1. Using Microsoft Project 2000
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Using Microsoft Project 2000

2. Tutorials Option 1 Use the following slides to learn MS Project.
Throughout the slides arrow (>) means “click on”. For example “>View Bar”, means click on View Bar on your screen.
Option 2
You may also use the tutorial contained in the software itself. Click on “Help” on the main menu in MS Project to access this tutorial.

3. Overview Project management requires balancing elements:
project scope – goals, objectives and activities needed to meet them
schedule- duration and succession of activities
available resources - human and material
Generally this means:
planning, organizing and monitoring the activities
identifying the necessary resources
Planning how to use resources
The focus for all these activities is the project plan.

4. Why use a project plan?
Without a plan, you reduce the likelihood of accomplishing project goals or objectives, such as staying within budget or on schedule because:
you can’t easily track who is doing what
know when tasks should be finished
if something goes wrong it will be difficult to determine the problem’s cause and it’s impact on the schedule

5. Five steps in managing a project
1 Project initiation/definition :
scope definition
authorization (project charter)
resource definition
time limits definition
2 Planning the project
identifying the tasks, as well as who and what will accomplish them
estimating the volume of work and time needed for each task
identifying dependencies – tasks that depend on other activities
determining the limitations and constraints on activities and resources

6. 3 Executing the project carrying out each task 4 Controlling
monitoring progress
revising the resources, scope and schedule
identifying problems that might push your project out of the plan’s parameters
analyzing the necessary resources so that no one on the team is overworked
making necessary corrections or changes
5 Closing the project
comparing the initial plan to what really happened
analyzing the problems that you encountered and identifying the areas for possible improvements
archiving the project file

7. How Does Microsoft Project help?It
Calculates most schedule details
Balances critical scheduling factors
Flags problems before they impact your schedule
Creates the project plan
Tracks the project plan
Helps close the project

8. What MS Project does NOT do
It won’t write the Project Charter nor the Project Statement
It won’t automatically identify the necessary resources for a certain activity, nor it’s duration
It won’t check the validity of the input data (such as dependencies, costs, durations, etc.)
It won’t generate reports or wievs based on data that we didn’t supply (such as completion percentages, actual durations, actual start/end dates, etc.)

9. Steps you will take in creating an MS Project plan
Open a new project document
Specify the project starting date
Create the task list, specifying duration
Group and logically organize the tasks in phases, summarizing tasks and subactivities
Specify dependencies
Add resources and information about them
Assign resources to activities
Add cost information about resources and activities
Optimize the plan in order to reduce costs
Save baseline information

10. You must clearly define the following elements:
OBJECTIVES
These are the actual results that should be obtained. When defining them one should be careful that the objectives are “SMART”
Specific
Measurable
Adequate
Relevant
Timely
PROJECT SCOPE - the combination of the project goal, objectives and activities
ASSUMPTIONS about the action of different factors on duration and costs

11. MS Project window Menu bar Entry bar Tool bars View Bar
Active split bar
Status bar

12. Instructions
When you see a > sign in the following text , you should go to that location; or click your mouse on that menu/toolbar item; or fill in that blank field.
If you see a > sign followed by “Select”, highlight that item by holding down the left mouse button and moving the mouse over the appropriate letters, just as you would in a word processing task.

13. Creating a new project Saving the project Automatic save
>File>New>Blank Project > Start Date
>Schedule from > Finish Date
To modify the start or the end date:
> Project > Project information
To specify data about the project (scope, objectives, assumptions) :
>File > Properties > Summary > Comments
Saving the project
Save > File name
Automatic save
Tools > Options > Save > Save every

14. Working with tasks Defining tasks
A task is a concrete step that’s required to meet a project goal or objective.
Defining tasks
The tasks must be:
well defined
precise
detailed
significant - their completion should move the project forward measurably

15. Phases
A phase consists of a group of related tasks. Breaking a project into phases enables you to:
focus on one aspect of the project at a time
see the logical flow of the tasks in the project
determine missing tasks
detail the project up to the needed level
Milestones
Milestones are activities that do not require actual work.
They are interim points that you can use to track the progress of your project.

