Within a project team, you commonly need to share contact information. This may be the contact information of team members but may also include contact information of other key stakeholders such as customers, vendors, partners or industry experts. SharePoint provides a very easy-to-use interface just for this purpose that you can create via a template. It's known as a contacts list. Rather than team members storing contact information of key stakeholders within individual address books, team members add contacts to a list on a SharePoint site so that the information becomes available to everyone.

A contacts list has the columns shown in the following table. However, as is the case with any list, you can create or delete columns at any time. The Last Name column is considered the title column, and you cannot remove it from the list. You may rename it if you like, however.

Adding an item to a contacts list is quite easy and can be done using one of the following methods.

Virtually every team needs to track news related to important events and activities. Instead of sending distracting direct email messages to team members, you can use the announcements list to drive members to your site to look for the latest information on key activities and events. Using the announcement list template, site managers can alert team members of key events and milestones related to their business activities, without having to adopt a more formalized news-publishing feature.

When you create an announcements list, it contains the columns shown in the following table. However, you can add more columns or remove unwanted ones. Because the Title column is considered a required column, you cannot remove it from the list.

The announcements list features two standard views upon creation:

An important requirement when running a project is having the ability to effectively monitor and track task progress. SharePoint includes a list template designed specifically around the management of tasks. Using this list, you can create tasks for team members and email notifications will be automatically sent to the assigned parties containing details of the assignment. A task list features the ability to be connected to Microsoft Outlook, which allows users to view, create, and update tasks within a SharePoint list directly from within Microsoft Outlook. In addition, you can export information from a task list directly into a Microsoft project plan. This allows team leads or project managers to create a task list for the initial activities related to a project within their SharePoint team site, which can later be promoted into a more formal project plan when the project becomes more defined or complex. Similarly, team leads or project managers can synchronize existing Microsoft Project plans with a SharePoint task list. This is an activity we will review later in this chapter in a Try It Out exercise.

When you create a task list, it has the columns listed in the following table; however, you can add more columns at any time. Because the Title column is required, you cannot remove it from the list.

The tasks list features the following standard views upon creation:

The project tasks list is very similar in structure and behavior to the tasks list in the last section. It has the same columns and most of the same views, as well as a special view, called the Project Tasks view. A project task is a Gantt view that displays a bar for each task indicating status and expected timeline. An example of this view is shown in Figure 2-4.

You can add this view to other list types. SharePoint creates it automatically with the project tasks list to give you a head start in creating visually attractive work breakdown structures that you can apply to just about any project.

Like tasks lists, the project tasks list features Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Project integration, as well as targeted email notifications based on new assignments. However, you cannot associate a project tasks list with a workflow activity. Therefore, users who want to have Gantt chart views of workflow information are advised to use the standard tasks list and create a custom Gantt view.

Figure 2-4. FIGURE 2-4

More information on customizing lists in this manner is described in Chapter 4.

Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for unexpected issues to arise when you conduct business or run a project. An issue is an event that requires resolution. In a software environment, this may be a bug that someone discovered in the software. In a shipping company, this may be a transportation delay because of a snowstorm. Because issues can have a huge impact on business operations and the success of an initiative, it is important to effectively track and resolve them. The SharePoint list template for issues provides an easy-to-use method for doing so.

As with the Tasks and Project Tasks list templates, you may export information from an issues list to Microsoft Access, Excel, Project, and SharePoint Workspace. In addition, information from an issues list can be exported to Microsoft Visio. An example of this will be explored within this chapter in an upcoming Try It Out.

While the issues list template does support the offline synchronization features of certain Microsoft client applications, there is no default support for Microsoft Outlook integration.

By default, an issues list contains the columns shown in the following table, but you can add columns to meet your needs. Because the Title column is considered the required column, you cannot remove it from the list.

Having a shared calendar that all team members can access improves the communication of important information, such as availability, deadlines, and progress. The Calendar list template offers a variety of views and features that make the tracking and viewing of date-based information easy within team-based environments.

When you create a calendar list, it contains the columns shown in the following table. You can add or remove columns at any time, but you cannot remove the default columns: Title, Start Time, and End Time.

Calendar lists may be connected to Microsoft Outlook or Access. When you connect with either of these two applications, information will be synchronized between the SharePoint list and a local copy within the application. In addition, information from a SharePoint calendar list may be exported to Microsoft Excel.

The calendar list features three standard views upon creation:

Commonly, working on a project or initiative requires a team to set up website links to share with one another, for example links to third-party information sources. SharePoint provides a list template that makes it easy to share links with team members. Upon creation, the links list has the columns listed in the following table; however, you can add more columns later. The URL column is considered a required column and, therefore, you cannot remove it from the list.

You can change the link order in case you have a reason to display links in a specific order. For example, while you can list most links in the order in which they were created, you may need to ensure that the company's public website is listed first. You accomplish this by selecting Change Order from the Actions menu, shown in Figure 2-6, and selecting 1 from the Order drop-down list to the right of the company website address. All other items automatically adjust their position based on your selection.

