Share versus delegate

[Guest]

Outlook 2003 / Exchange Server

We have been instructed that everyone in our organization be able to view
everyone else's calendar, the goal being that everyone can see when everyone
else is free/busy. And we're being asked to accomplish this by adding
everyone as a delegate to our calendar (80 people). Since the intent is only
that we can view each other's calendar, I don't believe that delegation is
the best way to handle it. My view is that 80 people adding 79 other people
as delegates to their calendar is an accident waiting to happen.

I've suggested creating a group schedule, which tells me when you are
free/busy, but that suggestion has been dismissed. My second suggestion would
be that I "share my calendar," with "read items" as the permission. I am
presuming that my understanding is correct that there is no delegation made
with this method. Given what you know of the company's goal, what is your
opinion of the method selected and what would you have recommended?

Thanks a million!

Karen

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

If free/busy availability is the only need, then group schedules are the
appropriate approach. Outlook automatically publishes free/busy information
(although you might want to increase it to 12months)

Sharing calendar folders doesn't cause any problems, per se, but it does go
beyond availability to showing calendar item details, except for those items
marked private.

Delegation is only needed when you want other people to be able to act on
your behalf. That's way more than is needed for the situation you describe.