is rolled up and displayed in Project Summary dashboards accessed from the portfolio and applicable department sites Project Central tab

  • Project Health information for the current project is found under the Project Info display on the Project Home tab.

  • To access the Project Health list, click the link found under Project Name Detail of the Project Name column in the Project Summary dashboard

  • Some columns in the Project Health list, including the Key Performance Indicators are not available for editing from the Project Health Edit form.

The Project Health Edit form

Project Health - Edit View
Project Health fields:

1. Green.png
The Project Start Date,Project End Date, and
% Complete fields, will be updated hourly if the Auto Update checkbox is selected


2. Complete the Project Department, Project Type, Project Manager and Priority fields to provide additional information about the project.

Projects with an Active status will have additional key information (tasks, issues, risks, etc) automatically rolled up and displayed in the portfolio site, and applicable department sites.


3. Purple.pngThe Budget Work field must be manually populated with a value if you want to track work with the Budget Work Status KPI

NOTE: If a Budget Work value is not entered the associated Budget Work Status KPI will always be green.


3. Orange.pngThe Budget Cost field must be manually populated with a value if you want to track project’s human cost with the associated Budget Cost Status KPI.

NOTES: 1. Standard rates must be associated with user profiles in order to track costs
2. The Budget Cost Status KPI is not displayed by default.


4. Blue.png These fields are populated with the system calculated total of (Time Entry) fields associated with project tasks when you Update All or Update Progress.

NOTE: By default the (Time Entry) fields in the Task list are not populated, and the value of the fields in the Project Health list will be 0.00

Completing the Project Checklist

Using a Holiday list in PM Central

Using a Holiday list in PM Central

Creating and using a Holiday list allows ensures that your organizations designated holidays are excluded from task scheduling and resource capacity calculations in PM Central.

When using a Holiday list keep in mind:

  • Only one holiday list can be used per PM Central Portfolio

  • The holiday list must be created from a SharePoint Calendar list

  • Holidays need to be created as Yearly events

If you use a holiday list there are several Web Part in PM Central that will need to be configured to reference the list:

Portfolio Site
Resource Center

Required

From the Resource Center link in the portfolio site’s PM Central Control Panel, associate the Resource Center with the holiday list so your company’s designated holidays are not included in resource capacity calculations.
Holiday list configuration in the resource center

  • Enter in the URL to the site where the holiday list is located

  • Click the green arrow button to populate the drop down selector with the list found on the site.

  • Select the desired list and click Save

Project Site
Resource Center Settings

Required

From the Resource Center link in the project site’s PM Central Control Panel,point to the Holiday list
PSReportCenterSettings.png
Task Master Web Part

Required

When configured with a holiday list, Task Master will not allow work to be scheduled on the designated holidays.

NOTE: The project must be Recalculated before the scheduling rules will be enforced.

Holiday list configuration in Task Master
Click here for more information on configuring the Web Part.

Calendar Plus Web Part

Optional

When Calendar Plus is configured to reference a Holiday List, items from the list will be displayed in all Calendar Plus views.
Holiday View Settings configuration screen

NOTE: This configuration has no impact scheduling or reporting in PM Central and is for display purposes only.

Click here for more information on configuring the Web Part.

PMC Hierarchy

PMC Hierarchy

Every business has projects…and the headaches that always seem to come with managing them, especially when many of the projects are mission critical. A range of options exist for managing projects electronically and individually, but many require heavy IT resources, development, and a large budget. And if you’re at the upper-management level, the amount of work you exert compiling all project status data into a single meaningful view can take just as long as the project itself.

SharePoint Project Management Central (PM Central) focuses exclusively on providing a centralized location where you can view and provide real-time status of your company’s entire project portfolio while you enforce uniform data control over the individual projects’ data. PM Central’s tailored project workspace site templates let project teams proactively track, organize, maintain, and report statuses, tasks, risks, budgets, and issues for projects—allowing you to effectively communicate project expectations to team members and stakeholders in a clear, timely fashion, from the task level all the way up to an executive summary.

PMC Hierarchy.png

PM Central automatically tracks individual projects across your company in one workspace. Project team members only need to update the information in a particular list on their project site, and their data is automatically populated in all related areas on the top-level portfolio site. In this top-level site, the data from all project and department sites is aggregated for display in portfolio dashboards to provide real-time, at-a-glance executive information.

Portfolio (Top Level) Site

Designed to provide an Executive Summary of projects managed under the same Portfoli, this site shows the aggregated data from all of its project subsites. It contains multiple dashboards that report on tasks, issues, risks and schedules. You can have just one portfolio site per site collection so that you can roll up all project sites to just one portfolio site, or you can have multiple portfolio sites with their own set of project sites. This site is only considered a top-level site to its project subsites.

Project Site

This site is a subsite of the portfolio site and is designed to have its data rolled up to the portfolio site for a comprehensive status of all projects in your portfolio.

Department Site

This optional site displays a filtered view of project sites based on specific criteria, such as projects that have a specific project manager or a specific project type.

A quick guide to setting up PM Central

A quick guide to setting up PM Central

Configuring PM Central

Follow these steps so you can quickly start using PM Central to manage your projects:

Note: You will need to be logged in to an account that has the SharePoint Full Control permission level to complete many of the steps below.

Step Action
1. Icon-WarningImportant:
Read this before you create a PM Central Portfolio or Stand-alone site.
2.

Determine which of the PM Central Template options will best meet the needs of your organization.

NOTES:
1. PM Central uses StandardFull templates by default.
2. If you elect to use the Lite or Stand-alone templates you will need to activate the related Site Collection feature.

3. Create the Portfolio (or Stand-alone) site.
4.

Complete the Portfolio site’s Configuration Checklist.

NOTE: If you created a Stand-alone site in the step above, complete the site’s configuration check list then skip ahead to Step 7.

5. Create a Project Site.
6. Complete the Project Site’s Configuration Checklist.
8. Optional:
Create and configure PM Central department sites to provide a filtered view of the portfolio.

PM Suite Highlights

PM Suite Highlights

pm_header.jpgWith over twenty additional components and tools, PM Suite allows you to easily get the most out of your SharePoint-managed projects. With the PM Suite, you don’t just get Project Management Central, the world’s best SharePoint project management solution, you gain the ability to use many of the application’s powerful features — charting, task management, alerting, and much, much more — anywhere in SharePoint. With the additional tools and flexibility that comes with every PM Suite, you’re able to customize and extend Project Management Central as far as you’d like, enabling unlimited integration with your existing SharePoint environment, or simply adding needed functionality to the application itself. If you’re building a SharePoint project management solution, Project Management Central is the fastest, easiest way to get started… and with the PM Suite, there’s no limit to what you can accomplish!

Completing the PM Central project site’s project checklist

Completing the PM Central project site’s project checklist

The Project Checklist provides project managers with a list of steps for working with project sites in PM Central. A link to the checklist will be available from the Project Home page when the mandatory items in the Configuration Checklist have been marked as completed.

Project welcome message

NOTE:The Project Manager’s Checklist was new in PM Central 4.3

The list contains the following steps:

Action Description
Enter the Project Objective

​Access the Project Objectives Add New Item link from the Project Home page, or this item’s action link.

NOTE: You should delete the default item which summarizes how to write an effective objective.

Verify the project details in the Project Health list

​​The Project Health list contains key information about the project including, Project Department, Project Type, Project Start Date, Project End Date, % Complete, etc.

