SharePoint 2010 Project Template - Free

In this article I would like to inform you of a Free Project Site Template available for SharePoint 2010. The template is useful in IT Software Development scenarios where each new project can be assigned a project management site. It provides the convenience of:

• Setting Project Goals, Statements & Tasks
• Managing Tasks Assigned
• Dashboard on Project Status (Red, Yellow, Green)
• Microsoft Project integrated

SharePoint Project Template

SharePoint out-of-the-box does not have a Professional Project Site Template. This requirement is is catered through various free project templates available in CodePlex.

Creating a new Project Site Template is a good idea provided the time & resources to develop it.

Which is the Free Project Template?

The project template we are discussing here is named Project Lite created by the company named BrightWorks. You can download it from the Microsoft PinPoint website.



http://pinpoint.microsoft.com/en-us/applications/free-sharepoint-project-management-templates-12884943482



There are 2 Project Types provided:

1. Project Lite
2. Project Structured

In this example I am showing the Project Lite site template.

Please note that you require Site Owner level permissions for installing this template & creating sites using it.

Installation

The installation was simple as it was a Sandboxed Solution. Just download the WSP files & you need to install them in the Solutions Gallery.

Extract Zip File



Upload to Solutions Gallery

Choose "Site Actions" > "Site Settings" > "Solutions" > "Solutions Tab"



Click the Upload Solution and then click the "Activate" button.



In the dialog that appears please click on the "Activate" button.



After activatiion the template is ready.

Create Project Site

Now choose "Site Actions" > "New Site" > "Free SharePoint Project Lite".



Enter the Title & URL information in the right pane, and click the "Create" button.

After waiting a few minutes, you will get the following site ready message:



References

http://pinpoint.microsoft.com/en-us/applications/free-sharepoint-project-management-templates-12884943482

Summary

In this article we have explored a SharePoint 2010 Project Template. To summarize:

The project site provides the following features:

1. Project Statement Link that is Editable
2. Project Tasks list
3. Project Documents library
4. Calendar
5. My Work list that shows only current logged in user Tasks
6. Work list that contains all works to various project members
7. Microsoft Project Support

I believe this is a useful one & recommendable to customers. Additionally, there is a paid version of the template that provides much more features. Please ensure you read the licensing agreements before deploying to corporate environments.