Transcript Windows Level 1

Microsoft Project 2003
Level 1
Deanna Reynolds
Instructor
Class Outline
 Creating a Project Plan File
 Creating a Work Breakdown Structure
 Creating and Assigning Resources
 Finalizing the Project Plan
Lesson One:
Creating a Project Plan File
 Create a project plan file
 Create and assign a project calendar
 Add tasks to the project plan file
 Display a project summary task
 Add a recurring task
 Enter duration estimates for tasks
Create a Project Plan File
 The true challenge of managing projects involves making decisions on
how and whether to make trade-offs between Time, Cost, and Quality.
 These three components are the keys to successful project
management.
 Microsoft Project can help you to monitor these components to ensure
your projects come in on time, within budget and at an agreed upon
level of quality.
 However, Microsoft Project is simply a tool – not the actual project
manager.
Create a Project Plan File
 As a new user, you want to make sure you
can clearly identify which project
management activities can and cannot be
performed using Microsoft Project before you
actually create your project plan file.
 After reading the following statements,
determine whether or not they can be
performed using Microsoft Project software.
True or False?
Microsoft Project can:
Identify the project stakeholders.
False
True or False?
Microsoft Project can:
Create a detailed list of project tasks.
True
True or False?
Microsoft Project can:
Get the project team to sign off on the final budget for
the project.
False
True or False?
Microsoft Project can:
Generate project summary report information.
True
The Microsoft Project Environment
Standard Toolbar
Field Heading
Formatting Toolbar
Project
Guide
Toolbar
Entry Bar
Timescale
Task
Pane
Active Pane Indicator
Divide Bar
Table
Gantt Chart
View Area
The Microsoft Project Environment

By default, the Gantt Chart is displayed when you launch Project.

You can completely customize your Project views. Within each view, you
can choose to display various tables.

Tables control what task or resource information is presented in a sheet
view.

With tables, you can control the columns, or fields, that appear in the table.

The Task Entry table is the default display. Here you can see:
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Task Name
Duration
Start
Finish
Predecessors
Resource Names
The Microsoft Project Environment
 To apply a different table within a view, simply
choose View: Table: Entry, then, select the desired
table from the list.
 You can also change the timescale displayed on the
Gantt Chart by choose Format: Timescale.
 For a quick timescale adjustment, just click the Zoom
In and Zoom Out buttons on the Standard toolbar.
Contains timescale legends for
graphically presented tasks or resources.
Timescale
Provides common functions and is
displayed on the left side of the screen.
Task Pane
Used to enter and edit information in
columns.
Entry Bar
Where project data is displayed.
View Area
A vertical bar that separates the table and
chart portions of a view.
Divide Bar
What is the default view in Project?
Gantt Chart
What table is applied to the default view?
Entry Table
Using the Project Guide
 The Project Guide is a toolbar that provides a quick
way of accomplishing common Project tasks.
 In the File Properties dialog box (File: Properties),
you can store general, summary, statistical, contents
and custom information about a project.
 Most projects schedule from the start date.
Occasionally, you may have a need to schedule from
the project end date. If this is the case, choose
Project: Project Information. Choose Schedule from
Project Finish Date and enter your finish date.
Create & Assign a Project Calendar

A project calendar is necessary to ensure tasks don’t get scheduled to be
worked at midnight or on company holidays.

Project will automatically schedule tasks to begin on the next available day in
the project plan unless you determine otherwise.

By setting a project calendar, you can have more control over the flow of task
completion in your project.
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There are three base calendars in Project:
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Standard (M-F, 8a -5p)
24-Hours (No Non-Working Time)
Night Shift (M-Sat, 11p – 8a)
Using these base calendars, you can define working times for:
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Project Calendar (Default working and non-working times for a project)
Resource Calendar (Default working and non-working times for an individual resource)
Task Calendar (Applied to an individual task when the project calendar won’t suffice)
Create & Assign a Project Calendar
 Optional Settings
 The Options Dialog Box allows you to enter, review, or
change preferences that control Project’s general operation
and appearance. To open this box, choose Tools: Options.
 Project Information Dialog Box
 The Project Information Dialog Box contains the project’s
start & finish dates, what date the project is going to be
scheduled from, the current date, the status date, and what
type of calendaring system your project is based on.
 You can access the Project Information Dialog Box by
choosing Project: Project Information.
Add Tasks

In order for Project to calculate a schedule, you must enter tasks.