  • Click the Project Name link under the Project Info display on the Project Home page, or this item’s action link, and review the project information entered.

    Icon-WarningImportant: Check the Auto Update box to have PM Central update the Project Start Date, Project End Date and % Complete fields based on the contents of the project’s Tasks list. Updates are performed hourly (by default) by the Bamboo Update… Project Health timer job and will overwrite manually entered values.

Add Users to the Project Resource Pool

PM Central provides two methods for adding users into the Project Resource Pool. Both methods will copy information associated with a user’s profile in the Enterprise Resource Pool into the local Resource Pool.

1. Add an individual user:

  • From the Project Control Panel, click View Resource under the Resource Center header to access the Project Team Info page, or click this item’s action link

  • Click Add new item and select the user from the Resource drop down selector

  • Click Save

NOTE: The drop down will display all users identified in the Enterprise Resource Pool. Users will Full Control permissions on the site will also be able to add the selected user to a SharePoint group directly from the New Contact form.

2. Add multiple users:

  • From the Project Central Panel, click Copy Resource under the Resource Center, or click this item’s action link and access the Copy Resources tab

  • Check all the users to be added to the Project Resource Pool from those available in the EPR

  • Click the Select Resources to be copied button, then click Copy Resources

NOTE: Permissions to the site will need to be granted separately when using the bulk import method.

Determine how tasks should be defined in Task Master

Task can be defined using one of 3 different methods:
TMRules.png

To check, or change, Task Master’s configuration, complete the following steps:

  • Navigate to the Tasks tab, or click this item’s action link to access the main Task page

  • Click the gear icon Gear icon on the right of the toolbar to access Project Schedule Settings.

  • Make the necessary modifications in the Rules section and click Update.

Enter the project schedule in Task Master

The Task Master Web Part provides a Gantt display of the project plan.

  • To access Task Master navigate to the Task page, or click this item’s action link.

There are several options available for entering tasks:

  1. Enter the project tasks in the New Item form.

  2. Copy a basic project plan into Task Master from Excel

  3. Use the Bamboo MS Project Add-In tool.

Identify the project’s risks
  • Navigate to the Risks page under the Issues and Risks tab, or click this item’s action link
    Click the Add New Item link
    Provide information about the risk, including Probability, Impact, Cost, Business Value and Due Date.
Capture baselines

PM Central can capture baselines for the project schedule, tasks and project costs.

  • Go to the Tasks tab, or click this items’s action link, and click Update All. This will recalculate the project and update cost information (if applicable).
  • Go to the Baseline View and click Capture Baseline in the toolbar of the desired baseline(s)

Up to 10 baselines can be created for Project Schedule and Scheduled Tasks. Each baseline will be displayed in a different color, with the current status displayed at the top of the baseline view in blue.

PM Central Timer Jobs

PM Central Timer Jobs

Screen shot of the PM Central alerts in Job Definitions view of Central Admin

Six timer jobs are deployed with the PM Central solution, with additional timer jobs being deployed as part of the Alert Plus Master timer job.

You can verify that all timer jobs were successfully installed from the Health Check display in the portfolio site’s PM Central Control Panel.

Timer Job Description
Bamboo Gantt Chart

Updates the lists used as a data source for the Resource Assignments report at the portfolio site.

When the Bamboo Gantt Chart Timer Job runs for the first time, it will create the Gantt Chart Information list and extract data from the tasks list of all the projects, save the items, and display them in the report. The next timer job will extract and copy the data from the Bamboo Gantt Chart Information list to the Bamboo Gantt Chart Information Backup list, add new items to the list, and then delete the Bamboo Gantt Chart Information list.

When the Bamboo Gantt Chart Timer Job runs again, the data from the Bamboo Gantt Chart Information Backup list will be copied into the Bamboo Chart Information list; new items will be added to the Bamboo Chart Information list; and the Bamboo Gantt Chart Information Backup list will be deleted this time.

Note: While the timer job runs, you will see two lists because the report is still required to show old data. This process is repeated every time the Bamboo Gantt Chart Timer Job runs where only one list is used at any one time to display data in the Resource Assignments report.

Runs daily at 12:00AM by default

Bamboo Reporting Calculation V4

Updates information in the Report Info Cost Project Site list and in the Report Info Project Site list. These lists are used to collect data for some of the resource allocation and cost reports. When a report is configured to use the timer job, data for that report will be generated at the timer job interval instead of each time the report is viewed. When it runs, it will update the items within the Report Info Cost Project Site list and Report Info Project Site list on each project site based on data calculated from the Tasks list within the project site. Upon completion, the reports within the project site pulls the data from these two lists.

Runs daily at 11:45PM by default

Bamboo Reporting Top Site Calculation

When the Bamboo Reporting Top Site Calculation Timer Job runs, it will query the Report Info Cost Project Site and Report Info Project Site lists based on the report query the user originally submitted in the Report Center and attaches the results of the query to the original request within the Reporting Information list found in the portfolio site.

NOTE: This timer job will only be visible in Job Definitions after the Bamboo Reporting Calculation V4 timer job has run. Once this timer job completes it will no longer display.

Runs 30 minutes after the completion of the Reporting calculation V4 timer job

Bamboo Update Dashboard List

Updates changes made to the items in the Portfolio Dashboard List, which stores data about all of the projects, including project status, actual start and due dates, project health and more.

Runs every 30 minutes by default

Bamboo Update Summary List

Updates data from the project sites’ Task, Issues and Risks lists to the portfolio site’s Summary List, which in turn updates the sums and counts of the tasks, issues and milestones from all the projects.

The Summary List is the data source for the portfolio site’s Task, Issues and Milestones charts on the Project Central tab

Runs every 59 minutes by default

Bamboo Update Task, Issues and Project Health

Updates information in the Tasks List, Issues List, Risks List, and the Project Health List. This updates the Project Name field in the Tasks, Issues, and Risks lists using the Project Name from the Project Health list.

It also updates the Project Start Date, Project End Date, % Complete, Project Actual Cost (Time Entry) and Project Actual Work (Time Entry) fields in the Project Health list based on data from the project’s Tasks list.

Runs every 59 minutes by default

PM Central Portfolio Resource Reports

PM Central Portfolio Resource Reports

Overview of Portfolio PMC Control Panel Overview of Portfolio Resource Center

Portfolio sites created using a Standard/full template provide predefined resource reports that are available in the site’s Resource Center under the Resource Allocation and Capacity Planning tab.

Image of the Resource Report Mega Menu selectorWhen working with the PM Central Resource Reports keep in mind:

  • By default, Resource reports available at the portfolio site are security trimmed so that only users that have been granted permission to a site will see resource assignments pertaining to the site.

  • Users with Full Control permissions on the Portfolio site can configure Resource Center Settings to use the System Account to generate resource reports.
    Feature introduced in PMC 4.3

  • By default, reports will be complied every evening starting at 11:45 PM.
  • Information on configuring the Resource Center web parts is available here.

The report pages have the following characteristics:

ResourceManagementOverview.png

  • Ability to change the year view of the report

  • Save report contents to the Monthly Resource Work Allocation Summary list on the Portfolio site(not available with all reports)

  • Option to export the report (grid and chart) to Excel, or to print the report.