Because team members may be collaborating on projects from different geographic locations and have different working schedules, having an effective mode of electronic communication is critical. Although email has traditionally played this role, the proliferation of email messages within organizations often results in employees spending more time filtering and sorting through their inboxes than they can afford. As a result, SharePoint provides a more passive electronic communication. A threaded discussion allows an author to post a message, and others to reply to that message through the web interface. Because all the communication occurs on the website, team members can stay informed about decision-making processes without directly participating in a specific thread. In addition, as you will learn in Chapter 17, all this content can be indexed and made accessible via the built-in search engine. This helps provide a long-term knowledge center for users to search for answers to commonly asked questions prior to initiating a new discussion.

Figure 2-6. FIGURE 2-6

The discussion board list initially has the columns shown in the following table; however, you can add more columns. Because the Subject column is considered to be required, you cannot remove it from the list.

In addition to these columns, there are three unique views associated with a discussion list. The subjects view shown in Figure 2-7 are all discussions that are available within the list, whereas the threaded and flat views offer methods for viewing the individual discussions related to a single subject.

Figure 2-7. FIGURE 2-7

For team members who prefer to control their communications from an email client, you can connect to Outlook in this list template. Clicking Connect to Outlook from the Actions menu of a discussion list allows team members to view a new folder specifically for discussion in their Outlook SharePoint lists. Users can make new posts and send replies from Outlook in the very same way that they create a new email message. However, instead of sending a message directly to someone's inbox, the message is posted to a central location where everybody can share the information. Figure 2-8 shows an example of a discussion board list item in Flat view. This view is available by clicking a discussion subject.

In most organizations, you need to collect information from users on specific programs and events. SharePoint provides a great tool for conducting surveys via the survey list template. This template can be highly customized to deliver dynamic surveys to an organization. All data is submitted back to the list and can be viewed in a graphical format or exported to a spreadsheet for additional processing. Figure 2-9 is an example of the graphical format of survey results that is available with every survey.

Figure 2-8. FIGURE 2-8

Creating questions in a SharePoint survey is similar to creating columns, with the exception that no default (required) columns exist. Instead, the author must complete a wizard type interface to create the questions required for the survey.

In a SharePoint survey list, you can create the question types shown in the following list:

Figure 2-9. FIGURE 2-9

The survey list template has a unique feature that allows you to create page separators and rating scales to improve a survey form's usability and design. Once you create questions, you can add branching logic to improve the flow of questions and ensure that you're only asking users to answer questions relevant to them. For example, if a question asks if the user has attended the company social, you can insert branching logic to ensure that, if the user selects no, she can skip questions that focus on the company social and redirect her to the next relevant question.

The status list template was previously known as the key performance indicator (KPI) list in SharePoint Server 2007 and is a specialized list template for tracking progress toward organizational goals and objectives. Because this feature is related to the business intelligence features of SharePoint Server 2010, it will be explored in detail in Chapter 16.

External lists are a new feature within SharePoint 2010 that support the viewing and interaction of external business data from within a SharePoint list. As this list template is dependent upon the Business Connectivity Services features of SharePoint, we will explore it in detail in Chapter 15.

In the next two examples, you learn how to add content to a list, as well as make updates to existing content within a list. Because SharePoint lists are only useful if they contain information, it is very important that you understand how to update them effectively.

In SharePoint, a variety of list templates can store just about any type of information or data. In the following example, you walk through the steps of creating a new list item in an existing announcements list. However, the same steps apply regardless of the list template you use. Therefore, we recommend that you repeat these exercises using the different list templates within the Project Team Site you created earlier within this chapter.

The previous two examples focused on creating and editing items in an announcements list. However, you can use the steps to create new items on all lists. It is highly recommended that you take some time to enter items in the other lists templates that exist on your Project Team Site before completing additional exercises.

TRY IT OUT: Edit Items in a Gantt View

1. From the main page of your Project Gros Morne site, select the Workplan link from the side navigation to access the Project Tasks list created in the previous Try It Out.

2. You may notice that the presentation of this list is slightly different from that of the lists previously explored in the chapter. In the middle of your screen, you will notice a view divider bar. Hover near the middle of the bar, as shown in Figure 2-15, to highlight the area on the bar that you can click and drag to the right.

3. Drag the bar to the right so that all columns are displayed in the left-hand panel of the view as shown in Figure 2-16.

