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Business Scenario for Microsoft Project Integration

This scenario provides an example of a process performed by a Siebel administrator, a project manager, and a consultant. Your company may follow a different process according to its business requirements.

A Siebel administrator at a large consulting company is responsible for setting up Microsoft Project integration capabilities. He should understand what mapping templates are, how they work, and how they are created. With this knowledge, he creates and modifies mapping templates as needed for Microsoft Project integration.

The company's project manager manages projects using Microsoft Project and Siebel Professional Services Automation. For new projects, she creates a new project in Siebel Professional Services Automation and completes relevant project information such as project start date and end date, expected revenue, fees and expense limits, access list, attachments, billing information, contact list, and notes. Once the project framework has been completed, she can create the project scope using Microsoft Project.

To create a project scope, the project manager uses an existing Microsoft Project file or template. During this process, she identifies the project structure (dependencies, hierarchies, and schedule constraints), work breakdown structure (WBS), expected roles, and budget information. After completing the project scope, she imports the project into Siebel Professional Services Automation.

In Siebel Professional Services Automation, the project manager focuses on resource analysis, such as defining the roles that she needs for this project in the Team Workbook. She incorporates the roles already identified in Microsoft Project and can specify additional roles in Siebel Professional Services Automation. She submits her requirements to the resource manager, who makes staffing assignments. After the resource manager completes the initial staffing, the project manager exports the resource information to her existing Microsoft Project file for task-level delegation and planning. She then views the log file generated by this export, and saves it for later use.

Back in Microsoft Project, the project manager reviews the list of resources that have been assigned to the project. These are designated by their User IDs and roles. By default, Microsoft Project automatically updates the project schedule. The project manager may make additional updates manually. Once she completes the review and update process, she reimports the project file into Siebel Professional Services Automation, to update tasks with any schedule changes automatically.

In Siebel Professional Services Automation, the project manager reviews time and expenses submitted for the project and makes adjustments where needed. She also updates the project to reflect the percentage of the project that is complete. Once she finishes the update, she exports the updated information on tasks, resources, percentage complete, and cost to her existing Microsoft Project file.

Microsoft Project automatically reschedules project tasks to reflect progress to date. It also updates any changed resource information such as new assignments. The project manager reviews the project and restructures task relationships to include any tasks that were newly added in Siebel Professional Services Automation. She then decides whether any additional tasks are required for the project and whether any existing tasks should be deleted. Afterward, the project manager saves the Microsoft Project file and again imports the updated project information into Siebel Professional Services Automation.

In Siebel Professional Services Automation, the project data is updated to reflect the rescheduling done by Microsoft Project. Any tasks that were added and assigned in Microsoft Project are distributed automatically to their assignees. If there are time or expense items associated with any task that was deleted or promoted to a summary task in Microsoft Project, that information is saved in Siebel Professional Services Automation and remains available for time and expense reporting as well as invoicing and adjustments. This iterative project management process involving importing from and exporting to Microsoft Project continues until the project is finished.


 Siebel Professional Services Automation Guide 
 Published: 18 April 2003