Available Portfolio Reports:

Report Name Report Description
All Assignment Allocations All Assignment Allocations displays the resource’s total allocation per month for the project, grouped by year. This lets you track how much work your resources are accumulating for the project.
By Resource Allocation By Resource Allocation shows the total allocation per month for each resource assigned to the project, grouped by year.
By Project Displays the resource’s total allocation per month, grouped by project
By Project Department Displays projects grouped by the identified Project Department. The Project Department field is part of a project site’s Project Health list.
Allocation by Manager

Displays the resource’s total allocation per month, grouped by manager.

  • A user’s Manager is specified in the Enterprise Resource Pool list for each resource item.

    Icon-WarningImportant: If the Manager field is not completed in the Enterprise Resource Pool form, user information will not be displayed.

Resource Availability

Resource Availability displays the resource’s remaining availability. Availability is determined by deducting a user’s task assignments from their capacity per month.

  • Capacity is determined by the Work Hours and Holidays entered in the Resource Center Settings, and the Maximum Unit value associated with each resource.

  • If the resource has available time, the number of available hours is shown in green.

  • If the resource is over allocated, the resource’s availability is shown as a negative number in red.

By Department

Allocation by Department displays the resource’s total allocation per month, grouped by Department.

  • A user’s Department affiliation is specified in the Enterprise Resource Pool and identifies the Department the resource reports to.

    Icon-WarningImportant: If the Department field is not completed in the Enterprise Resource Pool form, user information will not be displayed.

Assignments by Department

Allows users to specify the search criteria for the report. A Department must be selected from the drop down selector.

  • Select the Department, followed by the Resource(s) associated with that department to be presented with a report displaying resource availability.
Find Resources

Find Available Resources lets you find available resources that you can request and assign to task for your projects.

  • A users Role is defined in the Enterprise Resource Pool.

Using the PM Central Project Status Report

Using the PM Central Project Status Report

Overview of PM Central Hierarchy Overview of the Project Site

The Project Status Report list makes it easy for project managers to create status reports and to track progress from week to week. Weekly status reports are rolled up to the portfolio site’s Overview tab to provide a consolidated view of the project updates to Portfolio Managers.

When working with Project Status Reports keep in mind:

  • The contents of the Project Status Report list are rolled up and displayed on the Portfolio site and applicable Department sites.
  • Project Status Reports that are associated with Active project and have a Status Date within 7 days of today will be visible on the Overview tab of the Portfolio site and any applicable Department sites.

  • Project Status Reports with that have a Status Date within 30 days of today will be visible in the Weekly Project Status Reports data view on the project site’s Overview tab

To create a new Project Status Report:

Step Action Result
1. Click the Add New Item link associated with the Weekly Project Status Report data-viewer on the Overview tab of the project site This will open a New Project Status Report form
How to access the Project Status Report New Item form
2.

Enter the Status Date and complete the form

NOTE: In PM Central 4.3 the title field will be populated with the text Project Status by default.

Project Status Report form
3. Click Save

The change request, along with all other submitted change requests, regardless of request status, will be displayed in the Change Request data view from the projects’s Overview tab.

  • Change request information will also be displayed on the Overview tab of the Portfolio and Department sites, and will be grouped by Project

PM Central Project – Documents Tab

 

 

Overview of PM Central Hierarchy Overview of the Project Site

The Documents tab provides a hierarchical view of the project site’s Project Documents Library.

Documentsbase1.png

Function
1. The standard SharePoint Document Library toolbar lets users:

  • Create New Documents or Folders
  • Upload one or multiple documents
  • Create Alerts and more
2. The tree pane view on the left hand side displays the structure of the document library.

  • Click a folder icon to display the content in the document’s view on the right hand side of the Web Part
  • If there are sub-folders, then click the ‘+’ next to the folder to expand it and to view sub-folders.

    Icon-Tip To add a document to a specific folder, click the folder before you select Create or Upload.

Icon-Tip To DELETE a specific TREE VIEW folder, go to the list that drives this web part page.   The tree view web-part on the page does not allow for deletion. Go to site contents then find a library called Project Documents Library.   From there you can manage the folders and items.

3. Move the vertical scrolling bar to the left or right to display more of the tree pane view or the document display.
4. Document drop down menuClick the document drop down arrow to access the standard SharePoint document library menu items.
5. To change the view, click the Current View drop-down box and select either All Documents or Thumbnails.

  • After you change to the Thumbails view, click on the document folder in the tree view pane to display the thumbnails.

NOTE: The Web Part can be configured to show any other views associated with the document library.

Project Management Suite

Project Management Suite

ProjectMgtSuiteBamboo Suites are simple, cost-effective collections of SharePoint tools and components designed specifically to help you extend some of Bamboo’s most powerful business applications. With PM Suite you can proactively track, organize, maintain, and report statuses, tasks, risks, and issues for projects within an organization – allowing you to effectively communicate project expectations to team members and stakeholders in a clear, timely fashion from the task level to an executive summary.

Highlights Release Notes

Everything about your suite or toolkit, from retrieving your license keys to downloading products included in the suite or toolkit, can be managed through My Bamboo. All Bamboo Toolkit products are license-protected and must be activated for use on each Web front-end server beyond the initial trial period. This requires the installation of the Toolkit License and Bamboo Web License Manager. Once you have installed these components, all products included in your Bamboo Toolkit can be activated using a single license key.

This section provides instructions for the following required steps:

To get started, log in to My Bamboo using the account information provided by your Bamboo Account Manager when you purchased your suite or toolkit. Until the license package is installed, the suite or toolkit will not appear in the Bamboo Web License Manager in SharePoint Central Administration.

Suite/Toolkit Installation and Licensing

Permissions

ServerAdmin

Icon-Tip No need to license each product! All of the products within your toolkit are licensed through your Suite or Toolkit License. When you are ready to install a product that is part of your suite or toolkit, use the links below to open the product landing page where you can follow the instructions under each section to Install, Configure and Work With each specific product(s) that are included in your suite or toolkit.

NOTE: The web parts included in the Toolkit require installation; however, installation can occur before OR after license activation of the Toolkit, Suite, or Library.

Learn more about the specific products included in PM Suite:

PMC
PMC
FileShare
File Share Library
KPI
KPI Column
TreeView
Tree View
ListRollup
List Rollup
TaskMaster
Task Master
AlertPlus
Alert Plus
ChartPlus
Chart Plus
ListPrint
ListPrint
ListSearch
List Search (Advanced)
ListSearch
List Search (Simple)
SiteCreation
Site Creation Plus
Navigator
Navigators
TeamCal
Team Calendar
CrossSite
Cross Site Display
GroupEmail
Group Email
DataViewer
Data-Viewer
InOut
In/Out Schedule Board
CalPlus
Calendar Plus
VisualIndicator
Visual Indicator
ProjectPortfolioDashboard
Project Portfolio Dashboard
AlertAdmin
Alerts Administrator
CrossList
Cross List*
MIniCal
Mini Calendar
MyAlertOrgzr
My Alerts Organizer
FiltersCollection
Filters Collection
TimeTrackingMgt
Time Tracking and Management
ColumnSecurity
Column Level Security
CustomId
Custom Identifier Column
LookupSelector
Lookup Selector
Rating
Rating Column
RichText
Rich Text
Validator
Validator Column
ListConsolidator
List Consolidator

* Not available for SharePoint 2013

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Pictures

Pictures

sa05-2010-usingadmin24.jpg

Use the KB Picture Library link under Pictures to upload and manage images for articles or categories. The KB Picture Library is a standard SharePoint picture library.