4. Update the list by clicking within the table cells of each column on the left side to create the following tasks.

   

   Figure 2-15. FIGURE 2-15

   TITLE	START DATE	DUE DATE	% COMPLETE	TASK STATUS	PREDECESSORS
   Project Kickoff Meeting	January 3, 2011	January 3, 2011	100	Completed
   Complete Stakeholder Interviews	January 4, 2011	January 11, 2011	50	In Progress	Project Kickoff Meeting
   Create Requirements Document	January 12, 2011	January 26, 2011	0	Not Started	Complete Stakeholder Interviews

   

   Figure 2-16. FIGURE 2-16

5. Enter your own name in the Assigned to column for the Complete Stakeholder Interviews task. Leave the Assigned to column blank for the other two tasks.

6. Drag the view divider bar back to the left, and select Scroll to Task from the List Tab within the Ribbon menu bar, as shown in Figure 2-17. You may be required to also zoom out or zoom in using the buttons on the Ribbon menu.

   You will now see a graphical representation of your task schedule displayed in the right-hand portion of your view.

How it Works

The Project Tasks list is configured to have a Gantt view as the default view type. This specialized view is helpful for viewing date-based information in a format that clearly indicates the schedule and dependencies of tasks. You will notice that lines are drawn between tasks to indicate relationships where one task has been defined as a predecessor of another. In addition, you will notice that the Complete Stakeholder Interviews task is partially filled with a black line to indicate that it is 50% complete. This helps ensure that team members can easily identify the status of the various tasks that are assigned to them.

Figure 2-17. FIGURE 2-17

TRY IT OUT: Change the View of a List

1. From your Workplan list, select the List tab on the Ribbon.

2. Expand the Current View drop-down, and select My Tasks as shown in Figure 2-18.

3. The page will refresh, and you will notice that a new view of the list appears that displays only the task for which you have been assigned.

How It Works

As you add more and more data to SharePoint lists, it is important that you have methods to organize and access the information in a timely and effective manner. In the previous example, if you accessed a task list on a popular team site, you could have hundreds or even thousands of list items. With such a large amount of information, it's very difficult to quickly identify relevant items in the list. However, through custom views, you create filters that look at the column data and return items that meet specific criteria.

In the example shown, you selected the My Tasks view. This view has a filter that only displays items assigned to the current user. The view uses a special property called [me], which identifies the current user and displays only items that have that user's name in the Assigned To column.

Figure 2-18. FIGURE 2-18

TRY IT OUT: Export List Items to Excel

1. From your Workplan list, select the List tab on the Ribbon.

2. Expand the Current View drop-down and select All Tasks. The view will refresh, and all three tasks will be visible in the listing.

3. Select the List tab on the Ribbon menu once again.

4. Select the option to Export to Excel, as shown in Figure 2-19.

   

   Figure 2-19. FIGURE 2-19

5. A file download box will appear asking you to Open, Save, or Cancel. Select the Open option.

6. Microsoft Excel will open on your desktop, and you will likely receive a security warning. Click the Enable button.

7. A spreadsheet will open, containing the information from your SharePoint list, as shown in Figure 2-20.

How It Works

SharePoint is a fantastic collaborative environment for storing up-to-date information in a centralized store. Editing lists is very similar to editing information in Excel, especially if you are using a datasheet view, but in Excel you can do certain things that are impossible on the browser, such as advanced calculations, data analysis, what-if analysis, and complex rich formatting. However, you can have the best of both the SharePoint and the Excel worlds; you can create custom views on large amounts of data to filter and only display relevant information. Then, through the Export to Spreadsheet functionality views of list data, you can move data into Excel worksheets to share information or run further analysis.

Figure 2-20. FIGURE 2-20

TRY IT OUT: Create a Threaded Discussion

1. From the main page of your Project Gros Morne site, select the Team Discussion link from the side navigation.

2. Click the Add new discussion link.

3. Enter the following details for your discussion topic.

   COLUMN	VALUE
   Subject	SharePoint Works Great for Projects!
   Body	I really like that we can update our project team site directly from the browser and share our progress as we move towards our final goal.

4. Click Save.

5. Your new discussion topic will appear as shown in Figure 2-22.

Figure 2-22. FIGURE 2-22

Now that your new discussion topic has been added to the site, other team members may come to the site and reply to your post.

TRY IT OUT: Reply to an Existing Discussion from Outlook

Outlook supports a two-way synchronization of content. This means that, in addition to receiving updates within Outlook from the SharePoint list, team members can submit updates to the SharePoint list from Outlook. In this example, you will reply to your previously created discussion topic from within Outlook.

1. Open Microsoft Outlook.

2. From the Mail tab, select your Team Discussion list from the SharePoint Lists, as shown previously in Figure 2-23.

3. Select the SharePoint Works Great for Projects Message.

4. Click the Post Reply button from the Home tab on the Ribbon.

5. Enter the following for your reply:

   SharePoint is great and it supports updates to lists such as Discussion Boards, Tasks, Contacts and Calendars directly from within Outlook.

6. Click Post.

When you return to your team site, you will notice that, in just a few moments, your new reply will appear with the Team Discussion list, as shown in Figure 2-24.

Figure 2-24. FIGURE 2-24