Creating Project Portfolio Views from Microsoft Project

Using OnePager Pro to create portfolio-level project summaries with Microsoft Project data

Microsoft Project is a great way to manage individual projects, but what if you want to create an executive summary of all the projects in your portfolio without redrawing everything by hand?

OnePager Pro works with Microsoft Project to combine multiple projects into a single portfolio view which can be used to present to clients or executives. Here's how to get started:

1. Start by creating a new Microsoft Project file. This will act as a summary project for all of your individual projects.
2. One-by-one, add your individual projects to your master project plan by clicking the Subproject button in the Project tab of MS Project 2010, or by going to Insert->Project... in MS Project 2003 or 2007.
3. You have now created a summary project plan with containing multiple projects. Now, it's time to get this plan ready for presentation in OnePager Pro.
4. Begin by inserting a text column (Text 30 in this example) into your project plan. You can specify which subproject each task belongs to in this text field, which will allow you to group or color-code by project later.
5. Next, add a flag field (Flag 20 in this example) to indicate which tasks you want to include in your executive portfolio view. You can select as many or as few tasks as you want, but remember that simpler is often better. After adding the text column and the flag column, your Microsoft Project plan should look like this:
   
   
   
   
6. Click the OnePager Pro button on your Microsoft Project toolbar. Don't have OnePager Pro yet? You can download a 15-day free trial to see how it works.
7. When OnePager Pro launches, you'll want to name your Project View. Let's call it "Portfolio Executive Summary".
8. Now, select Flag 20 as the filter for your view. This ensures that you only import the tasks and milestones that your executives need to see:
   
   
   
   
9. Choose a Snapshot (status) date for your executive summary (the current date is fine) and click Create new project view. OnePager will import your chosen tasks and milestones from each subproject and create an executive summary.
10. If you'd like to group or color-code by subproject, go to Project View->Properties of the Project View and click on the Swimlanes and Colors tab. Choose Text 30 for the Swimlane Order/Titles option as well as for the Color Assignments option. After you click OK, your project will be re-sorted and re-colored by the subproject name you specified in Text 30 and should look something like this:
    
    
    
    

That's it! You can cut and paste your OnePager Pro portfolio summary into a PowerPoint presentation or into an e-mail, and be ready to share it with executives in a matter of minutes.

If you would like to customize your executive portfolio summary a little more, here are some ideas:

• Group, sort and color-code tasks by other fields in Microsoft Project besides the subproject name (teams, phase, etc.).
• Generate a project legend that makes it easy for executives to get the big picture.
• Move tasks or milestones anywhere on the page to create custom groupings.
• Show each project's percent complete, critical bath, or baseline dates, and compare the entire portfolio.
• Refresh your project portfolio with updated dates and percentages any time one of your Microsoft Project plans is modified.

OnePager Pro will create rich, easy-to-understand portfolio views with the click of a button, and it keeps you from having to rebuild your executive summaries manually every time your project schedule changes.

Get started today by downloading a free trial or attending one of our demonstration webinars.