To upload a new image:

  1. From the KB Admin site, click KB Picture Library.
  2. Click Upload and choose whether you want to upload one or multiple images. Select the file(s) to be uploaded.

    sa05-2010-usingadmin5.jpg

sa05-2010-usingadmin6.jpg

3. Use the form to define the image properties, if necessary. Click Save.

sa05-2010-usingadmin7.jpg

  1. The image is now in the KB Picture Library.

    sa05-2010-usingadmin8.jpg

To manage images:

From the KB Admin site Home page, click KB Picture Library.

  1. Use the toolbar to manage the picture library:
    • New: Adds a new folder to the picture library to help you organize your images.
    • Upload: Uploads one or multiple images to the picture library.
    • Actions: Use this button to perform the following actions: edit images in an image editor, delete images, download images to your computer, insert images in an e-mail or document, view images in a slide show, open the files with Windows Explorer, connect to Outlook, view RSS feeds or set up alerts on this page.
    • Settings: Creates a new column or view; manages picture library settings.

PM Central Mega Menu skins

PM Central Mega Menu skins

Overview of Portfolio PMC Control Panel Overview of PM Central General Settings

PM Central comes with a variety of skins enabling you to quickly change the appearance of a site without the need to modify master pages and style sheets.

Mega Menu skins change the way the contents of both the Resource Center and Reports Center are displayed.

If you select one of the “mega menu” custom skins, the navigation tabs in both sections will be replaced with drop-down menus. The “mega menu” appears on hover and shows all the reporting options in one large panel.

NOTES:
1. Mega Menu skins are only available for PM Central Portfolio and Department sites.
2. Mega Menu skins were introduced in PM Central 4.2.

Resource Center – Tabbed navigation

Resource Allocation and Capacity planning tab navigation

Resource Center – Mega Menu navigation

Resource Allocation and Capacity Planning mega menu navigation

Overview of the Project’s PM Central Control Panel

Overview of the Project’s PM Central Control Panel

Getting started with PM Central Overview of the Project Site

Screen shot of the Central Actions drop down menu.
The PM Central Control Panel for project sites provides a central location for users to manage the administrative functions of the site.

Users with Full Control or Design permissions can access the PM Central Control Panel from the Central Actions drop down menu.

When working with the PM Central Control Panel keep in mind:

  • The contents of the control panel are security trimmed so not all options will be visible to users with Design permissions. The table below identifies the permission level required to see specific links.

  • Project sites created using the PM Central Lite template will not include links relating to the Reporting and Resource Management features. Additional information on the differences between the Full and Lite templates is available here

NOTE: The PM Central Control Panel was introduced with PM Central 4.0

PMC Control Panel – Full Control display

PM Central Control panel as seen by a user with Full Control

Visible to users with… Section
1. Full Control / Limited options for users with Design Permissions PM Central General Settings
The links under PM Central General Settings allow the Administrator to access key lists, and change the site’s appearance.
2. Full Control / Limited options for users with Design Permissions Application Actions
The links under Application Actions allow administrators to hide columns from the Project Health and Tasks forms, and manage list content.

Icon-WarningImportant: The Show or Hide Columns in lists tool is the only supported method for hiding columns in PM Central. Do not delete default columns from PM Central lists.

3. Full Control / Design

Referenced in the project’s Configuration Checklist

Report Center
1. Working Settings
By default, PM Central defines a work week as Monday – Friday, 8AM – 5PM with lunch between 12-1PM, resulting in an 8 hour work day and 40 hour work week. If your organization officially uses a longer or shorter standard work week you will need to update Task Master’s Work Week Settings when completing the project site’s Configuration Checklist and make changes here in the work week center
Project center Report Settings screen

Icon-WarningImportant:
If a project site in the portfolio is configured to use a greater number of working hours than those identified in the portfolio site, the project’s working hours will be used to calculate the capacity of all resources assigned to tasks on that site. More information is available here

2. Holiday List Settings
Associate the Report Center with a holiday list so your company’s designated holidays are not included in resource capacity calculations.

  • Enter in the URL to the site where the holiday list is located

  • Click the green arrow button to populate the drop down selector with the list found on the site.

  • Select the desired list and click Save

Icon-WarningImportant: The same holiday list will need to be referenced by other Web Parts in PM Central. Click here to find out more

4. Full Control / Design Provides access to the site’s Configuration Checklist
5. Full Control / Design Resource Center
The provided links take users into the Resource Center giving access to the Project Resource Pool, Resource Allocation and Capacity Planning reports and Resource Assignments.
6. Full Control / Design PM Central Information
Look at the File Version to determine what version of PM Central is installed in your farm.

Overview of the Portfolio’s PM Central Control Panel

Overview of the Portfolio’s PM Central Control Panel

Getting started with PM Central Overview of the Portfolio Site

Screen shot of the Central Actions drop down menu.
The PM Central Control Panel for portfolio sites provides a central location for users to manage the administrative functions of PM Central.

Users with Full Control or Design permissions can access the PM Central Control Panel from the Central Actions drop down menu.

When working with the PM Central Control Panel keep in mind:

  • The contents of the control panel are security trimmed so not all options will be visible to users with Design permissions. The table below identifies the permission level required to see specific links.

  • Portfolio sites created using the PM Central Lite template will not include links relating to the Reporting and Resource Management features. Additional information on the differences between the Full and Lite templates is available here

NOTE: The PM Central Control Panel was introduced with PM Central 4.0

PMC Control Panel – Full Control display

PM Central Control panel as seen by a user with Full Control

Visible to users with… Section
1. Full Control/ Limited options for users with Design Permissions PM Central General Settings
The links under PM Central General Settings allow the Administrator to configure alerts, change the site’s appearance and update general settings.
2. Full Control only

Application Actions
Screen shot of the Update Data page
The Update Data page lets site administrators run processes to update PM Central data that are otherwise updated by scheduled timer jobs.

From Update Portfolio Dashboard Mapping, click Refresh so the Gantt View of Active Projects
widget, found on the Overview tab, will be updated.
Image of the Portfolio Dashboard Mapping Refresh button
Icon-Warning IMPORTANT: You must manually refresh the Portfolio Dashboard mapping to update the Gantt View of Active Projects.

3. Full Control / Design Resource Center
The Resource Management link takes users into the Resource Center giving access to the Enterprise Resource Pool, Resource Allocation and Capacity Planning reports and Resource Assignments.
4. Full Control/ Design The links under PM Central Help provides general information to aid the administrator with the configuration and maintenance of PM Central.
5. Full Control only

Application Integration
Time tracking and management integration will only be available if the Bamboo Time Tracking and Management (TTM) application is installed on your farm. Integrating the applications will allow users to create timesheets for the hours worked on project tasks.

Enter the URL to the existing TTM site that will be used for tracking time against tasks.
Image of the TTM site URL field
An additional page, My Timesheets, will be available under the My Summary tab when the PM Central and TTM are integrated.

NOTES:
1.If the TTM site is in the same site collection, enter the URL as a relative page reference(./site of ../site). If the site is in another site collection of Web application, enter an absolute page reference (http://server/site)
2. Additional configuration will be required in TTM to complete the connection to PM Central.
3. The Time Tracking and Management application is sold separately.

6. Full Control / Design Report Center
The View Reports link takes users to the Reports Center where a number of predefined reports are available
7. Full Control / Design PM Central Information
Look at the File Version to determine what version of PM Central is installed in your farm.

