Create Project status update Part 2

In the previous post ( Create Project status update Part 1 ) we created all the parts needed to Create a project status update, in this post we will put it all together and see how it works ,

Go ahead start your SharePoint 2013 designer and create a Project Server workflow, in the workflow insert the Status update stage and add the following steps

1. Wait for Event when a project is submitted (very very very important) .
2. Create item in the list that we have created and map the project fields to the list field (again do not forget the Project UID) 
3. in the end in the transition to stage send the workflow back to the same stage it will look something like below 

Project Server Workflow

The reason wait for event is so important is if you dont have it the workflow will run infinitely, so the wait for will stop it. 

and this is how my test mapping looks something like this 

Mapping Project data to status update list 

that is it save and publish, next step is associate that workflow with an EPT , create a project and fill in all the data required, then hit the workflow submit button, the workflow will kick-off , your Status update PDP will look something like this after couple of runs 

Status update list

Next post will talk about the limitations and how to improve this 

Create Project status update Part 1

Today we will work on a very basic and easy way to create a Project status update report without the need for a complicated info-path forms or creating multiple lists and workflows. 

so the issue i was working on a very basic implementation for a client who wanted a straight forward Project Online implementation, the only non standard feature they asked for is a weekly status update report. i have done that before using infopath and suctom code but this is Project Online things are a bit different. so i did some search didn't take me long to find a post by Andrew Lavinsky  creating status reports with project online and sharepoint designer and i wanted to start working with it but it was a bit longer than i wanted and i thought there might be a way to simplify it it took me a while but i got there :) , a simple and quick to implement solution so lets start in this part we will create all the.

Keep in mind in this case the client do not require a workflow for their projects (with some creativity it can be incorporated)

Step 1 : The list 

we start with the basic create a share point custom list and add all the fields that you wish to report on, make sure that you include the Project GUID in that list 

Step 2:  The PDP 

Go to your PWA and create a new PDP give it a name , and add the following items to it 

a query string filter to capture the project guid from the URL. then add the list that we just created above, In the Query string webpart create capture the ProjUID from the URL

Create Status update PDP

next send the captured Project UID to the list to make sure only project related items will be in display, form the query string webpart create a connection to the list on the page 

Link the Project uid filter 

Save the PDP and then change its type to Workflow Status,That all we need from this PDP at this stage save it and we will get back to it later. 

Step 3: The Stage

Go to your PWA and create a stage, i have created a stage and called it status update stage under a phase that i also called status update (feel free to name it as you wish) 

Create Project status update Stage 

That is it , in the post i will write on how we will put the pieces together and have a nice and simple way of logging our status updates

Part 2 is now available