16. Creating the task list To Enter Tasks
The task list is the core of your project plan. Rule of thumb when creating the task list:
include only tasks that are critical to the completion of your project
add tasks that are significant yet detailed enough that the time to complete each one is short compared to the overall project length
use phases and milestones
identify tasks that occur repetitively
To Enter Tasks
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>Task name
Use a verb and a noun to name a task, for example: draw plans

17. Deleting tasks Enter recurring tasks >View Bar > Gantt Chart
Select the task’s name you want to delete
DEL or Edit > Delete
Enter recurring tasks
Recurrent tasks occur repeatedly during the project (for example, weekly status meetings)
>Insert > Recurring task
>Duration, Occurrence pattern
>Length - the time interval when the task occurs
>Occurrences - how many times the task will occur

18. Add Milestones
Milestones are used to mark thepoints in time for the start or the completion of significant sections of your project.
MS Project considers a milestone as an activity with 0 days duration. It represents the milestone with a distinctive diamond-shaped symbol.
The first step in adding a milestone is to enter it’s name into the task list.
To turn it into a milestone, all you have to do is to specify a 0 days duration.

19. Estimating task duration
There are several ways to estimate task duration:
based on others’ experience
based on your experience
based on past records
WARNING:
When specifying a duration you must think about how many resources you will allocate to that task
The task duration doesn’t include non working times. If you want to schedule a task over a continuous period of time, including non working time, you must specify an elapsed duration.

20. Any activity has an estimated duration of one day
Any activity has an estimated duration of one day. To remind you about this, MS Project adds a symbol of uncertainty in front of it ( this is a “?” ).
After you set a duration, the “?” will disappear.
WARNING:
Specify only the task duration, without the starting or ending dates. MS Project will compute these automatically, when you’ll specify the dependencies.

21. Enter or change task durations
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>Select task
>“Duration” = type the duration you want
Specifying elapsed durations
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>Select task
>“Duration” = precede the time unit you enter with the letter “e”

22. A logically ordered task list
By organizing your tasks logically you can:
spot missing tasks or flaws in the logical flow of tasks
complete each phase of your project at the right time
create a hierarchy to show each task as a part of a major phase
see only the details of a the phase of your project you are interested in at a given time
Organizing your tasks is a three step process:
put tasks in a logical order
group related tasks
outline the tasks list
You may group the tasks that:
are part of the same process
are completed in the same time period

23. Creating Summary Tasks
Ordering the tasks
To do this you have to move tasks up or down the task list:
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
Select (highlight) the task you want to move
Cut, Paste or Drag and Drop it where you need it
Creating Summary Tasks
Like a milestone, summary tasks do not require work. Unlike milestones, a summary task summarizes information about its subtasks.
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
Select the task you want to indent/outdent
>Indent to show subordinate tasks

24. Expand and collapse summary tasks
By doing this you can show or hide the details of the subtasks of a summary task.
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>Select the summary task
>Show / Hide Subtasks

25. Work Breakdown Structure
The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is the hierarchy of the tasks in your project. Each activity has a unique WBS code.
Defining WBS Codes
>Project > WBS > Define code

26. Order the WBS Codes sequentially
Displaying WBS codes
>View bar > More Views > Task Sheet
>Insert > Column > WBS
Order the WBS Codes sequentially
This becomes necessary after you rearrange the tasks in the task list.
>Project > WBS > Renumber

27. Specifying dependencies
To figure out the task sequence (dependencies), you need to answer these questions for each task:
Does the start or finish date of this task depend on the start or finish date of another task? If not, just specify a start date for it
Which task does this task depend on? (in other words, which are its predecessors)
Which tasks depend on this task? (in other words, which are its logical successors)

28. Types of dependencies There are four types of dependencies:
FS - “Finish to Start” - a task starts after its predecessor finishes
SS - “Start to Start” - a task starts when its predecessor starts
FF - “Finish to Finish” - a task finishes when its predecessor finishes
SF - “Start to Finish ” - a task starts after its predecessor finishes
The types of dependencies you specify will affect your project length.