PM Central – Change Request

PM Central – Change Request

Overview of PM Central Hierarchy Overview of the Project Site

Project stakeholders can submit change requests, such as new requirements, design changes, or schedule updates, to the project manager or other authorized approver. These requests can then be tracked and managed from the Change Requests data views the Overview tab found at all levels of the PM Central hierarchy.

When working with Change Requests keep in mind:

  • If you have Workflow Conductor, entering a change request can trigger an approval workflow that routes the request to the appropriate person for review. A sample workflow is included with the PM Central installation package. For more information about using the sample workflow provided by PM Central, read KB.12786

  • Without Workflow Conductor entering a change request, simply enters the item in the list, making it available for review by management in the data-views on the Overview tabs where it can be approved.

  • The contents of the Change Requests list are rolled up and will be visible on the Overview tab of the Portfolio site and any applicable Department sites. The list contents displayed will be determined by where you access the tab:
    Change Request display

visible on theOverview tab of the Portfolio site and any applicable Department sites.

Step Action Result
1. Click Submit Change Request in the Central Actions drop down

Or

Navigate to the Overview tab, scroll to the Change Request data view and click Add New Item

This will open the New Item form of the Change Request list
How to access the Change Request New Item form
2. Enter the Title, and complete the form Change Request form
3. Click Save

The change request, along with all other submitted change requests, regardless of request status, will be displayed in the Change Request data view on the projects’s Overview tab.

  • Change request information will also be displayed on the Overview tab of the Portfolio and Department sites, and will be grouped by Project

PM Central Mobile

PM Central Mobile

PMCmobile.png
PM Central MobileTM adds mobile functionality to existing Bamboo Project Management CentralTM installations, allowing users to interact with their projects on the go.

Highlights Release Notes Complementary Products

Install

Permissions

License

Permissions

  • Install PM Central Mobile on your
    mobile device.
ServerAdmin
  • Licensing of PM Central Mobile is
    per device.
  • PM Central Mobile requires
    PMC 4.0 or Later (Sold Separately)
ServerAdmin

Configure

Permissions

Work With

Permissions

SiteAdmin User-1
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of all topics for this product.
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Project Management Central

 

PMC.png
Bamboo’s Project Management Central provides tailored top-level and sub-site workspace templates for maintaining, tracking, organizing and reporting statuses, tasks, risks and issues for projects within an organization.

 

Highlights Release Notes Complementary Products

 

Install

Permissions

License

Permissions

ServerAdmin ServerAdmin

Configure

Permissions

Work With

Permissions

SiteAdmin User-1
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of all topics for this product.
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Picture Library for User Profile Images

Picture Library for User Profile Images

Return to User Directory Configuration

PictureLib.jpgSelect a Picture Library to store user profile images. Images of your users can be stored in Active Directory Services, but you and your users might find it simpler to use a SharePoint picture library so that images can be updated easier and more often.

  • Select the Save User Profile Image to SharePoint Library instead of AD check box in the configuration tool pane and enter in a site URL.
  • Click Connect and then select a Picture Library from the libraries available on that site.

When you choose SharePoint mode, end users will be able to type in the URL to a profile image already stored in a SharePoint Library from the Picture field when editing their profile.

Permissions in Discussion Board Plus

Permissions in Discussion Board Plus

Return to Overview of the Configuration Toolpane

Top

Discussion Board Plus uses the built-in SharePoint permissions to determine what actions a user can perform in a Discussion Board Plus list. We’ve divided up the sections of Discussion Board Plus to provide you a helpful way to understand the variations in permissions and settings for the tool.

General Permissions

The table below describes the permission or permission level required to perform each action.

Discussion Board Plus Action
Manage Lists
Full Control
Topic Creator1
Site Collection Administrator2
Verify Answer
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Move Topic
Yes
Yes
Yes*
Yes
Suggest as Answer
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Mark as Not Answer
Yes**
Yes
Yes
Yes
Lock/Unlock Topic
Yes
Yes
Yes*
Yes
Mark/Unmark Topic as Sticky
Yes
Yes
Yes*
Yes
Access Forum Settings
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Edit/Reply
No
Yes
Yes***
Yes
After topic is locked:
Edit/Reply/Suggest or Verify Answer/
Mark as Not Answer
No
No
No
Yes
After topic is locked:
Mark or Unmark as Sticky/Unlock Topic
Yes
Yes
Yes*
Yes

1The user who created the topic (does not apply to anonymous users).
2SharePoint site collection administrators.
*Yes, if the creator has the Manage Lists permission, Full Control permission level, or is a site collection administrator.
**Yes, if the user suggested or verified the answer originally.
***Yes, if the user has the Edit Items permission.

To set up your own SharePoint permission levels to use with Discussion Board Plus, refer to the following information from Microsoft: Edit, create, and delete permission levels.

Top


Private Topic Permissions

Discussion Board Plus Action
Recipient/ Topic Owner
Contribute
Design
Full Control
Site Collection Administrator
System Account
Create Topic
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Share With
Yes*
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Access Topic
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Get Alert Notification
Yes
No
No
No
No
No

*Yes, if the user has Full Control permission level.
**Yes, alert sent to the Recipients only.

Top

Private Reply Permissions

Discussion Board Plus Action
Recipient
Contribute
Design
Full Control
Site Collection Administrator
System Account
Create Reply
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Access Reply
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Get Alert Notification
Yes
No
No
No
No
No

Top

Move Topic Permissions

Discussion Board Plus Action
Source List
Target List
Allow Move Topic?
If Topic in List:
Is a Locked Topic?
No
Yes
Yes
No
Is a Sticky Topic?
No
Yes
Yes
No
Is a Private Topic?
No
Yes
Yes
No
Contains a Private Reply?
No
Yes
Yes
No
Inherits List Permissions from Parent?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
Inherits Site Permissions from Parent?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
No

Top

Forum Settings for Discussion Board Plus List

Forum Settings
Source List
Target List
Allow Move Topic?
Verify Answer
Enabled
Enabled
Yes
Disabled
Enabled
Yes
Disabled
Disabled
Yes
Enabled
Disabled
No
Suggest as Answer
Enabled
Enabled
Yes
Disabled
Enabled
Yes
Disabled
Disabled
Yes
Enabled
Disabled
No
Tagging
Enabled
Enabled
Yes
Disabled
Enabled
Yes
Disabled
Disabled
Yes
Enabled
Disabled
No
Like
Enabled
Enabled
Yes
Disabled
Enabled
Yes
Disabled
Disabled
Yes
Enabled
Disabled
No

Top

Permissions for Forum Actions

Forums use the general permissions by default. And in addition to the permissions provided by Discussion Board Plus, please note the following for Community Central forums:

  • Administrators and Moderators can add, update or delete any forum topic or post.
  • Members can add topics and posts, but can only edit or delete their own topics/posts.
  • If a read-only account is configured in the Forum Control Panel, anonymous users can read topics and posts but cannot add new topics or posts.

Permissions for Blog Actions

Community Central uses the default SharePoint settings to determine who can perform actions in a blog site. For a list of default permissions for basic blog actions, see the table below. For information about customizing blog site permissions, see the following article:

Configure permissions and settings for a blog (From office.microsoft.com)

Blog Action
Administrators
Moderators
Members
Visitors
Anonymous
Users
Read Blog Posts and Comments
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Create Blog Posts
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Edit Blog Posts
Yes
Yes
Yes*
No
No
Add Comments
Yes
Yes
Yes
No1.
No1.
Edit Comments
Yes
No
Yes*
No
No
Approve Blog Posts and Comments
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
View Draft Posts and Pending Comments
Yes
Yes
**
No
No
Manage Blog Categories
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No

* Members can edit any blog post or comment by default (not just their own post/comment).

