Taking the Blinders off MS Project

1. Taking the Blinders off MS Project andThe case for 3rd Party Scheduling Services Taking the Blinders off MS Project Taking the Blinders off MS Project by Ed Mahler edmahler@paiwebsite.com President, Project Administration Institute

2. Contents • Purpose • The Schedule • Basic building block of the schedule • Enhancing MSP out of the box • Customized fields • Customizing the toolbar • Execution • Slippage, the ripple effect, and recovery • Status summary, what changed • Reporting via pdf • Lessons learned • The case for 3rd party scheduling service • References • Benefits of 3rd party scheduling service

3. Purpose To illustrate how the MS Project schedule can be made more visible for • Planning - being able to see why the timing is what it is. • Execution - being able to see the effects of change and what can be done to stay on schedule. • This is not an MS Project class. Contents

4. Cost Time Scope Team/sponsor communication Contract negotiation + = Why so much interest in the schedule? Sponsor ’s vision Project + SME’s = Schedule Project Manager Contents

5. Why do we need a schedule/contract? • Sponsor • Stakeholders • Will assume a schedule you may not like • Project team • Project team’s managers • Project office • So everyone agrees to what must be done by whom and when Contents

6. The Schedule Must be visible so the parties understand what they are agreeing to Contents

7. Building block of the schedule Task Contents

8. Predecessors Duration Successors Its attributes FS Task/Resources Contents

9. Successors Its relationships Predecessors FF Task/Resources Contents

10. Successors Its relationships Predecessors SS Task/Resources Contents

11. Successors Its relationships Predecessors Lag Task/Resources Contents

12. Successors Its relationships Predecessors Overlap Task/Resources Contents

13. Successors Its relationships Predecessors SF Task/Resources Contents

14. External Dependency Successors Its relationships Task/Resources Contents

15. Predecessors Duration Deliverables Its relationships Task/Resources Contents

16. Understanding the schedule For each task in the schedule what do you need to see? • Description (task name) • How long it will take (duration)? • Who will do it (resources)? • What has to happen before this task can be done (predecessors)? • What can’t happen until this task is done (successors)? • External date constraints (constraint type and date)? – Must have at least one! • What are the project’s external deliverables (no successors)? – Must have at least one! • A picture of the schedule (Gantt diagram) – Nice to have • If you want to be able to quantify and balance work load you need to estimate how much of each resource’s time will be spent on the task? Contents

17. Where the schedule originates A schedule is constructed from any combination of the following • An template created for the type of project being constructed • A prior plan for a similar project • A list of tasks in text format that can be copied into MS Project • SME interviews • An MS Project schedule for a project that is already under way Contents

18. MSP out of the box Gantt diagram The Gantt Chart view Contents

19. The View menu The Entry Table MSP out of the box Gantt diagram The Gantt Chart view Contents

20. Task name Task duration Task start Task finish Predecessors Resources The entry table Gantt diagram The Gantt Chart view all FS except this one is FF+ Contents

21. Indicator The entry table Contents

22. Indicator The entry table Contents

23. Indicator The entry table Contents

24. Summary tasks Summary tasks Overall duration Earliest start Latest finish Summary tasks Contents

25. Tools Options Adding a project summary Contents

26. View tab Select Project Summary Task OK Adding a project summary Contents

27. Project Duration Project Start Project Finish The project summary is task 0 Contents

28. Tools Options Changing summaries from days to weeks Contents

29. Schedule tab Change “Duration entered in” from days to weeks OK Changing summaries from days to weeks Contents

30. Changing summaries from days to weeks All summary durations now in weeks Contents

31. MSP out of the box For each task in the schedule what do you need to see? • Description (task name) • How long it will take (duration)? • Who will do it (resources)? • What has to happen before this task can be done (predecessors)? • A picture of the schedule (Gantt diagram) – Nice to have • What can’t happen until this task is done (successors)? • External date constraints (constraint type and date)? – Must have at least one! • What are the project’s external deliverables (no successors)? – Must have at least one! Contents

32. Adding the Successors column Right click the column heading and Insert Column Contents

33. Adding the Successors column Select Successors from the pull down Contents

34. To find missing successors click the filter pull down and Use a No Successors Filter to identify missing successors What can’t happen until this task is done? Added Successors column Contents

35. What can’t happen until this task is done? Only lines with blank Successor cells appear but without the rest of the schedule can’t see where to connect them Contents

36. and turning on the Highlight filter Changing the filter to highlight tasks By editing the view Contents

37. One can see the missing Successors in the context of the whole schedule Highlighted missing successors No Successors Filter Contents

38. This missing successor is a project deliverable Adding missing successors Add the missing Successors Contents

39. Missing Predecessors What about missing predecessors Use the No Predecessors Filter to identify missing predecessors Contents

40. Inserting constraint type and date columns Contents

41. Missing Predecessors with date constraints confirms they are external dependencies And running the “Tasks w constraints” filter Use the Tasks w Constraints Filter to identify date constraints Contents

42. MSP out of the box plus For each task in the schedule what do you need to see? • Description (task name) • How long it will take (duration)? • Who will do it (resources)? • What has to happen before this task can be done (predecessors)? • A picture of the schedule (Gantt diagram) – Nice to have • What can’t happen until this task is done (successors)? • External date constraints (constraint type and date)? – Must have at least one! • What are the project’s external deliverables (no successors)? – Must have at least one! Contents

43. Indicator Add the Notes field Inserting a column for notes Contents

44. Use tools/options to reduce column width req’ts Reduce duration and date formats Contents

45. Then reduce column widths Now reduce column widths Contents

46. and eliminate unneeded column and eliminate unneeded columns Reduced column widths Contents

47. The team now has what they need to understand the schedule except..... What should be under way or done by 11/18? Contents

48. What should be under way or complete by 11/18? Adding columns to indicate what should be under way or done by a status date Contents

49. Defining customized fields Right click on the column heading Select Contents

50. Create a formula for the field Rename the field Select the graphic to display for each value of the formula The logic behind the field Select Contents