29. Create a task link Change a task link Delete a task link
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>Select the tasks you want to link
>Link tasks using the toolbar’s link button
Change a task link
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>Double click the link you want to modify
>Change the Type
Delete a task link
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>Select the tasks you want to unlink
>Unlink tasks

30. Specifying lead or lag time
Overlap or delay tasks
Sometimes the task link doesn’t show accurately when the task will actually start. You can show this by using lag time and lead time.
Specifying lead or lag time
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>Select the successor
>Task information > Predecessors > Lag
For lead time you should use negative values

31. Working with resources
There are two types of resources:
Worker or work resources - they do or facilitate work
Material resources - are used by the workers
Determining your work resources
One should consider the following:
how many resources do you need- affects the project duration and costs
what worker abilities are necessary

32. Working with resources - continued
In order to determine the necessary resources you must consider:
Project scope
Type of tasks that need to be done
What kind of tasks need to be done
What set of skills are needed for each task
How many resources are needed to complete each task on time
Can one worker resource work on more than one task?
What and how much material resources do you need.
There are two ways to estimate your resource needs accurately. You could use your previous experiences or base estimates on previous projects that used the same resources.

33. Creating the resource list
To create the resource list:
>Tools
>Resources
>Assign resources: add them one at a time as you assign resources to tasks
This will create your resource list.
The resource list includes:
resource name
maximum amount of time a resource is available per day
total amount of the resource you expect to use.

34. Resource sets and groups
A resource set is a collection of resources that share the same skills and that you might assign to the same type of activities.
For instance – a team of painters
A resource group is a collection of individual resources or resource sets grouped together for tracking and reporting purposes.
For instance: - the painters team, brick layers team, the design department, etc.,

35. Creating the resource list
>View Bar > Resource Sheet
>View > Table > Entry
Resource name
Type > resource type (material or work)
Label > quantity unit (only for material resources)
Group > the name of the group the resource belongs to.
Std. Rate > either the cost per time period (for work resources) or the cost per material label (for material resources)
Max. units or Units > number of resource units available (only for work resources, not available for material resources).

36. Working Times Calendars
The working times calendar stores all expected working and non working days and hours of a given resource. There are several types of calendars:
Project calendar - also named the Standard calendar. It is chosen when you create a new project.
Base calendar - stores the planned working and non working days and hours for several resources. It contains exceptions from the project calendar
Resource calendars - are based on base calendars and contain the work schedule for one resource only
Creating a base calendar
>Tools > Change working time
>New > Name (to create a new calendar) >Nonworking time / Nondefault working time

37. Assign resources to calendars
>View Bar > Resource Sheet
>Base calendar select the type of calendar

38. Create a resource calendar
>View Bar > Resource Sheet
>Edit the resource (double click)
>Working time
>Base calendar - the name of the base calendar that will be modified. When a resource’s work shift begins on one day and ends on the following day you must specify two time intervals - one from the start time until midnight and one from midnight until the end time.

39. Assigning resources to tasks
Benefits of using resource allocation:
Your schedule mirrors your actual circumstances more accurately.
You can assign responsibilities for tasks
You can monitor workload and make adjustments to avoid overloading people
You can track resource costs

40. Task scheduling For scheduling tasks, MS Project uses these elements:
Work - the amount of effort measured in time units put into a task by a resource.
Total work is the sum of all time units used by all resources assigned to the task
Duration - the amount of time between the start and the end of a task. It depends on the number of resources and the amount of work assigned to a task.
Resources - are people, equipment, office space, etc.
The scheduling method based on work is called effort-driven scheduling. In this case, the more resources you assign to a task the shorter the duration becomes.

41. Effort-driven scheduling
When you first assign resources to a task, MS Project calculates the work by multiplying the duration and the number of units allocated.
This number will not change, no matter the number of resources or units you will allocate later. The only thing that will change is the duration.
WARNING: when you define the duration of a task you should think about the resources and number of units you will allocate to that task. By doing this, the task duration will not change when you allocate the resources.

42. How MS Project schedules a task
There are four elements that impact on task scheduling:
Task dependencies
Task duration
Resource calendar
Resource units you assign to a task
In the case of effort-driven scheduling the more resources you allocate to a task, shorter the task duration will be.