1. Allow visitors and anonymous users to add comments by modifying list permissions.

** Members can view their own draft posts and comments pending approval, but not posts/comments created by other Members.

Top

Configuring Anonymous Access

By default, anonymous access is not enabled in SharePoint 2013. SharePoint administrators may want to enable anonymous users to have access to Community Central content without having to provide authentication credentials. Anonymous access is permitted or denied based on the permissions for the site. Additional configuration is needed for anonymous users to access Community Central content.

For example:

  • Viewing locked topics – In order for anonymous users to view locked topics in forums, you must configure a read-only forum access account in each forum site’s Forum Control Panel. All other forum content is visible if the site is configured to allow anonymous access.
  • Viewing avatars – In order for anonymous users to be able to see avatars (the SharePoint user profile picture), additional configuration steps are needed. For instructions, see this blog.
  • Adding blog comments – In order for anonymous users to add blog comments, the administrator must modify the list permissions for the Comments list in each blog site. For instructions, see this blog.

For more information about configuring SharePoint for anonymous access, see:

  • Using ideas from this article from Microsoft, decide whether to allow access for anonymous users.
  • This article from Microsoft covers configuring anonymous access.
  • For SharePoint 2010-specific configuration, see this blog.

Alternatively, you can configure SharePoint for anonymous access for forms-based authentication where the accounts can be created from the database. For more information on configuring anonymous users for forms-based authentication, see:

See also:

Top

Permissions Options and Mapping Links

Permissions Options and Mapping Links

Return to Configuration Overview

Overview.jpgThis section of the configuration tool pane allows you to specify the naming convention for new user groups that are created during site creation. If you are using a links list to track site URLs, you have the option to include new sites in that links list. And you can also hide the user permissions section so that users do not see it.

Permission Options and Navigation

Step Action Result
1. New User Groups for the Site: If the end user chooses to use Unique Permissions, three new user groups will be created. The naming convention can include either the Title or Description entered by the end user. SiteVisitors.jpg
SiteMembers.jpg
SiteOwners.jpg
To configure the name of the new groups, just include [Title] or [Description] in the name (i.e., [Title] Visitors). SharePoint recognizes the brackets and appends that to the group name.
2. Add Site to Links List?: Site Creation Plus can automatically add an entry for the new site in a Links list of the parent site.

This is a useful feature especially if you are using a link list to manage Navigators. To add the links to an existing link list, select a Links List from the drop down selection and then map the site information to the Links List fields:

  • Site URL: Select the field in the Links List where the URL for the new site should be stored. This is typically the URL field.
  • Site Title: Select the field in the Links List where the Title of the new site should be stored.
  • Site Description. Select the field in the Link List where the Description of the new site should be stored.
  • Site URL Description: When configuring the URL field of the Links List, a URL is entered as well as a description for the URL. In the selection box displayed for the Site URL Description, select what to use as the display text for the URL column in the Links List. The valid choices are: Title, Description, and the URL itself. Both the Title and the Description are the values entered by the end user.
3. Hide Permissions section: You have the option of hiding this section so when users create a site, the new site will either use the same permissions as the parent site or use unique permissions. UniquePermissions.jpg
PermShowing.jpg
The section highlighted in the image above will not appear when you select to hide this section.
Icon-Tip Keep your site name short if you opt to use unique permission groups because SharePoint uses your site name as part of the group name. For a site named Test, the permission groups will be Test Visitors, Test Members and Test Owners.
4. Navigate to new site after the site creation is completed Select this option and when the site is created, users will be automatically re-directed to the new site. If you cannot select this option, users see a link which they can click to open the new site.
NewCreated.jpg
5. Optimize site URLs for search engines (SEO) SEO or “search engine optimization” is the process of getting traffic or hits to your site from free or organic, natural or editorial listings on search engines. All major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing have such results, where web pages and other content such as videos or local listings are shown and ranked based on what the search engine considers most relevant to users. This is not needed unless your site is public facing rather than internal behind a corporate firewall.
6. Select a Language: Select a language from the drop-down menu to translate the Web Part user interface and tool pane settings. You can also create your own translation or modify the default files available in the drop-down menu. See Localize Bamboo Web Parts for your Language.

Permissions required to use Alerts Administrator

Permissions required to use Alerts Administrator

Overview of Alerts Administrator display

When Alerts Administrator has been activated on the web application, the Alerts Administrator tool will be available to all users with the SharePoint Manage Alerts permission, which lets you manage alerts for all users on a web site. This permission is easily granted via Site Permissions.

Methods for granting SharePoint permissions: SharePoint 2007 SharePoint 2010 SharePoint 2013
The Grant Permissions option adds users to existing SharePoint
groups. The following default SharePoint Groups grant the required
Manage Alerts permission:
Alerts_Admin_Grant_Permissions.png
Full Control Full Control Full Control
The Grant permissions directly option grants permission levels
directly to a user. These Permission levels include the
Manage Alerts permission by default:
Alerts_Admin_Grant_Permissions_Directly.png
Full Control Manage Hierarchy
&
Full Control
Manage Hierarchy
&
Full Control

Performance Tuning for List Rollups

Performance Tuning for List Rollups

As one might expect, the performance of List Rollup is affected by two major components:

  • the number of Lists
  • the number of List Items that are included in a rollup
  • the number of columns displayed for each item
  • the type of column displayed

The actual time it takes to perform a rollup will vary depending on server hardware and general system load. Some servers may be able to quickly process rollups containing over 50 lists and some will experience noticeable delays processing as few as 20. The best way to determine the practical limit in your environment is to try rollups with a varying number of Lists.

Some tips to improve performance are listed in the table below:

Tip Explanation
Review the types of columns displayed

SharePoint data is stored as text. When it is retrieved for display in a list rollup, non-text data (i.e., dates, KPIs) needs to be formatted. This sometimes takes more time than just getting the data. To improve performance,

  • minimize the number of non-text columns, if possible
  • if you have some date columns that you don’t need to sort, create a calculated column in the list(s) that converts the date to a text column. A typical formula for this is:

    =IF([Review Date],TEXT([Review Date],"mm/dd/yyy"),"-")
    
Review the number of columns displayed Only display the columns that your end users really need to see. If you are rolling up Tasks assigned to [Me] (the logged in user), do you need to display the Assigned To column?
Review the number items displayed If you are rolling up events, do you need to see events that occurred in the past?

Performance Considerations

Performance Considerations

Alert Plus Highlights

Alert Plus Performance Tuning

As a general rule, Alert Plus does not require special performance tuning after installation. Because some organizations may have special performance considerations, the suggestions included in this section are intended to provide users with configuration guidance for specific scenarios that may affect Alert Plus performance. In particular, the section discussing Bamboo List Rollup Web Part tuning provides recommendations to achieve the best performance when rolling up large amounts of data monitored by Alert Plus.

Distributed Architecture

Alert Plus is designed to scale automatically based on your existing SharePoint infrastructure. By using SharePoint timer jobs, SharePoint distributes the alert processing workload across all available Web front-end servers in the SharePoint farm to minimize the impact on a single server.

