Project Builder in SAP Project System—Practical Guide
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First-hand knowledge. Reading Sample Everyone’s got to start somewhere. Becoming acquainted with Project Builder’s interface is the first step towards mastering it. In this chapter, you will learn the basics of the system, the various elements relevant to navigation, and the many icons you will need to execute available and specialized functions. “Project Builder Basics” Contents Index The Author Kieron Dowling Project Builder in SAP Project System— Practical Guide 343 Pages, 2015, $69.95/€69.95 ISBN 978-1-4932-1209-5 © 2015 by Rheinwerk Publishing, Inc. This reading sample may be distributed free of charge. In no way must the file be alte- www.sap-press.com/3788 red, or individual pages be removed. The use for any commercial purpose other than promoting the book is strictly prohibited. This chapter introduces Project Builder’s user interface and walks through the basics of navigation, including identifying important symbols and options to personalize Project Builder. 1 Project Builder Basics Project Builder is a maintenance tool for personnel who manage projects in SAP Project System. This book explains the various ways in which you can maintain data. It also shows you the very best way to do things and how to get the most out of maintaining the many objects that make up a project. Let’s begin with looking at the basics. Note that some of Project Builder’s appearance and functionality may differ from what you see in this book. There can be a number of reasons for this, but usually it will be due to one or all of the following: ̈ Administrator settings may render some fields invisible if your design has no use for them (this is configured in field selections and influences, which you may have no authorization to modify). ̈ Your installation may include custom fields not shown in a standard system (this may be controlled in SAP Project System (SAP PS) enhancements, another area you may have no authorization to modify). ̈ Your SAP Graphical User Interface (SAP GUI) may be set up for different font sizes and background colors. ̈ Certain functions may be disabled because your installation doesn’t need or allow them, or it has stopped their use due to authorization restrictions. If you find you’re unable to perform certain actions, you can check by running Trans- action SU53 in a new session. There you can see what authorizations failed. ̈ To conform to standard SAP recommendations, your personal settings (as described in Section 1.3) should be set for optimal use. The number of levels 19 1 Project Builder Basics Primary Screen 1.2 should be initialized as 2; otherwise, you’ll be faced with performance pro- Icon Name Description blems with larger projects. Material Component A list of materials related to an activity. Note Milestone A planning object that can also be used to trigger events. This book doesn’t cover the general use of SAP ERP. We assume you have a basic under- stand of system navigation, terminology, and to what extent your system is configured. PS Text A predefined (or common) text element used to store text. In this chapter, we’ll discuss the general icons and symbols you’ll come in contact Document Documents that are recorded in the Document with in Project Builder, as well as the primary screen you’ll see when beginning. Management Services (DMS) repository can be referenced as attachments to work We’ll then move on to the specific user options available, and discuss the struc- breakdown structure (WBS) elements and ture of the different working areas. Finally, we’ll explore the navigation methods network activities. at your disposal as you begin your journey through Project Builder’s landscape. Table 1.1 Project Builder Icons (Cont.) 1.1 Symbols 1.2 Primary Screen Each object in a project is symbolized by a unique icon. Table 1.1 describes the To gain access to Project Builder’s primary screen, use Transaction CJ20N, as shown symbolic icons that help you recognize what each object represents, as they will in Figure 1.1. be visible throughout Project Builder. Icon Name Description Project Definition A “hat” containing the project’s rules and uniquely identifying the project. Work Breakdown Subordinate cost planning/cost collecting objects Figure 1.1 Transaction Window Structure that are organized to represent a hierarchy. Network Header The placeholder for network activities. They carry Alternatively, you can follow the menu path Project System Ⴇ Basic Data Ⴇ Pro- the scheduling and organizational rules that apply ject Ⴇ Project Builder (see Figure 1.2). to subordinate activities. Network Activity Planning/cost collecting elements that can be scheduled to form a network of dependent tasks. They are capable of raising reservations and pur- chase orders (POs) and also carry material compo- nents. Figure 1.2 Transaction Menu Path Activity Element A subset of activities used for detailed planning. With the primary screen now open, you’ll notice the different areas it contains, as Table 1.1 Project Builder Icons shown in Figure 1.3. 20 21 1 Project Builder Basics User-Specific Options 1.3 Settings Ⴇ Options Menu bar By loading the menu, you can change what is initially pre- sented in the primary screen to suit your specific needs. Navigation icons Operative window Figure 1.4 Settings Options Menu Worklist and Template window Note Other users aren’t affected by the settings you make. Navigating to this menu option will reveal another window where you can mod- Figure 1.3 Primary Screen ify your personal Project Builder settings, as shown in Figure 1.5. These areas include the following: ̈ Menu bar: This contains initial dropdown options, some of which are also rep- resented as icons. ̈ Navigation icons: These are used to quickly access functions. Initially, unavail- able icons are grayed out. ̈ Operative window: This is where you’ll see the project structure after the proj- ect is opened. ̈ Worklist and Template window: This contains lists of projects and templates you may want to access to speed up the process of maintenance. Now that you understand the primary screen and its structure, we can move on to the user-specific options for personalization of Project Builder. Figure 1.5 User-Specific Options Panel 1.3 User-Specific Options The following sections describe the areas in the User-specific options window and their corresponding fields. From the primary screen, you can modify the settings, as shown in Figure 1.4 and Figure 1.5, which allows you to change what is presented to you. 22 23 1 Project Builder Basics Working Areas 1.4 1.3.1 General Options Note General Under the options area in Figure 1.5, you’ll find the following general As you can see, the system differentiates between the types of network activity you can options for Project Builder: call upon, thereby making sure the correct type is used. ̈ Open project with: This option can be either Structural display or Project Planning Board (Gantt) view for the initial display. 1.3.3 Processable Objects Options ̈ Editing mode: This option determines whether the project is loaded in The Processable objects settings determine the types of objects you can main- Change or Display. tain in Project Builder. Deselecting any of these will stop them from showing in ̈ Hierarchy levels: This option determines how many levels are initially shown the Structure window and remove them from the Templates window. At any (including networks). The SAP recommendation is 2. This can be adjusted after time, these settings can be reinstated. the project is loaded. Simulation ̈ Preview last project: This checkbox shows the last project you worked on in For example, if you deselect and then try to create a simulation, the the Worklist window. option will be grayed out and you won’t be able to enter a simulation key. The same applies to any of these processable objects. ̈ Display deleted objects: This checkbox shows deleted objects in the structure (they’ll appear dimmed). This only applies to objects that are marked for dele- Now that you understand the options available to you as a user, it’s time to look tion using the status Deletion Flag. at where you’ll be managing your content. 1.3.2 Template Options 1.4 Working Areas The boxes you select will determine which template objects are offered in the Templates options area. Individual objects are shown so you can easily drag them Project Builder is constructed of work areas, where you can manage information into your structure. These are shown in the Templates section of your primary in a variety of ways. There are three primary work areas, as shown in Figure 1.7: screen (see Figure 1.6). 1 Structural navigation In this area, you move through the various project objects. As you do so, the Objects and Overviews window changes to reveal the object content. 2 Worklist and templates In this area, you select objects for inclusion in a project (the Worklist itself is a history of what you’ve been working with). These settings can be modified to suit your needs (see Section 1.3). 3 Objects and overviews In this area, you maintain object content (master data). Figure 1.6 Templates 24 25 1 Project Builder Basics Navigation Methods 1.5 A menu will appear, as shown in Figure 1.9. Figure 1.9 Display Sequence 2 By clicking Display sequence in the contextual menu, you can switch between the different views. As shown in Figure 1.10, we’ve changed the view from that shown in Figure 1.8.