Microsoft Project Association

1. Microsoft Project Association March 7, 2007

2. About Me Jim Aksel, PMP Director of Project Management Celeris Systems, Inc http://www.celeris-systems.com Jim.aksel@celeris-systems.com Telephone: 714-813-4025

3. You get Credit! • You may claim 1 hour of CE (or PDUs) • PMI References:

4. Backward Compatibility to 2003 Examples in Project 2007

5. 1 Task Types 2 Resource Issues & Leveling AGENDA 3 Custom Sorting 4 EVMS in Project Conclusion

6. Custom Sorts EVMS Sorting Tasks Leveling Resources

7. Fixed Units Not Effort Driven Fixed Work TASKS Title Fixed Duration Not Effort Driven Fixed Units Effort Driven Fixed Duration Effort Driven

8. Task Type Definitions • Fixed Units • The allocations of resource units is held constant • Fixed Work • Total of all work hours assigned to a task is held constant • Fixed Duration • Task Duration is held constant

9. Effort Driven • Total task work remains at its current value, regardless of how many resources are assigned to the task. • When new resources are assigned, remaining work is distributed amongst all assigned resources, proportionately.

10. Basic Task

11. Basic Task Work Hours Spread

12. Added Resources Additional resources just increase total work with no change to duration

13. Adding Resources After %Complete Status Date: 15 FEB 2007 On Schedule

14. Progress Shown Status Date: 15 FEB 2007 On Schedule

15. New Resources Create Remaining Work Status Date: 15 FEB 2007 On Schedule

16. Adding Effort Driven Labor No Work Change Added to Basic Task, after making it Effort Driven Adding Resources reduces duration while keeping total work and units constant

17. Status Date: 15 FEB 2007 On Schedule Effort Driven Labor Added after %Complete Adding Effort Driven Labor keeps finish date and work constant, creates split

18. Adding Effort Driven Labor creates splits Status Date: 15 FEB 2007 On Schedule

19. Fixed Units Tasks • Not Effort Driven • Duration fixed • Adding Resources • adds remaining work • Increasing Work • increases Duration • New resources • add work after • Status Date • Effort Driven • Add Resources • Total Work Constant • Duration Changes • Add Work • Changes Duration • New resources • Add work after • Status Date

20. Not Effort Driven behaves as before Fixed Duration Tasks Adding resources divides remaining work among all resources

21. Status Date: 15 FEB 2007 On Schedule Fixed Duration w/%Complete Additional Resources share the remaining work

22. Fixed Work Task • Always effort driven Additional Work alters duration while respecting finish date

23. What Project Recalculates Task Type Fixed: ED: Effort Driven

24. EVMS Tasks Custom Sorts Resources Sorting Leveling

25. Resources • Individual names • Skill set grouping

26. Resource Types • Skill Set List • Department Wide • Easier to Assign • Interchangeable • Named Person • Unique Calendars • Retains Grouping • Skill Specific Advantages

27. Resource Types Disadvantages • Skill Set List • Department Wide • Homogeneous • Calendaring • Exact Costs TBD • Named Person • Wage/Privacy • Harder to swap • Skill Specific

28. Tasks Resources EVMS Leveling Custom Sorts Sorting

30. Leveling Order • Standard   Project looks at predecessor, slack (a task with more total slack time is delayed first), dates (a task with a later start date is delayed first), priorities, and constraints  • Priority, Standard   Project looks first at priorities and then at predecessors, slack, dates, and constraints to determine whether and how tasks should be leveled

31. Leveling Parameters: • Day by Day   Level resources when there is at least one day more work scheduled for a resource than can be completed within the resource's normal availability for that day. • Week by Week   Level resources when there is at least one week more work scheduled for a resource than can be completed within the resource's normal availability for that week. • Month by Month   Level resources when there is at least one month more work scheduled for a resource than can be completed within the resource's normal availability for that month. This is the default setting.

32. Leveling Example: • Ringo assigned to two 8 hour tasks in 1 day. • Leveling: • Day By Day: Problem • Week By Week: No Problem, work <40 • Month By Month: No Problem, work<160

33. Other Leveling Settings • Level only within available slack • Finish Dates are respected. • Leveling can adjust individual assignments on a task • Adjusts when a resource works on a task independent of the other resources working on the same task. • Leveling can create splits in remaining work • Any remaining work can be split for leveling. Unchecked will not delay a task with an Actual Start Date.

34. General Guidance • IMHO • Project does a pretty good job of leveling since it takes a methodical approach • However, it does level in resource order

35. Resources Leveling Tasks Sorting Custom Sorts EVMS

36. Standard Sorting Obvious Just Like Excel

37. Leveling Sorting Resources Custom Sorts Tasks EVMS

38. Custom Grouping (Sorting)

39. Custom Grouping Dialog

40. Custom Grouping

41. More Powerful Options

42. Some Grouping Ideas • Place custom text field in Resource Usage View • Group by CLIN, Job Number, other accounting information • Assign Control Account Managers • Supplier ID’s • WBS Field • Sort by defined code (such as first three levels)

43. Leveling Custom Sorts Sorting EVMS Resources Tasks EVMS is my personal opinion

44. EVMS in MS Project BCWS = Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled BCWP = Budgeted Cost of Work Performed ACWP = Actual Cost of Work Performed

45. EVMS Comments • BCWS & BCWP only register in the Baseline Date Period • If you start/finish on different dates you must enter an Actual Date in the [Actual Start] or [Actual Finish] columns

46. MS Project uses %Complete Method • Think about it – Milestones, Incremental, 80/20, Formula, Apportionment are all subsets of %Complete • The trick is accurate definition of %Complete

47. Example: Concert • 6 Roadies take 2 days to setup • Fab Four sing some songs for 1 day • 3 Roadies tear down for 1 day

48. Resources • Singers make $500/hr • Roadies make $25/hr • Let’s assume everyone is paid cash at the end of each phase (setup, sing, teardown)

49. Baseline Schedule and Costs • We have a $19K EAC and 4 Days

50. %Complete Example • After Setup is complete, we claim 50% EV = $9,500 • We pay the roadies $2400