A tutorial on MS Project

1. A tutorial on MS Project James Burns

2. Learning Objectives Entering Tasks in the Gantt View Task subordination Linking of Tasks Setting start & stop dates Assigning resources Calculating costs

3. More Learning Objectives Recurring tasks STATISTICS Zoom out/zoom in Precedence relationships Lags between links

4. PM Software in general

5. Popular Project Management Software Packages CA-SuperProject Microsoft Project Project Scheduler SureTrak Project Manager Time Line High-End Project Management Software

6. Criteria for Selecting Project Management Software Capacity Documentation and on-line help facilities Ease of use Features available Integration with other systems

7. Additional Criteria Installation requirements Reporting capabilities Security Vendor Support

8. Advantages of Using Project Management Software Accuracy Affordability Ease of use Ability to handle complexity Maintainability and modifiability Record keeping Speed What-if analysis

9. Concerns about Using Project Management Software Becoming distracted by the software A false sense of security Information overload The learning curve Over-reliance on software

10. Must start with A list of tasks Or A Work Breakdown Structure Always make your first task a PROJECT summary task to which all other tasks are subordinate

11. Bring up MS Project Start in the Gantt View Enter task detail in the entry table to the left Subordinate tasks appropriately Link Tasks as appropriate

12. Project Information Box

13. Project Information Box Can schedule from a start date or backward from a stop date Can choose a particular calendar type�that makes assumptions about when people will be working

14. The Main Window of MS Project

15. Entering Tasks in the Gantt View Enter Tasks into the entry table on the GANTT view Entry table is behind the GANTT chart and works just like a spreadsheet Can also enter tasks in the network diagram or the task usage views

16. Tables You can choose a variety of tables to view in conjunction with the Gantt view Entry, Cost, Schedule, Tracking, Earned value, Usage, Variance, Work, Hyperlink� are just some of the tables you can choose from Click on View on the Menu bar and then click on Table To view all the tables, click on More Tables�

17. Columns You can add columns to any table in the Gantt view Click on Insert and then Columns Select the column you want included in the table by clicking on the dropdown arrow associated with the first box and selecting the desired column name Click on OK That column will be included in the table to the left of the point where the selected cell appears

18. Predefined Reports MS Project provides a number of predefined, static reports that can be displayed and printed Click on View and the Reports The categories are Overview, Current Activities, Costs, Assignments, Workload and Custom

19. Task subordination Use indent arrow MS Proj has a WBS understanding and assigns a WBS code even though it does not explicitly exhibit a WBS chart

20. Linking of Tasks Select tasks to be linked Click on the chain-link icon Decide on precedence relationship: FS, SS, FF, SF

21. Setting start & stop dates When you set a date in the entry table of the Gantt view, MS Project treats it as if it were a �hard� constraint It schedules everything around such �hard� dates

22. Assigning resources Resources have to be created before they can be assigned You can use the �faces� icon in the Gantt view to both create and assign resources Resources are created once they are named Alternatively, you can create resources in the Resources Sheet view Simply click on this �view� in the column on the left.

23. Calculating costs Fixed costs Enter these in the cost table From the VIEW menu item change to the cost table Enter fixed costs Variable costs Enter resource hourly rates MS Project will calculate 

24. Project Management Software Features Budgeting and cost control Calendars Email Graphics Importing/exporting data Handling multiple projects and subprojects Report generation

25. Project Management Software Additional Features Resource management Planning Project monitoring and tracking Scheduling Security Sorting and filtering What-if analysis