Since it is possible to configure an alert in any list on any site from the Alert Plus Web Part, it is best to consider consolidating alerts to minimize the number of web parts used. Not only will it be easier for your staff to maintain alerts configured in a single web part per site collection, it will minimize the number of timer job instances as well.

See Overview of the Alert Plus Solution Components for additional information.

SharePoint List and Library Performance Tuning

Similar to the Microsoft advisement that SharePoint lists containing a large set of data should be filtered using list views that result in 2,000 items or fewer, Bamboo Solutions suggests that Alert Plus jobs running on SharePoint lists or libraries should be configured to filter alert items to 2,000 items or fewer for the best Alert Plus performance. To filter alert items, select an appropriate list view or create a CAML query to filter on specific criteria. For more information, read the Event Tab topic and Creating Alerts topic.

List Rollup Performance Tuning

With the List Rollup Web Part, users can combine multiple lists or libraries into a single view and then create a single alert on the resulting rollup, saving time and effort for managing alerts. The following are recommended best practices for reducing the number of alerts users might receive when alerting on rollups that contain a large number of items:

  • Do not select As Soon As Possible for the alert frequency. Instead, use Every Hour, Every Day, Every Week, or create a custom schedule.

Icon-Tip For very large rollups, creating a custom schedule is best because it causes the creation of a custom SharePoint timer job for this specific alert. The standard Alert Plus timer jobs could be used to process multiple alerts, but a custom timer job is responsible for only one alert. See How often should E-mails be Sent for more information.

An Item Exists Alert Trigger Recommendation

If you are using the alert trigger An item exists, it is recommended that you set the Follow-up Wait Days setting to 1 day or greater so that users do not receive frequent alerts on the same item. This setting tells Alert Plus not to send another e-mail about the same item for the specified number of days. See Which Trigger Type Should You Use for more information.

Disable a site’s SharePoint alerts in Alerts Administrator

Disable a site’s SharePoint alerts in Alerts Administrator

Overview of Alerts Administrator display

The toggle feature in Alerts Administrator allows an administrator to disable or enable selected alerts. Needless to say, green equals ON, and toggling an alert to OFF will change the associated toggle icon to red.

NOTE: The following actions can only be performed on alert items on the displayed page.

Step Action Result
1.

From the Alerts Administrator page click the Toggle button associated with the specific alert you want to toggle
Alerts_Admin_Individual_Toggle.png

OR

Toggle multiple alerts by selecting the desired alert items on the display page and clicking Toggle in the ribbon
Alerts_Admin_Bulk_Toggle.png

OR

Toggle all alerts on the display page by clicking Select All and Toggle Alerts_Admin_Select_All_Toggle.png

The alert’s toggle status indicator will reflect the change in alerts status.

Overview of Alerts Administrator display

Knowledge Base Pending Questions

Knowledge Base Pending Questions

Knowledge Base Overview

The Q & A web part allows authors to manage, answer, and create articles based on questions sent by article readers. The “Q & A”, as well as the “Discussions” views can be found in the quick launch bar on the admin site. The Q & A web part points to the “Bamboo KB Rating and Comments” list under site contents.

1.png

Q & A View

The “Q & A” view provides a dashboard of questions that can be quickly sorted using the tabs along the top of the web part.

qanda.png

The icons indicate the status of each question:

question.png Pending Question

answered.png Answered Question

needsarticle.png Needs an Article

article.png An Article has been Published for this Question

To view replies so far, click “Replies.” Authors can reply to questions without marking the question as answered, so you may see a question with multiple replies that is still marked un-answered.

Answer or Edit a Question

Click on a question to open an answer prompt.

questionsdialog.png

From the answer prompt you can

  1. Edit the question
  2. Type an answer
  3. Mark the question as answered
  4. Flag the question as needing an article

You can send the answer directly to the user, post it as an answer to the question, or Cancel to close the dialog box.

Discussions

The “Discussions” view in the quick launch provides an OOTB view of the comments section, with advanced options for filtering and editing.

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Clicking on a discussion navigates to the discussion page with a list of replies and option to add a reply at the bottom.

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For advanced editing options of the Discussions view, open list settings in the ribbon.

Knowledge Base Pending Questions

Knowledge Base Pending Questions

Knowledge Base Overview

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Pending Questions displays the Bamboo Article Questions and Answers List, which contains questions that end users have submitted to Knowledge Base Administrators.

Answer Questions is a data view of the questions that end users have submitted. It shows the number of replies for each question, the answer status for the question, whether or not the question needs to be turned into a KB, and a list of available actions, such as Answer Question, Mark as Answered and Edit.

AvailAction.jpgThe available actions are as follows:

Click on a link above to read more detailed information about any of these actions.

These options allow Knowledge Base Administrators to better manage questions and answers to ensure that the Knowledge Base continues to be useful and beneficial to end users. For example, a question that is submitted by many end users can be marked as Need KB since it is a popular question.

To edit or modify the Bamboo Article Questions and Answers list, edit the list settings by navigating to the list and selecting Site Actions > View All Site Content > Discussion Boards > Bamboo Article Questions and Answers. Use the ribbon to edit the list settings by selecting List > List Settings.

Note:The list is blank until a user submits a question.

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To answer a question

Step Action Result
1. From the Knowledge Base Admin site, click Answer Questions. AnswerQ.jpg
2. Select Answer Question from the Available Actions drop-down list for the question that you want to answer. sa05-2010-usingadmin9.jpg
3.

In the Answer Question section underneath the data view, type your answer in the Answer field. Use the formatting options to format text, images and more.

  • Use the Design option underneath the Answer field to edit in rich text format.
  • Use the HTML option to edit in source code.
  • Click Preview to view how the answer will appear when it is submitted.
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4. Click Send Answer to User to e-mail the answer directly to the end user
OR

Click Answer Question to display the answer on the page with the question
OR
Click Close to cancel the reply.

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To edit a question

Step Action Result
1. Select Edit from the Available Actions drop-down menu. sa05-2010-usingadmin15.jpg
2. A new window displays the question in edit form.
3. Make the desired changes, then click Save.

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To mark a question as answered

Step Action Result
1. Reply to the desired question. sa05-2010-usingadmin16.jpg
2. Select Mark as Answered from the Available Actions drop-down list for the desired question.
3. The Answer Status automatically changes to Yes.

To mark a question as needing a KB

Step Action Result
1. Select Mark as Need KB from the Available Actions drop-down list for the desired question. sa05-2010-usingadmin17.jpg
2. The status for Need KB automatically changes to Yes.

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To view replies

Step Action Result
1. From the Knowledge Base Admin site, click Answer Questions. AnswerQ.jpg
2. The number of replies for each question are listed in the data view under Number of Replies. sa05-2010-usingadmin12.jpg
3. To view the replies, select View Replies from the Available Actions drop-down list for the desired question. sa05-2010-usingadmin13.jpg
4. A new window displays the replies in a discussion board. sa05-2010-usingadmin14.jpg

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Pause Workflow

Pause Workflow

If you would like the opportunity to either select the error-handling option or resolve the error and continue the workflow, use the Pause Workflow option. The workflow is paused, although its status in the list remains In Progress.

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If you view the status using the Workflow Status option in the item drop-down menu, the status displayed is Paused.

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Pause Workflow triggers the following actions:

  • A notification is sent to the list of people defined in the Workflow Error Reporting settings. The notification includes a link to an Error Handling Form, where you can select the error-handling option to use. You can also access this form by clicking the Paused link in the Workflow Status page.