43. Assign one or more resources to a task
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>Select the task
>Assign Resources > Name > Units > Assign

44. Remove a resource from a task
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>Select the task
>Assign Resources > Name > Remove
Replace a resource with another resource
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>Select the task with a resource you want to replace
>Assign Resources > Name > Replace > Name > OK

45. Displaying and printing information
Data about a project can be either viewed or printed.
When viewing data, three elements determine what you see:
views
tables
filters
Views
A view displays a subset of information from the database in a particular format. There are several formats in which data can be displayed:
sheets
charts
graphs
forms

46. Views - continued Selecting a view
Viewing data in one or another view doesn’t change the data content.
Choosing one view or another depends on the information you want to visualize. There are specialized views for tasks and for resources.
Selecting a view
>View Bar > Gantt Chart

47. Tables
The data displayed in a view depend on the table you choose to view. The tables depend on the category of information you want to see.
There are specific tables for:
tasks
costs
data entry
project tracking
As there are views for tasks and for resources, there are also tables for tasks and for resources.

48. Selecting a table
>View > Table
>Select the table

49. Filters
Filters allow you to see only that piece of information that satisfies certain criteria. There are predefined filters for:
activities
resources
Type of predefined filters:
standard filters (one or two criteria)
interactive filters
autofilters (only for a sheet view, only one criterion for each field)

50. Printing information Printing a view
You may print both views and reports. They differ in the kind of information they contain and in how they display the information.
Printing a view
>View Bar > Select the view you want to print
>Preview
>File > Print

51. Reports
There are several sets of predefined reports. If needed these reports can be modified to satisfy your actual needs.
You can also create new reports.
Types of predefined reports:
Project overviews
Task information
Resource usage information
Cost information
Progress information

52. Print a report Modify a report Create a new report
>View > Reports
>Select the type of report
>Select the report
>Print
Modify a report
>View > Reports > Custom
>Select the report
>Edit
Create a new report
>View > Reports > Custom
>New

53. Resolving overallocations
A resource that is assigned to do more hours of work in a given time period than it has available on its resource calendar is overallocated.
An overallocated resource might burn out or becomes bottleneck.
Ways for solving overallocation:
Adjust task properties
Change assignments
Modify a resource’s working time

54. Find overallocated resources
Before you can resolve overallocations, you must
identify overallocated resources
see when over allocation occurs
see what tasks they are assigned to
To find overallocated resources:
>View bar > More views > Resource allocation > Apply
>View menu > Toolbars > Resource management
>Go To Next Overallocation

56. Modifications that solve overallocations
Delay tasks manually
Delay tasks automatically
Cut a task’s scope
Split a task
Assign other resources
Reassign resources from non critical tasks, without affecting the total project duration
Change the resource calendar

57. Assigning and Managing Costs
When you add cost information to your project you can:
Assign resource costs
Determine the cost of each task
Estimate the total cost of the project
View the cost to date either for a task or for the entire project
Control how costs are accrued
Determine whether you can hire extra resources to accelerate the schedule without going over the budget
Develop a project budget
Perform an earned value analysis

58. How MS Project calculates costs
Factors that can affect a calculated cost:
Rate based resource costs - for work resources this value is multiplied by the time it takes to accomplish the task. For material resources these costs are multiplied by the quantity required to accomplish the task
Over time costs - for worker resources used beyond regular working hours
Per use costs
Fixed costs (taxes, approvals, etc.)
Resource rates - are tables storing information about different cost levels depending on such factors as time, origin, etc.
Cost accrual method (beginning, end, prorated)

59. Assign a rate to a resource
>View Bar > Resource sheet
>Std. Rate, Ovt. Rate, Cost/use
Specify Default Standard and Overtime Rates
>Tools > Options > General
>Default Standard Rate
>Default Overtime Rate
>Set as default
Specify the Default Currency Symbol
>Tools > Options > View > Currency