Through a succession of tasks, Project in able to:
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Calculate the Project Schedule
Assign Project Resources
Determine Project Costs
All tasks contain:
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Task Name
Duration (the estimated time between the start of a task and its finish)
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Project estimates each new task at one day indicated with 1 Day? The ? Indicates the
duration is only a estimate.
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You could enter up to one million tasks in Project (but, I wouldn’t recommend it).
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Generally, you’ll enter tasks in Gantt Chart View. Then, simply click in the Task Name
field and type the task name. Press enter when finished.
Add a Project Summary Task

A project summary tasks can be used for quick project analysis, such as determining
the total duration of a project.

Schedule and cost information from subtasks are accumulated at the summary task
level.
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The start date of a summary task is determined by the earliest start date of any of its
subtasks.
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A project summary task is the highest level of work in a project that represents the
project goal or project objective.
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All other project tasks are represented as subtasks beneath the project summary
task.
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To display a project summary task:
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Choose Tools: Options
Select the View tab
Check “Show Project Summary Task”
Add a Recurring Task
 Some tasks, such as project status meetings, can occur
multiple times throughout a project’s life cycle.
 Project allows you to designate recurring events so that you
don’t have to enter them as separate tasks multiple times.
 Once entered, a recurring task appears as a summary task
with the multiple subtasks that represent each occurrence.
 If a task does not occur at regular intervals, then you will
need to enter the task multiple times.
Duration, Work & Units
 A task’s duration (as you know), is the amount of time
between the start of a task and the finish.
 By default, Project enters a “1 day?” estimate in each task’s
Duration field.
 It’s best to avoid setting task durations by entering task start
and finish dates. Instead, enter duration estimates for tasks
which allows Project to schedule the task start and finish
dates.
 Task Duration Codes:
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Minutes displays as m, min, minute
Hours displays as h, hr, hour
Days displays as d, dy, day
Weeks displays as w, wk, week
Duration, Work & Units
 If you don’t know the task’s duration, you can always
estimate it using the following formula.
The Most Pessimistic Time
Estimated Duration
E = [O + P + (4 * M)]/6
The Most Optimistic Time
The Most Probable Time
Duration, Work & Units
 Work defines what will be accomplished once
resources are assigned to a task.
 Assignment work is the amount of person-hours
needed to complete each resource’s assignments.
 The total work for a task is the sum of the work for all
its assignments.
 The formula for calculating work is:
Work = Duration * Units
Duration, Work & Units
 Units represent the percentage of a resource’s time
assigned to a task.
 The default percentage is 100%.
 However, if a resource is going to work only half-time
on a task, you can set that resource’s assignment
units to 50%.
 Project milestones are simply tasks with zero (0)
durations.
Duration, Work & Units
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A milestone acts as a reference point marking a major project event.
 Milestones can mark:
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Beginning of your project
End of your project
End of a major phase
 You can mark any task as a milestone by:
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Double-click the task to open the Task Information dialog box
Select the Advanced tab
Check “Mark Task as Milestone”
Click OK
Lesson One Review:
Can You …
 Create a project plan file?
 Create and assign a project calendar?
 Add tasks to the project plan file?
 Display a project summary task?
 Add a recurring task?
 Enter duration estimates for tasks?
Lesson Two:
Creating a Work Breakdown Structure
 Promote and demote tasks
 Link tasks
 Identify deliverables within the project plan file by
using notes
 Apply a constraint to a task
 Set a task deadline
Outline Tasks
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Because you may have several tasks related to one another, it’s a good
idea to organize them into manageable chunks.
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The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a hierarchy of tasks in a project
represented by alphanumeric codes that identify each task’s unique place
in the structure.
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The WBS can be drawn as a graphic, like an organization chart or as a
simple outline as shown on page 39.
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Project uses the Outline method to organize and group tasks.
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Outlining allows you to organize the tasks in your plan into summary tasks
and subtasks.
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You can use the Indent (Demote) and Outdent (Promote) buttons on the
Formatting toolbar to organize your tasks into an outline form.
Outline Tasks
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Once your tasks have been promoted and demoted to your satisfaction,
