Managing Projects and Programs
Projects and Programs are contexts that are available when Windchill ProjectLink is installed. Projects are more commonly used, but they offer a similar functionality.
For more information, see the following topics:
* 
The following terminology applies:
Unless otherwise noted, the word “project” refers to both project and program contexts. For example, you can follow the steps in “Creating a Project” to create a program.
The release of Windchill ProjectLink 10.0 introduced Enhanced Project Plan (EPP) projects. Projects created in earlier releases are now referred to as “classic” projects and are no longer offered.
Projects
A Windchill project is a workflow-driven space in which team members can work collaboratively while tracking their progress against a project plan. Projects offer tools and an environment to track and guide work according to traditional project management standards.
Project templates allow you to create new projects based on standardized processes, including workflow definition, folder structure, and user roles. Administrators can create new project templates, edit templates, and create templates from existing projects. Administrators can also save an existing project as a new project, retaining selected objects such as the folder structure, team roles, and deliverables.
Project team members can be Windchill users or people outside your company, such as suppliers or consultants. These members can access the project space to find, store, and share information. Team members are assigned to roles, and can be automatically assigned tasks based on their role type. For more information, see Teams.
Several actions are only available to users assigned to the Project Manager role on the Team page. Project managers can create a schedule, or plan, for the project, as well as assign project deliverables to team members. A project manager can also schedule team meetings and host online project discussions.
Programs
A program provides a central space to organize information, people, and plans for a series of related projects.
For example, if you had a product line of farm tractors, you could create a project to coordinate the activities associated with designing and manufacturing the wheels for one or more tractors, and another project for the windshield and windows. Another project might organize the marketing information for this line of tractors. A program for this line of tractors could then help you coordinate between these related projects.
A program can have its own folder structure, plan, and objects. Outside of program-level objects, most information and activities associated with a program are managed in individual projects. The program is the central point that teams can use to search or navigate to information that might be part of a program, but is managed in other contexts. You can build a network of related information for a program and create several types of links to information such as projects, parts, CAD documents, and dynamic documents. For more information, see Networks.
The following features are available in projects, but not programs:
Workspaces
Ability to exchange objects between contexts (shared objects)
Part creation and management
* 
By default, programs are not visible. Contact your administrator to make programs available in the Navigator.
Programs are not supported with all Windchill applications.
Was this helpful?