60. Assign more than one rate to a resource
In case one resource has different payment schedules, you can enter different rates into the resource’s rate tables.
>View Bar > Resource sheet
Resource name > Resource information
Costs > Std. Rate, Ovt. Rate, Cost/use
>Effective date (starting only with the second row)

61. To apply a specific pay rate:
>View Bar > Task usage
>Task name > Resource select
>Assignment information
>General > Cost rate table

62. Assign a Fixed Cost to a Resource
In case there are costs relative to a task that doesn’t relate to any resource assigned to that task (approvals, tasks, etc.)
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>View > Table > Cost
>Fixed cost

63. Assign a Rate to a Material Resource
You can assign one or more rates to a material resource. For one rate:
>View Bar > Resource Sheet
>View > Table > Entry
>Resource name, Type, Material label
Std. Rate

64. For multiple rates:
>View Bar > Resource Sheet
>View > Table > Entry
>Resource name > Resource information
>General > Cost rate table > Costs
>Standard rate
>Effective date (starting only with the second row)

65. Assign a Per-Use Cost to a Material Resource
A per-use cost may be a delivery charge, a service fee, etc.You can enter one or more per-use costs for a material resource. For one cost:
>View Bar > Resource Sheet
>View > Table > Entry
>Resource name, Type, Material label
Cost/use

66. Assign a Per-Use Cost to a Material Resource
For multiple per-use costs:
>View Bar > Resource Sheet
>View > Table > Entry
>Resource name > Resource information
>General > Cost rate table > Costs
>Per use cost
>Effective date (starting only with the second row)

67. How resource costs are accrued
Cost accrual controls how you account for resource costs. There are two commonly used cost accounting methods: you can accrue or prorate resource costs.
When you accrue a cost, you incur the entire cost all at once. You may choose to accrue the costs when the task starts or when the task ends.
When you prorate a cost you incur the cost gradually as the task progresses.
To select a cost accrual method:
>View Bar > Resource Sheet
>Resource name > Resource information
>Costs > Cost accrual

68. Reducing costs
Before devising a strategy for cutting costs, find out which factors cost the most and which of those costs can be reduced. You do this by displaying different costs:
The total project cost
The total cost of an individual activity
The total cost of a material resource
The total cost of a work resource
The total cost of an allocation
Costs distributed over a task’s duration

69. View the Total Project Cost
This is the first thing to check to stay within the budget.
>Project > Project information > Statistics
>Current

70. View the Total Cost of a Task
If you find that the project cost exceeds the budget, you can check the cost of individual tasks to see which one can be reduced. This is often done by discussion within the project team, in order to understand the implications of a cost reduction.
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>View > Table > Cost > Total cost

71. View the Total Cost of a Resource
Because the resources are often a project biggest expense, an affective way to reduce project costs is to reduce resource costs.
>View Bar > Resource Sheet
>View > Table > Cost > Cost (total cost)

72. View How Costs Are Distributed over a Task’s Duration
>View Bar > Task usage
>Format > Details > Cost > Cost (total cost)

73. Strategies for Reducing Project Cost
There are several approaches to reduce project costs:
Cut the project scope (for example, re-construct 10 kilometers instead of 12)
Replace expensive resources with less costly ones (for example, hire a less expensive employee or buy a cheaper piece of equipment)
Reschedule work (for example, use less overtime)

74. Setting the Baseline
The project plan you create represents the best estimate of how your project will work. The best way to track what does and what doesn’t go as planned is to set this estimate as a baseline. It contains your original scheduling, resource and costs estimates.
When tracking your project implementation, you’ll monitor start and end dates, resource usage, costs levels and you’ll make the necessary adjustments.