you can choose how much or how little of your WBS that you’d like to view
by collapsing or expanding the outline.
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The duration and other details, such as costs, that are associated with
summary tasks still represent the sum of the subtasks when a group of
tasks has been collapsed.
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You can include outline numbers to your task hierarchy by:
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Choose Tools: Options
View tab
Check “Show Outline Number”
Link Dependent Tasks
 The tasks that make up a project are all related.
 A task relationship, or a dependency, occurs when the
starting time of one tasks is dependent on whether another
task is starting or is completed.
 The terms predecessor and successor describe how tasks
relate to each other.
 Predecessor – the task that comes before the current task
 Successor – the task that comes after the current task
 Project gives you four different ways in which tasks can be
related.
Task Relationships
 Finish-to-Start (default)
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Task B cannot start until Task A finishes
 Start-to-Start
 Task B cannot start until Task A starts
 Finish-to-Finish
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Task B cannot finish until Task A finishes
 Start-to-Finish
 Task B cannot finish until Task A starts
Lag & Lead Time
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With these relationships, you can make tasks overlap or cause a delay
between tasks.
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Lead time – the overlap between dependent tasks. Lead time is entered as
a negative number.
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Lag time – the delay between any two dependent tasks that adds waiting
time after a task is completed. Lag time is entered as a positive number.
Identify Deliverables
 You may want to add notes to record specifications,
customer requirement, quality measures, or any general
information related to a task.
 Additionally, you can attach related documents, such as
Word or Excel files.
 Notes
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Notes can be helpful for remembering important task
information, such as deliverables.
Constrain Tasks
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Constraints are conditions or limitations places on the start or finish date of
a task.
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By default, all tasks are scheduled with a start “As Soon As Possible”
constraint.
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Task constraints affect how the project schedule is calculated.
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Constraints should be used only when absolutely necessary as they limit
Project’s flexibility for scheduling your project.
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To control the schedule and to minimize the number of constraints you set,
use task relationships as they allow for greater project flexibility.
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Most constraints schedule tasks in related to fixed dates. However, two
constraints (As Soon As Possible and As Late As Possible) are more
flexible as they do not have dates associated with them.
Page 58
Constrain Tasks
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If placing a constraint on a task causes a conflict with another task constraint or
relationship, Project can display a warning message.
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If you want Project to note the conflict, without considering it when creating the project
schedule:
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Tools: Options
Schedule tab
Uncheck “Task Will Always Honor Their Constraint Dates”
Setting Task Deadlines
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Task Deadlines are a good alternative to setting constraints.
A deadline is a target date indicating when you want a task to be completed
Unlike a constraint, a deadline usually does not affect scheduling.
Lesson Two Review:
Can You …
 Promote and demote tasks?
 Link tasks?
 Identify deliverables within the project plan file by
using notes?
 Apply a constraint to a task?
 Set a task deadline?
Lesson Three:
Creating and Assigning Resources
 Enter resources and associated costs into the project
plan file
 Create a resource calendar
 Assign resources to tasks
 Add additional resources to a task
 Resolve resource conflicts
Resources
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Resources are the people, equipment and material used to complete tasks.
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Resources can be one of two types:
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Work Resource – people or equipment
Material Resource – supplies or other consumable items
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Once your tasks are entered, you’ll need to determine who will perform the work to
accomplish those tasks.
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Before you can assign resources to your tasks, you’ll need to enter the resource
information into the Resource sheet.
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Choose View: Resource Sheet
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Once your resources have been entered, you can change their order by sorting by
Cost, Name, ID or custom criteria you set.
Resource Calendar
 Occasionally, you’ll have resources that don’t work the hours
specified on the project calendar.
 If you neglect to create a different calendar for this resource,
your schedule will be incorrect.
 Resource Information Dialog Box
 The enter, review or change detailed information about a selected
