There are a number of reasons why you might want to work offline from Project Server.

• One, you might want to work on a project while flying across the country (but don’t take your eyes off the instrument panel).
• Two, the network you are using goes down unexpectedly while you’re are in the middle of managing an important project.
• Three, you want to share a project in Project Server using e-mail. Let’s look at these more closely.

Work on a project offline

Step 1: Check out a project

1. Start Project Professional 2010 and connect to Project Server.
2. On the File tab, click Open .
3. In the Open dialog box, click Retrieve the list of all projects from Project Server.
   The Open dialog box displays a list of projects in Project Server.
4. Click the project you want to open, and then click Open
5. After the file opens, set Project to work offline from the server.
   1. On the File tab, click Info.
   2. On the right, click Manage Accounts, and then click Work Offline.
      
      
6. When you have finished working on the project offline, close Microsoft Project.

Keep in mind, that when you open Project Professional again to continue working on the project offline, you need to select the server to which it was initially saved, and then click Work Offline in the Login dialog box.

 

Note    If you do not select the server to which the project file was initially saved, you will not be able to open the project file.

Step 2: Synchronize changes with Project Server

1. Start Project Professional.
2. In the Login dialog box, select the server to which the offline file was initially connected. Do not click Work Offline.

• Note    If you do not select the server to which the offline file was initially connected, then you will not be able to open the file.

• On the File tab, click Open.
• In the Open dialog box, double-click the project name to open it from your computer
• On the File tab, click Close.
• When prompted to check in the file, click Yes.

Your project file is now synchronized with the version on the server.

Top of Page

Work Offline unexpectedly

If your computer becomes unexpectedly disconnected from Project Server, you can continue to make changes to your project plan. The next time your computer is connected to Project Server, the changes you made to the project will be synchronized to the server.

Do the following when you want to save your changes back to Project Server.

1. Start Project Professional.
2. In the Login dialog box, select the server to which the project was initially saved. Do not click Work Offline.
   Note    If you do not select the server to which the project was initially saved, then you will not be able to synchronize the project with Project Server.
3. Close Project Professional.
   If you are prompted, save and check-in the project.

Share a project

You can save a project from Project Server for sharing. When you do this, a Project .mpp file is created that you can send to team members as an e-mail attachment or to a file server. Use this method to share a file (rather than working on a project offline) when you want multiple people to work on the same file. When you receive the file back from them, you can synchronize the changes with Project Server.

Step 1: Save a project for sharing 

1. Start Project Professional and connect to Project Server.
2. On the File tab, click Open .
3. In the Open dialog box, click Retrieve the list of all projects from Project Server.
4. On the File tab, click Save & Send.
5. On the right, click Save Project as File.
6. Click Save for Sharing. 
   
    
   
7. Note    The Save for Sharing command is available only if the project has been saved to Project Server.
8. Click Save As
   
9. Type a name for the project file. You can either type a new name or use the name that matches the name of the project on the server.

After saving the project with the new file name, you can send the file in e-mail to team members, who can open the file and make changes.

Note    Changes can only be made by team members if they have Project Professional 2010.

Step 2: Synchronize the shared file with Project Server

Once the file has been returned to you, you can open it and synchronize the changes with Project Server

1. Start Project Professional and connect to Project Server.
2. In the Login dialog box, select the server from which the shared file was initially created. Do not click Work Offline.

   Note    If you do not select the server from which the project file was initially created, then you will not be able to synchronize the shared file with Project Server.

3. On the File tab, click Open.
4. In the Open dialog box, double-click the project name to open it.
5. On the File tab, click Save As.
6. Select the name of the original project from which the shared file was created.
   If the shared file name matches the original project name, then the project name will be displayed in the Save to Project Server box.
7. Click Save. The shared file will now be synchronized with the original project.