75. Before You Set a Baseline
In order to make sure your plan is as accurate as possible the project team should check the following:
the project start and finish dates have been approved
working time calendars have been adjusted for the project, groups and each individual
the task list is complete
the resource list is complete
at least one resource has been assigned to each task (except for milestones)
the workload is evenly distributed - resolve all overallocations

76. Before You Set a Baseline - continued
the critical path has been shortened as much as possible
you specified the correct dependencies
no unnecessary constraints have been applied to any tasks
estimated project costs are within budget

77. Save a Project with Baseline Information
Set a baseline
>Tools > Tracking > Save Baseline
>Entire project
Save a Project with Baseline Information
>File > Save As
>File name - you should choose a name that reminds you that this file is a backup of baseline information
>Save

78. Tracking and Updating Your Schedule
Where does the information come from:
by personal collection (for small projects)
from reports done by individuals responsible for each task
Which information should you update:
tasks’ start and end dates
completion percentage for each task
task durations
total cost
work

79. Enter Actual Start and Finish Dates for a Task
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>Select task
>Tools > Tracking > Update task > Actual Start / Finish
If several tasks took place on time:
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>Select tasks
>Tools > Tracking > Update project
Update work as complete through...

80. Enter the Actual Duration of a Task
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>Select task
>Tools > Tracking > Update task
>Actual duration
If you think the task is going to be finished sooner or later than originally scheduled, you can enter a new value in:
Remaining duration

81. Indicate Progress on a Task as a Percentage
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>Select task
>Task Information > General
>Percent complete

82. Update the Work Completed on a Task
Using this updating approach you can track the work that each resource is performing for a given task. By doing this you can see the work remaining to be done by that resource for that task.
>View Bar > Task Usage
>View > Table > Tracking
Actual Work

83. Update Actual Work on a Daily Basis
>View Bar > Task Usage
>View > Table > Work
>Format > Details > Actual Work

84. Update the Remaining Work on a Task
As you track the progress of an individual task, you may realize that there is more or less work remaining on a task than MS Project has calculated. If you want to correct this situation:
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>View > Table > Work
Remaining

85. Update Actual Costs for a Resource Assignment
WARNING:MS Project automatically updates actual costs as a task progresses based on the accrual method you set. Therefore if you want to manually update the costs you must turn off the automatic updating of actual costs and then enter your own actual cost for a resource. This can only be done only after the remaining work is zero.
>Tools > Options > Calculation
>Clear the check box for “Actual costs are always calculated by MS Project”
>OK

86. Update Actual Costs for a Resource Assignment - continued
>View Bar > Task Usage
>View > Table > Tracking
Act. Cost

87. Track Fixed Costs >View Bar > More Views >Task Sheet
>View > Table > Cost
>Fixed Cost

88. Assessing the Variance Between Actual Data and Baseline Data
Variances you should look for when comparing your updated schedule to the baseline plan:
Tasks that do not start or do not end on time
Tasks that do not progress at their expected rate
Tasks that require more or less resources than planned
Tasks that cost more or less then estimated

89. Display Progress Lines in Your Project
Progress lines create a visual representation of the progress of your project. A progress line connects tasks that are in progress or should have started to a vertical line that represents the progress date.
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>Tools > Tracking > Progress lines
>Dates and intervals
>Always display current progress line

90. To View Baseline Fields
>View Bar > Tracking Gantt
>View > Table > More Tables > Baseline

91. Compare Baseline Estimates to Actual Data
The whole point of tracking progress is to compare your original baseline estimates with actual data collected during the project. By noting the differences, or variances between baseline and actual data you can judge how much your actual progress has deviated from the original plan.
To compare baseline estimates to actual data:
>View Bar > Tracking Gantt
>View > Table > More Tables > Baseline

92. Determine if Tasks are Starting or Finishing According to Plan
>View Bar > Tracking Gantt
>View > Table > Variance

93. Determine if Tasks Costs More or Less Then Budgeted
>View Bar > Gantt Chart
>View > Table > Cost
Compare Total Cost and Baseline Fields
Look at Variance field

94. What we haven't told you (but you can do with MS Project)
Optimizing the project
Resolving overallocation
Modifying, formatting and creating new forms and filters
Working with split windows and creating composed views (viewing two views at once).
Modifying, formatting and creating new reports
Exchanging information via or hyperlinks with the team members
Exchanging information with other programs
Working with multiple projects

95. Summary
Use MS Project or other software to plan and execute your project.
Use those features that you need. If budgeting by MS Project does not fit your organization’s system, use the official system.
Nothing can substitute for your thinking through tasks, timing and costs. The software is only as useful as your team’s careful analysis makes it.