resource double-click the resource name
Assign Resources
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To identify who is responsible fro completing the tasks in your project plan,
you need to assign resources to those tasks.
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By assigning resources, you allow Project to accurately schedule tasks
using the resource calendars and assignment units information.
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Additionally, Project can help in accounting for resource time and costs if
you assign resources to your tasks and the appropriate cost information is
included in the Resource Sheet.
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You can assign resources whether by using the Assign Resources Dialog
Box (Assign Resources button on the Standard toolbar) or by entering the
resource information directly in the Entry table.
Assign Additional Resources
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Using task types enables you to make one of the following three variables unchangeable in
scheduling calculations.
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Duration
Work
Units
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Since the duration of each task is determined by the formula Duration = Work/Assignment
Units, you can choose which piece of the equation Project calculates by setting the task
type.
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Three task types
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Fixed Unit – Default Task Type. By assigning additional resources, the task’s duration is
reduced.
Fixed Duration – Changes to work or resources does not impact the task’s duration.
Fixed Work – Changes to task’s duration or assigned resources does not impact the work.
By default, all tasks are marked “effort-driven” which means that when you assign or remove
resources, Project lengthens or shortens the duration for task based on the number of
resources assigned to it. This setting can be changed in the Task Information dialog box.
Resolve Resource Conflicts
 Overallocation can occur when resources are scheduled to work more
hours then they are available.
 This occurs because they are either assigned to too many tasks or
because more resource units are assigned to a single task than exists
in the resource list.
 You can view resource overallocation in the following views:
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Resource Sheet
Resource Graph
Resource Usage
Resource Allocation
 You can use the Resource Management toolbar to help manage
resource allocation.
Leveling
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Once you have identified any overallocated resources in a project plan, you will
need to determine how you want to resolve them.
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Leveling is the process of delaying or splitting tasks to resolve conflicts.
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Tasks are either split or delayed until the resources assigned are no longer
overloaded.
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As a result, leveling can extend the project’s finish date.
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Leveling does not change resource assignments nor does it add any additional
resources.
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By reviewing the slack (amount of time a task can slip before it affects another
task’s dates or the project finish date), task priority, task dependencies, task
constraints and scheduling dates, Project levels overallocated resources.
Lesson Three Review:
Can You …
 Enter resources and associated costs into the project
plan file?
 Create a resource calendar?
 Assign resources to tasks?
 Add additional resources to a task?
 Resolve resource conflicts?
Lesson Four:
Finalizing the Project Plan
 Display the project plan’s critical path
 Shorten the project duration
 Save the project baseline
 View project summary information
View the Critical Path
 The critical path is a series of tasks that must finish on schedule
if the project is to finish on time.
 Tasks on the critical path are called critical tasks and they do
not have slack time.
 To avoid delaying the project, it is important to pay attention to
and manage the critical path.
 By default, the critical path is not displayed. If you want to see
the critical path, you’ll need to use the Gantt Chart Wizard.
Shorten the Project Duration
 As project manager, you will have to make decisions that may include:
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assigning additional resources to tasks on the critical path
Dividing tasks
Removing Project Requirements to shorten the total project duration
 Slack
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Free slack – the amount of time a task can slip before it delays another
task
Total slack – the amount of time a task can slip before is delays the
project finish date
 On the Detail Gantt view, slack is represented by a thin green bar.
Set a Baseline
 The purpose of a baseline is to give you a point of comparison
between the original project file and the current schedule to
determine how closely the project is following the original plan.
 A baseline essentially creates a benchmark for future reference.
 A baseline helps you calculate variances between variables like
task duration, start and finish dates, or costs.
 You can view the project statistics, after you set the baseline
plan, in the Project Information Dialog Box.
Display Project Summary Information
 One way to print information in Project is to
use reports.
Lesson Four Review:
Can You …
 Display the project plan’s critical path?
 Shorten the project duration?
 Save the project baseline?
 View project summary information?