  • The Error Handling Form includes the details of the error message and provides options to cancel the workflow, skip the step with the error, or repeat the step if the error is now resolved.

After you select an action in the Error Handling Form, the workflow will either continue or be canceled, according to the option you selected.

See Also:

Password Reset Zone Configuration

Password Reset Zone Configuration

Overview of Password Reset Configuration settings
Step Action Result
1. Choose a zone, either Default, Intranet, or Internet. As pictured above, the Web Part will display the selected zone’s Authentication Mode (and, where applicable, the Membership Provider) as well as a URL example for that mode. zoneConfig.jpg
You may not have access to any other zone than the default or your environment may be set up so that you do not leverage Internet or Intranet zones. In that case, you will only see Default as the only option.
2. Select the Just show confirmation message option to display only a confirmation message when a password is reset. If this option is not active, the Web Part will show the full set of options after a password is reset.

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NOTE: This option makes it easier for users to confirm that their password has been successfully reset, but makes the process of resetting several different passwords via the Web Part take longer.

3. You also need to choose the verification method for resetting user passwords.

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If you choose Use e-mail address:

  • Specify whether or not you are using a Local Server User Group.

    • If you are using Active Directory, do not check the Local Server User Group check box.
    • If you are using SharePoint without Active Directory and rely on the Local Server User Group, select the Local Server User Group checkbox.
  • Enter the correct Site Collection URL.

    • Enter the appropriate full URL address to the top-level site.

Password Reset Security Question

Password Reset Security Question

Overview of Password Reset Configuration settings
Step Action Result
1. Expand the Security Questions section of the web part to view the options available. At least one security question must be entered if this option is selected. SecQs.jpg
2. Security Question [#1-#3] Displays the question in the Web Part. If a Security Question is blank, the question and corresponding field are not displayed in the Web Part interface.
3. AD Custom field name for answer to Security Question [#1-#3] Enter the LDAP attribute that the user’s answer is confirmed against.

Password Reset Administrative Options

Password Reset Administrative Options

Overview of Password Reset Configuration settings

Enter Administrative Account that has rights to reset user password.

Step Action Result
1. Configure the Administrative Options.

04.jpgEnter the Administrator Credentials for the Administrative Account used to reset passwords. This Administrator account must have the right to Manage Site Group and Create Cross Site Group within SharePoint. By default, this account has to be in the SharePoint’s Administrator group unless the account was granted the specific right to create and manage site and cross site groups.

  • Administrator Domain Name: Enter the domain where this Administrator account resides.
  • Administrator Account Name:
  • For Active Directory Services (AD): Enter the user name for the domain administrator who has the appropriate rights for creating Active Directory users.
  • For Local Server User Group: Enter the user name for the machine administrator (i.e. member of the Administrators group on the local NT machine).
  • Administrator Password: Enter the password for the administrative account that will be used to actually create the user account in Active Directory or Local NT Server User Group.

NOTE: Passwords are generally case-sensitive.

2. Configure the User Domain parameters.

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  • Fully Qualified Domain Name: Enter the fully qualified domain name for the subdomain to which the new accounts are added. For example: marketing.company.com, or domain.local
  • Default Logon Domain Name: Enter the domain prefix used for authenticated logons. Password Reset appends the value entered in the Default Logon Domain Name to send the request to Active Directory.
    • Example: A user enters JSmith as their user name when making a request to reset their password. The Default Logon Domain Name is qa. The reset request to AD is sent for domain user qaJsmith.
3. Configure the Password Reset preferences.

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  • Unlock Account Automatically: releases an account locked due to password policy violations (e.g. an incorrect password was entered three times) after the password is successfully reset.
  • Enable Account Automatically: reactivates an account disabled by the administrator after password is successfully reset.
  • User must change password at next logon: requires the user to change their password after a successful logon with the reset password.
4. Enter the User Name Helper Text.

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NOTE: This is displayed as text between the User Name and E-mail fields to help the end users know the proper format to enter their user name.

5. Configure the Excluded Users or Active Directory (AD) Groups. 08.jpgEnter the user names or user groups separated by semi-colons for those users whom you do NOT want to be able to reset their passwords using this Web Part (for example, administrators, executives, or employees with access to sensitive data).
6. Specify the Password Reset method parameters.

For either method of verification, enter the E-mail Options.
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  • SMTP Server Name: Enter the name of your SMTP server.
  • E-mail From: (required) Enter the e-mail address to be used in the “From” field of the e-mails sent from the Password Reset Web Part (confirmation, post-reset, etc.). The e-mail address you use can be real or false; however, it needs to adhere to the e-mail configuration settings for your company.

    NOTE: if possible, use a real e-mail address as most Spam filters will block e-mails from false e-mail addresses

  • CC: (optional) Enter an e-mail address to be copied on all Password Reset generated e-mails.
7. Select Check for valid user E-mail in AD to also display the E-mail address box.

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If selected, Password Reset compares the e-mail address entered to the e-mail address stored in AD.

8. Configure Confirmation E-mail Options for either method of verification. (This option shows below the Security Questions section.)

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  • Subject: Enter the e-mail subject for the confirmation e-mail.
  • Message: Enter the body of the e-mail message for the confirmation e-mail. The link “Please click here to reset the password” is automatically added as the last line of the e-mail.

Release Notes for Password Management Toolkit

Release Notes for Password Management Toolkit

NOTE: Release Notes will open in a new browser tab

WSSv3/MOSS SharePoint 2010 SharePoint 2013 SharePoint 2016
Release Notes Release Notes Release Notes Release Notes
Microsoft ended mainstream support for SharePoint 2007 in October 2012. See Microsoft’s Lifecycle Support Policy.
At that time, Bamboo stopped enhancements to our SharePoint 2007 product line, but continues to provide support and bug fixes to customers with active support contracts until October 2017. Previously purchased licenses will continue to function after October 2017, but support for these products will end, and no additional bug fixes will be provided beyond that time. Bamboo plans to cease selling new licenses and annual support contacts for its SharePoint 2007 products in October 2016 to ensure customers will be eligible to receive support for at least one year after purchase.
Microsoft plans to end mainstream support for SharePoint 2010 in October 2015. See Microsoft’s Lifecycle Support Policy. At that time, we will stop any enhancements for our SharePoint 2010 product line but will continue to provide support and bug fixes for our SharePoint 2010 products to customers with active support contracts until October 2020. Previously purchased licenses will continue to function after October 2020, but support for these products will end, and no additional bug fixes will be provided beyond that time. Bamboo plans to cease selling new licenses and annual support contacts for its SharePoint 2010 products in October 2019 to ensure customers will be eligible to receive support for at least one year after purchase.

Visit our website where you can get the latest info about each of our products for SharePoint 2013.

A separate installation package and license key is required for SharePoint 2013 deployment. For additional details, review the following knowledge base articles:

Bamboo Solutions has also begun releasing products for SharePoint 2016. For additional details, check the product release notes in the link above, or contact us.

For details on migration, see the Knowledge Base Article “Migrate Bamboo Products from SharePoint 2013 to SharePoint 2016”

Understanding Bamboo Releases:

  • Bamboo offers Trial, Basic and Premium support.
    • Free Trial support expires after 30 days.
    • For more information about Basic and Premium support, please see the Support Plans page.
    • There may be a fee to upgrade from a major version to another.

See Also: