Microsoft Office Project 2003, Step-By-Step

PUBLISHED BY
Microsoft Press
A Division of Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, Washington 98052-6399
Copyright 2004 by Carl S. Chatfield and Timothy D. Johnson
All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means without the written permission of the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chatfield, Carl S., 1964-
Microsoft Office Project 2003 Step by Step / Carl Chatfield and Timothy Johnson.
p. cm. -- (Step by step)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7356-1955-7
1. Microsoft Project. 2. Project management--Computer programs. I. Johnson, Timothy
D., 1962- II. Title. III. Step by step (Redmond, Wash.)
HD69.P75.C463 2003
658.4'04'02855369--dc22 2003058832
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 QWE 8 7 6 5 4 3
Distributed in Canada by H.B. Fenn and Company Ltd.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Microsoft Press books are available through booksellers and distributors worldwide. For further informa-
tion about international editions, contact your local Microsoft Corporation office or contact Microsoft
Press International directly at fax (425) 936-7329. Visit our Web site at www.microsoft.com/mspress.
Send comments to mspinput@microsoft.com.
Active Directory, Microsoft, Microsoft Press, the Office logo, Outlook, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Visio,
Visual Basic, Windows, and Windows Server are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Other product and company names mentioned
herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
The example companies, organizations, products, domain names, e-mail addresses, logos, people, places,
and events depicted herein are fictitious. No association with any real company, organization, product,
domain name, e-mail address, logo, person, place, or event is intended or should be inferred.
Acquisitions Editor: Alex Blanton
Project Editor: Laura Sackerman
Body Part No. X10-00033
Contents
WhatsNewinMicrosoftOfficeProject2003
GettingHelp
GettingHelpwithThisBookandItsCD-ROM
GettingHelpwithMicrosoftOfficeProject2003
UsingtheBooksCD-ROM
WhatsontheCD-ROM
SystemRequirements
InstallingthePracticeFiles
UsingthePracticeFiles
UninstallingthePracticeFiles
ConventionsandFeatures
QuickReference
Chapter1 GettingStartedwithProject
Chapter2 CreatingaTaskList
Chapter3 SettingUpResources
Chapter4 AssigningResourcestoTasks
Chapter5 FormattingandPrintingYourPlan
Chapter6 TrackingProgressonTasks
Chapter7 Fine-TuningTaskDetails
ix
xi
xi
xi
xiii
xiii
xiii
xiv
xv
xvi
xvii
xix
xix
xx
xxi
xxii
xxiii
xxiv
xxvi
Chapter8 Fine-TuningResourceandAssignmentDetails xxviii
Chapter9 Fine-TuningtheProjectPlan xxx
Chapter10 OrganizingandFormattingProjectDetails xxxi
Chapter11 PrintingProjectInformation xxxii
Chapter12 PublishingProjectInformationOnline xxxiii
Chapter13 SharingProjectInformationwithOtherPrograms xxxiv
Chapter14 TrackingProgressonTasksandAssignments xxxv
Chapter15 ViewingandReportingProjectStatus xxxv
Chapter16 GettingYourProjectBackonTrack xxxvii
Chapter17 ApplyingAdvancedFormatting xxxvii
Chapter18 CustomizingProject xxxviii
Chapter19 MeasuringPerformancewithEarnedValueAnalysis xxxix
Chapter20 ConsolidatingProjectsandResources xl
Chapter21 PlanningWorkwithProjectServer xlii
iii
Contents
Chapter22 TrackingWorkwithProjectServer xliii
Chapter23 ManagingRisks,Issues,andDocumentswithProjectServer xliv
I ManagingaSimpleProject
1 GettingStartedwithProject 2
ManagingYourProjectswithProject
StartingProjectStandard
StartingProjectProfessional
ExploringViews
ExploringReports
CreatingaNewProjectPlan
SettingNonworkingDays
EnteringProjectProperties
4
6
10
15
21
23
26
29
2 CreatingaTaskList 32
EnteringTasks
EstimatingDurations
EnteringaMilestone
OrganizingTasksintoPhases
LinkingTasks
DocumentingTasks
CheckingthePlansDuration
33
36
40
41
43
48
51
3 SettingUpResources 54
SettingUpPeopleResources 55
SettingUpEquipmentResources 60
SettingUpMaterialResources 62
EnteringResourcePayRates 64
AdjustingWorkingTimeforIndividualResources 66
DocumentingResources 69
4 AssigningResourcestoTasks 70
AssigningResourcestoTasks 72
AssigningAdditionalResourcestoaTask 76
AssigningMaterialResourcestoTasks 82
iv
Contents
5 FormattingandPrintingYourPlan 84
CreatingaCustomGanttChartView 86
DrawingonaGanttChart 92
FormattingTextinaView 94
FormattingandPrintingReports 99
6 TrackingProgressonTasks 106
SavingaProjectBaseline 108
TrackingaProjectasScheduled 111
EnteringaTasksCompletionPercentage 112
EnteringActualValuesforTasks 114
II AdvancedProjectScheduling
7 Fine-TuningTaskDetails 122
AdjustingTaskRelationships
SettingTaskConstraints
ViewingtheProjectsCriticalPath
InterruptingWorkonaTask
AdjustingWorkingTimeforIndividualTasks
ChangingTaskTypes
EnteringDeadlineDates
EnteringFixedCosts
SettingUpaRecurringTask
Fine-TuningResource
123
128
133
135
138
140
144
147
148
andAssignmentDetails 154
EnteringMultiplePayRatesforaResource
SettingUpPayRatestoApplyatDifferentTimes
SettingUpResourceAvailabilitytoApplyatDifferentTimes
DelayingtheStartofAssignments
ApplyingContourstoAssignments
ApplyingDifferentCostRatestoAssignments
EnteringMaterialResourceConsumptionRates
155
157
159
161
163
166
167
9 Fine-TuningtheProjectPlan 172
ExaminingResourceAllocationsoverTime 173
v
8
Contents
ManuallyResolvingResourceOverallocations 180
LevelingOverallocatedResources 184
ExaminingProjectCosts 190
CheckingtheProjectsFinishDate 192
10 OrganizingandFormattingProjectDetails 196
SortingProjectDetails 197
GroupingProjectDetails 202
FilteringProjectDetails 206
CustomizingTables 210
CustomizingViews 214
11 PrintingProjectInformation 220
PrintingYourProjectPlan 221
PrintingViews 228
PrintingReports 234
12 PublishingProjectInformationOnline 240
CopyingProjectInformationasaGIFImage 242
SavingProjectInformationasaWebPage 245
ChangingtheLookofaProjectWebPage 249
13 SharingProjectInformation
withOtherPrograms 254
CopyingandPastingwithProject 256
GeneratingaProjectSummaryReportforWord,PowerPoint,orVisio 259
OpeningOtherFileFormatsinProject 264
SavingtoOtherFileFormatsfromProject 270
14 TrackingProgresson
TasksandAssignments 276
UpdatingaBaseline 278
TrackingActualandRemainingValuesforTasksandAssignments 282
TrackingTimephasedActualWorkforTasksandAssignments 290
ReschedulingIncompleteWork 295
15 ViewingandReportingProjectStatus 300
IdentifyingTasksThatHaveSlipped 302
ExaminingTaskCosts 308
vi
Contents
ExaminingResourceCosts 313
ReportingProjectCostVariancewithaStoplightView 317
16 GettingYourProjectBackonTrack 322
TroubleshootingTimeandScheduleProblems 324
TroubleshootingCostandResourceProblems 330
TroubleshootingScope-of-WorkProblems 334
III SpecialSubjects
17 ApplyingAdvancedFormatting 342
FormattingBarStylesinaGanttChartView 343
FormattingtheNetworkDiagramView 350
FormattingtheCalendarView 353
18 CustomizingProject 358
WorkingwiththeOrganizer 359
RecordingMacros 365
EditingMacros 369
CustomizingaToolbar 374
19 MeasuringPerformance
withEarnedValueAnalysis 380
ViewingEarnedValueScheduleIndicators 382
ViewingEarnedValueCostIndicators 385
20 ConsolidatingProjectsandResources 390
CreatingaResourcePool
ViewingAssignmentDetailsinaResourcePool
UpdatingAssignmentsinaSharerPlan
UpdatingaResourcesInformationinaResourcePool
UpdatingAllProjectsWorkingTimesinaResourcePool
LinkingNewProjectPlanstoaResourcePool
OpeningaSharerPlanandUpdatingaResourcePool
WorkingwithConsolidatedProjects
CreatingDependenciesBetweenProjects
392
397
399
400
401
404
406
409
412
vii
Contents
IV IntroducingProjectServer
21 PlanningWorkwithProjectServer 418
UnderstandingtheKeyPieces
ofEnterpriseProjectManagement 420
BuildingaNewPlanfromanEnterpriseTemplate 421
StaffinganEnterpriseProjectwithResources 427
PublishingaPlantoProjectServer 436
22 TrackingWorkwithProjectServer 440
ReportingActualWorkThroughProjectWebAccess 441
ReportingActualWorkThroughOutlook 446
HandlingActualsfromResources 450
KeepingStakeholdersInformed 455
23 ManagingRisks,Issues,and
DocumentswithProjectServer 462
ManagingRisks 464
ManagingIssues 467
ManagingDocuments 469
V Appendixes
A AShortCourseinProjectManagement 475
UnderstandingWhatDefinesaProject 475
TheProjectTriangle:SeeingProjectsinTermsofTime,Cost,andScope 476
Time,Cost,andScope:ManagingProjectConstraints 478
ManagingYourProjectswithProject 481
B WhatsNext? 483
JoiningaProjectLearningCommunity
JoiningaProjectManagementLearningCommunity
FinalWords
Glossary
Index
483
484
484
485
497
viii
ix
Whats New in Microsoft
Office Project 2003
Youll notice some changes as soon as you start Project 2003. The toolbars and menu
bar have a new look, and there are some new task panes available on the left side of
your screen. But the features that are new or greatly improved in this version of
Project go beyond just changes in appearance. Some changes wont be apparent to
you until you start using the program.
To help you quickly identify features that are new or greatly enhanced with this
version, this book uses the icon in the margin whenever new features are discussed
or shown.
The following new or improved features are available in Project Standard and Project
Professional:
The following new or improved features are available in a Project Serverbased enter-
prise project management system:
To learn how to Using this new feature See
Connect to the Microsoft Web
site for assistance
Office Online service Chapter 1, page 8
More easily print a view Project Guide Chapter 11, page 233
Create a project summary
report for an Office application
Copy Picture to Office
Wizard
Chapter 13, page 259
To learn how to Using this new feature See
Develop a new plan Enterprise template Chapter 21, page 423
Replace generic resources
with work resources
Resource Substitution
Wizard
Report progress on
assignments directly in
Outlook
Outlook integration add-in
for Project Server
Identify risks to projects or
tasks
WSS Risks integration with
Project Server
New in
Office 2003
New in
Office 2003
(continued)
WhatsNewinMicrosoftOfficeProject2003
Tolearnhowto Usingthisnewfeature See
Createanddelegateissues WSSRisksintegrationwith Chapter23,page469
relatingtoprojectsortasks ProjectServer
Uploaddocumentsreleventto WSSRisksintegrationwith Chapter23,page472
projectsortasks ProjectServer
FormoreinformationabouttheProjectfamilyofproducts,seehttp://
www.microsoft.com/office/project/.
x
GettingHelp
Everyefforthasbeenmadetoensuretheaccuracyofthisbookandthecontentsof
itsCD-ROM.Ifyoudorunintoproblems,pleasecontacttheappropriatesourcefor
helpandassistance.
GettingHelpwithThisBookandItsCD-ROM
IfyourquestionorissueconcernsthecontentofthisbookoritscompanionCD-ROM,
pleasefirstsearchtheonlineMicrosoftPressKnowledgeBase,whichprovidessupport
informationforknownerrorsinorcorrectionstothisbook,atthefollowingWebsite:
http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/support/search.asp
IfyoudonotfindyouranswerattheonlineKnowledgeBase,sendyourcomments
orquestionstoMicrosoftPressTechnicalSupportat
mspinput@microsoft.com
GettingHelpwithMicrosoftOfficeProject2003
IfyourquestionisaboutaMicrosoftsoftwareproduct,includingProject,andnotabout
thecontentofthisMicrosoftPressbook,pleasesearchtheMicrosoftKnowledgeBaseat
http://support.microsoft.com
IntheUnitedStates,Microsoftsoftwareproductsupportissuesnotcoveredbythe
MicrosoftKnowledgeBaseareaddressedbyMicrosoftProductSupportServices.The
MicrosoftsoftwaresupportoptionsavailablefromMicrosoftProductSupportServices
arelistedat
OutsidetheUnitedStates,forsupportinformationspecifictoyourlocation,please
refertotheWorldwideSupportmenuontheMicrosoftProductSupportServicesWeb
siteforthesitespecifictoyourcountry:
xi
UsingtheBooksCD-ROM
TheCD-ROMinsidethebackcoverofthisbookcontainsallthepracticefilesyoull
useasyouworkthroughtheexercisesinthebook.Byusingpracticefiles,youwont
wastetimecreatingsamplesandtypingscheduledatainstead,youcanjumprightin
andconcentrateonlearninghowtouseMicrosoftOfficeProject2003.
WhatsontheCD-ROM
Inadditiontothepracticefiles,theCD-ROMcontainsthefollowing:
60-daytrialofMicrosoftOfficeProject2003StandardEdition
MicrosoftOfficeProjectStandard2003demonstrationvideo
EnterpriseProjectManagementSolutiondemonstrationvideo
Microsoft Office Project 2003 Step by StepineBookformat
Insiders Guide to Microsoft Office OneNote 2003ineBookformat
Microsoft Office System Quick ReferenceineBookformat
Introducing the Tablet PCineBookformat
Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth edition,ineBookformat
25business-orientedtemplatesforusewiththeprogramsintheMicrosoftOffice
System
100piecesofclipart
SystemRequirements
Tousethisbook,alongwithProjectStandard2003,youwillneed
Computer/Processor
ComputerwithaPentium133-megahertz(MHz)orhigherprocessor
OperatingSystem
MicrosoftWindows2000withServicePack3(SP3)orMicrosoftWindowsXPorlater
operatingsystem
Memory
64MBofRAM(128MBrecommended)plusanadditional8MBofRAMforeach
programintheMicrosoftOfficeSystem(suchasProject)runningsimultaneously
xiii
UsingtheBooksCD-ROM
HardDisk
Harddiskspacerequirementswillvarydependingonconfiguration;custominstalla-
tionchoicesmayrequiremoreorlessharddiskspace.
105MBofavailableharddiskspacewith70MBontheharddiskwherethe
operatingsystemisinstalled.
Anadditional9MBofharddiskspaceisrequiredforinstallingthepracticefiles.
Anadditional237MBofharddiskspaceisrequiredforinstallingthe60-day
trialversionofMicrosoftOfficeProject2003StandardEdition.
Drive
CD-ROMdrive
Display
SuperVGA(800600)orhigher-resolutionmonitorwith256colorsorhigher
Peripherals
MicrosoftMouse,MicrosoftIntelliMouse,orcompatiblepointingdevice
Note ProjectProfessional,ProjectServer,andProjectWebAccessarenotrequiredto
completethechaptersinthisbookbutareillustratedinChapters21through23.You
canseethesystemrequirementsoftheseproductshere:
http://www.microsoft.com/office/project/evaluation/sysreqs.asp
InstallingthePracticeFiles
Youneedtoinstallthepracticefilesonyourharddiskbeforeyouusetheminthe
chaptersexercises.FollowthesestepstopreparetheCDsfilesforyouruse:
1 InserttheCD-ROMintotheCD-ROMdriveofyourcomputer.
TheStepbyStepCompanionCDEndUserLicenseAgreementappears.Followthe
onscreendirections.Itisnecessarytoacceptthetermsofthelicenseagreementin
ordertousethepracticefiles.Afteryouacceptthelicenseagreement,amenu
screenappears.
Important Ifthemenuscreendoesnotappear,startWindowsExplorer.Inthe
leftpane,locatetheiconforyourCD-ROMdriveandclicktheicon.Intherightpane,
double-clicktheStartCDexecutablefile.
2 ClickInstallPracticeFiles.
3 ClickNextonthefirstscreen,andthenclickYestoacceptthelicenseagreement
onthenextscreen.
xiv
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
UsingtheBooksCD-ROM
4 Ifyouwanttoinstallthepracticefilestoalocationotherthanthedefaultfolder
(\My Documents\Microsoft Press\Project 2003 Step by Step),clicktheChange
Folderbutton,selectthenewdriveandpath,andthenclickOK.
5 ClickNextontheChooseDestinationLocationscreen,clickNextontheSelectFea-
turesscreen,andthenclickNextontheStartCopyingFilesscreentoinstallthe
practicefiles.
6 Afterthepracticefileshavebeeninstalled,clickFinish.
Withintheinstallationfolderaresubfoldersforeachchapterinthebook.
7 ClosetheStepbyStepCompanionCDwindow,removetheCD-ROMfromthe
CD-ROMdrive,andreturnittotheenvelopeatthebackofthebook.
UsingthePracticeFiles
Eachtopicinthechapterexplainshowandwhentouseanypracticefiles.Thefileor
filesthatyoullneedareindicatedatthebeginningoftheprocedureinbluetype,as
shownhere:
BESURETO:StartMicrosoftOfficeProject2003ifitsnotalreadyopen.
OPEN:ParnellAerospacePromo18aandWingtipToysCommercial18bfromthe\My Documents\
Microsoft Press\Project 2003 Step by Step\Chapter 18 Customizing folder.Youcanalsoaccessthe
practicefilesforthisbookbyclickingStart,AllPrograms,MicrosoftPress,Project2003StepbyStep,
andthenselectingthechapterfolderofthefileyouwanttoopen.
Thefollowingtablelistseachchapterspracticefiles.
Chapter Folder Files
Chapter1GettingStarted (nopracticefile)
Chapter2SimpleTasks WingtipToysCommercial2a
Chapter3SimpleResources WingtipToysCommercial3a
Chapter4SimpleAssignments WingtipToysCommercial4a
Chapter5SimpleFormatting WingtipToysCommercial5a,Logo
Chapter6SimpleTracking WingtipToysCommercial6a
Chapter7AdvancedTasks ShortFilmProject7a
Chapter8AdvancedResources ShortFilmProject8a
andAssignments
(continued)
xv
UsingtheBooksCD-ROM
Chapter Folder Files
9 Chapter9AdvancedPlan ShortFilmProject9a
10 Chapter10AdvancedFormatting ShortFilmProject10a
11 Chapter11Printing ShortFilmProject11a
12 Chapter12PublishingOnline ShortFilmProject12a
13 Chapter13Sharing ShortFilmProject13a,LetterToClient,
SampleTaskList
14 Chapter14AdvancedTracking ShortFilmProject14a,ShortFilm
Project14b,ShortFilmProject14c,
ShortFilmProject14d
15 Chapter15ReportingStatus ShortFilmProject15a
17 Chapter17AdvancedFormatting ParnellFilm17a
16 Chapter16GettingBackonTrack ShortFilmProject16a
18 Chapter18Customizing ParnellAerospacePromo18a,Wingtip
ToysCommercial18b
19 Chapter19EarnedValue ShortFilmProject19a
20 Chapter20Consolidating WingtipToysCommercial20a,Parnell
AerospacePromo20b
21 (nopracticefolder) (nopracticefile)
UninstallingthePracticeFiles
Afteryoufinishworkingthroughthisbook,youshoulduninstallthepracticefilesto
freeupharddiskspace.
1 OntheWindowstaskbar,clicktheStartbutton,andthenclickControlPanel.
2 InControlPanel,clickAddorRemovePrograms.
3 Inthelistofinstalledprograms,clickMicrosoftOfficeProject2003StepbyStep,
andthenclicktheRemoveorChange/Removebutton.)
4 IntheUninstalldialogbox,clickOK.
Important Ifyouneedadditionalhelpinstallingoruninstallingthepracticefiles,
pleaseseeGettingHelponpagexi.Microsoftsproductsupportdoesnotprovide
supportforthisbookoritsCD-ROM.
xvi
New in
Office 2003
YoucansavetimewhenyouusethisbookbyunderstandinghowtheStepbyStep
seriesshowsspecialinstructions,keystopress,buttonstoclick,andsoon.
Convention Meaning
New in
Thisiconindicatesaneworgreatlyimprovedfeaturein
Office 2003
MicrosoftOfficeProject2003.
ThisiconindicatesareferencetothebookscompanionCD.
BESURETO Followingthesewordsareinstructionsforactionsyoushould
takebeforebeginninganexercise.
OPEN Followingthiswordareinstructionsforopeningthepractice
filesyoullneedtouseforanexercise.
CLOSE Followingthiswordarethenamesofpracticefilesyoushould
closebeforemovingontoanothertopicinthebook.
1
Numberedstepsguideyouthroughhands-onexercisesin
2
eachtopic.
Aroundbulletindicatesanexercisethathasonlyonestep.
Tip
Thissectionprovidesahelpfulhintorshortcutthatmakes
workingthroughataskeasier.
Important
Thissectionpointsoutinformationthatyouneedtoknowto
completetheprocedure.
Troubleshooting
Thissectionshowsyouhowtofixacommonproblem.
Thefirsttimeabuttonisreferencedinatopic,apictureofthe
buttonappearsinthemarginareawithalabel.
Save
J+D
Aplussign(+)betweentwokeynamesmeansthatyou
mustpressthosekeysatthesametime.Forexample,
PressJ+DmeansthatyouholddowntheAltkeywhile
youpressTab.
(continued)
xvii
Convention Meaning
Boldfacetype Programfeaturesthatyouclickorpressareshowninblack
boldfacetype.
Blueboldfacetype Textthatyouaresupposedtotypeappearsinblueboldface
type.
Blue italic type Termsthatareexplainedintheglossaryattheendofthe
bookareshowninblueitalictypewithinthechapter.
xviii
QuickReference
Chapter1 GettingStartedwithProject
Page6 TostartProjectStandard
1 OntheWindowstaskbar,clicktheStartbutton.
2 OntheStartmenu,pointtoAllPrograms(inMicrosoftWindowsXP)orPrograms(in
previousversionsofWindows),pointtoMicrosoftOffice,andthenclickMicrosoft
OfficeProject2003.
10 TostartProjectProfessionalandworkoffline
2 OntheStartmenu,pointtoAllPrograms(inMicrosoftWindowsXP)orPrograms
(inpreviousversionsofWindows),pointtoMicrosoftOffice,andthenclickMicrosoft
OfficeProject2003.
3 IftheProjectServerSecurityLogindialogboxappears,clickCancel.
4 IntheProjectServerAccountsdialogbox,underChooseaccountselectMyCom-
puter,andthenclickWorkOffline.
13 Tocreateaprojectplanfromatemplate
1 IntheGettingStartedtaskpane,clickCreateanewproject.
2 IntheNewProjecttaskpane,underTemplate,clickOnmycomputer.
3 IntheTemplatesdialogbox,clicktheProjectTemplatestab.
4 Clickthetemplateyouwant,andthenclickOK.
16 Toswitchtoadifferentview
1 OntheViewmenu,clickthenameoftheviewyouwant.
2 Iftheviewisnotlisted,clickMoreViews,andintheMoreViewsdialogbox,click
thenameoftheviewyouwant,andclicktheApplybutton.
21 ToviewareportinthePrintPreviewwindow
1 OntheViewmenu,clickReports.
2 Clickareportcategory,ortoseeallreports,clickCustom,andthenclicktheSelect
button.
3 Selectthereportyouwant,andthenclicktheSelectorPreviewbutton.
xix
QuickReference
23 TocreateanewprojectplanusingtheProjectGuide
1 OntheFilemenu,clickNew.
2 IntheNewProjecttaskpane,underNew,clicktheBlankProjectlink.
3 IntheTaskspane,clicktheSetadatetoschedulefromlink(inProjectStandard)or
theDefinetheprojectlink(inProjectProfessional).
4 IntheDatebox,entertheprojectsstartdate.
5 Atthebottomofthepane,clickDone(inProjectStandard)ortheSaveandgoto
Step2link(inProjectProfessional).
26 TosetnonworkingdaysusingtheProjectGuide
1 OntheProjectGuidetoolbar,clicktheTasksbutton.
2 IntheTaskspane,clicktheDefinegeneralworkingtimeslink,andthenfollowthe
instructionsthatappearonyourscreen.
29 ToenterpropertiesaboutaProjectplan
1 OntheFilemenu,clickProperties.
2 InthePropertiesdialogbox,clicktheSummarytab,andthenentertheinformation
youwant.
Chapter2 CreatingaTaskList
Page34 ToentertasksusingtheProjectGuide
2 IntheTaskspane,clicktheListthetasksintheprojectlink,andthenfollowthe
38 Toentertaskdurations
1 IntheGanttChartview,clickacellintheDurationcolumn.
2 Typethetaskduration,andthenpressF.
40 Toenteramilestone
1 OntheEntrytable,enteranameforthemilestone,andthenpressD.
2 IntheDurationfield,type0d,andthenpressF.
41 ToorganizetasksintophasesusingtheProjectGuide
2 IntheTaskspane,clicktheOrganizetasksintophaseslink,andthenfollowthe
xx
QuickReference
43 TolinktasksusingtheProjectGuide
2 IntheTaskspane,clicktheScheduletaskslink,andthenfollowtheinstructions
thatappearonyourscreen.
48 ToentertasknotesandhyperlinksusingtheProjectGuide
2 IntheTaskspane,clicktheLinktoorattachmoretaskinformationlink,andthen
followtheinstructionsthatappearonyourscreen.
51 Tocheckaprojectplansdurationandotherstatistics
1 OntheProjectmenu,clickProjectInformation.
2 IntheProjectInformationdialogbox,clicktheStatisticsbutton.
52 ToseeanentireprojectplaninthetimescaleintheGanttChartview
1 OntheViewmenu,clickZoom.
2 ClickEntireproject,andthenclickOK.
Chapter3 SettingUpResources
Page56 TosetuppeopleandequipmentresourcesusingtheProjectGuide
1 OntheProjectGuidetoolbar,clicktheResourcesbutton.
2 IntheResourcespane,clicktheSpecifypeopleandequipmentfortheprojectlink,
andthenfollowtheinstructionsthatappearonyourscreen.
56 Tosetuppeopleandequipmentresources
1 OntheViewmenu,clickResourceSheet.
2 IntheResourceNamefield,entertheresourcesname.
3 IntheTypefield,clickWork.
4 IntheMax.Unitsfield,typeorclickthemaximumcapacityofthisresourceto
accomplishanytask.
5 Enterwhateverotherresourceinformationwouldbeusefultoyourproject.
6 Repeatsteps2through5foreachresource.
62 Tosetupmaterialresources
2 IntheResourceNamefield,enterthematerialresourcesname.
3 IntheTypefield,clickMaterial.
xxi
QuickReference
4 IntheMaterialLabelfield,entertheunitofmeasureyouwanttouseforthis
resource.Forexample,youmightmeasurecementinpoundsortons.
5 IntheStd.Ratefield,enterthecostperunitofmeasureforthismaterialresource.
6 Enterwhateverotherresourceinformationwouldbeusefulforyourproject.
64 Toenterresourcepayrates
2 IntheStd.Ratefield,entertheresourcespayrate,includingthedurationofapay
period.
3 Iftheresourceshouldaccrueovertimepay,enterhisorherovertimepayrateinthe
Ovt.Ratefield.
4 Iftheresourceaccruesaper-usecost,enterthatamountintheCost/Usefield.
5 IntheAccrueAtfield,clickthemethodbywhichtheresourceaccruescost.
66 Toadjustworkingtimeforindividualresources
1 OntheToolsmenu,clickChangeWorkingTime.
2 IntheForbox,clickthenameoftheresourcewhoseworkingtimeyouwantto
change.
3 InthecalendarbelowtheSelectDate(s)label,clickthedaterangeorday(s)ofthe
weekforwhichyouwanttoadjustworkingtime.
4 UnderSetselecteddate(s)to,clicktheoptionsyouwant.
69 Todocumentresourceswithresourcenotes
1 SwitchtoaresourceviewsuchastheResourceSheetview.
2 Clickthenameoftheresourceforwhichyouwanttocreateanote.
3 OntheStandardtoolbar,clicktheResourceNotesbutton.
4 IntheResourceInformationdialogbox,typethenoteyouwantassociatedwiththis
resource.
Chapter4 AssigningResourcestoTasks
Page72 ToassignresourcesusingtheProjectGuide
1 OntheProjectGuidetoolbar,clickResources.
2 IntheResourcespane,clicktheAssignpeopleandequipmenttotaskslink,and
thenfollowtheinstructionsthatappearonyourscreen.
xxii
QuickReference
73 ToassignresourcesusingtheAssignResourcesdialogbox
1 OntheStandardtoolbar,clickAssignResources.
2 IntheGanttChartview,clickthenameofthetasktowhichyouwanttoassigna
resource.
3 IntheResourceNamecolumnoftheAssignResourcesdialogbox,clickaresource,
andthenclicktheAssignbutton.
78 TocontrolhowProjectschedulestheworkonataskafterassigninganadditional
resource
1 Assignanadditionalresourcetoatask.
2 ClicktheSmartTagActionsbutton,andchoosetheactionyouwant.
82 Toassignmaterialresourcestotasks
1 OntheStandardtoolbar,clickAssignResources.
resource.
3 IntheResourceNamecolumnoftheAssignResourcesdialogbox,clickaresource,
andintheUnitscolumn,enterthenumberofunitsofthematerialresourceyou
wanttoassign.
4 ClicktheAssignbutton.
Chapter5 FormattingandPrintingYourPlan
Page86 Tocreateacustomview
1 OntheViewmenu,clickMoreViews.
2 IntheMoreViewsdialogbox,dooneofthefollowing:
Tocreateaview,clicktheNewbutton.ClickSinglevieworCombination
viewintheDefineNewViewdialogbox,andthenclickOK.
Toredefineaview,clicktheview'sname,andthenclicktheEditbutton.
Tocreateanewviewbasedonanotherview,clicktheview'sname,and
thenclicktheCopybutton.
3 IntheViewDefinitiondialogbox,choosetheoptionsyouwant.
89 ToformatGanttbarswiththeGanttChartWizard
1 OntheFormatmenu,clickGanttChartWizard.
2 Followtheinstructionsthatappearonyourscreen.
xxiii
QuickReference
92 TodrawatextboxonaGanttchart
1 OntheViewmenu,pointtoToolbars,andthenclickDrawing.
2 OntheDrawingtoolbar,clicktheTextBoxbutton,andthendragasmallsquareany-
whereonthechartportionofaGanttChartview.
3 Inthesquareyoujustdrew,typethetextyouwant.
94 Toformatacategoryoftextinaview
1 OntheFormatmenu,clickTextStyles.
2 IntheItemtoChangelist,clickthetypeoftextyouwanttoformat.
3 Selectthefontandotherformattingoptionsyouwant.
97 Toformatselectedtextinaview
1 Clickthecellthatcontainsthetextyouwanttoformat.
2 OntheFormatmenu,clickFont.
3 Selectthefontandotherformattingoptionsyouwant.
102 Toeditareportsheader
2 Clickareportcategory,ortoseeallreports,clickCustom,andthenclicktheSelect
button.
3 Selectthereportyouwant,andthenclicktheSelectorPreviewbutton.
4 OnthePrintPreviewtoolbar,clickthePageSetupbutton.
5 InthePageSetupdialogbox,clicktheHeadertab,andselecttheoptionsyouwant.
Chapter6 TrackingProgressonTasks
Page108 TosaveabaselineusingtheProjectGuide
1 OntheProjectGuidetoolbar,clicktheTrackbutton.
2 IntheTrackpane,clicktheSaveabaselineplantocomparewithlaterversionslink,
andthenfollowtheinstructionsthatappearonyourscreen.
110 TodisplaytheVariancetableintheTaskSheetview
1 OntheViewmenu,clickMoreViewstodisplaytheMoreViewsdialogbox.
2 IntheViewsbox,clickTaskSheet,andclicktheApplybutton.
3 OntheViewmenu,pointtoTable:Entry,andclickVariance.
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111 Totrackaprojectasscheduled
1 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoTracking,andclickUpdateProject.
2 IntheUpdateProjectdialogbox,makesuretheUpdateworkascompletethrough
optionisselected.Intheadjacentdatelist,typeorclickthedateyouwant,and
clickOK.
112 ToenterataskspercentcompleteusingtheProjectGuide
2 IntheTrackpane,clickthePreparetotracktheprogressofyourprojectlink.
3 ClicktheSaveandgotoStep2link.
4 ClickAlwaystrackbyenteringthePercentofWorkComplete,andthenclickthe
SaveandFinishlinkatthebottomoftheSetupTrackingpane.
5 IntheTrackpane,clicktheIncorporateprogressinformationintotheprojectlink.
6 Inthe%WorkCompletefieldforatask,typeorclickthepercentcompletevalue
youwant,andthenpressF.
114 ToenteractualvaluesfortasksusingtheProjectGuide
3 ClicktheSaveandgotoStep2link.
4 ClickAlwaystrackbyenteringtheActualWorkDoneandWorkRemaining,andthen
clickSaveandFinish.
6 IntheActualWorkfieldforatask,typeorclicktheactualworkvalueyouwant,and
thenpressF.
116 Toenteractualstartdatesanddurationsoftasks
1 Clickthetaskforwhichyouwanttoenteractualvalues.
2 OntheToolsmenupointtoTracking,andthenclickUpdateTasks.
3 IntheStartfieldintheActualboxontheleftsideoftheUpdateTasksdialogbox,
typeorclickthestartdateyouwant.
4 IntheActualdurfield,typeorclickthedurationvalueyouwant,andthenclickOK.
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Chapter7 Fine-TuningTaskDetails
Page126 Tochangetaskrelationships
1 Clickthesuccessortaskwhosepredecessorrelationshipyouwanttochange.
2 OntheStandardtoolbar,clicktheTaskInformationbutton.
3 IntheTaskInformationdialogbox,clickthePredecessorstab,andthenselectthe
optionsyouwant.
126 Toenterleadandlagtimebetweenpredecessorandsuccessortasks
1 Clickthesuccessortaskwhoseleadorlagtimewithapredecessoryouwantto
change.
3 IntheTaskInformationdialogbox,clickthePredecessorstab.
4 IntheLagfieldforapredecessortask,enterthevalueyouwant(enterapositive
valueforlagtime,oranegativevalueforleadtime).
127 Tochangethetaskrelationshipbetweentasks
1 Clickthesuccessortaskwhoserelationshipwithapredecessoryouwantto
change.
3 IntheTaskInformationdialogbox,clickthePredecessorstab.
4 ClickintheTypecolumnforapredecessortask,andclickthetypeoftaskrelation-
shipyouwant.
131 ToapplyaconstrainttoataskusingtheProjectGuide
2 ClicktheSetdeadlinesandconstraintaskslink,andthenfollowtheinstructions
thatappearonyourscreen.
133 Toviewaprojectscriticalpath
2 IntheMoreViewsdialogbox,clickDetailGantt,andthenclicktheApplybutton.
136 Tointerruptworkonatask
1 OntheStandardtoolbar,clicktheSplitTaskbutton.
2 MovethemousepointeroverthetasksGanttbarwhereyouwanttostartthesplit,
click,andthendragtotheright.
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139 Tocreateanewbasecalendar
2 IntheChangeWorkingTimedialogbox,clicktheNewbutton.
3 IntheNamebox,typeanameforthebasecalendar.
4 ClickCreatenewbasecalendar,orclickMakeacopyofandthenchoosethebase
calendaronwhichyouwanttobasethenewcalendar.
5 ClickOK.
6 IntheSelectedDate(s)box,clickthedaysoftheweekforwhichyouwanttochange
workingandnonworkingtime.
7 UnderSetselecteddate(s)to,clickNonworkingtimeforthosedaysyouwantto
markasnonworkingtime.
8 Forworkingdays,intheFromandToboxes,entertheworkingtimeyouwant.
140 Toapplyataskcalendartoatask
1 IntheGanttChartview,clickatask.
3 IntheTaskInformationdialogbox,clicktheAdvancedtab.
4 IntheCalendarbox,choosethetaskcalendaryouwanttoapply.
5 Ifyouwantthetaskcalendartooverrideresourcecalendarsettings,clickthe
Schedulingignoresresourcecalendarsbox.
140 Tochangeatasktype
1 IntheGanttChartview,clickatask.
3 IntheTaskInformationdialogbox,clicktheAdvancedtab.
4 IntheTaskTypebox,clickthetasktypeyouwant.
145 ToenteradeadlinedateusingtheProjectGuide
2 IntheTaskspane,clicktheSetdeadlinesandconstraintaskslink,andthenfollow
theinstructionsthatappearonyourscreen.
148 Toenterafixedcost
1 OntheViewmenu,pointtoTable:Entry,andthenclickCost.
2 IntheFixedCostfieldforthetaskyouwant,typeorclickanamount,andpressD.
3 IntheFixedCostAccrualfield,chooseamethod,andthenpressF.
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149 Tocreatearecurringtask
1 IntheGanttChartview,clickthetaskabovewhichyouwanttoinsertarecurring
task.
2 OntheInsertmenu,clickRecurringTask.
3 IntheRecurringTaskInformationdialogbox,selecttheoptionsyouwant.
Chapter8 Fine-TuningResourceandAssignmentDetails
Page156 Tocreatemultiplepayratesforaresource
2 Clickthenameoftheresourceforwhomyouwanttocreateanadditionalpayrate.
3 OntheStandardtoolbar,clicktheResourceInformationbutton.
4 IntheResourceInformationdialogbox,clicktheCoststab.
5 UnderCostratetables,theresourcesinitialpayrateinformationappearsontabA.
Clickoneoftheothertabs,andthenentertherateinformationyouwant.
6 Toapplydifferentcostratetables,picktheoneyouwantintheCostRateTables
fieldwhenyouareinausageview.
158 Tocreatemultiplepayratesthatapplyatdifferenttimes
SwitchtoaresourceviewsuchastheResourceSheetview.
Clickthenameoftheresourceforwhomyouwanttocreateanadditionalpayrate.
OntheStandardtoolbar,clicktheResourceInformationbutton.
IntheResourceInformationdialogbox,clicktheCoststab.
Clickthetaboftherateyouwanttoedit.
InthesecondorlaterrowoftheEffectiveDatecolumn,enterthedatethenewpay
rateistotakeeffect.
7 IntheStandardRatecolumn(and,ifapplicable,theOvertimeRateorPerUseCost
columns),entereitheradollaramountorapositiveornegativepercentageofthe
existingpayrate.Ifyouenterapercentagevalue,Projectwillcalculatethenewpay
rateamount.
159 Tocustomizearesourcesavailabilityovertime
2 Clickthenameoftheresourcewhoseavailabilityyouwanttochange.
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4 IntheResourceInformationdialogbox,clicktheGeneraltab.
5 IntheResourceAvailabilitygrid,enterthedaterangesandunitvaluesyouwant.
161 Todelaythestartofanassignment
1 OntheViewmenu,clickTaskUsageorResourceUsage.
2 Clicktheassignmentyouwanttodelay.
3 OntheStandardtoolbar,clicktheAssignmentInformationbutton.
4 IntheAssignmentInformationdialogbox,clicktheGeneraltab.
5 IntheStartbox,typeorclickthedateonwhichyouwanttheselectedresourceto
startworkontheassignment,andthenclickOK.
163 Toapplyacontourtoanassignment
2 Clicktheassignmentforwhichyouwanttocontourtoanassignment.
5 IntheWorkContourbox,clickthecontouryouwant,andthenclickOK.
166 Toapplyadifferentcostratetoanassignment
2 Clicktheassignmentforwhichyouwanttoapplyadifferentcostratetable.
5 IntheCostRateTablebox,typeorclicktheratetableyouwanttoapplytothis
assignment,andthenclickOK.
168 Toenteramaterialresourceconsumptionrateonanassignment
materialresource.
2 OntheStandardtoolbar,clicktheAssignResourcesbutton.
3 IntheAssignResourcesdialogbox,intheUnitsfieldforthematerialresource,type
theconsumptionrateyouwantintheformatquantity/timeperiod.Forexample,to
specify20feetperhour,type20/hr.
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Chapter9 Fine-TuningtheProjectPlan
Page174 ToviewresourceallocationsovertimeusingtheProjectGuide
1 OntheProjectGuidetoolbar,clicktheReportbutton.
2 IntheReportpane,clicktheSeehowresourcestimeisallocatedlink,andthenfol-
lowtheinstructionsthatappearonyourscreen.
180 Tomanuallyresolveresourceoverallocationsbychangingassignmentunits
1 OntheViewmenu,clickMoreViews,clickResourceAllocation,andthenclickthe
Applybutton
2 IntheResourceNamecolumn,clickthenameofanassignmentfortheresource
youwanttoworkwith.
5 IntheUnitsbox,entertheunitvalueyouwant,andthenclickOK.
186 Toleveloverallocatedresources
1 OntheToolsmenu,clickLevelResources,andthenchoosethelevelingoptions
youwant.
2 ClickLevelNow.
191 Toexamineprojectcostsanddisplaytheprojectsummarytask
1 OntheViewmenu,clickMoreViews,clickTaskSheet,andthenclicktheApply
button.
2 OntheToolsmenu,clickOptions.
3 IntheOptionsdialogbox,clicktheViewtab.
4 UndertheOutlineoptionsforlabel,selecttheShowprojectsummarytaskcheck
box,andthenclicktheOKbutton.
5 OntheViewmenu,pointtoTable:Entry,andclickCost.
193 Tocheckaprojectsfinishdate
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Chapter10 OrganizingandFormattingProjectDetails
Page198 Tosortdatainaview
1 Switchtotheviewortableyouwanttosort.
2 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoSort,andthenclickthefieldbywhichyouwantto
sorttheview.Tospecifyacustomsort,clickSortBy,andintheSortdialogbox,
choosetheoptionsyouwant.
202 Togroupdatainaview
1 Switchtotheviewortableyouwanttogroup.
2 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoGroupBy:NoGroup,andthenchoosethecriteria
bywhichyouwanttogrouptheview.Tospecifydifferentgroupingoptions,click
CustomizeGroupBy,andthenchoosetheoptionsyouwantintheCustomizeGroup
Bydialogbox.
207 ToturnAutoFilteronoroff
OntheFormattingtoolbar,clicktheAutoFilterbutton.
207 Tofilterdatainaview
1 Switchtotheviewyouwanttofilter.
2 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoFilteredFor,andclickMoreFilters.
3 IntheMoreFiltersdialogbox,choosethefilteryouwant,andthenclicktheApply
button.
208 Tocreateacustomfilter
1 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoFilteredFor:AllTasks(fortaskviews)orAllResources
(forresourceviews),andthenclickMoreFilters.
2 IntheMoreFiltersdialogbox,clicktheNewbutton.
3 IntheFilterDefinitiondialogbox,selecttheoptionsyouwant.
210 Toremoveafilter
OntheProjectmenu,pointtoFilteredFor:<filtername>,andthenclickAllTasks
(fortaskviews)orAllResources(forresourceviews).
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211 Tocreateacustomtable
1 OntheViewmenu,pointtoTable:Entry,andthenclickMoreTables.
2 IntheMoreTablesdialogbox,dooneofthefollowing:
Tocreateanewtable,clicktheNewbutton.
Toredefineatable,clickthetable'sname,andthenclicktheEditbutton.
Tocreateanewtablebasedonanothertable,clickthetable'sname,and
3 IntheTableDefinitiondialogbox,choosetheoptionsyouwant.
215 Tocreateacustomview
2 IntheMoreViewsdialogbox,dooneofthefollowing:
Tocreateaview,clicktheNewbutton.SelecttheSinglevieworCombina-
tionviewoptionintheDefineNewViewdialogbox,andthenclickOK.
Toredefineaview,clicktheview'sname,andthenclicktheEditbutton.
Tocreateanewviewbasedonanotherview,clicktheview'sname,and
3 IntheViewDefinitiondialogbox,choosetheoptionsyouwant.
Chapter11 PrintingProjectInformation
Page225 Toseethepagesetupoptionsforviews
1 Switchtoaviewyouwant.
2 OntheFilemenu,clickPageSetup.
226 Toseethepagesetupoptionsforreports
2 IntheReportsdialogbox,clickCustom,andthenclicktheSelectbutton.
3 IntheCustomReportsdialogbox,clickareport,andthenclicktheSetupbutton.
229 Topreviewaviewbeforeprinting
OntheFilemenu,clickPrintPreview.
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229 ToworkinthePrintPreviewwindow
1 OntheFilemenu,clickPrintPreview.
2 Dooneofthefollowing:
Tonavigatebetweenpagesofamulti-pageprintjob,clickapagenaviga-
tionbutton.
Tozoomouttoseeallpagesofaprintjob,clicktheMultiplePagesbutton.
Tochangepagesetupoptionssuchasheaderorlegendtext,clickthe
PageSetupbutton,andchoosetheoptionsyouwant.
To display thePrintdialogboxandsetotheroptions,ortoprintwhatyou
seeinthePrintPreviewwindow,clickthePrintbutton.
ToexitthePrintPreviewwindow,clicktheClosebutton.
234 Toprintapredefinedreport
2 IntheReportsdialogbox,clickthecategoryofreportyouwant,andthenclickthe
Selectbutton.
3 Inthedialogboxthatappearsnext,clickthespecificreportyouwanttoprint,and
clicktheSelectbutton.
4 InthePrintPreviewwindow,clickPrint.
234 Toeditapredefinedreport
2 IntheReportsdialogbox,clickthecategoryofreportyouwant,andthenclickthe
Selectbutton(orforcustomreports,clickthePreviewbutton).
3 Inthedialogboxthatappearsnext,clickthespecificreportyouwanttoedit,and
thenclicktheEditbutton.
4 Inthedialogboxthatappearsnext,choosetheoptionsyouwant.
Chapter12 PublishingProjectInformationOnline
Page242 TosaveasnapshotofaviewasaGIFimage
1 Setuptheviewwiththespecificdetails(suchasthetable,filter,orgroup)you
want.
2 OntheStandardtoolbar,clicktheCopyPicturebutton.
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3 UndertheRenderImagelabel,clickToGIFimagefile,andthenspecifythefile
nameandlocationyouwant.
4 Selectwhateverotheroptionsyouwant,andclickOK.
246 TocustomizehowProjectsavesaWebpage
1 OntheFilemenu,clickSaveAsWebPage.
2 Specifythefilenameandlocationyouwant,andclicktheSavebutton.
3 IntheExportWizard,selecttheoptionsyouwant.
Chapter13 SharingProjectInformationwithOtherPrograms
Page256 TocopytextfromaProjecttabletotheWindowsClipboard
1 Setupthetabletodisplayonlythedatayouwanttocopyforexample,applyafil-
terorinsertorhidecolumns.
2 Selecttherangeofdatayouwanttocopy.
3 OntheEditmenu,clickCopyCell,CopyTask,orCopyResource.
258 TocopyasnapshotofaviewtotheWindowsClipboard
1 Setuptheviewwiththespecificdetails(suchastables,filters,orgroups)you
want.
2 OntheStandardtoolbar,clickCopyPicture.
3 IntheCopyPicturedialogbox,clickeitherForscreen,tooptimizethesnapshotfor
onlineviewing,orForprinter,tooptimizeitforprinting.
4 Selectwhateverotheroptionsyouwant,andthenclickOK.
260 TocreateanewProjectsummaryreportforWord,PowerPoint,orVisio
1 OntheViewmenupointtoToolbars,andclickAnalysis.
2 OntheAnalysistoolbar,clicktheCopyPicturetoOfficeWizardbutton,andthenfol-
lowtheinstructionsthatappearonyourscreen.
265 ToopenafileinadifferentformatinProject
1 OntheFilemenu,clickOpen.
2 IntheFilesoftypebox,clickthefileformatyouwant.
3 Locateandclickthespecificfileyouwanttoopen,andthenclicktheOpenbutton.
4 IfthefileyouselectedisnotinProjectformat,theImportWizardappears.Follow
theinstructionsthatappearonyourscreen.
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271 TosaveaProjectfileinadifferentformat
1 OntheFilemenu,clickSaveAs.
2 IntheSaveAsdialogbox,clickthelocation,andenterthefilenameyouwant.
3 IntheSaveastypebox,clicktheformatyouwant,andthenclicktheSavebutton.
4 FollowtheinstructionsthatappearonyourscreenintheExportWizard.
Chapter14 TrackingProgressonTasksandAssignments
Page279 Toupdateabaseline
1 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoTracking,andthenclickSaveBaseline.
2 IntheSaveBaselinedialogbox,selectthebaselineyouwanttoupdate.
3 UnderFor,clickeitherEntireprojectorSelectedtasks.
283 Toentertask-levelorassignment-levelactualworkvalues
1 OntheViewmenu,clickTaskUsage.
2 OntheViewmenu,pointtoTable:Usage,andthenclickWork.
3 EntertheactualworkvaluesyouwantforataskorassignmentintheActual
column.
283 Toenterdaily(orothertimeperiods)actualworkvaluespertaskorassignment
2 Clickthenameofthetaskorassignmentforwhichyouwanttoenteractualvalues.
3 OntheStandardtoolbar,clicktheGoToSelectedTaskbutton.
4 OntheFormatmenu,pointtoDetails,andclickActualWork.
5 Inthetimescalegrid,enterthetaskorassignmentvalueyouwantintheAct.Work
field.
297 Torescheduleuncompletedwork
1 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoTracking,andthenclickUpdateProject.
2 ClickRescheduleuncompletedworktostartafter,andinthedateboxtypeorclick
thedateyouwant.
Chapter15 ViewingandReportingProjectStatus
Page303 Toidentifytasksthathaveslippedinaview
OntheViewmenu,clickTrackingGantt.
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305 Tofilterfortasksthathaveslipped
1 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoFilteredFor:AllTasks,andthenclickMoreFilters.
2 IntheMoreFiltersdialogbox,clickSlippingTasks,andthenclicktheApplybutton.
306 Toseeschedulevariance
OntheViewmenu,pointtoTable:Entry,andthenclickVariance.
309 Toseetaskcostsinaview
2 IntheMoreViewsdialogbox,clickTaskSheetandthenclickApply.
3 OntheViewmenu,pointtoTable:Variance,andclickCost.
312 ToseetaskcostsandoverbudgettasksusingtheProjectGuide
2 IntheReportpane,clicktheSeeprojectcostslink.
3 IntheProjectCostspaneunderApplyafilter,clickCostOverbudget.
314 Tosortresourcesbycost
2 OntheViewmenu,pointtoTable:EntryandclickCost.
3 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoSort,andclickSortBy.
4 IntheSortdialogbox,intheSortBybox,clickCost,andthenselecttheDescending
option.
5 MakesurethePermanentlyrenumberresourcescheckboxiscleared,andthen
clicktheSortbutton.
315 Tosortresourcesbycostvariance
3 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoSortandclickSortBy.
4 IntheSortdialogbox,intheSortBybox,clickCostVariance.
clicktheSortbutton.
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Chapter16 GettingYourProjectBackonTrack
Page330 Toeditresourceassignmentsworkvalues
1 OntheViewmenu,clickResourceUsage.
2 IntheWorkcolumn,editthevaluesyouwant.
332 Toreplaceoneresourcewithanother
2 ClicktheTaskNamecolumnheading.
4 IntheAssignResourcesdialogbox,intheResourceNamecolumn,clickthename
oftheresourceyouwanttoreplace,andthenclicktheReplacebutton.
5 IntheReplaceResourcedialogbox,clickthenameofthereplacementresource,
andclickOK.
334 Tofilterforcriticaltasks
OntheProjectmenu,pointtoFilteredFor:AllTasks,andthenclickCritical.
335 ToenterovertimeworkvaluesintheTaskForm
1 OntheViewmenu,clickGanttChart.
2 OntheWindowmenu,clickSplit.
3 ClickanywhereintheTaskForm,ontheFormatmenu,pointtoDetails,andthen
clickResourceWork.
4 IntheOvt.Workcolumnfortheresourcetowhichyouwanttoassignovertime
work,enterthenumberofhoursofovertimeworkyouwant.
Chapter17 ApplyingAdvancedFormatting
Page344 ToformatbarstylesinaGanttchartview
1 OntheFormatmenu,clickBarStyles.
2 IntheBarStylesdialogbox,selecttheoptionsyouwant.
349 TodisplayhorizontalgridlinesonthechartportionofaGanttchartview
1 OntheFormatmenu,clickGridlines.
2 IntheLinestochangebox,makesurethatGanttRowsisselected,andtheninthe
Typebox,clickthetypeoflineyouwant.
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354 ToformatbarsintheCalendarview
1 OntheViewmenu,clickCalendar.
3 IntheBarStylesdialogbox,selecttheoptionsyouwant.
Chapter18 CustomizingProject
Page361 TocopyacustomelementfromoneprojectplantoanotherthroughtheOrganizer
1 Firstopentheprojectplanthatcontainsthecustomelement(suchasacustom
table),andthenopentheprojectplantowhichyouwanttocopythecustom
element.
2 OntheToolsmenu,clickOrganizer.
3 Clickthetabnamethatcorrespondstothetypeofcustomelementyouwantto
copy.
4 Inthe<CustomElements>availableindrop-downlistontheleftsideofthe
Organizerdialogbox,clickthenameoftheprojectplanthatcontainsthecustom
element.
5 ClicktheCopybutton.
365 Torecordamacro
1 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoMacro,andthenclickRecordNewMacro.
2 IntheMacronamebox,enteranameforthemacro(nospacesallowed).
3 IntheStoremacroinbox,clickThisProjecttostorethemacrointheactiveproject
plan,orGlobalFiletostoreitintheglobaltemplate.
4 ClickOK.
5 Performtheactionsyouwantrecordedinthemacro.
6 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoMacro,andthenclickStopRecorder.
368 Torunamacro
1 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoMacro,andthenclickMacros.
2 IntheMacronamebox,clickthenameofthemacroyouwanttorun,andthenclick
theRunbutton.
369 ToeditamacrointheVisualBasicEditor
2 IntheMacronamebox,clickthenameofthemacroyouwanttoedit,andthenclick
theEditbutton.
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3 IntheVisualBasicEditor,editthemacro.
4 OntheFilemenuintheVisualBasicEditor,clickCloseandReturntoMicrosoft
Project.
374 Tocreateacustomtoolbar
1 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoCustomize,andthenclickToolbars.
2 ClicktheToolbarstab.
3 ClicktheNewbutton.
4 IntheToolbarNamebox,typethetoolbarnameyouwant,andthenclickOK.
375 Toaddacommandtoacustomtoolbar
2 ClicktheCommandstab.
3 IntheCategorieslist,clickthecategoryyouwant.
4 DragthecommandyouwantfromtheCommandslisttothecustomtoolbar.
377 Toeditthegraphicimageandtextthatappearsonacustomtoolbarbutton
OntheToolsmenu,pointtoCustomize,andthenclickToolbars.
ClicktheCommandstab.
Clickthecustombuttonyouwanttomodifyonthecustomtoolbar.
ClicktheModifySelectionbutton,andthenpointtoChangeButtonImage.
Inthelistofimagesthatappears,clicktheimageyouwant.
ClickModifySelection,andintheNamebox,typethetextyouwantforthecustom
buttonname.
Chapter19 MeasuringPerformancewithEarnedValueAnalysis
Page383 Tosettheprojectstatusdate
2 IntheProjectInformationdialogbox,intheStatusDatebox,typeorclickthestatus
dateyouwant,andclickOK.
383 Toviewearnedvaluescheduleindicators
3 OntheViewmenu,pointtoTable:Entry,andclickMoreTables.
4 IntheMoreTablesdialogbox,clickEarnedValueScheduleIndicators,andclickthe
Applybutton.
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385 Toviewearnedvaluecostindicators
4 IntheMoreTablesdialogbox,clickEarnedValueCostIndicators,andclicktheApply
button.
Chapter20 ConsolidatingProjectsandResources
Page393 Tocreatearesourcepool
Createanewprojectplan.
Savethenewprojectplanthatwillbecomearesourcepool.
Openoneoftheprojectplansyouwanttomakeasharerplan.
OntheToolsmenu,pointtoResourceSharing,andclickShareResources.
UnderResourcesfor<SharerPlanName>,clickUseresources.
IntheFromlist,clickthenameofyourresourcepool,andclickOKtoclosethe
ShareResourcesdialogbox.
7 Ifyouhavemorethanonesharerplan,openanothersharerplan.
8 Repeatsteps3through7fortheothersharerplans.
397 Toviewassignmentdetailsintheresourcepool
2 IntheResourceNamecolumn,clickthenameofaresource.
3 OntheWindowmenu,clickSplittodisplaytheResourceForm.
400 Toupdatearesourcesworkingtimeintheresourcepool
1 Opentheresourcepoolasread-write.
3 IntheResourceNamecolumnoftheResourceUsageview,clickthenameofthe
resourcewhoseworkingtimeyouwanttochange,andclicktheResourceInforma-
tionbutton.
4 IntheResourceInformationdialogbox,clicktheWorkingTimetab.
5 InthecalendarbelowtheSelectDate(s)label,dragtheverticalscrollbarorclick
theupordownarrowbuttonsuntilthemonthandyearyouwantappears.
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6 Clickthedatesyouwanttodesignateasnonworkingtime.
7 UnderSetselecteddate(s)to,clickNonworkingtime,andclickOKtoclosethe
ResourceInformationdialogbox.
402 Toupdateworkingtimeforallsharerplansfromtheresourcepool
1 Opentheresourcepoolasread/write.
3 IntheChangeWorkingTimedialogbox,intheForbox,clickthebasecalendaryou
wanttochange,forexampleStandard(ProjectCalendar).
theupordownarrowbuttonsuntilthemonthandyearyouwantappears,andthen
clickthespecificdaysyouwanttomakenonworkingtime.
5 UnderSetselecteddate(s)to,clickNonworkingtime.
6 ClickOKtoclosetheChangeWorkingTimedialogbox.
404 Tolinknewprojectfilestotheresourcepool
1 Opentheresourcepoolasread/write.
2 OntheStandardtoolbar,clicktheNewbutton.
3 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoResourceSharing,andclickShareResources.
4 IntheShareResourcesdialogbox,underResourcesfor<FileName>,clickUse
resources.
5 IntheFromlist,clickthenameoftheresourcepool,andclickOKtoclosethe
ShareResourcesdialogbox.
6 Savethesharerplanandresourcepool.
406 Toeditasharerplanandupdatetheresourcepool
1 Openasharerplan.
2 Whenprompted,opentheresourcepool.
3 Inthesharerplan,makechangestoassignments.
4 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoResourceSharing,andclickUpdateResourcePool.
410 Tocreateaconsolidatedprojectplan
2 Savethenewprojectplan.
3 OntheInsertmenu,clickProject.
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4 IntheInsertProjectsdialogbox,locateandclicktheprojectplanyouwanttoinsert
intotheconsolidatedprojectplan.Toselectmultipleplans,holddowntheHkey
whileyouclickthenameofeachplan.
5 ClicktheInsertbutton.
413 Tocreatetaskdependenciesbetweenprojects
1 Openthetwoprojectplansbetweenwhichyouwanttocreateataskdependency.
2 Switchtotheprojectplanthatcontainsthetaskyouwanttomakethesuccessor
task.
4 Clickthenameofthetaskyouwanttomakethesuccessortask.
6 ClickthePredecessorstab.
7 IntheIDcolumn,clickthenextemptycellbelowanyotherpredecessortasks,and
enterthenameofthepredecessortaskfromtheotherprojectfileinthisformat:
Filename\Task ID.
8 PressF,andclickOKtoclosetheTaskInformationdialogbox.
Chapter21 PlanningWorkwithProjectServer
Note TheseproceduresrequireProjectProfessionalwithaccesstoProjectServer.
Page422 Tocreateanewplanbasedonatemplate(projectmanageractivity)
1 InProjectProfessional,ontheFilemenuclickNew.
2 IntheNewProjectpane,underTemplatesclickOnmycomputer.
3 IntheTemplatesdialogbox,clicktheProjectTemplatestab,anddouble-clickthe
templateyouwant.
427 ToruntheResourceSubstitutionWizard(projectmanageractivity)
1 InProjectProfessional,openanenterpriseprojectplanthatcontainsgenericor
workresourcesthatyouwanttoreplace.
2 OntheToolsmenu,clickSubstituteResources
3 IntheResourceSubstitutionWizard,followtheinstructionsthatappearonyour
screen.
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437 TopublishaprojectplantoProjectServer(projectmanageractivity)
1 InProjectProfessional,developaprojectplantothepointthatyouarereadyto
publishittoProjectServer.
2 OntheCollaboratemenupointtoPublish,andthenclickAllInformation.
3 Torepublishupdatedinformation,ontheCollaboratemenupointtoPublish,and
thenclickNewandChangedAssignments.
Chapter22 TrackingWorkwithProjectServer
Note TheseproceduresrequireProjectProfessionalorProjectWebAccesswith
accesstoProjectServer,orOutlookwiththeOutlookintegrationadd-ininstalledfrom
ProjectServer.
Page442 ToreporttaskchangesthroughProjectWebAccess(resourceactivity)
1 LogintoProjectWebAccess.
2 ClicktheTaskstabtodisplaytheTasksCenter.
3 IntheTasksCenter,recordtheactualwork,percentcomplete,orothertaskstatus
youwant.
4 ClickUpdateAll.
442 ToreportupcomingnonworkingtimethroughProjectWebAccess(resourceactivity)
2 ClicktheTaskstabtodisplaytheTasksCenter.
3 ClicktheNotifyyourmanageroftimeyouwillnotbeavailableforprojectworkinthe
paneontheleft.
4 Recordthetypeofnonworkingtimeyouwanttoreport,andthenclickSubmit.
446 TomanagetasksthroughtheOutlookcalendar(resourceactivity)
1 StartOutlookanddisplaythecalendar.
Toimportneworupdatedtaskassignments,clicktheImportNewAssign-
mentsbuttonontheProjectWebAccesstoolbar.
Torecordprogressonanassignment,double-clicktheassignments
appointmentinthecalendar,clicktheProjectWebAccesstab,andrecord
thevaluesyouwant.
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451 Toaccepttaskchangesfromresources(projectmanageractivity)
2 ClicktheUpdatestabtodisplaytheUpdatesCenter.
3 Forthetaskchangesyouwanttoaccept,clickintheAccept?columnandinthe
drop-downlistthatappearsclickAccept.
4 ClickUpdate.
5 AfterProjectServerupdatestheaffectedplansinProjectProfessional,evaluatethe
impactofthetaskchangesontheoverallschedule.
456 Toseemulti-projectstatusanddrillintoaspecificproject(executiveorotherstake-
holderactivity)
2 ClicktheProjectstabtodisplaytheProjectCenter.
3 ChangethedisplayoptionsoractiveviewtoseetheprojectspublishedtoProject
Server.
4 Todisplayinformationforaspecificproject,intheProjectNamecolumnclickthe
nameoftheprojectyoudliketosee.
Chapter23 ManagingRisks,Issues,andDocumentswithProjectServer
Note TheseproceduresrequireWindowsSharePointServicesintegratedwithProject
Server.
Page464 Tocreateanewrisk(executive,projectmanager,orresourceactivity)
2 ClicktheResourcestab,andthenselectaprojectwithwhichyouwanttoassociate
arisk.
3 Entertheriskinformationyouwant.
467 Tocreateanewissue(executive,projectmanager,orresourceactivity)
2 ClicktheIssuestab,andthenselectaprojectwithwhichyouwanttoassociatean
issue.
3 Entertheissueinformationyouwant.
xliv
QuickReference
470 Touploadadocument(executive,projectmanager,orresourceactivity)
2 ClicktheDocumentstab,andthenselectaprojectwithwhichyouwanttoassoci-
ateadocument.
3 Inthedocumentlibrary,clickUploadDocument,andlocatethedocumentyouwant.
xlv
I
Managinga
SimpleProject
1
Chapter 1 at a Glance
Workwithreports,
Workwithviews,
page16
page21
Modifythe
projectcalendar,
page26
SettheprojectstartdateintheProjectGuide,
page23
2 Chapter 1 at a Glance
1
GettingStarted
withProject
Inthischapteryouwilllearnto:
UnderstandthefamilyofMicrosoftOfficeProject2003products.
Understandwhatagoodprojectmanagementtoolcanhelpyoudo.
StartProjectStandardorProjectProfessional,andidentifythemajorpartsof
theProjectwindow.
Useviewstoworkwithprojectplandetailsindifferentways.
Usereportstoprintprojectplandetails.
Createaprojectplanandenteraprojectstartdate.
Settheworkingandnonworkingtimeforaproject.
Enteraprojectplansproperties.
Projectmanagementisabroadlypracticedartandscience.Ifyourereadingthis
book,theresagoodchancethateitheryoureseriouslyinvolvedinprojectmanage-
ment,oryouwanttobe.
Atitsheart,projectmanagementisatoolboxofskillsandtoolsthathelpyoupredict
andcontroltheoutcomesofendeavorsyourorganizationundertakes.Yourorganization
mightdootherworkapartfromprojects.Projects(suchasafilmproject)aredistinct
fromongoing operations(suchaspayrollservices)inthatprojectsaretemporaryendeav-
orsundertakentocreatesomesortofuniquedeliverableorendresult.Withagood
projectmanagementsysteminplace,youshouldbeabletoanswersuchquestionsas
Whattasksmustbedonetoproducethedeliverable oftheproject?
Whowillcompletethesetasks?
Whatsthebestwaytocommunicateprojectdetailstopeoplewhohavean
interestintheproject?
Whenshouldeachtaskbeperformed?
Howmuchwillitcost?
Whatifsometasksarenotcompletedasscheduled?
3
1
GettingStartedwithProject PartI: ManagingaSimpleProject
Goodprojectmanagementdoesnotguaranteethesuccessofeveryproject,butpoor
projectmanagementusuallyguaranteesfailure.
MicrosoftOfficeProject2003shouldbeoneofthemostfrequentlyusedtoolsinyour
projectmanagementtoolbox.ThisbookexplainshowtouseProjecttobuildproject
planscompletewithtasksandresources,usetheextensiveformattingfeaturesin
Projecttoorganizeandformattheprojectplandetails,trackactualworkagainstthe
plan,andtakecorrectiveactionwhenthingsgetofftrack.
SeeAlso Ifyouarenewtoprojectmanagement,stoprighthereandreadAppendixA,A
ShortCourseinProjectManagement,beforeproceedingwiththischapter.Itwonttakeyou
long,anditwillhelpyouproperlyassessandorganizeyourspecificprojectschedulingneeds
andbuildsolidplansinProject.
Mostoftheexercisesinthisbookrevolvearoundafictitiousfilmproductioncom-
pany,SouthridgeVideoandFilmProductions.Chancesareyoudontworkforafilm
productioncompany,butyouprobablyhaveseenaTVcommercialorfilmrecently.
Eachisitsownproject;someinfactarefairlycomplexprojectsinvolvinghundredsof
resourcesandaggressivedeadlines.Wethinkyoullbeabletorecognizemanyofthe
schedulingproblemsSouthridgeVideoencountersandapplythesolutionstoyour
ownschedulingneeds.
ThischapterwalksyouthroughtheProjectinterfaceandpresentsthestepsnecessary
tocreateanewprojectplaninProject.
Important Tofollowalongwiththeexercisesinthisbook,youneedtoinstallthe
practicefilesfromthecompanionCD.(Youcannotjustcopythefiles.)Youwillfind
instructionsforinstallingthefilesinUsingtheBooksCD-ROM,onpagexiii.
Thebestprojectmanagementtoolintheworldcanneverreplaceyourgoodjudg-
ment.However,thetoolcanandshouldhelpyouaccomplishthefollowing:
Trackalltheinformationyougatheraboutthework,duration,costs,and
resourcerequirementsforyourproject.
Visualizeandpresentyourprojectplaninstandard,well-definedformats.
Scheduletasksandresourcesconsistentlyandeffectively.
ExchangeprojectinformationwithotherMicrosoftOfficeSystemapplications.
4
PartI: ManagingaSimpleProject GettingStartedwithProject
1
Communicatewithresourcesandotherstakeholderswhileyou,theproject
manager,retainultimatecontroloftheproject.
Manageprojectsusingaprogramthatlooksandfeelslikeotherdesktoppro-
ductivityapplications.
TheMicrosoftOfficeProject2003familyencompassesabroadrangeofproducts,
includingthefollowing:
MicrosoftOfficeProject2003Standardedition,aWindows-baseddesktopappli-
cationforprojectmanagement.TheStandardeditionisdesignedforthesingle
projectmanageranddoesnotinteractwithProjectServer.Thepreviousversion,
ProjectStandard2002,couldbeusedwithProjectServerforsomecollaborative
functions,butProjectStandard2003isastand-aloneproduct.
MicrosoftOfficeProject2003Professionaledition,aWindows-baseddesktop
applicationthatincludesthefullfeaturesetoftheStandardedition,pluswhen
usedwithProjectServeradditionalprojectteamplanningandcommunications
features.ProjectProfessionalplusProjectServerrepresentsMicrosoftsenterprise
project management(EPM)productoffering.
MicrosoftOfficeProject2003Server,anintranet-basedsolutionthatenables
enterprise-levelprojectcollaboration,timesheetreporting,andstatusreporting
whenusedinconjunctionwithProjectProfessional.
MicrosoftOfficeProject2003WebAccess,theInternetExplorerbasedinterface
forworkingwithProjectServer.
Tip TolearnmoreaboutthenewfeaturesinProject2003andthedifferences
betweentheStandardandProfessionaleditions,typeWhatsnew?intotheSearch
boxintheupperrightcorneroftheProjectwindow.TheSearchboxinitiallycontains
thetextType a question for help.
MostofthechaptersinthisbookfocusonthefeaturesetofProjectStandard,the
entry-leveldesktopprojectmanagementtool.ThechaptersinPart4introduceyouto
theenterpriseprojectmanagementfeaturesavailablewithProjectProfessionaland
ProjectServer.AllofthecontentinthisbookthatappliestoProjectStandardalso
appliestoProjectProfessional,soyoucanuseeithereditionofProjecttocomplete
Parts1through3ofthisbook.IfyouhaveProjectProfessionalandaccesstoProject
Server,youcanalsoexplorethefeaturesintroducedinPart4.Otherwise,youcan
browsethroughPart4tohelpyoudecidewhetheryouoryourorganizationshould
beusingProjectProfessionalandProjectServer.
5
1
WhatCanaSchedulingEngineDoforYou?
ManyprojectsarenotmanagedwitharealschedulingtoolsuchasProject,butthey
shouldbe.Itscommontoseetaskandresourcelistsfromspreadsheetprogramssuch
asExcel,orevennicelyformattedGanttchartsfromdrawingprogramssuchasVisio.One
bigadvantageProjecthasoversuchapplicationsisthatitincludesaschedulingengine
acomputationalbrainthatcanhandleissuessuchasrippleeffectswhentask1ina
100-tasksequencechangesitsstartdate.Thisschedulingenginecanalsoaccountfor
nonworkingtimesuchasweekendswhencalculatingatasksstartandfinishdates.
ApplicationssuchasExcelandVisiomighthaveaplaceinyourprojectmanagementtool-
box,buttobereallysuccessfulyoullneedaschedulingenginesuchasProject.
StartingProjectStandard
Note FollowthestepsinthissectionifyouhaveMicrosoftOfficeProjectStandard.If
youhaveMicrosoftOfficeProjectProfessional,skipthissectionandrefertothenextsec-
tion,StartingProjectProfessional.IfyoudontknowwhicheditionofProjectyouhave,
StartProject,andontheHelpmenuclickAboutMicrosoftOfficeProject.Thedialogbox
thatappearsindicateswhicheditionyouhave.
ProjectStandardisamemberoftheMicrosoftOfficeSystem,somuchofwhatyou
seeinProjectissimilartowhatyouseeinWord,Excel,andAccess.Forexample,
Projectsmenubarandtoolbarsaresimilarinorganization,ifnotincontent,toother
Officeapplications.
Inthisexercise,youllstartProjectStandard,createafilebasedonatemplate (afile
containingsomeinitialdatathatyoucanuseasastartingpointforanewproject
plan),andseethemajorareasofthedefaultProjectinterface.
TheStartmenuappears.
OfficeProject2003.
ProjectStandardappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
6
1
Menubar Projectplanwindow SearchforHelpbox
ToolbarOptions
Toolbars
Taskpane
Important Dependingonthescreenresolutionyouhavesetonyourcomputer
andwhichtoolbarbuttonsyouusemostoften,itspossiblethatnoteverybuttonon
everytoolbarwillappearonyourProjecttoolbars.Ifabuttonmentionedinthisbook
doesntappearonatoolbar,clicktheToolbarOptionsdownarrowonthattoolbarto
displaytherestoftheavailablebuttons.
IfyouveusedOfficeapplications,orifyoureupgradingfromapreviousversionof
Project,youllbefamiliarwithmanyofthemajorinterfaceelementsintheProject
window.Letswalkthroughthem:
ThemainmenubarenablesyoutogiveinstructionstoProject.
Toolbarsprovidequickaccesstothemostcommontasks;mosttoolbar
buttonscorrespondtoamenubarcommand.LikeotherOfficeapplica-
tions,Projectcustomizesthemenusandtoolbarsforyou,basedonhow
frequentlyyouusespecificcommandsortoolbarbuttons.Themostfre-
quentlyusedcommandsandbuttonswillremainvisibleonthemenusand
toolbars,whereasthecommandsandbuttonsyoudontusewillbetempo-
rarilyhidden.
Theprojectplanwindowcontainsaviewoftheactiveprojectplan.(Well
refertothetypesofdocumentsProjectworkswithasproject plans,not
documentsorschedules.)Thenameoftheactiveviewappearsontheleft
edgeoftheviewinthiscase,theGanttChartviewisdisplayed.
7
New in
Office 2003
1
SearchHelp
New in
Office 2003
TheboxlabeledType a question for help enablesyoutoquicklysearch
ProjectsHelpforinstructionsonperformingcommonactivitiesinProject.
JusttypeinaquestionandpressF.Throughoutthisbookwellsuggest
questionsyoucanenterintothisboxtolearnmoreaboutspecificfea-
tures.IfyourcomputerisconnectedtotheInternet,yoursearchquerywill
gotoassistancecontentonOfficeOnline(partoftheMicrosoftWebsite),
andtheresultsdisplayedwillreflectthemostup-to-datecontentavailable
fromMicrosoft.IfyourcomputerisnotconnectedtotheInternet,the
searchresultswillbelimitedtotheHelpinstalledwithProject.
TheGettingStartedtaskpaneinProjectissimilartothetaskpanesyou
mightseeinotherOfficeapplications.Itisaconvenientlistofrecently
openedfilesaswellasanothermeansofcreatingnewfiles.Inadditionto
thistaskpane,ProjectincludestheProjectGuide,whichisdiscussed
below.
NextyouwillviewthetemplatesincludedwithProjectandcreateaprojectplan
basedononeofthem.
TheNewProjecttaskpanereplacestheGettingStartedtaskpane.
TheTemplatesdialogboxappears.
5 ClicktheProjectTemplatestab.
Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
8
1
6 ClickNewBusiness(youmayneedtoscrolldowninthelistofProjectTemplatesto
seeit),andthenclickOK.
Important DependingonhowProjectwasinstalledonyourcomputer,thetem-
platesincludedwithProjectmightnotbeinstalledatthispoint.Thisinstallonfirst
usesettingisoneofthesetupchoicesforoptionalcomponentsincludedwith
Project.IfyouhaveneverseenthetemplatesincludedwithProjectbefore,spend
sometimebrowsingthroughthem.Youmightfindonethatmatchesanupcoming
projectforwhichyoudliketodevelopafullplan.Startingwithapredefinedtem-
platecansaveyoualotofeffort.
ProjectcreatesaprojectplanbasedontheNewBusinesstemplate,closesthe
NewProjecttaskpane,anddisplaystheTasksactivitylistintheProjectGuide.
ProjectGuide
toolbar
ProjectGuide
pane
TheProjectGuideisawizard-likeinterfaceyoucanusewhencreatingorfine-tuning
aprojectplan.InlaterchaptersyouwillusetheProjectGuidetoperformmanycom-
monactivitiesrelatingtotasks,resources,andassignments.Youcanviewallactivities
intheProjectGuidethroughtheProjectGuidetoolbar.Thistoolbarisdividedintothe
mostcommonsubjectareasofProject(Tasks,Resources,Track,andReport).
Forthenextfewexercisesinthischapter,youwillusethesampledataprovidedby
thetemplatetoidentifythemajorpartsoftheProjectinterface.
9
1
StartingProjectProfessional
Note FollowthestepsinthissectionifyouhaveMicrosoftOfficeProjectProfes-
sional.IfyouhaveMicrosoftOfficeProjectStandard,skipthissectionandrefertothe
previoussection,StartingProjectStandard.IfyoudontknowwhicheditionofProject
youhave,StartProjectandontheHelpmenuclickAboutMicrosoftOfficeProject.The
dialogboxthatappearsindicateswhicheditionyouhave.
ProjectProfessionalisamemberoftheMicrosoftOfficeSystem,somuchofwhatyou
seeinProjectissimilartowhatyouseeinWord,Excel,andAccess.Forexample,
Projectsmenubarandtoolbarsaresimilarinorganization,ifnotincontent,toother
Officeapplications.
Inthisexercise,youllstartProjectProfessional,createafilebasedonatemplate (a
filecontainingsomeinitialdatathatyoucanuseasastartingpointforanewproject
plan),andseethemajorareasofthedefaultProjectinterface.
TheStartmenuappears.
OfficeProject2003.
DependingonhowyourenterpriseoptionshavebeensetinProjectProfessional,
youmaybepromptedtologintoorchooseaProjectServeraccount.Ifso,complete
steps3and4.Otherwise,gotostep5.
3 IftheProjectServerSecurityLogindialogboxappears,clickCancel.
YouwouldseetheProjectServerSecurityLogindialogboxonlyifProjectProfes-
sionalhasbeensetuptologintoaspecificProjectServeraccountusingProject
ServerSecurityauthentication.
4 IntheProjectServerAccountsdialogbox,underChooseaccountselectMyComputer,
andthenclickWorkOffline.
10
1
ChoosingthisoptionsetsProjectProfessionaltoworkindependentofyourProject
Serverandhelpsensurethatnoneofthepracticefiledatayouuseforthischapter
canaccidentallybepublishedtoyourProjectServer.
Projectappears.Nextyoullrevieworadjustsomeenterpriseoptions.
5 OntheToolsmenupointtoEnterpriseOptions,andthenclickMicrosoftOffice
ProjectServerAccounts.
TheProjectServerAccountsdialogboxappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilarto
thefollowingillustration:
6 NotetheCurrentaccountvalue.
IftheCurrentaccountvalueissomethingotherthanMyComputer,clickManually
controlconnectionstate,clickOK,andthencompletestep7.
Or
IftheCurrentaccountvalueisMyComputer,clickCancel,andthenskipstep7.
ChoosingManuallycontrolconnectionstatewillcauseProjectProfessionalto
promptyoutochooseanaccounttoworkwithwhenyoustartProjectProfessional.
Thishelpsensurethatnoneofthepracticefiledatayouuseforthischaptercan
accidentallybepublishedtoyourProjectServer.
7 CloseandrestartProjectProfessional.Ifpromptedtochooseanaccount,clickMy
Computer,andthenclickWorkOffline.
11
1
ProjectProfessionalappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
ToolbarOptions
TheCollaboratemenuappears
inProjectProfessionalonly.
Toolbars
Taskpane
Menubar Projectplanwindow SearchforHelpbox
Important Dependingonthescreenresolutionyouhavesetonyourcomputer
andwhichtoolbarbuttonsyouusemostoften,itspossiblethatnoteverybuttonon
everytoolbarwillappearonyourProjecttoolbars.Ifabuttonmentionedinthisbook
doesntappearonatoolbar,clicktheToolbarOptionsdownarrowonthattoolbarto
displaytherestoftheavailablebuttons.
IfyouveusedOfficeapplications,orifyoureupgradingfromapreviousversionof
Project,youllbefamiliarwithmanyofthemajorinterfaceelementsintheProject
window.Letswalkthroughthem:
ThemainmenubarenablesyoutogiveinstructionstoProject.
Toolbarsprovidequickaccesstothemostcommontasks;mosttoolbarbut-
tonscorrespondtoamenubarcommand.LikeotherOfficeapplications,
Projectcustomizesthemenusandtoolbarsforyou,basedonhowfrequently
youusespecificcommandsortoolbarbuttons.Themostfrequentlyused
commandsandbuttonswillremainvisibleonthemenusandtoolbars,
whereasthecommandsandbuttonsyoudontusewillbetemporarilyhidden.
Theprojectplanwindowcontainsaviewoftheactiveprojectplan.(Well
refertothetypesofdocumentsProjectworkswithasproject plans,not
12
1
documentsorschedules.)Thenameoftheactiveviewappearsontheleft
edgeoftheviewinthiscase,theGanttChartviewisdisplayed.
SearchHelp
TheboxlabeledType a question for help enablesyoutoquicklysearch
ProjectsHelpforinstructionsonperformingcommonactivitiesinProject.
JusttypeinaquestionandpressF.Throughoutthisbookwellsuggest
questionsyoucanenterintothisboxtolearnmoreaboutspecificfea-
tures.IfyourcomputerisconnectedtotheInternet,yoursearchquerywill
gotoassistancecontentonOfficeOnline(partoftheMicrosoftWebsite),
andtheresultsdisplayedwillreflectthemostup-to-datecontentavailable
fromMicrosoft.IfyourcomputerisnotconnectedtotheInternet,the
searchresultswillbelimitedtotheHelpinstalledwithProject.
TheGettingStartedtaskpaneinProjectissimilartothetaskpanesyou
mightseeinotherOfficeapplications.Itisaconvenientlistofrecently
openedfilesaswellasanothermeansofcreatingnewfiles.Inadditionto
thistaskpane,ProjectincludestheProjectGuide,whichisdiscussedbelow.
NextyouwillviewthetemplatesincludedwithProjectandcreateaprojectplan
basedononeofthem.
TheNewProjecttaskpanereplacestheGettingStartedtaskpane.
TheTemplatesdialogboxappears.
10 ClicktheProjectTemplatestab.
13
1
11 ClickNewBusiness(youmayneedtoscrolldowninthelistofProjectTemplatesto
seeit),andthenclickOK.
Important DependingonhowProjectwasinstalledonyourcomputer,thetem-
platesincludedwithProjectmightnotbeinstalledatthispoint.Thisinstallonfirst
usesettingisoneofthesetupchoicesforoptionalcomponentsincludedwith
Project.IfyouhaveneverseenthetemplatesincludedwithProjectbefore,spend
sometimebrowsingthroughthem.Youmightfindonethatmatchesanupcoming
projectforwhichyoudliketodevelopafullplan.Startingwithapredefinedtem-
platecansaveyoualotofeffort.
12 ProjectcreatesaprojectplanbasedontheNewBusinesstemplate,closesthe
NewProjecttaskpane,anddisplaystheTasksactivitylistintheProjectGuide.
Project
Guide
toolbar
Project
Guide
pane
TheProjectGuideisawizard-likeinterfaceyoucanusewhencreatingorfine-tuning
aprojectplan.InlaterchaptersyouwillusetheProjectGuidetoperformmanycom
monactivitiesrelatingtotasks,resources,andassignments.Youcanviewallactivities
intheProjectGuidethroughtheProjectGuidetoolbar.Thistoolbarisdividedintothe
mostcommonsubjectareasofProject(Tasks,Resources,Track,andReport).
14
1
Forthenextfewexercisesinthischapter,youwillusethesampledataprovidedby
thetemplatetoidentifythemajorpartsoftheProjectinterface.
ExploringViews
TheworkingspaceinProjectiscalledaview.Projectcontainsdozensofviews,but
younormallyworkwithjustoneview(sometimestwo)atatime.Youuseviewsto
enter,edit,analyze,anddisplayyourprojectinformation.Thedefaultview,theone
youseewhenProjectstarts,istheGantt Chart viewshownhere.
Table Chartportionoftheview
Theactive
viewname
Ingeneral,viewsfocusoneithertaskorresourcedetails.TheGanttChartview,for
example,liststaskdetailsinatableontheleftsideoftheviewandgraphicallyrepre
sentseachtaskasabarinthechartontherightsideoftheview.TheGanttChartview
isacommonwaytorepresentaprojectplan,especiallywhenpresentingittoothers.
Itisalsousefulforenteringandfine-tuningtaskdetailsandforanalyzingyourproject.
15
1
Inthisexercise,youllstartattheGanttChartviewandthenswitchtootherviews
thathighlightdifferentaspectsofaprojectplan.Finally,youllexplorecombination
viewsthatletyoufocusonspecificprojectdetailsmoreeasily.
TheResourceSheetviewreplacestheGanttChartview.TheProjectGuideis
updatedtodisplayalistofactivitiesspecifictoresources:
TheResourceSheetviewdisplaysdetailsaboutresourcesinarow-and-columnfor-
mat(calledatable),withoneresourceperrow.Thisviewiscalledasheetview.
Thereisoneothersheetview,theTaskSheetview,whichliststhetaskdetails.
NotethatResourceSheetviewdoesnttellyouanythingaboutthetaskstowhich
resourcesmightbeassigned.Toseethattypeofinformation,youllswitchtoadif-
ferentview.
TheResourceUsageviewreplacestheResourceSheetview,andtheProjectGuide
isupdatedagain.
Thisusageviewgroupsthetaskstowhicheachresourceisassigned.Another
usageview,theTaskUsageview,flipsthisaroundtodisplayalltheresources
assignedtoeachtask.Usageviewsalsoshowyouworkassignmentsperresource
onatimescalesuchasdailyorweekly.NextyoullswitchtotheTaskUsageview.
16
1
TheTaskUsageviewreplacestheResourceUsageview,andtheProjectGuideis
updatedagain.
4 Inthetableportionoftheviewontheleft,clickDefinebusinessvision,thenameof
task3.
GoTo
Thetimescalesideoftheviewscrollstoshowyouthescheduledworkvaluesfor
SelectedTask
thistask,shownbelow.
Timescale
Ausageviewisafairlysophisticatedwayofviewingprojectdetails.Nextyoull
switchtoasimplerview.
17
1
TheCalendarviewappearsasshownhere:
Thissimplemonth-at-a-glanceviewlacksthetablestructure,timescale,orchart
elementsyouveseeninpreviousviews.Tasknamesappearonthedaystheyre
scheduledtostart,andifatasksdurationislongerthanoneday,itsnamewill
spanmultipledays.
AnothercommonviewusedinprojectmanagementistheNetworkDiagram.Youll
lookatthisnext.
7 OntheViewmenu,clickNetworkDiagram.
TheNetworkDiagramviewappears.Usethescrollbarstoviewdifferentparts
oftheNetworkDiagramview.
18
1
Thisviewfocusesontaskrelationships.EachboxornodeintheNetworkDiagram
displaysdetailsaboutatask,andlinesbetweenboxesindicatetaskrelationships.
LiketheCalendarview,theNetworkDiagramviewlacksatablestructure;theentire
viewisachart.
Toconcludethisexercise,youlllookatcombinationviews.Thesesplittheproject
planwindowintotwopanes,eachpanecontainingadifferentview.Theviewsare
synchronized,soselectingaspecifictaskorresourceinoneviewcausestheother
viewtodisplaydetailsaboutthattaskorresource.
TheMoreViewsdialogboxappears.Thisdialogboxlistsallthepredefinedviews
availableinProject.
19
1
9 IntheViewsbox,clickTaskEntry,andthenclicktheApplybutton.
TheTaskEntryviewappears:
Show/Hide
ProjectGuide
GanttChartviewinupperpane
Dragdivider
bartoshow
moreof
eitherpane
TaskFormviewinlowerpane
Tip Dependingonyourscreenresolution,youmightneedtoclosetheProject
Guidetoseethefullwidthofthisview.Todothis,clicktheShow/HideProject
GuidebuttonontheProjectGuidetoolbar.YoucanalsomaketheProjectGuide
panenarrowerbydraggingitsrightedgetotheleft.
Thisviewisapredefinedsplit-screenorcombinationview,withtheGanttChartin
theupperpaneandtheTaskForminthelowerpane.Aformisthefinalelementof
aviewyoullseeinthischapter.Aformdisplaysdetailsabouttheselectedtaskor
resource,muchlikeadialogbox.Youcanenter,change,orreviewthesedetailsin
theform.
10 IntheGanttChartportionoftheview,iftheselectionisnotontask3,Define busi-
ness vision,clickthattasksname.
Thedetailsabouttask3appearintheTaskFormportionoftheview.
11 IntheGanttChartportionoftheview,clickthenameoftask4,Identify available
skills, information, and support.
Thedetailsabouttask4appearintheTaskForm.
20
1
Tip Besidesusingthepredefinedcombinationviews,youcandisplaytwoviews
ofyourchoicebyclickingSplitontheWindowmenu.AftertheProjectwindowis
splitintotwopanes,clickintheupperorlowerpane,andthenchoosetheviewyou
wanttoappearthere.Toreturntoasingleview,ontheWindowmenu,clickRemove
Split.
Itisimportanttounderstandthatinalltheseviews,aswellasalltheotherviewsin
Project,youarelookingatdifferentaspectsofthesamesetofdetailsaboutasin-
gleprojectplan.Evenasimpleprojectplancancontaintoomuchdatatodisplayall
atonce.Youcanuseviewstohelpyoufocusonthespecificdetailsyouwant.
Inlaterexercisesyoulldomorewithviewstofurtherfocusonthemostrelevant
projectdetails.
ExploringReports
ReportsarepredefinedformatsintendedforprintingProjectdata.Unlikeviews,which
youcaneitherprintorworkwithonthescreen,reportsaredesignedtobeprinted.
Youdontenterdatadirectlyintoareport.Projectincludesseveralpredefinedtaskand
resourcereportsyoucanmanipulatetogettheinformationyouwant.
Inthisexercise,youviewareportinthePrintPreviewwindow.
TheReportsdialogboxappears,showingthesixbroadcategoriesofreportsavail-
ableinProject.
2 ClickCustom,andthenclicktheSelectbutton.
TheCustomReportsdialogboxappears,listingallpredefinedreportsinProjectand
anycustomreportsthathavebeenadded.
21
1
3 IntheReportslist,clickTask,andthenclickthePreviewbutton.
ProjectdisplaystheTaskreportinthePrintPreviewwindow.Yourscreenshould
looksimilartothefollowingillustration:
Thisreportisacompletelistofprojecttasks(exceptforsummarytasks),similarto
whatyoudseeintheEntry tableoftheGanttChartview.Ifyouwanttozoomin,
movethemousepointer(shapedlikeamagnifyingglass)toaportionofthereport,
andclick.Clickagaintotogglebacktothefullpagepreview.
4 OnthePrintPreviewtoolbar,clicktheClosebutton.
ThePrintPreviewwindowcloses,andtheCustomReportsdialogboxreappears.
5 IntheCustomReportsdialogbox,clicktheClosebutton.
6 ClicktheClosebuttonagaintoclosetheReportsdialogbox.
Tip WevefrequentlyseenProjectusersgotoalotoftroubletocustomizethe
GanttChartviewtoincludespecificinformationtheywantintheformattheywant.
Beforeyoudothat,checkthepredefinedviews(foronlineworkorprinting)or
reports(forprinting).TheresagoodchancetheProjectdesignershaveanticipated
yourneedsandprovidedapredefinedsolutionforyou.
22
1
Toconcludethisexercise,youllclosethefileyouvebeenusingtoexploreviews
andreports.
7 OntheFilemenu,clickClosetoclosetheNewBusinessplan.Whenpromptedto
savechanges,clicktheNobutton.
CreatingaNewProjectPlan
NowthatyouvehadabrieflookatthemajorpartsoftheProjectinterface,youare
readytocreatetheprojectplanyouwilluseinParts1through3ofthisbook.
Aprojectplanisessentiallyamodelyouconstructofsomeaspectsoftherealproject
youanticipatewhatyouthinkwillhappen,orwhatyouwanttohappen(itsusually
bestifthesearenottoodifferent).Thismodelfocusesonsomebutnotallaspectsof
therealprojecttasks,resources,timeframes,andpossiblytheirassociatedcosts.
ProjectManagementFocus:
ProjectIsPartofaLargerPicture
Dependingonyourneedsandtheinformationtowhichyouhaveaccess,theprojectplans
youdevelopmightnotdealwithotherimportantaspectsofrealprojects.Manylarge
projects,forexample,arecarriedoutinorganizationsthathaveaformalchangemanage-
mentprocess.Beforeamajorchangetothescopeofaprojectisallowed,itmustfirstbe
evaluatedandapprovedbythepeoplemanagingandimplementingtheproject.Thisisan
importantprojectmanagementactivity,butnotsomethingdonedirectlywithinProject.
Inthisexercise,youcreateanewplanusingtheProjectGuide.
1 OntheFilemenu,clicktheNewcommand.
TheNewProjecttaskpaneappears.
2 UnderNew,clicktheBlankProjectlink.
23
1
Projectcreatesanewproject,andtheNewProjecttaskpaneisreplacedbythe
TaskspaneoftheProjectGuide:
TakeamomenttolookovertheTaskspane.Thispanecontainslinkstoseveral
activities,allfocusedontasks.(Youllseeothertypesofactivitiesinlaterchap-
ters.)EachactivityintheProjectGuideconsistsofaseriesofnumberedsteps.
Eachstepappearsinitsownpane,likepagesinabook.
3 IntheTaskspane,clicktheSetadatetoschedulefromlink(inProjectStandard)or
theDefinetheprojectlink(inProjectProfessional).
TheSet a date to schedule from(inProjectStandard)orDefine the project(Project
Professional)paneappears.
4 Inthenextpanethatappears,intheDateboxclickthedownarrow.
Asmallmonthlycalendarappears.Bydefault,Projectusesthecurrentdateasthe
projectstartdate.However,inthisexercise,youchangetheprojectstartdateto
January3,2005.
5 ClicktheleftorrightarrowuntilJanuary2005isdisplayed.
6 Click3,asshownnext.
24
1
Save
Toselectfromalistofmonths,
clickhere
Clicktheleftandright
arrowbuttonstosee
monthsinsequence Toselectadifferentyear,
clickhere
Tip YouusethistypeofcalendarinseveralplacesinProject.Hereisahandy
shortcutforquicklypickingadatewiththecalendar:Clickthenameofthemonth
todisplayashortcutmenuofallmonths,andthenselectthemonthyouwant.
Nextclicktheyeartodisplayupanddownarrows,andthentypeorselecttheyear
youwant.
7 Atthebottomofthepane,clickDone(inProjectStandard)ortheSaveandgoto
Step2link(inProjectProfessional).
8 IfyouhaveProjectProfessional,youllseeadditionalpanesthatrelatetoProject
Server.IntheStep2pane,clickNo,thengotoStep3.InStep3,clickSaveand
Finish.
TheTasksactivitylistreappearsintheProjectGuidepane.Youvecompletedthe
DefinetheProjectactivity.
9 OntheStandardtoolbar,clicktheSavebutton.YoucanalsoclicktheSavelinkor
buttoninthepane.
Becausethisprojectplanhasnotpreviouslybeensaved,theSaveAsdialogbox
appears.
10 LocatetheChapter1GettingStartedfolderintheProject2003StepbyStepfolder
onyourharddisk.ThedefaultlocationfortheProject2003StepbyStepfolderis
\MyDocuments\MicrosoftPress.
11 IntheFilenamebox,typeWingtipToysCommercial1.
12 ClicktheSavebuttontoclosetheSaveAsdialogbox.
ProjectsavestheprojectplanasWingtip Toys Commercial 1.
25
1
Tip YoucaninstructProjecttoautomaticallysavetheactiveprojectplanatpre-
definedintervals,suchasevery10minutes.OntheToolsmenu,clickOptions.In
theOptionsdialogbox,clicktheSavetab,selecttheSaveEverycheckbox,and
thenspecifythetimeintervalyouwant.
SettingNonworkingDays
Thisexerciseintroducescalendars,theprimarymeansbywhichyoucontrolwhen
tasksandresourcescanbescheduledforworkinProject.Inlaterchaptersyouwill
workwithothertypesofcalendars;inthischapteryouwillworkonlywiththe
project calendar.
Theprojectcalendardefinesthegeneralworkingandnonworkingtimefortasks.
Thinkoftheprojectcalendarasyourorganizationsnormalworkingtimes.Thismight
be,forexample,MondaythroughFriday,8A.M.through5P.M.withanhourofffor
lunch.Yourorganizationorspecificresourcesmighthaveexceptionstothisnormal
workingtime,suchasholidaysorvacation.Inalaterchapteryoulladdressresource
vacations,buthereyoulladdressaholidayintheprojectcalendar.
1 IntheTaskspane,clicktheDefinegeneralworkingtimeslink.
TheProjectWorkingTimespaneappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefol-
lowingillustration:
NoticethePreviewWorkingTimeportionofthepane.Thisshowsyou(inblue)the
timesatwhichProjectcanscheduletasksandresourcesand(inyellow)whenit
cannot,basedonthesettingsintheprojectcalendar.
26
1
Tip ClicktheHintlinkintheProjectWorkingTimespane.Thehintappearsin
place,withoutnavigatingawayfromthepane.Clickitagaintocollapseit.Youwill
seemanysuchhintsthroughouttheProjectGuide.
2 IntheSelectacalendartemplatebox,clickthedownarrow.
Thelistthatappearscontainsthethreebase calendars includedwithProject.These
areasfollows:
Standard:thetraditionalworkingday,MondaythroughFridayfrom8A.M.
to5P.M.,withanhouroffforlunch.
24Hours:hasnononworkingtime.
NightShift:coversagraveyardshiftscheduleofMondaynightthrough
Saturdaymorning,11P.M.to8A.M.,withaone-hourbreak.
Justoneofthebasecalendarsservesastheprojectcalendar.Forthisproject
youllusetheStandardbasecalendarastheprojectcalendar,soleaveitselected.
Tip Tolearnmoreaboutcalendars,typeAboutcalendarsintotheboxlabeled
Type a question for help.
3 Atthebottomofthepane,clicktheSaveandgotoStep2link.
Thesecondpaneappears.Thispanegivesyoutheoptionofchangingtheproject
calendarsworkingtimeforaspecificdayofeveryweek.Forexample,youcould
choosetoendtheworkdayeveryWednesdayat3P.M.insteadof5P.M.Forthis
project,however,youllusethedefaultworkweek.
Thethirdpaneappears.Hereyoullspecifysomespecificnonworkingdaysforthe
projectcalendar.
5 ClicktheChangeworkingtimelinkinthepane.
TheProjectGuidedisplaystheChangeWorkingTimedialogbox.Thisisthesame
dialogboxyouwouldseeifyouclickedtheChangeWorkingTimecommandonthe
Toolsmenu.
6 InthecalendarbelowtheSelectDate(s)label,scrollupordowntoJanuary2005
(unfortunatelyyoucantusethedatepickingshortcutmentionedpreviouslywith
thisparticularcalendar).Youknowthattheentirestaffwillbeatamoraleevent
January28,andnoworkshouldbescheduledthatday.
7 SelectthedateJanuary28.
27
1
8 UnderSetselecteddate(s)to,clickNonworkingtime:
Thisdateisnownonworkingtimefortheproject.Inthedialogbox,thedate
appearsunderlined,anditisformattedgraytoindicatenonworkingtime.
10 Toverifythechangetotheprojectcalendar,scrollthechartportionoftheGantt
Chartview(theportionontheright)totherightuntilFriday,January28,isvisible.
Liketheweekends,January28isformattedgraytoindicatenonworkingtime:
Friday,January28isanonworkingdayandisformatted
ingray(asareweekends)intheGanttchart
TakeamomenttoreadthetextintheDefineTimeUnitspane,becausethisisa
commonsourceofconfusionamongProjectusers.Becauseyoudidnotchangethe
defaultworkingtimesfortheprojectcalendar,youshouldnotchangethesetime
units.
ThefinalpaneoftheProjectWorkingTimesactivityappears.
13 Atthebottomofthepane,clicktheSaveandFinishlink.
28
1
TheTasksactivitylistreappearsintheProjectGuidepane.Youvecompletedthe
DefineGeneralWorkingTimesactivity.
EnteringProjectProperties
LikeotherOfficeprograms,Projectkeepstrackofseveralfileproperties.Someof
thesepropertiesarestatistics,suchashowmanytimesthefilehasbeenrevised.
Otherpropertiesincludeinformationyoumightwanttorecordaboutaprojectplan,
suchastheprojectmanagersnameorkeywordstosupportafilesearch.Projectalso
usespropertiesinpageheadersandfooterswhenprinting.
Inthisexercise,youentersomepropertiesthatyouwilluselaterwhenprinting
projectinformationandforotherpurposes.
1 OntheFilemenu,clickProperties.
ThePropertiesdialogboxappears.
2 ClicktheSummarytab.
3 IntheSubjectbox,typeVideoProductionSchedule.
4 IntheAuthorbox,typeyourname.
5 IntheManagerbox,typeyourname,typeyourmanagersname,orleavethebox
blank.
6 IntheCompanybox,typeSouthridgeVideo.
7 SelecttheSavepreviewpicturecheckbox.
8 ThenexttimethisfileappearsintheOpendialogboxwiththePreviewviewoption
selected,asmallimageshowingthefirstfewtasksoftheprojectwillbedisplayed.
9 ClickOKtoclosethedialogbox.
29
ADatabaseThatKnowsAboutTime
TheprojectplansyoucreateinProjectarefilesthathavemanythingsincommonwith
databasefiles,likethoseyoumightworkwithinAccess.Ifyouweretopeekinsidea
MicrosoftProjectPlan(MPP)file,youdfindithasmuchincommonwithadatabasefile
format.Dataisstoredinasetoftables,andrelationshipsconnectinformationindifferent
tables.InfactitsnotuncommonforProjectusersinlargeorganizationstosaveproject
plansinadatabaseformat,sometimestoacentraldatabaseonanetworkserver.
WhatProjectprovidesthataregulardatabaseapplicationcant,however,istheactive
schedulingenginementionedearlier.OneProjectexpertweknowdescribesitasadata-
basethatknowsabouttime.
CLOSE:theWingtipToysCommercial1file.
KeyPoints
TheProjectproductfamilyincludesProjectStandard,ProjectProfessional,
ProjectServer,andProjectWebAccess.NormallyyouwoulduseProjectStan-
dardonthedesktop,orthelatterthreeincombinationtoformanenterprise
projectmanagementsolution.
OneofthekeydistinguishingfactorsthatseparatesProjectfromotherlist-
keepingtoolslikeExcelisthatProjecthasaschedulingenginethatcanwork
withtime.
Projectincludesseveralsophisticatedtemplatesthatmayprovideyouwitha
goodstarttoanewprojectplan.
ThemainworkingspaceinProjectisaview.Normallyyouhaveoneorsome-
timestwoviewsdisplayedatatime.TheGanttChartviewisthedefaultand
probablybestknownviewinProject.
Projectincludesalargenumberofbuilt-inreports.Theseareintendedforview-
ing(butnotediting)Projectdata.
YouusecalendarsinProjecttocontrolwhenworkcanbescheduledtooccur.
Createtasklists,
page38
Createsummarytasks,
page41
Linktaskstocreatedependencies,
Addnotesand
hyperlinkstotheWeb,
page48
page45
2
Creating a Task List
In this chapter you will learn to:
Enter task information.
Estimate and enter how long each task should last.
Create a milestone to track an important event.
Organize tasks into phases.
Create task relationships by linking tasks.
Record task details in notes and insert a hyperlink to content
on the World Wide Web.
Check a project plans overall duration.
See Also Do you need a quick refresher on the topics in this chapter? See the quick refer-
ence entries on pages xxxxi.
Important Before you can use the practice files in this chapter, be sure you install
them from the books companion CD to their default location. See Using the Books
CD-ROM, on page xiii, for more information.
Entering Tasks
Tasks are the most basic building blocks of any projecttasks represent the work to
be done to accomplish the goals of the project. Tasks describe project work in terms
of sequence, duration, and resource requirements. Later in this chapter, you will work
with two special types of tasks: summary tasks (which summarize or roll up the
durations, costs, and so on of subtasks) and milestones (which indicate a significant
event in the life of a project).
In this exercise, you enter the first tasks required in the video project:
BE SURE TO: Start Microsoft Office Project 2003, if its not already open.
Important If you are running Project Professional, you may need to make a one-time
adjustment to use the My Computer account and to work offline. This helps ensure that
the practice files you work with in this chapter dont affect your Project Server data. For
more information, see Starting Project Professional, on page 10.
33
2
CreatingaTaskList PartI: ManagingaSimpleProject
OPEN: WingtipToysCommercial2afromthe\My Documents\Microsoft Press\Project 2003 Step by
Step\Chapter 2 Simple Tasksfolder.YoucanalsoaccessthepracticefilesforthisbookbyclickingStart,
AllPrograms,MicrosoftPress,Project2003StepbyStep,andthenselectingthechapterfolderofthefile
youwanttoopen.
TheSaveAsdialogboxappears.
2 IntheFilenamebox,typeWingtipToysCommercial2,andthenclickSave.
3 IftheTaskspaneisnotalreadydisplayedintheProjectGuide,ontheProjectGuide
toolbar,clickTasks.
4 IntheTaskspane,clicktheListthetasksintheprojectlink.
TheListTaskspaneappears.Takeamomenttoreadtheinformationinthepane.
Lateryoullusethispanetocreateamilestonetask.
5 ClickthecelldirectlybelowtheTaskNamecolumnheading.
6 TypePre-Production,andthenpressF.
7 Clickthenameofthenewtask1,Pre-Production.
Defaultestimatedduration
Bar
representing
taskon
Ganttchart
34
PartI: ManagingaSimpleProject CreatingaTaskList
2
ThetaskyouenteredisgivenanIDnumber.EachtaskhasauniqueIDnumber,but
itdoesnotnecessarilyrepresenttheorderinwhichtasksoccur.
Projectassignsadurationofonedaytothenewtask,andthequestionmarkindi-
catesthatthisisanestimatedduration.Acorrespondingtaskbarofonedays
lengthappearsintheGanttchart.Bydefaultthetaskstartdateisthesameasthe
projectstartdate.
8 EnterthefollowingtasknamesbelowthePre-Productiontaskname,pressingF
aftereachtaskname:
Developscript
Developproductionboards
Picklocations
Holdauditions
Production
Rehearse
Shootvideo
Logfootage
Tip InadditiontotypingtaskinformationdirectlyintoProject,youcandevelop
tasklistsinotherapplicationsandthenimportthemintoProject.Forexample,
ProjectinstallsanExceltemplatenamedMicrosoftProjectTaskListImportTem-
plate,whichyouorotherscancompleteandthenimportintoProjectwiththe
properstructure.InExcel,thistemplateappearsontheSpreadsheetSolutionstab
oftheTemplatesdialogbox.YoucanalsoimportyourOutlooktasklistintoa
projectplan.InProject,clickImportOutlookTasksontheToolsmenu.
35
2
DefiningtheRightTasksfortheRightDeliverable
Everyprojecthasanultimategoalorintent:thereasonthattheprojectwasstarted.This
iscalledtheprojectdeliverable.Thisdeliverableisusuallyaproduct,suchasaTVcom-
mercial,oraserviceorevent,suchasasoftwaretrainingsession.Definingtheright
taskstocreatetherightdeliverableisanessentialskillforaprojectmanager.Thetask
listsyoucreateinProjectshoulddescribealltheworkrequired,andonlythework
required,tocompletetheprojectsuccessfully.
Indevelopingyourtasklists,youmightfindithelpfultodistinguishproductscopefrom
projectscope.Product scope describesthequality,features,andfunctionsofthedeliver-
ableoftheproject.InthescenariousedinPart1ofthisbook,forexample,thedeliver-
ableisaTVcommercial,andtheproductscopemightincludeitslength,subject,and
audience.Project scope,ontheotherhand,describestheworkrequiredtodeliversucha
productorservice.Inourscenario,theprojectscopeincludesdetailedtasksrelatingto
thecreationofaTVcommercial,suchasholdingauditions,shootingthevideo,editingit,
andsoon.
EstimatingDurations
Atasksdurationistheamountoftimeyouexpectitwilltaketocompletethetask.
Projectcanworkwithtaskdurationsthatrangefromminutestomonths.Depending
onthescopeofyourproject,youllprobablywanttoworkwithtaskdurationsonthe
scaleofhours,days,andweeks.
Forexample,aprojectmighthaveaproject calendarwithworkingtimedefinedas
8A.M.through5P.M.withanhouroffforlunchMondaythroughFriday,leaving
nonworkingtimedefinedaseveningsandweekends.Ifyouestimatethatataskwill
take16hoursofworkingtime,youcouldenteritsdurationas2dtoschedulework
overtwoeight-hourworkdays.Youshouldthenexpectthatstartingthetaskat8A.M.
onaFridaymeansthatitwouldntbecompleteduntil5P.M.onthefollowingMon-
day.Noworkwouldbescheduledovertheweekend,becauseSaturdayandSunday
havebeendefinedasnonworkingtime.
Tip Youdeterminetheoveralldurationofaprojectbycalculatingthedifference
betweentheearlieststartdateandthelatestfinishdateofthetasksthatcomposeit.
Theprojectdurationisalsoaffectedbyotherfactors,suchastaskrelationships,which
arediscussedinthetopicLinkingTasks,onpage43.BecauseProjectdistinguishes
betweenworkingandnonworkingtime,atasksdurationdoesntnecessarilycorrelateto
elapsedtime.
36
2
WhenworkinginProject,youcanuseabbreviationsfordurations.
Ifyouenterthisabbreviation Itappearslikethis Andmeans
m min minute
h hr hour
d day day
w wk week
mo mon month
Tip Youcanscheduletaskstooccurduringworkingandnonworkingtime.Todothis,
assignanelapsed durationtoatask.Youenterelapseddurationbyprecedingtheduration
abbreviationwithane.Forexample,type3edtoindicatethreeelapseddays.Youmight
useanelapseddurationforataskthatyoudontdirectlycontrolbutthatnonethelessis
criticaltoyourproject.Forinstance,youmighthavethetasksPour foundation concreteand
Remove foundation forms inaconstructionproject.Ifso,youmightalsowantataskcalled
Wait for concrete to cure,becauseyoudontwanttoremovetheformsuntiltheconcrete
hascured.ThetaskWait for concrete to cureshouldhaveanelapsedduration,becausethe
concretewillcureoveracontiguousrangeofdays,whethertheyareworkingornonworking
days.Iftheconcretetakes48hourstocure,youcanenterthedurationforthattaskas
2ed,schedulethetasktostartonFridayat9A.M.,andexpectittobecompletebySunday
at9A.M.Inmostcases,however,youllworkwithnonelapseddurationsinProject.
Projectusesstandardvaluesforminutesandhoursfordurations:oneminuteequals
60seconds,andonehourequals60minutes.However,youcandefinenonstandard
durationsfordays,weeks,andmonthsforyourproject.Todothis,ontheTools
menu,clicktheOptionscommand,andintheOptionsdialogbox,clicktheCalendar
tab,illustratedhere:
Withasettingof8hoursperday,
enteringatwo-daytaskduration
isthesameasentering16hours.
Withasettingof40hoursperweek,
enteringathree-weektaskduration
isthesameasentering120hours.
Withasettingof20dayspermonth,
enteringaone-monthtaskduration
isthesameasentering160hours
(8hoursperdayx20dayspermonth).
37
2
Theexercisesinthischapterusethedefaultvalues:8hoursperday,40hoursper
week,and20dayspermonth.
Tip Althoughitsbeyondthescopeofthisbook,ProgramEvaluationandReviewTech-
nique(PERT)analysiscanbeausefultoolforestimatingtaskdurations.Formoreinfor-
mation,typeEstimatetaskdurationsbyusingPERTanalysisintotheSearchboxinthe
upperrightcorneroftheProjectwindow.TheSearchboxinitiallycontainsthetextType a
question for help.
Inthisexercise,youenterdurationsforthetasksyouvecreated.Whenyoucreated
thosetasks,Projectenteredanestimateddurationofonedayforeach.(Thequestion
markintheDurationfieldindicatesthatthedurationisanexplicitestimate,although
reallyyoushouldconsideralltaskdurationstobeestimatesuntilthetaskiscom-
pleted.)Toenterdurations:
1 ClickthecellbelowtheDurationcolumnheadingfortask2,Develop script.
TheDurationfieldfortask2isselected.
2 Type5d,andthenpressF.
Thevalue5 days appearsintheDurationfield.
3 Enterthefollowingdurationsfortheremainingtasks:
TaskID Taskname Duration
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Developproductionboards
3d
Picklocations
Holdauditions
Production
Rehearse
Shootvideo
Logfootage
2d
2d
(PressF toskipthistaskfornow)
2d
2d
1d
38
2
HowDoYouComeUpwithAccurateTaskDurations?
Youshouldconsidertwogeneralruleswhenestimatingtaskdurations:
Projectdurationoftencorrelatestotaskduration;longprojectstendtohavetasks
withlongerdurationsthandotasksinshortprojects.
Ifyoutrackprogressagainstyourprojectplan(describedinChapter6,Tracking
ProgressonTasks,andinPart2,AdvancedProjectScheduling),youneedto
thinkaboutthelevelofdetailyouwanttoapplytoyourprojectstasks.Ifyouhave
amulti-yearproject,forexample,itmightnotbepracticalorevenpossibletotrack
tasksthataremeasuredinminutesorhours.Ingeneral,youshouldmeasuretask
durationsatthelowestlevelofdetailorcontrolyoucareabout,butnolower.
Fortheprojectsyouworkoninthisbook,thedurationsaresuppliedforyou.Foryourreal-
worldprojects,youwilloftenhavetoestimatetaskdurations.Goodsourcesoftaskdura-
tionestimatesinclude:
Historicalinformationfromprevious,similarprojects.
Estimatesfromthepeoplewhowillcompletethetasks.
Theexpertjudgmentofpeoplewhohavemanagedsimilarprojects.
Thestandardsofprofessionalorindustryorganizationsthatcarryoutprojectssimi-
lartoyours.
Forcomplexprojects,youprobablywouldcombinetheseandothersourcestoestimate
taskdurations.Becauseinaccuratetaskdurationestimatesareamajorsourceofrisk in
anyproject,makinggoodestimatesiswellworththeeffort.
39
2
EnteringaMilestone
Inadditiontotrackingtaskstobecompleted,youmightwanttotrackanimportant
eventforyourproject,suchaswhenthepre-productionphaseoftheprojectwillend.
Todothis,youwillcreateamilestone.
Milestonesaresignificanteventsthatareeitherreachedwithintheproject(comple-
tionofaphaseofwork,forexample)orimposedupontheproject(adeadlineby
whichtoapplyforfunding,forexample).Becausethemilestoneitselfdoesntnor-
mallyincludeanywork,milestonesarerepresentedastaskswithzeroduration.
Inthisexercise,youcreateamilestone.
1 Clickthenameoftask6,Production.
2 OntheInsertmenu,clickNewTask.
Projectinsertsarowforanewtaskandrenumbersthesubsequenttasks.
Tip Youcanalsopressthe?keytoinsertanewtaskabovetheselected
task.Toinsertmultiplenewtasks,selectmultipletasksfirst,andthenpress?.
Projectwillinsertthesamenumberofnewtasks.
3 TypePre-Productioncomplete!,andthenpresstheOkeytomovetotheDuration
field.
4 Eithertype0dintheDurationfield,orintheListTaskspaneselecttheMake
selectedtaskamilestonecheckbox.
Themilestoneisaddedtoyourplan.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollow-
ingillustration:
OntheGantt
chart,the
milestone
appearsasa
blackdiamond.
5 AtthebottomoftheListTaskspane,clicktheDonelink.
TheTaskspaneappears.
40
2
Tip Youcanalsomarkataskofanydurationasamilestone.Double-clickthe
tasknametodisplaytheTaskInformationdialogbox,andthenclicktheAdvanced
tab.SelecttheMarktaskasmilestoneoption.
OrganizingTasksintoPhases
Itishelpfultoorganizegroupsofcloselyrelatedtasksintophases.Seeingphasesof
taskshelpsyouandanyoneelsereviewingaprojectplantothinkintermsofmajor
workitemsanddetailedworkitems.Forexample,itiscommontodivideafilmor
videoprojectintomajorphasesofworksuchaspre-production,production,and
post-production.Youcreatephasesbyindentingandoutdentingtasks.Youcanalso
collapseatasklistintophases,muchasyoucanworkwithanoutlineinWord.In
Project,phasesarerepresentedbysummary tasks.
Asummarytaskbehavesdifferentlyfromothertasks.Youcantedititsduration,start
date,orothercalculatedvaluesdirectly,becausethisinformationisderivedorrolled
upfromthedetailtasks,calledsubtasks(theseappearindentedunderthesummary
tasks).Summarytasksareusefulforgettinginformationaboutphasesofprojectwork.
Top-DownandBottom-UpPlanning
Thetwomostcommonapproachestodevelopingtasksandphasesaretop-downand
bottom-upplanning.
Top-down planningidentifiesmajorphasesorproductsoftheprojectbeforefillinginthe
tasksrequiredtocompletethosephases.Complexprojectscanhaveseverallayersof
phases.Thisapproachworksfromgeneraltospecific.
Bottom-up planningidentifiesasmanyofthebottom-leveldetailedtasksaspossible
beforeorganizingthemintologicalgroups,calledphasesorsummarytasks.This
approachworksfromspecifictogeneral.
Creatingaccuratetasksandphasesformostcomplexprojectsrequiresacombinationof
top-downandbottom-upplanning.Forsomeprojectwork,youwillalreadyknowthelow-
leveltasks;forothers,youmightinitiallyknowonlythebroaderprojectgoals.
Inthisexercise,youcreatetwosummarytasksbyindentingtasks.
1 IntheTaskspane,clicktheOrganizetasksintophaseslink.
TheOrganizeTaskspaneappears.
41
2
2 Selectthenamesoftasks2through6.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefol-
lowingillustration:
3 IntheOrganizeTaskspane,clicktheIndentTasksbutton.(Youcanalsoclickthis
buttonontheFormattingtoolbar.)
IndentTasks
Task1becomesasummarytask,andasummarytaskbarforitappearsinthe
Ganttchart.Thesummarytasknameisalsoformattedinboldtype.Yourscreen
shouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
Summarytask SummarytaskbarintheGanttChart
Subtasks
42
2
4 Nextselectthenamesoftasks8through10.
5 IntheOrganizeTaskspane,clicktheIndentTasksbutton.
Task7becomesasummarytask,andasummarytaskbarforitappearsinthe
Ganttchart.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
6 AtthebottomoftheOrganizeTaskspane,clicktheDonelink.
TheTaskspanereappears.
Tip Ifyourorganizationusesaworkbreakdownstructure(WBS)processinthe
project-planningphase,youmayfindithelpfultoviewWBScodesinProject.For
informationaboutusingWBScodeswithProject,typeViewWBScodesintothe
Searchbox.
LinkingTasks
Projectsrequiretaskstobedoneinaspecificorder.Forexample,thetaskoffilming
ascenemustbecompletedbeforethetaskofeditingthefilmedscenecanoccur.
Thesetwotaskshaveafinish-to-startrelationship(alsocalledalinkoradepen-
dency),whichhastwoaspects:
Thesecondtaskmustoccurafterthefirsttask;thisisasequence.
Thesecondtaskcanoccuronlyifthefirsttaskiscompleted;thisisa
dependency.
InProject,thefirsttask(filmthescene)iscalledthepredecessorbecauseitprecedes
tasksthatdependonit.Thesecondtask(editthefilmedscene)iscalledthesucces-
sor becauseitsucceedstasksonwhichitisdependent.Anytaskcanbeapredecessor
foroneormoresuccessortasks.Likewise,anytaskcanbeasuccessortooneormore
predecessortasks.
43
2
Thismightsoundcomplicated,butitturnsouttaskscanhaveoneofonlyfourtypes
oftaskrelationships:
Thistask
relationship
Finish-to-start
(FS)
Start-to-start
(SS)
Finish-to-finish
(FF)
Start-to-finish
(SF)
Lookslikethisin
Means theGanttchart Example
Thefinishdateofthe Afilmscenemustbe
predecessortask shotbeforeitcanbe
determinesthestartdate edited.
ofthesuccessortask.
Thestartdateofthe Reviewingascriptand
predecessortask developingthescript
determinesthestartdate breakdownand
ofthesuccessortask. scheduleareclosely
related,andthey
shouldoccur
simultaneously.
Thefinishdateofthe Tasksthatrequire
predecessortask specificequipment
determinesthefinish mustendwhenthe
dateofthesuccessor equipmentrentalends.
task.
Thestartdateofthe Thetimewhenthe
predecessortask editinglabbecomes
determinesthefinish availabledetermines
dateofthesuccessor whenapre-editingtask
task. mustend.(Thistypeof
relationshipisrarely
used.)
Representingtaskrelationshipsandhandlingchangestoscheduledstartandfinish
datesisoneareawhereusingaschedulingenginelikeProjectreallypaysoff.For
example,youcanchangetaskdurationsoraddorremovetasksfromachainof
linkedtasks,andProjectwillrescheduletasksaccordingly.
TaskrelationshipsappearinseveralwaysinProject.Forexample:
IntheGanttChartandNetworkDiagramviews,taskrelationshipsappearasthe
linesconnectingtasks.
Intables,suchastheEntrytable,taskIDnumbersofpredecessortasksappear
inthePredecessorfieldsofsuccessortasks.
44
2
Youcreatetaskrelationshipsbycreatinglinksbetweentasks.Currently,allthetasks
intheprojectplanarescheduledtostartonthesamedaytheprojectstartdate.In
thisexercise,youusedifferentmethodstocreatelinksbetweenseveraltasks,creating
finish-to-startrelationships.
1 IntheTaskspane,clickScheduletasks.
TheScheduleTaskspaneappears.Firstyoullcreateafinish-to-startdependency
betweentwotasks.
2 Selectthenamesoftasks2and3.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
3 IntheScheduleTaskspane,clicktheFinish-to-StartLinkbutton.
Finish-to-Start
Link
Note Tocreateafinish-to-startdependency,youcanalsoclicktheLinkTasks
LinkTasks
buttonontheStandardtoolbar,orclickLinkTasksontheEditmenu.
Tasks2and3arelinkedwithafinish-to-startrelationship.NotethatProject
changedthestartdateoftask3tothenextworkingdayfollowingthecompletionof
task2(skippingovertheweekend),andthedurationofthePre-Productionsum-
marytaskgrewcorrespondingly.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartotheillustration
onthenextpage.
45
2
UnlinkTasks
Task
Information
Linkline
Nonworking
time
Tip Tounlinktasks,selectthetasksyouwanttounlink,andthenclickthe
UnlinkTasksbuttonontheStandardtoolbar(youcanalsoclickUnlinkTasksonthe
Editmenu).Ifyouunlinkasingletaskthatispartofachainoflinkedtaskswithfinish-
to-startrelationships,Projectreestablisheslinksbetweentheremainingtasks.
Nextyouwilllinkseveraltasksatonce.
4 Selectthenamesoftasks3through6.
Tasks3through6arelinkedwithafinish-to-startrelationship.Yourscreenshould
Nextyouwilllinktwotasksinadifferentway.Youwillmaketask8thepredecessor
oftask9.
6 Selectthenameoftask9.
TheTaskInformationdialogboxappears.
46
2
9 ClicktheemptycellbelowtheTaskNamecolumnheading,andthenclickthedown
arrowthatappears.
10 IntheTaskNamelist,clickRehearse,andpressF.Yourscreenshouldlooksim-
ilartothefollowingillustration:
11 ClickOKtoclosetheTaskInformationdialogbox.
Tasks8and9arelinkedwithafinish-to-startrelationship.
Towrapupthisexercise,youlllinktheremainingproductiontasksandthenlink
thetwosummarytasks.
12 Selectthenamesoftasks9and10.
Finish-to-Start
14 Nowselectthenameoftask1,andwhileholdingdowntheHkey,selectthename
Link oftask7.ThisishowyoumakeanonadjacentselectioninatableinProject.
15 IntheScheduleTaskspane,clicktheFinish-to-StartLinkbuttontolinkthetwo
summarytasks.
Tip Whenworkingwithsummarytasks,youcaneitherlinksummarytasks
directly(asyoudidabove),orlinkthelatesttaskinthefirstphasewiththeearliest
taskinthesecondphase.Theschedulingendresultisthesameeitherway,butits
preferabletolinkthesummarytaskstobetterreflectthesequentialnatureofthe
twophases.Undernocircumstances,however,canyoulinkasummarytasktoone
ofitsownsubtasks.Doingsowouldcreateacircularschedulingproblem,so
Projectdoesntallowit.
47
2
16 ScrollthechartportionoftheGanttChartviewtotherightuntilthesecondphase
oftheprojectplanisvisible.
17 ClickDoneintheScheduleTaskspane.
Tip Youcanalsocreateafinish-to-startrelationshipbetweentasksrightintheGantt
chart.Pointtothetaskbarofthepredecessortaskuntilthepointerchangestoafour-
pointedstar.Thendragthemousepointerupordowntothetaskbarofthesuccessor
task.Whileyouredraggingthemousepointertocreateataskrelationship,thepointer
imagechangestoachainlink.
DocumentingTasks
Youcanrecordadditionalinformationaboutataskinanote.Forexample,youmight
havedetaileddescriptionsofataskandstillwanttokeepthetasksnamesuccinct.
Youcanaddsuchdetailstoatasknote.Thatway,theinformationresidesinthe
Projectfileandcanbeeasilyviewedorprinted.
Therearethreetypesofnotes:tasknotes,resourcenotes,andassignmentnotes.You
enterandreviewtasknotesontheNotestabintheTaskInformationdialogbox.(You
canopentheTaskInformationdialogboxbyclickingtheTaskInformationcommand
ontheProjectmenu.)NotesinProjectsupportawiderangeoftextformattingoptions;
youcanevenlinktoorstoregraphicimagesandothertypesoffilesinnotes.
Hyperlinksenableyoutoconnectaspecifictasktoadditionalinformationthatresides
outsideoftheprojectplansuchasanotherfile,aspecificlocationinafile,apage
ontheWorldWideWeb,orapageonanintranet.
Inthisexercise,youentertasknotesandhyperlinkstodocumentimportantinforma-
tionaboutsometasks.
1 IntheTaskspane,clicktheLinktoorattachmoretaskinformationlink.
TheAddInformationpaneappears.Takeamomenttoreadtheinformationinthepane.
2 Selectthenameoftask4,Pick locations.
48
2
3 IntheAddInformationpane,clicktheAddanotelink.
Tip YoucanalsoclicktheTaskNotesbuttonontheStandardtoolbar,orright-
Task Notes
clickonthetasknameandintheshortcutmenuthatappearsclickTaskNotes.
ProjectdisplaystheTaskInformationdialogboxwiththeNotestabvisible.
4 IntheNotesbox,typeIncludesexteriorstreetsceneandindoorstudioscenes.
5 ClickOK.
AnoteiconappearsintheIndicatorscolumn.
6 Pointtothenoteiconasshownhere:
49
2
ThenoteappearsinaScreenTip.Fornotesthataretoolongtoappearina
ScreenTip,youcandouble-clickthenoteicontodisplaythefulltextofthenote.
Toconcludethisexercise,youcreateahyperlink.
7 Selectthenameoftask5,Hold auditions.
8 IntheAddInformationpane,clicktheAddahyperlinklink.
Tip YoucanalsoclicktheInsertHyperlinkbuttonontheStandardtoolbar.
Insert TheInsertHyperlinkdialogboxappears.
Hyperlink
9 IntheTexttodisplaybox,typeCheckrecentagentpostings.
10 IntheAddressbox,typehttp://www.southridgevideo.com
11 ClickOK.
50
2
AhyperlinkiconappearsintheIndicatorscolumn.Pointingtotheicondisplaysthe
descriptivetextyoutypedabove.ClickingtheiconopenstheWebpageinyourbrowser.
12 ClickDoneintheAddInformationpane.
CheckingthePlansDuration
Atthispoint,youmightwanttoknowhowlongtheprojectisexpectedtotake.You
haventdirectlyenteredatotalprojectdurationorfinishdate,butProjecthascalcu-
latedthesevalues,basedonindividualtaskdurationsandtaskrelationships.Aneasy
waytoseetheprojectsscheduledfinishdateisviatheProjectInformationdialogbox.
Inthisexercise,youseethecurrenttotaldurationandscheduledfinishdateofthe
project,basedonthetaskdurationsandrelationshipsyouveentered.
TheProjectInformationdialogboxappears.
NotetheFinishdate:1/25/05.
Tip This tip describes enterprise project management (EPM) functionality.Ifyou
arerunningProjectProfessional,youwillseeaslightlydifferentdialogbox.The
ProjectInformationdialogboxinProjectProfessionalincludesanEnterpriseCus-
tomFieldssection.EnterprisecustomfieldsareusedonlywithProjectServer.For
moreinformationaboutProjectServer,seePart4,IntroducingProjectServer.
Youcanteditthefinishdatedirectlybecausethisprojectissettobescheduled
fromthestartdate.Projectcalculatestheprojectsfinishdatebasedonthetotal
numberofworkingdaysrequiredtocompletethetasks,startingattheprojects
startdate.Asthisprojectplanisnowbuilt,anychangetothestartdatewillcause
Projecttorecalculatethefinishdate.
Nextletslookatthedurationinformationinmoredetail.
51
2
2 ClicktheStatisticsbutton.
TheProjectStatisticsdialogboxappears:
Youdontneedtopayattentiontoallthesenumbersyet,butthecurrentfinishdate
andthecurrentdurationareworthnoting.Thedurationisthenumberofworking
daysintheprojectcalendarbetweentheprojectsstartdateandfinishdate.
YoucanvisuallyverifythesenumbersontheGanttchart.
3 ClicktheClosebuttontoclosetheProjectStatisticsdialogbox.
4 ClicktheShow/HideProjectGuidebuttonontheProjectGuidetoolbar.
Show/Hide
TheProjectGuidecloses.Nextyouwilllookatthecompleteprojectbychangingthe
ProjectGuide
timescaleintheGanttChartview.
TheZoomdialogboxappears.
Theentireprojectappearsonthescreen.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefol-
lowingillustration:
52
2
YoucanseetheprojectsoveralldurationintheGanttChartview.
Tip YoucanalsoclicktheZoomInandZoomOutbuttonstochangethetime-
scaleoftheGanttChartview.
Zoom Zoom
In Out
KeyPoints
Essentialaspectsoftasksinaprojectplanincludetheirdurationandorderof
occurrence.
TheProjectGuidecanhelpyoudevelopagoodinitialtasklist.
Tasklinks,orrelationships,causethestartorendofonetasktoaffectthestart
orendofanothertask.Acommontaskrelationshipisafinish-to-startrelation-
ship,wherethecompletionofonetaskcontrolsthestartofanothertask.
InProject,phasesofaschedulearerepresentedassummarytasks.
TheProjectInformationdialogbox(Projectmenu)isanexcellentwaytoseethe
keyvaluesofaprojectplan,suchasitsscheduledfinishdateandduration.
53
Createalistofresources,
page56
Changea
resourcescapacity
toperformwork,
page60
Enterresource
costrates,
page64
Changearesources
workingtime,
page66
3
SettingUpResources
Setupbasicresourceinformationforthepeoplewhoworkonprojects.
Enterbasicresourceinformationfortheequipmentthatwillbeusedinprojects.
Enterbasicresourceinformationforthematerialsthatwillbeconsumedasthe
projectprogresses.
Setupcostinformationforresources.
Changearesourcesavailabilityforwork.
Recordadditionalinformationaboutaresourceinanote.
SeeAlso Doyouneedaquickrefresheronthetopicsinthischapter?Seethequickrefer-
enceentriesonpagesxxixxii.
Resourcesarethepeople,equipment,andmaterialneededtocompletethetasksina
project.MicrosoftOfficeProject2003focusesontwoaspectsofresources:theiravail-
abilityandandtheircosts.Availabilitydetermineswhenspecificresourcescanwork
ontasksandhowmuchworktheycando,andcostsrefertohowmuchmoneywill
berequiredtopayforthoseresources.
Inthischapter,youwillsetuptheresourcesyouneedtocompletetheTVcommercial
project.Effectiveresourcemanagementisoneofthemostpowerfuladvantagesof
usingProjectovertask-focusedplanningtools,suchaspaper-basedorganizers.You
donotneedtosetupresourcesandassignthemtotasksinProject;however,without
thisinformation,youmighthavelesscontroloverwhodoeswhatwork,when,andat
whatcost.SettingupresourceinformationinProjecttakesalittleeffort,butthetimeis
wellspentifyourprojectisprimarilydrivenbytimeorcostconstraints.(Andnearly
allcomplexprojectsaredrivenbyone,ifnotboth,ofthesefactors.)
Important Beforeyoucanusethepracticefilesinthischapter,besureyouinstall
themfromthebookscompanionCDtotheirdefaultlocation.SeeUsingtheBooks
CD-ROM,onpagexiii,formoreinformation.
SettingUpPeopleResources
Projectworkswithtwotypesofresources:workresourcesandmaterialresources.
Work resources arethepeopleandequipmentthatdotheworkoftheproject.You
willlearnaboutmaterialresourceslaterinthischapter.
55
3
SettingUpResources PartI: ManagingaSimpleProject
Someexamplesofworkresourcesarelistedbelow.
Workresource
Individualpeopleidentifiedbyname
Individualpeopleidentifiedbyjobtitleorfunction
Groupsofpeoplewhohavecommonskills(When
assigningsuchinterchangeableresourcestoatask,
youdonotcarewhotheindividualresourceis,as
longastheresourcehastherightskills.)
Equipment
Example
JonGanio;JimHance
Director;cameraoperator
Electricians;carpenters;
extras
Videocamera;600-wattlight
Equipmentresourcesdontneedtobeportable;afixedlocationorpieceofmachin-
ery(forexample,avideoeditingstudio)canalsobeconsideredequipment.
Allprojectsrequiresomepeopleresources,andsomeprojectsrequireonlypeople
resources.Projectcanhelpyoumakesmarterdecisionsabouthowtomanagework
resourcesandmonitorfinancialcosts.
Tip This tip describes enterprise project management (EPM) functionality.Thecombina-
tionofProjectProfessionalandProjectServerprovidessubstantial,enterprise-level
resourcemanagementcapabilities,suchasskills-basedresourceassignmentsanda
centralizedenterpriseresourcepool.Formoreinformation,seePart4,Introducing
ProjectServer.
Inthisexercise,yousetupresourceinformationforseveralpeopleresources.
BESURETO:StartProjectifitsnotalreadyrunning.
Important IfyouarerunningProjectProfessional,youmayneedtomakeaone-time
adjustmenttousetheMyComputeraccountandtoworkoffline.Thishelpsensurethat
thepracticefilesyouworkwithinthischapterdontaffectyourProjectServerdata.For
moreinformation,seeStartingProjectProfessional,onpage1xxx.
OPEN:WingtipToysCommercial3afromthe\My Documents\Microsoft Press\Project 2003 Step by Step\
Chapter 3 Simple Resourcesfolder. YoucanalsoaccessthepracticefilesforthisbookbyclickingStart,
youwanttoopen.
2 IntheFilenamebox,typeWingtipToysCommercial3,andthenclickSave.
56
PartI: ManagingaSimpleProject SettingUpResources
3
3 OntheProjectGuidetoolbar,clickResources.
YouwillusetheProjectGuidetohelpsetuptheinitiallistofresourcesforthetoy
commercialproject.
4 IntheResourcespane,clicktheSpecifypeopleandequipmentfortheprojectlink.
TheSpecifyResourcespaneappears,andtheProjectGuide:SimpleResource
SheetviewreplacestheGanttChartview.
5 SelecttheEnterresourcesmanuallyoption.
Tip Foryourownprojects,ifyourresourceinformationresidesintherightsource
onyournetwork,suchasaMicrosoftExchangeaddressbookorActiveDirectory,
youcanquicklyimporttheresourceinformationintoProject.Thissavesyouthe
effortofretypingtheinformationandreducesthechanceofmakingadata-entry
error.
6 IntheSimpleResourceSheetview,clickthecelldirectlybelowtheResourceName
columnheading.
7 TypeGarrettR.Vargas,andpressF.
Projectcreatesanewresource.
8 WidentheResourceNamecolumnbymovingthemousepointertothevertical
dividerlinebetweentheResourceNameandEmailAddresscolumnsanddouble-
clicking.Yourscreenshouldlooklikethefollowingillustration:
57
3
9 EntertheremainingresourceinformationintotheSimpleResourceSheet.
JimHance
ScottCooper
JoBrown
PattiMintz
PeterKelly
JohnRodman
JonathanMollerup
JonGanio
10 ClicktheClosebuttonintheupperrightcorneroftheProjectGuidepanetoclose
theProjectGuide.
Youcanalsohavearesourcethatrepresentsmultiplepeople.Nextyouwillswitch
toadifferentviewtosetupsucharesource.
TheResourceSheetviewappears.Thissheetcontainsmoreresource-relatedfields
thantheSimpleResourceSheetdoes.
12 IntheResourceNamefieldbelowthelastresource,typeElectrician,andthen
pressD.
13 IntheTypefield,makesurethatWorkisselected,andthenpressDseveraltimes
tomovetotheMax.Unitsfield.
TheMax.Unitsfieldrepresentsthemaximumcapacityofaresourcetoaccomplish
anytask.SpecifyingthataresourcesuchasGarrettR.Vargas,forexample,has
100percentmaximumunitsmeansthat100percentofGarrettstimeisavailable
toworkonthetaskstowhichyouassignhim.Projectwillalertyouifyouassign
Garretttomoretasksthanhecanaccomplishat100percentmaximumunits(or,
inotherwords,ifGarrettbecomesoverallocated).
58
3
14 IntheMax.Unitsfieldfortheelectrician,typeorselect200%,andthenpressD.
Tip Whenyouclickanumericfield,upanddownarrowsappear.Youcanclick
thesetodisplaythenumberyouwant,orjusttypethenumberinthefield.
TheresourcenamedElectriciandoesnotrepresentasingleperson;instead,it
representsacategoryofinterchangeablepeoplecalledelectricians.Becausethe
Electricianresourcehasamaximumunitssettingof200percent,youcanplanon
twoelectriciansbeingavailabletoworkfulltimeeveryworkday.Atthispointinthe
planningphase,youdonotknowexactlywhotheseelectricianswillbe,andthats
OK.Youcanstillproceedwithmoregeneralplanning.
NowyoullupdatethemaximumunitsvalueforJonGaniotoindicatethatheworks
halftime.
15 ClicktheMax.UnitsfieldforJonGanio,typeorselect50%,andthenpressF.
Whenyoucreateanewresource,Project
assignsit100%Max.Unitsbydefault.
YouchangetheresourcesMax.Unitshere.
WhatIstheBestWaytoEnterResourceNames?
InProject,resourcenamescanrefertospecificpeople(forexample,JonGanioorJim
Hance)ortospecificjobtitles(forexample,CameraOperatororActor).Usewhatever
makesthemostsensetoyouandthosewhowillseetheprojectplaninformationyou
publish.TheimportantquestionsareWhowillseetheseresourcenames?andHowwill
theyidentifytheresources?TheresourcenamesyouchoosewillappearbothinProject
andininformationpublishedfromProject.Forexample,inthedefaultGanttChartview,
thenameoftheresource,asyouenteritintheResourceNamefield,appearsnexttothe
barsofthetaskstowhichthatresourceisassigned.
Aresourcemightrefertosomebodyalreadyonstaffortoapositiontobefilledlater.If
youhavenotyetfilledalltheresourcepositionsrequired,youmightnothaverealpeo-
plesnamesyet.Inthatcase,useplaceholdernamesorjobtitleswhensettingup
resourcesinProject.
59
3
Tip Ifyouprefer,youcanentermaximumunitsaspartialorwholenumbers(forexam-
ple,.5,1,2)ratherthanaspercentages(50%,100%,or200%).Tousethisformat,on
theToolsmenu,clickOptions,andthenclicktheScheduletab.IntheShowassignment
unitsasabox,clickDecimal.
SettingUpEquipmentResources
Resource
Information
YousetuppeopleandequipmentresourcesexactlythesamewayinProject.How-
ever,youshouldbeawareofimportantdifferencesinhowyoucanschedulethese
twotypesofresources.Forexample,mostpeopleresourceshaveaworkingdayof
nomorethan12hours,butequipmentresourcesmightworkaroundtheclock.More-
over,peopleresourcesmightbeflexibleinthetaskstheycanperform,butequip-
mentresourcestendtobemorespecialized.Forexample,adirectorofphotography
forafilmorvideoprojectmightalsoactasacameraoperatorinapinch,butavideo
cameracannotreplaceaneditingstudio.
Youdonotneedtotrackeverypieceofequipmentthatwillbeusedinyourproject,
butyoumightwanttosetupequipmentresourceswhen
Multipleteamsorpeoplemightneedapieceofequipmenttododifferenttasks
simultaneously,andtheequipmentmightbeoverbooked.
Youwanttoplanandtrackcostsassociatedwiththeequipment.
Inthisexercise,youenterinformationaboutequipmentresourcesintheResource
Informationdialogbox.
1 IntheResourceSheet,clickthenextemptycellintheResourceNamecolumn.
TheResourceInformationdialogboxappears.
Tip Youcanalsodouble-clickaresourcenameoranemptycellintheResource
NamecolumntodisplaytheResourceInformationdialogbox.
3 ClicktheGeneraltabifitisnotalreadydisplayed.
IntheupperportionoftheGeneraltab,youmightrecognizethefieldsyousawin
theResourceSheetview.AswithmanytypesofinformationinProject,youcanusu-
allyworkinatleasttwoways:atableoradialogbox.
4 IntheResourcenamefield,typeMini-DVCamcorder.
5 IntheTypefield,clickWork.
60
3
TheResourceInformationdialogboxcontainsmanyofthe
samefieldsyouseeintheResourceSheetview.
Tip TheResourceInformationdialogboxcontainsabuttonlabeledDetails.Ifyou
haveane-mailprogramthatcomplieswiththeMessagingApplicationProgramming
Interface(MAPI)andtheprogramisinstalledonthesamecomputerasProject,you
canclickDetailstoseecontactinformationabouttheselectedresource.MAPI-
compliantprogramsincludeOutlookandOutlookExpress.
6 ClickOKtoclosetheResourceInformationdialogboxandreturntotheResource
Sheet.
TheMax.Unitsfieldshows100%forthisresource;nextyouwillchangethis.
Tip Youcanalsodouble-clickonanemptycellintheResourceNamecolumnto
createanewresourceusingtheResourceInformationdialogbox.Notethatwhen
creatingaresourceinthisway,youcannotenteraMax.Unitsvalue.However,you
caneditthisvalueinthedialogbox,aswellasintheResourceSheet,afteryoucre-
atetheresource.
61
3
7 IntheMax.UnitsfieldfortheMini-DVCamcorder,typeorclickthearrowsuntilthe
valueshownis300%andpressD.
Thismeansthatyouplantohavethreecamcordersavailableeveryworkday.
8 EnterthefollowinginformationaboutequipmentresourcesdirectlyintheResource
SheetorintheResourceInformationdialogbox,whicheveryouprefer.Ineither
case,makesureWorkisselectedintheTypefield.
Resourcename Max.Units
600-WattLightandStand 400%
ReflectorKit 100%
CameraBoom 200%
EditingLab 100%
SettingUpMaterialResources
Material resourcesareconsumablesthatyouuseupastheprojectproceeds.Ona
constructionproject,materialresourcesmightincludenails,lumber,andconcrete.For
thetoycommercialproject,videotapeistheconsumableresourcethatinterestsyou
most.YouworkwithmaterialresourcesinProjectmainlytotracktherateofcon-
sumptionandtheassociatedcost.AlthoughProjectisnotacompletesystemfor
trackinginventory,itcanhelpyoustaybetterinformedabouthowquicklyyouare
consumingyourmaterialresources.
62
3
ComparingWorkandMaterialResources
Followingaresomewaysmaterialresourcesaresimilartoanddifferentfromwork
resources.
Forbothmaterialandworkresources,youcaneditandcontourresourceassignments,
setupmultiplepayrates,specifydifferentpayratestoapplyatdifferenttimes,and
shareresourcesthrougharesource pool.(Youwillworkwiththesesubjectsinlaterchap-
ters.)Inaddition,costcalculationsformaterialresourcesworkjustaboutthesameway
astheydoforworkresources.
Unlikeworkresources,however,materialresourcesdonotuseovertimecostrates,
resourcecalendars,ormaximumunits.
Inthisexercise,youenterinformationaboutamaterialresource.
1 IntheResourceSheet,clickthenextemptycellintheResourceNamecolumn.
2 TypeVideoTapeandpressD.
3 IntheTypefield,clickthedownarrowandselectMaterial,andpressD.
4 IntheMaterialLabelfield,type30-min.cassetteandpressF.
Youwilluse30-minutecassettesastheunitofmeasuretotrackvideotape
consumptionduringtheproject.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
TheMaterialLabelfieldonlyappliestomaterialresources.
63
3
EnteringResourcePayRates
Almostallprojectshavesomefinancialaspect,andcostlimitsdrivethescopeof
manyprojects.Trackingandmanagingcostinformationallowstheprojectmanagerto
answersuchimportantquestionsas
Whatistheexpectedtotalcostoftheproject,basedonourtaskdurationand
resourceestimates?
Areweusingexpensiveresourcestodoworkthatlessexpensiveresources
coulddo?
Howmuchmoneywillaspecifictypeofresourceortaskcostoverthelifeof
theproject?
Arewespendingmoneyataratethatwecansustainfortheplannedduration
oftheproject?
FortheTVcommercialproject,youhavebeenentrustedwithpayrateinformation
forallpeopleresourcesusedintheproject.Intheinformationbelow,notethatthe
feesforthecamcorders,thelights,andtheeditinglabarerentalfees.Becausethe
SouthridgeVideocompanyalreadyownsthereflectorkitandcamerabooms,you
willnotbillyourselfforthem.
Inthisexercise,youentercostinformationforeachresource.
1 IntheResourceSheet,clicktheStd.Ratefieldforresource1,Garrett R. Vargas.
2 Type800/wandpressF.
Garrettsstandardweeklyrateof$800perweekappearsintheStd.Ratecolumn.
3 IntheStd.Ratefieldforresource2,Jim Hance,type18.75/h,andpressF.
JimsstandardhourlyrateappearsintheStd.Ratecolumn.Yourscreenshould
64
3
4 Enterthefollowingstandardpayratesforthegivenresources:
Resourcename Standardrate Resourcename Standardrate
ScottCooper 775/w Electrician 22/h
JoBrown 18.75/h Mini-DVCamcorder 250/w
PattiMintz 9.40/h 600-WattLightandStand 100/w
PeterKelly 16.75/h ReflectorKit 0/h
JohnRodman 22/h CameraBoom 0/h
JonathanMollerup 10/h EditingLab 200/d
JonGanio 15.50/h VideoTape 5
Notethatyoudontenterarate(hourly,daily,orweekly)forthevideotapescost.
Formaterialresources,thestandardratevalueisperunitofconsumptioninour
case,30-minutecassettes.
ProjectManagementFocus:GettingResourceCostInformation
Workandmaterialresourcesaccountforthemajorityofcostsinmanyprojects.Totake
fulladvantageoftheextensivecostmanagementfeaturesinProject,theprojectmanager
shouldknowthecostsassociatedwitheachworkandmaterialresource.Forpeople
resources,itmightbedifficulttogetsuchinformation.Inmanyorganizations,onlysenior
managementandhumanresourcespecialistsknowthepayratesofallresourceswork-
ingonaproject,andtheymightconsiderthisinformationconfidential.Dependingonyour
organizationalpoliciesandprojectpriorities,youmightnotbeabletotrackresourcepay
rates.Ifyoucannottrackthisinformation,youreffectivenessasaprojectmanagermight
bereduced,andthesponsorsofyourprojectsshouldunderstandthis.
65
3
AdjustingWorkingTimeforIndividualResources
Projectusesdifferenttypesofcalendarsfordifferentpurposes.Inthisexercise,we
willfocusontheresource calendar.Aresourcecalendarcontrolstheworkingand
nonworkingtimesofaresource.Projectusesresourcecalendarstodeterminewhen
workforaspecificresourcecanbescheduled.Resourcecalendarsapplyonlyto
workresources(peopleandequipment)andnottomaterialresources.
Whenyouinitiallycreateresourcesinaprojectplan,Projectcreatesaresourcecalen-
darforeachresource.Theinitialworkingtimesettingsforresourcecalendarsexactly
matchthoseoftheStandard base calendar.(ThisisacalendarbuiltintoProjectthat
accommodatesan8A.M.to5P.M.,MondaythroughFridayworkschedule.)Ifallthe
workingtimesofyourresourcematchtheworkingtimeoftheStandardbasecalen-
dar,youdonotneedtoeditanyresourcecalendars.However,chancesarethatsome
ofyourresourceswillneedexceptionstotheworkingtimeintheStandardbase
calendarsuchas
Aflex-timeworkschedule
Vacationtime
Othertimeswhenaresourceisnotavailabletoworkontheproject,suchas
timespenttrainingorattendingaconference
AnychangesyoumaketotheStandardbasecalendarareautomaticallyreflectedinall
resourcecalendarsthatarebasedontheStandardbasecalendar.Anyspecific
changesyouhavemadetotheworkingtimeofaresourcearenotchanged,however.
Tip Ifyouhavearesourcewhoisavailabletoworkonyourprojectonlypart-time,you
mightbetemptedtosettheworkingtimeoftheresourceinyourprojecttoreflectapart-
timescheduleforexample,8A.M.to12P.M.daily.However,abetterapproachwould
betoadjusttheavailabilityoftheresourceasrecordedintheMax.Unitsfieldto50%.
Changingtheunitavailabilityoftheresourcekeepsthefocusonthecapacityofthe
resourcetoworkontheproject,ratherthanonthespecifictimesofthedaywhenthat
workmightoccur.YousetthemaximumunitsforaresourceintheResourceSheetview,
whichyoudisplaybyselectingtheresourceandthenclickingResourceSheetontheView
menu.Formoreinformationaboutresourceunits,seeSettingUpPeopleResources,on
page55.
Inthisexercise,youspecifytheworkingandnonworkingtimesforindividualwork
resources.
TheChangeWorkingTimedialogboxappears.
66
3
2 IntheForbox,clickGarrettR.Vargas.
GarrettR.VargassresourcecalendarappearsintheChangeWorkingTimedialog
box.Garrett,theproduceroftheTVcommercial,hastoldyouhewillnotbeavail-
abletoworkonThursdayandFriday,January13and14.
3 InthecalendarbelowSelectDate(s),dragtheverticalscrollbarorclicktheupor
downarrowbuttonsuntilJanuary2005appears.
4 SelectthedatesJanuary13and14.
Tip Toquicklyselectthisdaterange,dragfrom13through14.
Everyresourcecalendarisbasedon
theStandardbasecalendarunless
youpickadifferentbasecalendar.
ProjectwillnotscheduleworkforGarrettonthesedates.
Tip IfyourteamusesthecalendarmoduleinOutlookandProjectWebAccess,
resourcescanautomaticallyreporttoyoutimestheyarenotavailabletoworkon
projectactivities.Thesetimesarebasedoncalendaritemsmarkedasbusyor
outofofficeinOutlook.Oncethetimesarereported,youcaneasilyupdatethe
resourcesworkingtimeintheprojectplanwithoutretypinganything.Formoreinfor-
mation,seePart4,IntroducingProjectServer.
67
3
Toconcludethisexercise,youwillsetupa4by10workschedule(thatis,4days
perweek,10hoursperday)foraresource.
6 IntheForbox,clickJohnRodman.
7 WhenpromptedtosavetheresourcecalendarchangesyoumadeforGarrett,
clickYes.
8 SelecttheMondaythroughThursdaycolumnheadingsinthecalendar.
Tip ToquicklyselecttheMondaythroughThursdaycolumnheadings,dragfrom
theMthroughtheTh.
Althoughyoucanseeonlyonemonthatatimeinthedialogbox,selectingacol-
umnheadingforadayoftheweekselectseveryoccurrenceofthatdaypast,
present,andfuture.
9 InthelowerTobox,click5:00PMandreplaceitwith7:00PM.
10 ClicktheFridaycolumnheading.
NowProjectcanscheduleworkforJohnaslateas7P.M.everyMondaythrough
Thursday,butitwillnotscheduleworkforhimonFridays.
Becauseyouhavenotyetassignedtheseresourcestotasks,youdontseethe
schedulingeffectoftheirnonworkingtimesettings.YouwillinChapter4,Assign-
ingResourcestoTasks.
Tip Ifyoufindthatyoumusteditseveralresourcecalendarsinasimilarway(to
handleanightshift,forexample),itmaybeeasiertoassignadifferentbasecalen-
dartoaresourceorcollectionofresources.Thisismoreefficientthaneditingindi-
vidualcalendars,anditallowsyoutomakeproject-wideadjustmentstoasingle
basecalendarifneeded.
Forexample,ifyourprojectincludesadayshiftandanight shift,youcanapplythe
NightShiftbasecalendartothoseresourceswhoworkthenightshift.Youchangea
resourcesbasecalendarinStep2oftheResourceWorkingTimesProjectGuide,or
intheBaseCalendarboxontheWorkingTimetaboftheResourceInformationdia-
logbox.YoucanopenthisdialogboxbyclickingResourceInformationontheProject
menuwheninaresourceview.Forcollectionsofresources,youcanmakethese
changesdirectlyintheBaseCalendarcolumnontheEntrytableintheResource
Sheetview.
68
3
DocumentingResources
YoumightrecallfromChapter2,CreatingaTaskList,thatyoucanrecordanyaddi-
tionalinformationthatyouwantaboutatask,resource,orassignmentinanote.For
example,ifaresourceisnotavailabletoworkonaspecificdaterange,itisagood
ideatorecordwhyinanote.Thatway,thenoteresidesintheprojectplanandcan
beeasilyviewedorprinted.
Inthisexercise,youenterresourcenotestodocumentwhyaresourceisnotavailable
toworkoncertaindates.
1 IntheResourceNamecolumn,clickthenameofresource1,GarrettR.Vargas.
2 OntheStandardtoolbar,clicktheResourceNotesbutton.
Resource
Notes
ProjectdisplaystheResourceInformationdialogboxwiththeNotestabvisible.
3 IntheNotesbox,typeGarrettattendingWestCoastfilmfestivalJanuary13and14;
unavailabletoworkonproject.ThenclickOK.
AnoteiconappearsintheIndicatorscolumn.
4 Pointtothenoteicon,asshownhere:
ThenoteappearsinaScreenTip.FornotesthataretoolongtoappearinaScreen-
Tip,youcandouble-clickthenoteicontodisplaythefulltextofthenote.
KeyPoints
Recordingresourceinformationinyourprojectplanshelpsyoubettercontrol
whodoeswhatworkwhen,andatwhatcost.
Peopleandequipmentresourcesperformtheworkinaproject.
Materialresourcesareconsumedduringaproject.
69
Assignworkresourcestotasks,
page72
Controlhoweffort-driven
schedulingaffectstaskdurations,
page78
Assignmaterialresourcestotasks,
page82
4
AssigningResources
toTasks
Assignresourcestotasks.
ControlhowMicrosoftOfficeProject2003schedulesadditionalresource
assignments.
Assignmaterialresourcestotasks.
enceentriesonpagesxxiixxiii.
IfyoucompletedChapter2,CreatingaTaskList,andChapter3,SettingUp
Resources,youhavealreadycreatedtasksandresources.Nowyouarereadytoassign
resourcestotasks.Anassignmentisthematchingofaresourcetoatasktodowork.
Fromtheperspectiveoftasks,youmightcalltheprocessofassigningaresourceatask
assignment;fromtheperspectiveofresources,youmightcallitaresourceassignment.
Itisthesamethingeitherway:ataskplusaresourceequalsanassignment.
YoudonothavetoassignresourcestotasksinProject;youcouldworkwithjust
tasks.Butthereareseveralgoodreasonstoassignresourcesinyourprojectplan.If
youassignresourcestotasks,youcananswerquestionssuchas
Whoshouldbeworkingonwhattasksandwhen?
Doyouhavetherightnumberofresourcestodothescopeofworkyour
projectrequires?
Areyouexpectingaresourcetoworkonataskatatimewhenthatresource
willnotbeavailabletowork(forexample,whentheresourcewillbeon
vacation)?
Haveyouassignedaresourcetosomanytasksthatyouhaveexceededthe
capacityoftheresourcetoworkinotherwords,haveyouoverallocatedthe
resource?
Inthischapter,youassignresourcestotasks.Youassignworkresources(peopleand
equipment)andmaterialresourcestotasks,andyouseewhereresourceassignments
shouldaffecttaskdurationandwheretheyshouldnot.
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4
Assigning Resources to Tasks Part I: Managing a Simple Project
Important Before you can use the practice files in this chapter, be sure you install
them from the books companion CD to their default location. See Using the Books
CD-ROM, on page xiii, for more information.
AssigningResourcestoTasks
Assigning a resource to a task enables you to track the progress of the resources
work on the task. If you enter cost information, Project also calculates resource and
task costs for you.
You might recall from Chapter 3 that the capacity of a resource to work is measured
in units and recorded in the Max. Units field. Unless you specify otherwise, Project
assigns 100 percent of the units for the resource to the taskthat is, Project assumes
that all the resources work time can be allotted to the task. If the resource has less
than 100 percent maximum units, Project assigns the resources maximum units value.
In this exercise, you make the initial resource assignments to tasks in the project plan.
BE SURE TO: Start Project if its not already running.
Important If you are running Project Professional, you may need to make a one-time
adjustment to use the My Computer account and to work offline. This helps ensure that
the practice files you work with in this chapter dont affect your Project Server data. For
more information, see Starting Project Professional on page 10.
OPEN: Wingtip Toys Commercial 4a from the \My Documents\Microsoft Press\Project 2003 Step by Step\
Chapter 4 Simple Assignments folder. You can also access the practice files for this book by clicking Start,
All Programs, Microsoft Press, Project 2003 Step by Step, and then selecting the chapter folder of the file
you want to open.
1 On the File menu, click Save As.
The Save As dialog box appears.
2 In the File name box, type Wingtip Toys Commercial 4, and then click the Save
button.
3 On the Project Guide toolbar, click Resources.
4 In the Resources pane, click the Assign people and equipment to tasks link.
The Assign Resources Project Guide pane and the Gantt Chart view appear.
5 In the Assign Resources Project Guide pane, click the Assign Resources link.
72
PartI: ManagingaSimpleProject AssigningResourcestoTasks
4
TheAssignResourcesdialogboxappears.Inityouseeresourcenamesyou
enteredinChapter3.IftheAssignResourcesdialogboxobscurestheTaskName
column,dragthedialogboxtothelowerrightcornerofthescreen.Yourscreen
Tip WhenyoudisplaytheAssignResourcesdialogboxfromtheProjectGuide,
youseeaslightlysimplifiedversionofthedialogbox.Youllseethemorecomplete
versionofitlaterinthischapter.
6 IntheTaskNamecolumn,clicktask2,Developscript.
7 IntheResourceNamecolumnintheAssignResourcesdialogbox,clickGarrettR.
Vargas,andthenclicktheAssignbutton.
AcheckmarkappearsnexttoGarrettsname,indicatingthatyouhaveassigned
himtothetaskofdevelopingthescript.
Tip Exceptforassignedresources,whichappearatthetopofthelist,resources
aresortedalphabeticallyintheAssignResourcesdialogbox.
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4
AssigningResourcestoTasks PartI: ManagingaSimpleProject
8 Ifnecessary,scrolltheAssignResourcespanedowntoseetheinformationunder
step4,ReviewInformation.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
Thenamesofassignedresources
appearnexttotheGanttbars.
Theresourcesassigned haveacheckmarknexttotheirnames
totheselectedtask intheAssignResourcesdialogbox.
Hereyoucanseetheessentialschedulingvaluesforthistask:duration,work,and
assignmentunits (unitsarereportedhereas% of time on task).Inthenextexer-
cise,youwilllookatthesevaluesmorecloselytounderstandthebasicscheduling
logicthatProjectfollows.
Nextyouassigntworesourcessimultaneouslytoatask.
9 IntheTaskNamecolumn,clicktask3,Developproductionboards.
10 IntheAssignResourcesdialogbox,clickGarrettR.Vargas,holddowntheHkey,
clickPattiMintz,andthenclicktheAssignbutton.
CheckmarksappearnexttoGarrettsandPattisnames,indicatingthatyouhave
assignedbothtotask3.
Troubleshooting Ifyoushouldaccidentallyassignjustasingleresource
whenyouintendedtoassignmultipleresources,youcanundotheassignment.On
theEditmenuclickUndoAssignment.Youmustdothisbeforeyouperformanother
action,however,asProjectcanundoonlythemostrecentactionyouveperformed.
74
4
Toconcludethisexercise,youwillmakeinitialresourceassignmentsforremaining
pre-productiontasks.
11 IntheTaskNamecolumn,clickthenameoftask4,Picklocations.
12 IntheAssignResourcesdialogbox,clickScottCooper,andthenclicktheAssign
button.
AcheckmarkappearsnexttoScottsname,indicatingthatyouhaveassignedhim
totask4.
Tip Toremoveorunassignaresourcefromtheselectedtask,intheAssign
Resourcesdialogbox,clicktheresourcename,andthenclicktheRemovebutton.
13 IntheTaskNamecolumn,clickthenameoftask5,Holdauditions.
14 IntheAssignResourcesdialogbox,clickPeterKelly,holddowntheHkey,click
ScottCooper,andthenclicktheAssignbutton.
CheckmarksappearnexttoPetersandScottsnames,indicatingthatyouhave
assignedbothtotask5.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
Thenameoftheselectedtaskalsoappearshere.
Assignedresourcesappearatthetopofthelist.
Tip InPart2youwillworkmorewithassignments,butifyouwanttoreadmore
aboutassignmentsnow,typeAboutassignmentsintotheSearchboxintheupper
rightcorneroftheProjectwindow.
75
4
TheSchedulingFormula:Duration,Units,andWork
Afteryoucreateataskbutbeforeyouassignaresourcetoit,thetaskhasdurationbutno
workassociatedwithit.Whynowork?Workrepresentstheamountofeffortaresourceor
resourceswillspendtocompleteatask.Forexample,ifyouhaveonepersonworkingfull-
time,theamountoftimemeasuredasworkisthesameastheamountoftimemeasured
asduration.Ingeneral,theamountofworkwillmatchthedurationunlessyouassign
morethanoneresourcetoataskortheoneresourceyouassignisnotworkingfull-time.
Projectcalculatesworkusingwhatissometimescalledthescheduling formula:
Duration Units = Work
Letslookataspecificexample.Thedurationoftask2isfivedays.ForourTVcommer-
cialproject,fivedaysequals40hours.WhenyouassignedGarrettR.Vargastotask2,
Projectapplied100percentofGarrettsworkingtimetothistask.Theschedulingformula
fortask2lookslikethis:
40 hours task duration 100% assignment units = 40 hours work
Inotherwords,withGarrettassignedtotask2at100percentunits,thetaskshould
require40hoursofwork.
Heresamorecomplexexample.Youassignedtworesources,eachat100percent
assignmentunits,totask5.Theschedulingformulafortask5lookslikethis:
16 hours task duration 200% assignment units = 32 hours work
The32hoursofworkisthesumofPeters16hoursofworkplusScotts16hoursof
work.Inotherwords,bothresourceswillworkonthetaskinparallel.
AssigningAdditionalResourcestoaTask
Nowyouwillassignadditionalresourcestosomeofthepre-productiontaskstosee
theeffectontheoveralldurationofthetasks.Bydefault,Projectusesascheduling
methodcalledeffort-driven scheduling.Thismeansthatthetasksinitialworkvalue
remainsconstant,regardlessofthenumberofadditionalresourcesyouassign.The
mostvisibleeffectofeffort-drivenschedulingisthatasyouassignadditionalresources
toatask,thattasksdurationdecreases.Projectapplieseffort-drivenschedulingonly
whenyouassignresourcestoorremoveresourcesfromtasks.
Asyousawpreviously,youdefinetheamountofworkataskrepresentswhenyou
initiallyassignaresourceorresourcestoit.Witheffort-drivenschedulingturnedon,if
youlateraddresourcestothattask,theamountofworkforthetaskdoesnotchange
butthetasksdurationdecreases.Oryoumightinitiallyassignmorethanoneresource
toataskandlaterremoveoneofthoseresourcesfromthetask.Witheffort-driven
76
4
schedulingon,theamountofworkforthetaskstaysconstant.Theduration,ortimeit
takestheremainingresourcetocompletethattask,increases.
Tip Bydefault,effort-drivenschedulingisenabledforalltasksyoucreateinProject.To
changethedefaultsettingforallnewtasksinaprojectplan,ontheToolsmenu,click
Options,andintheOptionsdialogbox,clicktheScheduletab.SelectorcleartheNewtasks
areeffort-drivencheckbox.Tocontroleffort-drivenschedulingforaspecifictaskortasks,
firstselectthetaskortasks.ThenontheProjectmenu,clickTaskInformation,andonthe
AdvancedtaboftheTaskInformationdialogbox,selectorcleartheEffortdrivencheckbox.
Inthisexercise,youassignadditionalresourcestotasksandseehowthisaffectstask
durations.
1 IntheGanttChartview,clickthenameoftask2,Developscript.
Currently,GarrettR.Vargasisassignedtothistask.Aquickcheckoftheschedul-
ingformulalookslikethis:
40 hours (the same as 5 days) task duration 100% of Garretts assignment units
= 40 hours work.
Ifyouwant,youcanscrolltheAssignResourcespanedowntoseethesevalues.
Nextyouwillassignasecondresourcetothetask.
2 IntheResourceNamecolumnintheAssignResourcesdialogbox,clickScott
Cooper,andclicktheAssignbutton.
ScottCooperisassignedtotask2.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
Thedurationofthistaskdecreasesas
additionalresourcesareassignedtoit.
The40hourstotaltaskworkisdividedbetweenthetwoassignedresources.
77
4
AsyoucanseeintheGanttChartview,Projectreducedthedurationoftask2from
5daysto2.5days.
Thetotalworkrequiredisstill40hours,asitwaswhenonlyGarrettwasassigned
tothetask,butnowtheworkisdistributedevenlybetweenGarrettandScott.This
showshoweffort-drivenschedulingworks.If,afteraninitialassignment,youadd
resourcestoatask,thetotalworkremainsconstantbutisdistributedamongthe
assignedresources.Further,thetasksdurationdecreasesaccordingly.
Theschedulingformulanowlookslikethis:
20 hours (the same as 2.5 days) task duration 200% assignment units
= 40 hours work
The200percentassignmentunitsisthesumofGarretts100percentplusScotts
100percent,andthe40workhoursisthesumofGarretts20hoursplusScotts
20hours.
Theotherimportanteffectofreducingthedurationoftask2isthatthestartdates
ofallsuccessortaskshavechangedaswell.InChapter2,youcreatedfinish-to-
starttaskrelationshipsforthesetasks.Inthisexample,youseethebenefitof
creatingtaskrelationshipsratherthanenteringfixedstartandfinishdates.Project
adjuststhestartdatesofsuccessortasksthatdonothaveaconstraint,suchasa
fixedstartdateorfinishdate.
Nextyouassignmultipleresourcestoothertasks,usingaSmartTagtocontrolhow
Projectschedulestheworkonthetasks.
3 IntheGanttChartview,clickthenameoftask4,Picklocations.
Currently,onlyScottCooperisassignedtothistwo-daytask.Youdliketoassign
anadditionalresourceandreducethetasksdurationtooneday.
4 IntheResourceNamecolumnoftheAssignResourcesdialogbox,clickPattiMintz,
andthenclicktheAssignbutton.
PattiMintzisalsoassignedtotask4.
NotetheSmartTagindicatorthatappearsnexttothenameoftask4.Untilyouper-
formanotheraction,youcanusetheSmartTagtochoosehowyouwantProjectto
handletheadditionalresourceassignment.
5 ClicktheSmartTagActionsbutton.
SmartTag
Lookovertheoptionsinthelistthatappears.Yourscreenshouldlooklikethefol-
Actions
lowingillustration:
78
4
ClickingtheSmartTagActionsbuttondisplaysalistof
options,butitisavailableonlyuntilyouperformanother
actioninProject.
IntheActionslist,theselectedoptiondescribesthe
resultofyourmostrecentaction;ifthisisnottheresult
youwant,pickanotheroption.
Theseoptionsletyouchoosetheschedulingresultyouwant,shoulditdifferfrom
theeffort-drivenschedulingresult.Youcanadjustthetasksduration,the
resourceswork,ortheassignmentunits.
Forthistask,youwanttheadditionalresourceassignmenttoreducethetasks
duration.BecausethisisthedefaultsettingintheSmartTagActionslist,youdont
needtomakeanychanges.
6 ClicktheSmartTagActionsbuttonagaintoclosethelist.
Tip YouwillseeotherSmartTagswhileusingProject.Theygenerallyappear
whenyoumightotherwiseaskyourself,Hmm,whydidProjectjustdothat?(for
example,whenatasksdurationchangesafteryouassignanadditionalresource).
TheSmartTagActionslistgivesyouthechancetochangehowProjectrespondsto
youractions.
Toconcludethisexercise,youwillassignadditionalresourcestoataskand
changehowProjectschedulestheworkonthetask.
7 IntheGanttChartview,clickthenameoftask5,Holdauditions.
79
4
8 IntheResourceNamecolumnoftheAssignResourcesdialogbox,clickJonathan
Mollerup,holddowntheHkey,clickPattiMintz,andthenclicktheAssignbutton.
ProjectassignsJonathanandPattitothetask.Becauseeffort-drivenscheduling
isonforthistask,Projectreducesthedurationofthetaskandadjuststhestart
datesofallsuccessortasks.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
However,thistimeyoudonotwanttheadditionalresourceassignmentstochange
thetasksduration.JonathanandPattiwillperformadditionalworkonthetask,
beyondthescopeofthetaskspreviouswork,whichwasassignedtoPeterand
Scott.
10 IntheSmartTagActionslist,selecttheoptionIncreasetotalworkbecausethetask
requiresmoreperson-hours.Keepdurationconstant.
Projectchangesthetasksdurationbacktotwodaysandadjuststhestartdatesof
allsuccessortasks.Theadditionalresourcesgetthesameworkvaluesthattheini-
tiallyassignedresourceshad,sothetotalworkonthetaskincreases.Yourscreen
80
4
Tip Ifyouinitiallyassigntworesourcestoataskwithadurationofthreedays
(thesameas24hours),Projectscheduleseachresourcetowork24hours,for
atotalof48hoursofworkonthetask.However,youmightinitiallyassignone
resourcetoataskwithadurationof24hoursandlateraddasecondresource.In
thiscase,effort-drivenschedulingwillcauseProjecttoscheduleeachresourceto
work12hoursinparallel,foratotalof24hoursofworkonthetask.Remember
thateffort-drivenschedulingadjuststaskdurationonlyifyouaddordelete
resourcesfromatask.
WhenShouldEffort-DrivenSchedulingApply?
Youshouldthinkthroughtheextenttowhicheffort-drivenschedulingshouldapplytothe
tasksinyourprojects.Forexample,ifoneresourceshouldtake10hourstocompletea
task,could10resourcescompletethetaskinonehour?Howabout20resourcesin
30minutes?Probablynot;theresourceswouldlikelygetineachotherswayandrequire
additionalcoordinationtocompletethetask.Ifthetaskisverycomplicated,itmight
requiresignificantramp-uptimebeforearesourcecouldcontributefully.Overallproduc-
tivitymightevendecreaseifyouassignmoreresourcestothetask.
Nosingleruleexistsaboutwhenyoushouldapplyeffort-drivenschedulingandwhenyou
shouldnot.Astheprojectmanager,youshouldanalyzethenatureoftheworkrequired
foreachtaskinyourprojectanduseyourbestjudgment.
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4
AssigningMaterialResourcestoTasks
Show/Hide
ProjectGuide
Assign
Resources
InChapter3,youcreatedthematerialresourcenamedVideoTape.InourTVcom-
mercialproject,weareinterestedintrackingtheuseofvideocassettesandtheircost.
Whenassigningamaterialresource,youcanhandleconsumptionsandcostinoneof
twoways:
Assignafixed-unitquantityofthematerialresourcetothetask.Projectwillmul-
tiplytheunitcostofthisresourcebythenumberofunitsassignedtodetermine
thetotalcost.(Youllusethismethodinthefollowingexercise.)
Assignavariable-ratequantityofthematerialresourcetothetask.Projectwill
adjustthequantityandcostoftheresourceasthetasksdurationchanges.
(YoullusethismethodinChapter9,Fine-TuningtheProjectPlan.)
Inthisexercise,youassignthematerialresourceVideoTapetoataskandentera
fixed-unitquantityofconsumption.Youwillalsoworkwiththemorecompletever-
sionoftheAssignResourcesdialogbox.
1 IntheAssignResourcesdialogbox,clicktheClosebutton.
TheProjectGuidecloses.
TheAssignResourcesdialogboxappears.Unliketheversionofthisdialogboxyou
sawusingtheProjectGuide,thisversionincludestheUnitscolumn.Unitshere
referstoassignmentunits.
Tip IfyouareusingProjectProfessional,youalsoseetheR/D(requestor
demand)columnintheAssignResourcesdialogbox.Thisrelatestosettingaprior-
ityforaresourceassignmentwhenusingaProjectServerfeaturecalledresource
substitution.Formoreinformation,seePart4,IntroducingProjectServer.
4 IntheTaskNamecolumn,clickthenameoftask4,Picklocations.
Youplantouseuptofourtapeswhilepickinglocations.
5 IntheAssignResourcesdialogbox,selecttheUnitsfieldfortheVideoTape
resource.
6 Type4,andthenclicktheAssignbutton.
Projectassignsthevideotapetothetask.Yourscreenshouldlooklikethefollow-
ingillustration:
82
4
Whenyouassignamaterialresourcetoatask,
itslabelvalueappearsintheUnitscolumn
andnexttotheGanttbartowhichitisassigned.
Becausevideotapeisamaterialresource,itcannotdowork.Therefore,assigning
amaterialresourcedoesnotaffectthedurationofatask.
KeyPoints
InProject,atasknormallyhasworkassociatedwithitafteraworkresource
(peopleorequipment)hasbeenassignedtothetask.
Whenresourcesareassignedmoreworkthantheycancompleteinaspecific
periodoftime,theyaresaidtobeoverallocatedduringthattimeperiod.
Youmustassignresourcestotasksbeforeyoucantracktheirprogressorcost.
Projectfollowstheschedulingformula:durationtimesunitsequalswork.
Effort-drivenschedulingisatask-levelsetting.Itdetermineswhetherwork
remainsconstantwhenyouassignadditionalresourcestothetask.
Theeasiestwaytounderstandeffort-drivenschedulingistoaskyourself,Ifone
personcandothistaskin10days,couldtwopeopledoitinfivedays?Ifso,
theneffort-drivenschedulingshouldbeturnedonforthetask.
SmarttagsappearafteryouperformcertainactionsinProject.Theyallowyou
toquicklychangetheeffectofyouractiontosomethingotherthanthedefault
effect.
Assigningmaterialresourcestotasksallowsyoutotrackconsumables.
83
FormatcategoriesofGanttbars
withtheGanttChartWizard,
page87
Createauniquelyformatted
customGanttChartview,
page87
Printreportstocommunicate
importantdetails
abouttheprojectplan,
page99
Previewviewsandreports
beforeprintingthem,
page87
5
Formattingand
PrintingYourPlan
Customizeaviewandpreviewthewayitwilllookwhenprinted.
DrawonthechartportionofaGanttChartview.
Changetheformattingoftextinaprojectplan.
Editandprintreports.
enceentriesonpagesxxiiixxiv.
Inthischapter,youusesomeoftheformattingfeaturesinMicrosoftOfficeProject
2003tochangethewayyourdataappears,andthenyoupreviewtheresultsinthe
PrintPreviewwindow.AsyoumightrecallfromChapter1,GettingStartedwith
Project,aProjectplanisreallyadatabaseofinformation,notunlikeaMicrosoft
OfficeAccess2003databasefile.Youdontnormallyseeallthedatainaprojectplan
atonetime.Instead,youfocusontheaspectoftheplanthatyourecurrentlyinter-
estedin.Viewsandreports arethemostcommonwaystoseeorprintaprojectplans
data.Inbothcases(especiallywithviews),youcansubstantiallyformatthedatato
meetyourneeds.
TheprimarywayProjectrepresentstasksgraphicallyisasbarsonthechartportionof
aGanttChartview.ThesearecalledGanttbars.OnaGanttchart,tasks,summary
tasks,andmilestonesallappearasGanttbars,andeachtypeofbarhasitsownfor-
mat.WheneveryouworkwithGanttbars,keepinmindthattheyrepresenttasksina
projectplan.
Tip Thischapterintroducesyoutosomeofthesimplerviewandreportformattingfea-
turesinProject.Youllfindquiteabitmorematerialaboutformatting,printing,andpub-
lishingyourprojectplansinChapters10,11,12,and17.Tofindmoreinformationabout
availableviewsandreportsinProjectsonlineHelp,typeAboutprintingviewsandreports
intotheSearchboxintheupperrightcorneroftheProjectwindow.TheSearchboxini-
tiallycontainsthetextType a question for help.
85
5
FormattingandPrintingYourPlan PartI: ManagingaSimpleProject
CreatingaCustomGanttChartView
TheGanttchartbecameastandardwayofvisualizingprojectplanswhen,intheearly
twentiethcentury,AmericanengineerHenryGanttdevelopedabarchartshowingthe
useofresourcesovertime.Formanypeople,aGanttchartissynonymouswitha
projectplan.InProject,thedefaultviewistheGanttChartview.Youarelikelyto
spendalotofyourtimeinProjectinthisview.
TheGanttChartviewconsistsoftwoparts:atableontheleftandatimescaledbar
chartontheright.Thebarsonthechartgraphicallyrepresentthetasksinthetablein
termsofstartandfinishdates,duration,andstatus(forexample,whetherworkon
thetaskhasstartedornot).Otherelementsonthechart,suchaslinklines,represent
relationships betweentasks.TheGanttchartisapopularandwidelyunderstoodrep-
resentationofprojectinformationthroughouttheprojectmanagementworld.
Tip Bydefault,ProjectdisplaystheGanttChartviewwhenyoustartit.However,you
canchangethistodisplayanyviewyouwantatstartup.OntheToolsmenu,clickOptions.
IntheOptionsdialogbox,clicktheViewtab.IntheDefaultViewbox,clicktheviewyou
want.ThenexttimeyoustartProject,thatviewwillappear.
ThedefaultformattingappliedtotheGanttChartviewworkswellforonscreenview-
ing,sharingwithotherprograms,andprinting.However,youcanchangetheformat-
tingofjustaboutanyelementontheGanttchart.Inthisexercise,wewillfocuson
Ganttbars.
TherearethreedistinctwaystoformatGanttbars:
FormatwholecategoriesofGanttbarsintheBarStylesdialogbox,whichyou
canopenbyclickingtheBarStylescommandontheFormatmenu.Inthiscase,
theformattingchangesyoumaketoatypeofGanttbar(asummary task,for
example)applytoallsuchGanttbarsintheGanttchart.
FormatwholecategoriesofGanttbarsusingtheGanttChartWizard,whichyou
canstartbyclickingtheGanttChartWizardcommandontheFormatmenu.This
wizardcontainsaseriesofpagesinwhichyouselectformattingoptionsforthe
most-usedGanttbarsontheGanttchart.UsetheGanttChartWizardtostep
youthroughsomeoftheformattingactionsthatyoucanperformintheBar
Stylesdialogbox.
86
PartI: ManagingaSimpleProject FormattingandPrintingYourPlan
5
FormatindividualGanttbarsdirectly.Theformattingchangesyoumakehave
noeffectonotherbarsintheGanttchart.Youcandouble-clickaGanttbaron
theGanttcharttoseeitsformattingoptions.
Inthisexercise,youcreateacustomGanttchartandapplypredefinedformattingtoit
withtheGanttChartWizard.Youthenpreviewtheresultsforprinting.
moreinformation,seeStartingProjectProfessional,onpage10.
Chapter 5 Simple Formattingfolder.YoucanalsoaccessthepracticefilesforthisbookbyclickingStart,
youwanttoopen.
2 IntheFilenamebox,typeWingtipToysCommercial5,andthenclicktheSavebutton.
Nextyouwilldisplaytheprojectsummarytasktoseethetop-levelorrolled-up
detailsoftheproject.Projectautomaticallygeneratestheproject summary taskbut
doesntdisplayitbydefault.
box,andthenclickOK.
ProjectdisplaystheprojectsummarytaskatthetopoftheGanttChartview.You
mightseepoundsigns(##)intheprojectsummarytasksdurationfield.Ifso,com-
pletesteps6and7.
6 Dragtheverticaldividerbarbetweenthetableandcharttotherightuntilyoucan
seetherightedgeoftheDurationcolumn.
Tip Double-clickingthedividerbarwillsnapthedividertothenearest
columnedge.
7 Double-clicktherightedgeoftheDurationcolumn,inthecolumnheading,to
expandthecolumnsothatyoucanseetheentirevalue.
Tip Youcanalsodouble-clickanywhereinacolumnheading,andintheColumn
Definitiondialogboxthatappears,clicktheBestFitbutton.
87
5
TheDurationcolumnwidenstoshowthewidestvalueinthecolumn.Inthiscase,
thatvalueisthedurationfortheprojectsummarytask.Yourscreenshouldlook
similartothefollowingillustration:
Double-clicktheright
edgeofacolumnheading
towidenthatcolumn.
Dragthedividerbarto
showmoreorlessofthe
tableandchartportions
oftheGanttChartview.
NextyouwillcreateacopyoftheGanttChartviewsothattheformattingchanges
youmakewontaffecttheoriginalGanttChartview.
TheMoreViewsdialogboxappears,withthecurrentview(theGanttChartview)
selected.
TheViewDefinitiondialogboxappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefol-
lowingillustration:
88
5
TheNamefieldcontainstheproposednameofthenewview,asitwillappearinthe
MoreViewsdialogboxand,ifyouspecify,ontheViewmenu.Notetheampersand
(&)intheNamefield.Thisisacodethatindicatesthekeyboardshortcutcharacter
ofthenewviewname,shouldyouwishtoincludeone.
10 IntheNamefield,typeCustomGanttChart,andthenclickOK.
TheViewDefinitiondialogboxcloses.TheCustomGanttChartviewappearsandis
selectedintheMoreViewsdialogbox.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollow-
ingillustration:
11 IntheMoreViewsdialogbox,clicktheApplybutton.
Atthispoint,theCustomGanttChartviewisanexactcopyoftheoriginalGantt
Chartview,sothetwoviewslookalike.Note,however,thattheviewtitleontheleft
edgeoftheviewisupdated.
NextyouwillusetheGanttChartWizardtoformattheGanttbarsandmilestonesin
thechartportionoftheCustomGanttChartview.
12 OntheFormatmenu,clickGanttChartWizard.
ThewelcomepageoftheGanttChartWizardappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksim-
89
5
Tip YoucanalsostarttheGanttChartWizard,andseveralotherformattingfea-
tures,usingtheitemsintheReportpaneoftheProjectGuide.
13 ClickNext.
ThenextscreenoftheGanttChartWizardappears.
14 ClicktheOtherbutton,andinthedrop-downlistnexttotheOtheroption,click
Standard:Style4.
Thepreviewshowsyou
theformattingoptions
youchooseontheright.
ToseealloftheelementstheGantt
ChartWizardcanformat,clickhere.
Tip Ifyouwanttoseetheotherbuilt-inGanttchartformatsavailableinthewiz-
ard,clickthemintheOtherboxtoseethepreviewontheleftsideofthewizards
window.Whenyouaredone,makesurethatStandard:Style4isselected.
15 ThisistheonlyselectionyoullmakeintheGanttChartWizardfornow,soclickthe
Finishbutton.
ThefinalpageoftheGanttChartWizardappears.
90
5
16 ClicktheFormatItbutton,andthenclicktheExitWizardbutton.
TheGanttChartWizardappliestheStandard:Style4formattingtotheCustom
GanttChartviewandthencloses.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
ThereformattedGanttbars(summary,task,and
milestone)appearinthechartportionoftheview.
HereyoucanseetheeffectsoftheStandard:Style4formattingappliedtothe
projectplan.Notethatnoneofthedataintheprojectplanhaschanged;onlythe
wayitisformattedhaschanged.TheseformattingchangesaffectonlytheCustom
GanttChartview;alltheotherviewsinProjectareunaffected.
Toconcludethisexercise,youwillpreviewtheCustomGanttChartview.Whatyou
seeonthescreencloselyapproximateswhatyoudseeontheprintedpage,and
youllverifythisnow.
91
5
ProjectdisplaystheCustomGanttChartviewinthePrintPreviewwindow.Youwill
domoreworkinthePrintPreviewwindowlaterinthischapterandinChapter11,
PrintingProjectInformation.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
Note Ifyouhaveaplotter(adeviceusedtodrawcharts,diagrams,andother
line-basedgraphics)selectedasyourdefaultprinter,oryouhaveadifferentpage
sizeselectedforyourdefaultprinter,whatyouseeinthePrintPreviewwindow
mightdifferfromwhatyouseehere.
Youcanprinttheprojectplannowifyouwant,butpreviewingitisadequateforthe
purposesofthischapter.WhenprintinginProject,youhaveadditionaloptionsinthe
Printdialogbox,whichyoucanopenbyclickingthePrintcommandontheFile
menu.Forexample,youcanchoosetoprintaspecificdaterangeofatimescaled
viewsuchastheGanttChartview,oryoucanprintaspecificpagerange.
DrawingonaGanttChart
ProjectincludesaDrawingtoolbarwithwhichyoucandrawobjectsdirectlyonthe
chartportionofaGanttchart.Forexample,ifyouwouldliketonoteaparticular
eventorgraphicallycalloutaspecificitem,youcandrawobjectssuchastextboxes,
arrows,andotheritemsdirectlyonaGanttchart.Ifyouwant,youcanlinkadrawn
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5
Text Box
objecttoeitherendofaGanttbarortoaspecificdateonthetimescale.Hereshow
tochoosethekindoflinkyouneed:
LinkobjectstoaGanttbarwhentheobjectisspecifictothetasktheGanttbar
represents.TheobjectwillmovewiththeGanttbar,ifitisrescheduled.
Linkobjectstoadatewhentheinformationtheobjectreferstoisdate-sensitive.
Theobjectwillremaininthesamepositionrelativetothetimescale,nomatter
whichpartofthetimescaleisdisplayed.
Tip IftheDrawingtoolbardoesnothavethetypeofitemyouwouldliketoadd,you
canaddbitmapimagesordocumentsusingtheObjectcommandontheInsertmenu.
Inthisexercise,youdisplaytheDrawingtoolbarandaddatextboxtotheCustom
GanttChartview.
1 OntheViewmenu,pointtoToolbars,andthenclickDrawing.
TheDrawingtoolbarappears.
Tip Youcanalsoright-clickanytoolbartoseetheToolbarsshortcutmenu,and
thendisplayorhideatoolbarlistedonthatmenu.
2 OntheDrawingtoolbar,clicktheTextBoxbutton,andthendragasmallsquareany-
whereonthechartportionoftheCustomGanttChartview.
3 Inthesquareyoujustdrew,typeFilmfestivalJanuary13and14.
4 OntheFormatmenu,pointtoDrawing,andthenclickProperties.
TheFormatDrawingdialogboxappears.
Tip Youcanalsodouble-clicktheborderofthetextboxtoviewitsproperties.
5 ClicktheLine&Filltabifitisnotalreadyselected.
6 IntheColorboxundertheFilllabel,clickYellow.
Next,youllattachthetextboxtoaspecificdateonthetimescale.
7 ClicktheSize&Positiontab.
8 MakesurethatAttachToTimescaleisselected,andintheDatebox,typeorclick
1/13/05.
9 IntheVerticalboxunderAttachToTimescale,type2.75,(thisisthenumberof
inchesbelowthetimescalewherethetopoftheboxwillbepositioned)andthen
clickOKtoclosetheFormatDrawingdialogbox.
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5
Projectcolorsthetextboxyellowandpositionsitbelowthetimescalenearthedate
youspecified.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
Double-clicktheborderof
adrawnobjecttochangeits
formattingorotherproperties.
10 Becauseyouattachedthetextboxtoaspecificdateonthetimescale,itwillalways
appearnearthisdate,evenifyouzoomthetimescaleinorout,orscrollthechart
leftorright.HadyouattachedthetextboxtoaGanttbar,itwouldmovewiththe
Ganttbarifthetaskwererescheduled.Toconcludethisexercise,youwillhidethe
Drawingtoolbar.
11 OntheViewmenupointtoToolbars,andthenclickDrawing.
TheDrawingtoolbarishidden.
FormattingTextinaView
Youcanformattextintables,suchastasknamesinaGanttChartview.Thereare
twodistinctwaystoformattext:
FormatwholecategoriesoftextintheTextStylesdialogbox,whichyoucan
openbyclickingtheTextStylescommandontheFormatmenu.Theformatting
changesyoumaketoacategory(milestonesorsummarytasks,forexample)
applytoallcasesofthatcategoryintheactiveview.Youcanseethecategories
forwhichyoucanchangetextformattingintheItemtoChangeboxintheText
Stylesdialogbox.
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5
Formatindividualselectionsoftextdirectly.Theformattingchangesyoumake
havenoeffectonothertextintheview.
Tip YoumightnoticesomesimilaritiesbetweenProjectandWordinhowyoucan
formattext.InProject,style-basedformatting(availablethroughtheTextStyles
commandontheFormatmenu)issimilartoapplyingparagraphstylesinWord.
Likewise,thedirectformattingoftext(availablethroughtheFontcommandonthe
Formatmenu)issimilartodirecttextformattinginWord.
AswithallformattingoptionsinProject,theformattingchangesyoumaketoany
vieworreportaffectonlythatvieworreport,andonlyfortheactiveprojectplan.
Laterchapterswillintroducewaysofcopyingcustomviewsorreportsbetween
projectplans.
Inthisexercise,youswitchtoadifferentviewandthenusetextstylesanddirectfor-
mattingtochangetheappearanceofthetextinthatview.
TheMoreViewsdialogboxappears,withthecurrentview(theCustomGanttChart
view)selected.
2 IntheViewsbox,clickTaskSheet,andthenclicktheApplybutton.
TheTaskSheetviewappears.UnlikeGanttChartviews,thisviewdoesnotinclude
achartcomponent;itconsistsofasingletable.Nextyouwillchangethetabledis-
playedintheTaskSheetview.
3 OntheViewmenu,pointtoTable:Entry,andthenclickSummary.
TheSummarytableappearsintheTaskSheetview.LiketheEntrytable,thistable
focusesontaskdetails,butitincludesadifferentsetoffields.Thefieldweremost
interestedinnowistheCostfield.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
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5
NextyoullchangehowProjectformatsanentirecategoryofinformationinthis
case,summarytasks.
4 OntheFormatmenu,clickTextStyles.
TheTextStylesdialogboxappears.
Tip TextstylesinProjectaresimilartostylesinWord.TheItemtoChangelist
displaysallthetypesofinformationinaprojectplanthatyoucanconsistently
format.
5 IntheItemtoChangelist,clickSummaryTasks.
Thecurrentformatsettingsofsummarytasksappearinthedialogbox,andapre-
viewappearsintheSamplebox.Nextyouwillchangetheformattingsothatthe
summarytasksappearlargerandincolor.
6 IntheSizebox,click10.
7 IntheColorbox,clickBlue.
8 ClickOK.
Projectappliesthenewformatsettingstoallsummarytasksintheproject(except
fortheprojectsummarytask,whichappearsseparatelyintheItemtoChangelist).
Anynewsummarytasksaddedtotheprojectplanwillalsoappearwiththenew
formatting.
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5
9 Double-clickbetweenthetextinthecolumnlabelstowidenanycolumnsthatdis-
playpoundsigns(##).
Afterapplyingthetextstyle
formattingchange,allsummary
tasksarereformatted.
Ifyouseepoundsigns(##),
double-clickheretowiden
thecolumntotheright.
Theformatchangesyouvemadetosummarytasksapplytoalltablesthatyoucan
displayintheTaskSheetview,butonlyintheTaskSheetview.Ifyoudisplayedthe
SummarytableintheGanttChartview,forexample,theseformatchangeswould
notappearthere.
Toconcludethisexercise,youwillapplydirectformattingtoaspecificitemina
view.AswithstylesinWord,youcanusedirectformattinginconjunctionwithtext
styleformatting.Inthisprojectplan,youllapplyitalicformattingtotheproduction
phasescost.
10 IntheSummarytable,clicktheCostfieldfortask7,theProductionsummarytask.
11 OntheFormatmenu,clickFont.
TheFontdialogboxappears.ThisissimilartotheTextStylesdialogboxyouworked
withearlier.However,theoptionsyouchoosehereapplyonlytotheselectedtext.
Troubleshooting TheFontcommandontheFormatmenuappliesonlyto
selectionsoftext;youcantusethiscommandtoaffecttheformattingofempty
rowsinatable.Tosetthedefaultformattingofrows,usetheTextStylescommand
(Formatmenu)instead.
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5
12 IntheFontStylebox,clickBoldItalic.
13 ClickOK.
Projectappliesbolditalicformattingtotask7sCostfield.Yourscreenshouldlook
Afterapplyingdirectformatting,
onlythisvalueisformatted.
Troubleshooting Youcanremovedirectformattingthatsbeenappliedto
textandrestorethattexttotheformattingdefinedbytheTextStylesdialogbox
(Formatmenu).Firstselectthecellcontainingtheformattedtext.Next,ontheEdit
menupointtoClear,andclickFormats.
Tosumup,usetheTextStylescommand(ontheFormatmenu)tochangethefor-
mattingofentirecategoriesofinformation,suchasallsummarytasks.Whenyou
wanttoreformataspecificitem(suchasonetaskscostvalue)todrawattention
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5
toit,usetheFontcommand(ontheFormatmenu).NotethattheFontcommandis
notavailableinsomeviews,suchastheCalendarview.
Note SomebuttonsontheFormattingtoolbarcorrespondtotheoptionsavailable
withtheFontcommand(ontheFormatmenu).Theseoptionscontroldirectformat-
ting,notthestyle-basedformattingyoumightapplywiththeTextStylesdialogbox.
FormattingandPrintingReports
ReportsarepredefinedformatsintendedforprintingProjectdata.Unlikeviews,
whichyoucaneitherprintorworkwithonthescreen,reportsaredesignedonlyfor
printingorforviewinginthePrintPreviewwindow.Youdonotenterdatadirectly
intoareport.Projectincludesseveralpredefinedtask,resource,andassignment
reportsyoucanedittogettheinformationyouwant.
Inthisexercise,youviewareportinthePrintPreviewwindow,andthenyoueditits
formattoincludeadditionalinformation.
TheReportsdialogboxappears,showingthesixbroadcategoriesofreportsavail-
ableinProject.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
2 ClickOverview,andthenclicktheSelectbutton.
TheOverviewReportsdialogboxappears,listingthefivepredefinedreportsin
Projectthatprovideproject-wideoverviewinformation.
3 IntheOverviewReportsdialogbox,clickProjectSummary,andthenclickthe
Selectbutton.
ProjectdisplaystheProjectSummaryreportinthePrintPreviewwindow.Thisisa
handysummaryoftheprojectplanstasks,resources,costs,andcurrentstatus.
Youcouldusethisreport,forexample,asarecurringstatusreportthatyoushare
withtheclientsorotherstakeholders oftheproject.
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5
Dependingonyourscreenresolution,thetextinthereportmightnotbereadable
whenyouviewafullpage.
Tip Heresaquickwaytoseevitalprojectstatisticsonthescreen:Clickthe
ProjectInformationcommandontheProjectmenu,andthenclickStatistics.
4 InthePrintPreviewwindow,clicktheupperhalfofthepagewiththemousepointer.
Projectzoomsintoshowthepageatalegibleresolution.Yourscreenshouldlook
Theprojecttitleandcompanyname
comefromthevaluesenteredinthe
Propertiesdialogbox(Filemenu).
Clicktozoomout.
Atthispointintheprojectlifecycle,themostpertinentpiecesofinformationinthe
reportaretheplannedstartandfinishdatesandthetotalcost.Ifanyoftheseval-
uesdidnotfitwithintheexpectationsoftheprojectsponsororotherstakeholders,
nowwouldbeagoodtimetofindout.
ThePrintPreviewwindowcloses,andtheReportsdialogboxreappears.Nextyou
willpreviewandeditadifferentreport.
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5
Forasmall,simpleprojectsuchastheTVcommercial,areportisasimplewayto
communicateassignmentstotheresourcesinvolved.Todothis,youwillworkwith
theWhoDoesWhatWhenreport.
Tip This tip describes enterprise project management (EPM) functionality.For
moredetailedprojects,communicatingresourceassignments(andsubsequent
changes)andotherprojectdetailscanbeasignificantresponsibilityforaproject
manager.ProjectServeroffersanintranet-basedsolutionforcommunicatingsuch
projectdetailsinconjunctionwithProjectProfessional.Formoreinformation,see
Part4,IntroducingProjectServer.
6 ClickAssignments,andthenclicktheSelectbutton.
TheAssignmentReportsdialogboxappears,listingfourpredefinedreportsin
Projectthatprovideresourceassignmentinformation.
7 IntheAssignmentReportsdialogbox,clickWhoDoesWhatWhen,andthenclick
theSelectbutton.
ProjectdisplaysthefirstpageoftheWhoDoesWhatWhenreportinthePrintPre-
viewwindow.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
Notethatthestatusbarmessagetellsyouthisreportspansfourpages.Togeta
broaderviewoftheoutput,youwillswitchtoamultipageview.
8 OnthePrintPreviewtoolbar,clicktheMultiplePagesbutton.
MultiplePages
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5
TheentirereportappearsinthePrintPreviewwindow.Yourscreenshouldlooksim-
Toconcludethisexercise,youwillcustomizetheheaderthatappearsatthetopof
eachprintedpagesothatitincludesalogographic.
9 OnthePrintPreviewtoolbar,clickthePageSetupbutton.
ThePageSetupdialogboxfortheWhoDoesWhatWhenreportappears.
10 ClicktheHeadertab.
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5
InsertPicture
OnePage
AsyoucanseeinthePreviewandAlignmentboxes,codessuchas&[Date]deter-
minethespecifictextthatappearsintheheader.Youwilladdalogototheleftside
oftheheader.
11 NexttoAlignment,clicktheLefttab.
Aswithallregionsoftheheaderandfooter,youcaninsertstandardelements,
suchaspagenumbers,aswellasanyProjectfield.Inthisexercise,youllinserta
logographicthatssuppliedforyou.
12 ClicktheInsertPicturebutton.
13 NavigatetotheChapter 5 Simple Formattingfolderanddouble-clicktheLogofile.
ThelogoimageappearsontheleftsideoftheheaderinthePageSetupdialogbox.
14 ClickOKtoclosethePageSetupdialogbox.
TheupdatedheaderappearsoneachpageinthePrintPreviewwindow.
15 Togetacloserlookattheupdatedheader,onthePrintPreviewtoolbar,clickthe
OnePagebutton.
Projectdisplaysthefirstpageofthereport.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothe
followingillustration:
17 ClickCloseagaintoclosetheReportsdialogbox.TheTaskSheetviewreappears.
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5
Tip Youcanchangetheheadersandfootersofviewsinthesamewayyoudoin
reports.Keepinmindthatchangesyoumaketothepagesetupofanyviewor
reportapplyonlytothatvieworreport.However,thegeneralwayyoucustomizethe
pagesetupisthesameforanyreportorview.
KeyPoints
ToformatwholecategoriesofGanttbarsyoucanuseeithertheBarStylesdia-
logbox(Formatmenu)ortheGanttChartWizard(Formatmenu).Toformat
individualGanttbars,usetheBarcommand(Formatmenu).
Youcanredefinetheformattingofabuilt-inview,orcopyaviewfirstandthen
reformatit.
YoucandraworinsertgraphicobjectsonthechartportionofaGanttchart
view,butnotonthetableportion.
Reportsareintendedforprint-previewingorprintingonly;youcannotenteror
editdatadirectlyinareport.Youcan,however,editsomeelementsofreports
suchasthetextthatappearsintheheaderorfooterofthepage.
104
scheduled,baselineandactualvalues,
Saveabaselineandcompare
page109
Enterpercentwork
completepertask,
page112
Recordatasksactualduration,
page115
Enteractualand
remainingworkpertask,
page112
6
Tracking
ProgressonTasks
Savecurrentvaluesinascheduleasabaseline.
Recordprogressontasksthroughaspecificdate.
Recordataskspercentageofcompletion.
Enteractualstart,finish,work,anddurationvaluesfortasks.
enceentriesonpagesxxivxxv.
Untilnow,youhavefocusedonprojectplanningdevelopingandcommunicating
thedetailsofaprojectbeforeactualworkbegins.Whenworkbegins,sodoesthe
nextphaseofprojectmanagement:trackingprogress.Tracking meansrecording
projectdetailssuchaswhodidwhatwork,whentheworkwasdone,andatwhat
cost.Thesedetailsareoftencalledactuals.
Trackingactualsisessentialtoproperlymanaging,asopposedtojustplanning,a
project.Theprojectmanagermustknowhowwelltheprojectteamisperformingand
whentotakecorrectiveaction.Properlytrackingprojectperformanceandcomparing
ittotheoriginalplanletsyouanswersuchquestionsasthese:
Aretasksstartingandfinishingasplanned,and,ifnot,whatwillbetheimpact
ontheprojectsfinishdate?
Areresourcesspendingmoreorlesstimethanplannedtocompletetasks?
Arehigher-than-anticipatedtaskcostsdrivinguptheoverallcostoftheproject?
MicrosoftOfficeProject2003supportsseveralwaystotrackprogress.Yourchoice
ofatrackingmethodshoulddependonthelevelofdetailorcontrolrequiredbyyou,
yourprojectsponsor,andotherstakeholders.Trackingthefinedetailsofaproject
requiresmoreworkfromyouandpossiblyfromtheresourcesworkingonthe
project.Sobeforeyoubegintrackingprogress,youshoulddeterminethelevelof
detailyouneed.Thedifferentlevelsoftrackingdetailincludethefollowing:
Recordprojectworkasscheduled.Thisworksbestifeverythingintheproject
occursexactlyasplanned.Hey,itcouldhappen!
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TrackingProgressonTasks PartI: ManagingaSimpleProject
Recordeachtaskspercentageofcompletion,eitheratprecisevaluesoratincre-
mentssuchas25,50,75,or100percent.
Recordtheactualstart,actualfinish,actualwork,andactualandremaining
durationforeachtaskorassignment.
Trackassignment-levelworkbytimeperiod.Thisisthemostdetailedlevelof
tracking.Hereyourecordactualworkvaluesperday,week,oranotherinterval.
Becausedifferentportionsofaprojectmighthavedifferenttrackingneeds,youmight
needtoapplyacombinationoftheseapproacheswithinasingleproject.Forexam-
ple,youmightwanttotrackhigh-risktasksmorecloselythanlow-riskones.Inthis
chapter,youwillperformthefirstthreeactionsintheprecedinglist;thefourth(track-
ingassignment-levelworkbytimeperiod)isaddressedinPart2,AdvancedProject
Scheduling.ForusersofProjectProfessionalandProjectServer,enterprise-level
trackingisaddressedinPart4,IntroducingProjectServer.
SavingaProjectBaseline
Oneofaprojectmanagersmostimportantactivities,afterdevelopingaprojectplan,
istorecordactualsandevaluateprojectperformance.Tojudgeprojectperformance
properly,youwillneedtocompareittoyouroriginalplan.Thisoriginalplaniscalled
thebaselineplan,orjustthebaseline.Abaselineisacollectionofimportantvaluesin
aprojectplan,suchastheplannedstartdates,finishdates,andthecostsofthetasks,
resources,andassignments.Whenyousaveabaseline,Projecttakesasnapshotof
theexistingvaluesandsavesitinyourProjectplanforfuturecomparison.
Thespecificvaluessavedinabaselineincludethetask,resource,andassignment
fields,andtimephased fieldsinthefollowinglist.
Taskfields Resourcefields Assignmentfields
Start Workandtimephasedwork Start
Finish Costandtimephasedcost Finish
Duration Workandtimephasedwork
Workandtimephasedwork Costandtimephasedcost
Costandtimephasedcost
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PartI: ManagingaSimpleProject TrackingProgressonTasks
6
Tip Timephasedfieldsshowtask,resource,andassignmentvaluesdistributedover
time.Forexample,youcanlookatataskwithfivedaysofworkplannedattheweekly,
daily,orhourlylevelandseethespecificbaselineworkvaluespertimeincrement.In
Part2youwillworkwithtimephasedvalues.
Youshouldsavethebaselinewhen
Youhavedevelopedtheprojectplanasfullyaspossible.(However,thisdoes
notmeanyoucannotaddtasks,resources,orassignmentstotheprojectafter
workhasstarted.Usuallythisisunavoidable.)
Youhavenotyetstartedenteringactualvalues,suchasataskspercentageof
completion.
TheTVcommercialprojectplanisnowfullydeveloped,andactualworkonthe
projectwillsoonbegin.Inthisexercise,yousavethebaselinefortheTVcommercial
projectandthenviewthebaselinetaskvalues.
Chapter 6 Simple Trackingfolder.YoucanalsoaccessthepracticefilesforthisbookbyclickingStart,All
Programs,MicrosoftPress,Project2003StepbyStep,andthenselectingthechapterfolderofthefileyou
wanttoopen.
2 IntheFilenamebox,typeWingtipToysCommercial6,andthenclicktheSave
button.
TheTrackpaneappears.
4 IntheTrackpane,clicktheSaveabaselineplantocomparewithlaterversionslink.
TheSaveBaselinepaneappears.
5 ClicktheSaveBaselinebutton.
Projectsavesthebaseline,eventhoughtheresnoindicationintheGanttChart
viewthatanythinghaschanged.Youwillnowseesomeofthechangescausedby
savingthebaseline.
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6
Tip Tosaveabaseline,youcanalsoclicktheSaveBaselinecommand.(Onthe
Toolsmenu,pointtoTrackingandclickSaveBaseline.)
Show/Hide
ProjectGuide
Tip Youcansaveupto11baselinesinasingleplan.(Thefirstoneiscalled
Baseline,andtherestareBaseline1throughBaseline10.)Savingmultiplebase-
linescanbeusefulforprojectswithexceptionallylongplanningphases,whereyou
mightwanttocomparedifferentsetsofbaselinevalues.Forexample,youmight
wanttosaveandcomparethebaselineplanseverymonthastheplanningdetails
change.TolearnmoreaboutbaselinesinProjectsonlineHelp,typeAboutbase-
linesintotheSearchboxintheupperrightcorneroftheProjectwindow.TheSearch
boxinitiallycontainsthetextType a question for help.
TheMoreViewsdialogboxappears.
8 IntheViewsbox,clickTaskSheet,andthenclicktheApplybutton.
BecausetheTaskSheetviewdoesnotincludetheGanttchart,youhavemore
roomtoseethefieldsinthetable.NowyoullswitchtoadifferenttableintheTask
Sheetview.
9 OntheViewmenu,pointtoTable:Summary,andclickVariance.
TheVariancetableappears.Thistableincludesboththescheduledandbaseline
startsandfinishcolumns,shownsidebysideforeasycomparison.
Tip Ifanycolumncontainspoundsigns(###),double-clickbetweenthecolumn
titlestowidenthatcolumn.
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6
Atthispoint,becausenoactualworkhasoccurredyetandnochangestothe
scheduledworkhavebeenmade,thevaluesintheStartandBaselineStartfields
areidentical,asarethevaluesintheFinishandBaselineFinishfields.Afteractual
workisrecordedorlaterscheduleadjustmentsaremade,thescheduledstartand
finishvaluesmightdifferfromthebaselinevalues.Youwouldthenseethediffer-
encesdisplayedinthevariancecolumns.
Nowthatyouhavehadalookatsomebaselinefields,itistimetoentersomeactuals!
TrackingaProjectasScheduled
Thesimplestapproachtotrackingprogressistoreportthattheactualworkispro-
ceedingexactlyasplanned.Forexample,ifthefirstmonthofafive-monthproject
haselapsedandallofitstaskshavestartedandfinishedasscheduled,youcan
quicklyrecordthisintheUpdateProjectdialogbox.
IntheTVcommercialproject,supposethatsometimehasnowpassedsincesaving
thebaseline.Workhasstarted,andsofar,sogood.Inthisexercise,yourecord
projectactualsbyupdatingworktothecurrentdate.
TheGanttChartviewappears.
2 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoTracking,andclickUpdateProject.
TheUpdateProjectdialogboxappears.
3 MakesuretheUpdateworkascompletethroughoptionisselected.Intheadjacent
datelist,typeorselect1/10/05,andclicktheOKbutton,asshownnext:
Tip YoucanalsoclickthedownarrowintheUpdateworkascompletethrough
box,andinthecalendarthatappears,selectJanuary10,2005.
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6
Projectrecordsthecompletionpercentageforthetasksthatwerescheduledto
startbeforeJanuary10.Thenitdisplaysthatprogressbydrawingprogress bars
intheGanttbarsforthosetasks.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
CheckmarksappearintheIndicators
columnfortasksthathavebeencompleted.
Progressbarsindicatewhatportion
ofthetaskhasbeencompleted.
IntheGanttChartview,theprogressbarshowshowmuchofeachtaskhasbeen
completed.Becausetasks2and3havebeencompleted,acheckmarkappearsin
theIndicatorscolumnforthosetasks,andtheprogressbarsextendthroughthe
fulllengthofthetasksGanttbars.
EnteringaTasksCompletionPercentage
Afterworkhasbegunonatask,youcanquicklyrecordprogressonitasapercent-
age.Whenyouenteracompletionpercentageotherthan0,Projectchangesthetasks
actualstartdatetomatchitsscheduledstartdate.Itthencalculatesactualduration,
remainingduration,actualcosts,andothervalues,basedonthepercentageyou
enter.Forexample,ifyouspecifythatafour-daytaskis50percentcomplete,Project
calculatesthatithashadtwodaysofactualdurationandhastwodaysofremaining
duration.
Herearesomewaysofenteringcompletionpercentages:
UsetheTrackingtoolbar(ontheViewmenu,pointtoToolbars,andthenclick
Tracking).Thistoolbarcontainsbuttonsforquicklyrecordingthatataskis0,25,
50,75,or100percentcomplete.
EnteranypercentagevalueyouwantintheUpdateTasksdialogbox(onthe
Toolsmenu,pointtoTracking,andthenclickUpdateTasks).
UsetheProjectGuide(asyouwilldointhisexercise).
Inthisexercise,yourecordcompletionpercentagesoftasksviatheProjectGuide.
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6
3 IfyouhaveProjectProfessional,youllseeanadditionalpanethatrelatestousing
ProjectServertocollectactualsfromresources.Inthestep1pane,clickNo,and
thenclickSaveandgotoStep2.IfyouhaveProjectStandard,youwontseethis
pane.
4 IntheSetupTrackingpane,selecttheAlwaystrackbyenteringthePercentofWork
Completeoption,andthenclicktheDonelink(inProjectStandard)ortheSaveand
Finishlink(inProjectProfessional)atthebottomoftheSetupTrackingpane.
ProjectupdatestheProjectGuide:CustomTrackingviewtotheright.Inthe%Work
CompletecolumnintheCustomTrackingview,youwillenterthecompletionper-
centageofthenextfewtasks.
TheIncorporateProgresspaneappears.Hereyoucansetthestatus date.Inthis
chapter,youwontchangethestatusdatedirectly.Thestatusdateandothercalcu-
lationoptionscanhelpyoucontrolhowProjectschedulesactualandremaining
work.YouwillworkwiththestatusdateinPart2.
6 Inthe%WorkCompletefieldfortask4,typeorselect100,andthenpressF.
Projectrecordstheactualworkforthetaskasscheduledandextendsaprogress
barthroughthelengthoftheGanttbar.Nextyoullgetabetterlookatthetasks
Ganttbar.
GoTo
SelectedTask
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6
Nextyouwillenteracompletionpercentagevalueforadifferenttask.
8 Inthe%WorkCompletefieldfortask5,typeorselect50,andthenpressF.
Projectrecordstheactualworkforthetaskasscheduled,andthenitdrawsa
progressbarthrough50percentoftheGanttbar.
9 Inthechartportion(ontheright)intheGanttChartview,holdthemousepointer
overtheprogressbarintask5sGanttbar.
Themousepointerchangestoapercentsymbol
andarrowwhenpointingtoaprogressbar.
TheScreenTiptellsyouthetaskscompletionpercentageandothertrackingvalues.
10 AtthebottomoftheIncorporateProgresspane,clicktheDonelink.
Sofar,youhaverecordedactualworkthatstartedandfinishedonschedule.While
thismightprovetrueforsometasks,oftenyouneedtorecordactualsfortasksthat
lastedlongerorshorterthanplanned.Thisisthesubjectofthenexttopic.
EnteringActualValuesforTasks
Onewaytokeepyourscheduleuptodateistorecordwhatactuallyhappensfor
eachtaskinyourproject.Youcanrecordeachtasksactualstart,finish,work,and
durationvalues.Whenyouenterthesevalues,Projectupdatesthescheduleandcal-
culatesthetaskscompletionpercentage.Projectusesthefollowingrules:
Whenyouenteratasksactualstartdate,Projectmovesthescheduledstartdate
tomatchtheactualstartdate.
Whenyouenteratasksactualfinishdate,Projectmovesthescheduledfinish
datetomatchtheactualfinishdateandsetsthetaskto100percentcomplete.
Whenyouenteratasksactualworkvalue,Projectrecalculatesthetasks
remainingworkvalues.
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6
Whenyouenteratasksactualduration,ifitislessthanthescheduledduration,
Projectsubtractstheactualdurationfromthescheduleddurationtodetermine
theremainingduration.
Whenyouenteratasksactualduration,ifitisequaltothescheduledduration,
Projectsetsthetaskto100percentcomplete.
Whenyouenteratasksactualduration,ifitislongerthanthescheduleddura-
tion,Projectadjuststhescheduleddurationtomatchtheactualdurationand
setsthetaskto100percentcomplete.
SupposethatafewmoredayshavepassedandworkontheTVcommercialhaspro-
gressed.Inthisexercise,yourecordactualworkvaluesforsometasks,andstartdates
anddurationsforothertasks.
2 IfyouhaveProjectProfessional,youllseeanadditionalpanethatrelatestousing
ProjectServertocollectactualsfromresources.IntheStep1pane,clickNo,and
thenclickSaveandgotoStep2.IfyouhaveProjectStandard,youwontseethis
pane.
3 SelecttheAlwaystrackbyenteringtheActualWorkDoneandWorkRemaining
option,andthenclicktheDonelink(inProjectStandard)ortheSaveandFinishlink
(inProjectProfessional).
ProjectupdatestheProjectGuide:CustomTrackingviewtotheright.IntheActual
WorkandRemainingWorkcolumnsintheProjectGuide:CustomTrackingview,you
willenteractualandremainingworkvaluesofthenextfewtasks.
InthechartportionoftheCustomTrackingview,youcanseethattask5iscur-
rently50percentcomplete,andinthetableportionoftheview,youcanseethe
resultinghourvaluesofworkthatthispercentagecorrespondsto.Youwantto
recordthatthetaskisnowcompletebutrequiredmoreworkthanexpected.
TheIncorporateProgresspaneappears.Hereyoucansetthestatusdateandread
abouthowtoentervaluesintheActualWorkorRemainingWorkfields.Inthis
chapter,youwontchangethestatusdatedirectly.
Show/Hide TheProjectGuidecloses.
ProjectGuide
6 IntheActualWorkfieldfortask5,typeorselect80,andthenpressF.
Projectrecordsthat80hoursofworkhavebeencompletedontask5.Itextends
theGanttbarofthetasktoindicateitslongerdurationandreschedulessubse-
quenttasks.
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6
Nowsupposethatmoretimehaspassed.Toconcludethisexercise,youwillenter
actualstartdatesanddurationsoftasks.
7 IntheTaskNamecolumn,clicktask8,Rehearse.
Thistaskstartedoneworkingdaybehindschedule(theMondayafteritsscheduled
startdate)andtookatotalofthreedaystocomplete.Youwillrecordthisinforma-
tioninfieldsthatarenotintheProjectGuide:CustomTrackingviewbydefault.You
couldinsertthefields,switchtoadifferenttablethatincludesthem,or(asyouwill
donow)enterthevaluesintheUpdateTasksdialogbox.
8 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoTracking,andthenclickUpdateTasks.
TheUpdateTasksdialogboxappears.Thisdialogboxshowsboththeactualand
scheduledvaluesforthetasksduration,start,andfinish,aswellasitsremaining
duration.Init,youcanupdatetheactualandremainingvalues.
9 IntheStartfieldintheActualboxontheleftsideofthedialogbox,typeorselect
1/17/05.
10 IntheActualdurfield,typeorselect3d.
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6
11 ClicktheOKbutton.
Projectrecordstheactualstartdateanddurationofthetask.Yourscreenshould
Toconcludethisexercise,youwillrecordthattask9startedontimebuttook
longerthanplannedtocomplete.
12 IntheTaskNamecolumn,clicktask9,ShootVideo.
13 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoTracking,andthenclickUpdateTasks.
TheUpdateTasksdialogboxappears.
14 IntheActualdurfield,typeorselect3d,andthenclicktheOKbutton.
Projectrecordstheactualdurationofthetask.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilarto
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6
Becauseyoudidnotspecifyanactualstartdate,Projectassumesthatthetask
startedasscheduled,buttheactualdurationyouenteredcausesProjecttocalcu-
lateanactualfinishdatethatislaterthantheoriginallyscheduledfinishdate.
ProjectManagementFocus:IstheProjectonTrack?
Properlyevaluatingaprojectsstatuscanbetricky.Considerthefollowingissues:
Formanytasks,itisverydifficulttoevaluateacompletionpercentage.Whenisan
engineersdesignforanewmotorassembly50percentcomplete?Orwhenisa
programmerscodeforasoftwaremodule50percentcomplete?Reportingworkin
progressisinmanycasesabestguesseffortandinherentlyrisky.
Theelapsedportionofatasksdurationisnotalwaysequaltotheamountofwork
accomplished.Forexample,ataskmightrequirerelativelylittleeffortinitially,but
requiremoreworkastimepasses.(Thisisreferredtoasaback-loadedtask.)
When50percentofitsdurationhaselapsed,farlessthan50percentofitstotal
workwillhavebeencompleted.
Theresourcesassignedtoataskmighthavedifferentcriteriaforwhatconstitutes
thetaskscompletionthantheprojectmanagerortheresourcesassignedtosuc-
cessortasksmight.
Goodprojectplanningandcommunicationcanavoidormitigatetheseandotherprob-
lemsthatariseinprojectexecution.Forexample,developingpropertaskdurationsand
status-reportingperiodsshouldhelpyouidentifytasksthathavesubstantiallyvaried
fromthebaselineearlyenoughtomakeadjustments.Havingwell-documentedandwell-
communicatedtaskcompletioncriteriashouldhelppreventdownstreamsurprises.
Nevertheless,large,complexprojectswillalmostalwaysvaryfromthebaseline.
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6
KeyPoints
Beforetrackingactualworkinaprojectplan,youshouldsaveabaseline.This
givesyouasnapshotofyourinitialprojectplanforlatercomparisonagainst
actualprogress.Thisisonewaytotellifyourprojectisontrackornot.
Theabilitytotrackactualworkinaprojectplanisamajoradvantagethatareal
projectmanagementtoollikeProjecthasoverlist-keepingtoolslikeExcel.In
Project,youcantrackactualworkataverybroadorverygranularlevel.
TheProjectGuidehelpsyousetupyourprojectplancorrectlyforthelevelof
trackingyouwanttodo.
Toproperlyevaluateaprojectsstatusafteryoubegintrackingrequiresacom-
binationofrecordingaccuratedatainProjectandusingyourgoodjudgment
wheninterpretingtheresults.
119
II
AdvancedProject
Scheduling
121
Changehowtasksarerelatedtoeachother,
page123
Applyconstraintstocontrol
whentaskscanstartorstop,
page131
Viewtheprojectscriticalpath
andidentifyslack,
page135
Enterpercentwork
completepertask,
pagexx,
Changeatasksduration,work,
orassignmentunitsandcontrol
howProjecthandlesthechange,
page141
7
Fine-TuningTaskDetails
Adjusttasklinkstohavemorecontroloverhowtasksarerelated.
Applyaconstrainttoatask.
Identifythetasksonthecriticalpath.
Splitatasktorecordaninterruptioninwork.
Createataskcalendarandapplyittotasks.
ChangeatasktypetocontrolhowProjectschedulestasks.
Recorddeadlinesfortasks.
Enterafixedcostandspecifyhowitshouldaccrue.
Setuparecurringtaskintheprojectschedule.
enceentriesonpagesxxvixxviii.
Inthischapter,youexamineanduseavarietyofadvancedfeaturesofMicrosoft
OfficeProject2003.Thesefeaturesfocusonfine-tuningtaskdetailspriortosavinga
baselineandcommencingworkontheprojectwiththegoalofdevelopingthemost
accurateschedulerepresentationofthetasksyouanticipatefortheplan.
AdjustingTaskRelationships
YoumightrecallfromChapter2,CreatingaTaskList,thattherearefourtypesof
taskdependencies,orrelationships:
Finish-to-start(FS):Thefinishdateofthepredecessortaskdeterminesthestart
dateofthesuccessortask.
Start-to-start(SS):Thestartdateofthepredecessortaskdeterminesthestartdate
ofthesuccessortask.
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7
Fine-TuningTaskDetails PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling
LinkTasks
Finish-to-finish(FF):Thefinishdateofthepredecessortaskdeterminesthefin-
ishdateofthesuccessortask.
Start-to-finish(SF):Thestartdateofthepredecessortaskdeterminesthefinish
dateofthesuccessortask.
WhenyouentertasksinProjectandlinkthembyclickingtheLinkTasksbuttonon
theStandardtoolbar,thetasksaregivenafinish-to-start(FS)relationship.Thismight
befineformosttasks,butyouwillprobablywanttochangesometaskrelationships.
Herearesomeexamplesoftasksthatrequirerelationshipsotherthanfinish-to-start:
Youcanstartsettingupthelightingforafilmsceneassoonasyoustartsetting
uptheprops(start-to-startrelationship).Thisreducestheoveralltimerequired
tocompletethetwotasks,astheyarecompletedinparallel:
Planningthefilmingsequencecanbeginbeforethescriptiscomplete,butit
cannotbefinisheduntilafterthescriptiscomplete.Youwantthetwotasksto
finishataboutthesametime(finish-to-finishrelationship):
Taskrelationshipsshouldreflectthesequenceinwhichworkshouldbedone.After
youhaveestablishedthecorrecttaskrelationships,youcanfine-tuneyourschedule
byenteringoverlap(calledlead time)ordelay(calledlag time)betweenthefinishor
startdatesofpredecessorandsuccessortasks.
Assumingthattwotaskshaveafinish-to-startrelationship:
Leadtimecausesthesuccessortasktobeginbeforeitspredecessortask
concludes.
Lagtimecausesthesuccessortasktobeginsometimeafteritspredecessortask
concludes.
Hereisanillustrationofhowleadandlagtimeaffecttaskrelationships.Letssayyou
initiallyplannedthefollowingthreetasksusingfinish-to-startrelationships:
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PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling Fine-TuningTaskDetails
7
Initiallythetasksarelinkedwithfinish-to-start
relationships,sothesuccessortasksbegin
assoonasthepredecessortasksfinish.
Beforetask8canstart,youneedtoallowanextradayforthepaintappliedintask7
todry.Youdonotwanttoaddadaytothedurationoftask7,becausenorealwork
willoccuronthatday.Instead,youenteraone-daylagbetweentasks7and8:
Thislagtimecausesadelayin
thestartofthesuccessortask.
However,task9canstartassoonastask8ishalfwaycompleted;tomakethishap-
pen,entera50-percentleadtimebetweentasks8and9:
Thisleadtimecausesthesuccessortaskto
startbeforethepredecessortaskfinishes.
Youcanenterleadandlagtimeasunitsoftime(forexample,twodays)orasaper-
centageofthedurationofthepredecessortask(forexample,50percent).Lagtimeis
enteredinpositiveunits,leadtimeinnegativeunits(forexample,minustwodaysor
minus50percent).Youcanapplyleadorlagtimetoanytypeoftaskrelationship:
finish-to-start,start-to-start,andsoon.
Tip SomeoftheplacesyoucanenterleadorlagtimeincludetheTaskInformation
dialogbox,andthePredecessorscolumnintheEntrytable.
Inthisexercise,youchangetaskrelationshipsandenterleadandlagtimebetween
predecessorandsuccessortasks.
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7
OPEN:ShortFilmProject7afromthe\My Documents\Microsoft Press\Project 2003 Step by Step\
Chapter 7 Advanced Tasksfolder.YoucanalsoaccessthepracticefilesforthisbookbyclickingStart,
AllPrograms,MicrosoftPress,Project2003StepbyStep,andthenselectingthechapterfolderofthe
fileyouwanttoopen.
2 IntheFilenamebox,typeShortFilmProject7,andthenclicktheSavebutton.
3 Double-clickthenameoftask9,Reservecameraequipment.
Hereyoucanseethattask9hasonepredecessortask,task8.
5 IntheLagfieldforpredecessortask8,type50%.
Toenterleadtimeagainstapredecessortask,
enteritasnegativelagtimeeitherinunitsoftime
suchasdays,orasapercentageofthedurationof
thepredecessortask.
Enteringlagtimeasanegativevalueproducesleadtime.
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7
Tip Youcanalsodouble-clickalinkline(thelinesconnectingGanttbars)onthe
Ganttcharttoenterleadorlagtime,changethetaskrelationship,ordeletethelink.
7 Toseehowthelagtimeaffectstheschedulingofthesuccessortask,ontheStan-
dardtoolbar,clicktheGoToSelectedTaskbutton.
GoToSelected
Task
Leadtimecausesthesuccessortasktostart
beforethepredecessortaskhasfinished,
althoughthetwotasksstillhaveafinish-to-start
relationship.
ProjectscrollstheGanttcharttodisplaytheGanttbarfortask9.Task9isnow
scheduledtostartwhentask8is50percentcomplete.Shouldthedurationoftask
8change,Projectwillreschedulethestartoftask9sothatitkeepsa50percent
leadtime.
Nextyouwillchangethetaskrelationshipbetweentwotasks.
8 Double-clickthenameoftask10,Reservesoundequipment.
TheTaskInformationdialogboxappears.ThePredecessorstabshouldbevisible.
9 ClickintheTypecolumnforpredecessortask9.SelectStart-to-Start(SS),and
clickOK.
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7
Projectchangesthetaskrelationshipbetweentasks9and10tostart-to-start.
Thestart-to-starttaskrelationshipcausesthe
successortasktostartatthesametimeas
thepredecessortask.Ifthestartdateofthe
predecessortaskchanges,thenthestartdate
ofthesuccessortaskwillchangeaswell.
Important Assigningtasksstart-to-startrelationshipsandenteringleadtimes
whereappropriatearebothexcellenttechniquestoshortenoverallprojectduration.
However,Projectcannotautomaticallymakesuchscheduleadjustmentsforyou.As
projectmanager,youmustanalyzethesequencesandrelationshipsofyourtasks
andmakethoseadjustmentswhereappropriate.
SettingTaskConstraints
EverytaskyouenterintoProjecthassometypeofconstraintappliedtoit.Acon-
straintcontrolsthestartorfinishdateofataskandthedegreetowhichthattaskcan
berescheduled.Therearethreecategoriesofconstraints:
Flexible constraints.Projectcanchangethestartandfinishdatesofatask.For
example,thetaskSelect locations to filmcanstartassoonaspossible.Thistype
offlexibleconstraintiscalledAsSoonAsPossible,orASAPforshort,andisthe
defaultconstrainttypeinProject.Noconstraintdateisassociatedwithflexible
constraints.
Inflexible constraints.Ataskmustbeginorendonacertaindate.Forexample,
atasksuchasSet up lightingmustendonApril8,2005.Inflexibleconstraints
aresometimescalledhardconstraints.
Semi-flexible constraints.Ataskhasastartorfinishdateboundary.However,
withinthatboundary,Projecthastheschedulingflexibilitytochangestartand
finishdatesofatask.Forexample,atasksuchasInstall propsmustfinishno
laterthanMarch25,2005.However,thetaskcouldfinishbeforethisdate.Semi-
flexibleconstraintsaresometimescalledsoftormoderateconstraints.
Inall,thereareeighttypesoftaskconstraints:
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7
Thisconstraint Includesthese
category constrainttypes
Flexible AsSoonAs
Possible(ASAP)
AsLateAs
Possible(ALAP)
Semi-flexible StartNoEarlier
Than(SNET)
StartNoLater
Than(SNLT)
FinishNoEarlier
Than(FNET)
FinishNoLater
Than(FNLT)
Inflexible MustStartOn
(MSO)
MustFinishOn
(MFO)
Andmeans
Projectwillscheduleatasktooccurassoonasit
canoccur.Thisisthedefaultconstrainttype
appliedtoallnewtaskswhenschedulingfromthe
projectstartdate.
Projectwillscheduleatasktooccuraslateasit
canoccur.Thisisthedefaultconstrainttype
appliedtoallnewtaskswhenschedulingfromthe
projectfinishdate.
Projectwillscheduleatasktostartonorafterthe
constraintdateyouspecify.Usethisconstraint
typetoensurethatataskwillnotstartbeforea
specificdate.
Projectwillscheduleatasktostartonorbefore
theconstraintdateyouspecify.Usethisconstraint
typetoensurethatataskwillnotstartaftera
specificdate.
Projectwillscheduleatasktofinishonorafterthe
constraintdateyouspecify.Usethisconstraint
typetoensurethatataskwillnotfinishbeforea
specificdate.
Projectwillscheduleatasktofinishonorbefore
theconstraintdateyouspecify.Usethisconstraint
typetoensurethatataskwillnotfinishaftera
specificdate.
Projectwillscheduleatasktostartonthe
constraintdateyouspecify.Usethisconstrainttype
toensurethatataskwillstartonanexactdate.
Projectwillscheduleatasktofinishonthe
constraintdateyouspecify.Usethisconstrainttype
toensurethatataskwillfinishonanexactdate.
Important BeginningProjectusersareoftentemptedtoenterstartorfinishdates
fortasks.However,doingsoappliessemi-flexibleconstraintssuchasStartNoEarlier
ThanorFinishNoEarlierThan.Thisessentiallypreventsusersfromtakingfulladvantage
oftheProjectschedulingengine.Althoughthisisoneofthemostcommonscheduling
problemspeoplehavewithProject,itisusuallyavoidable.
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7
Thesethreecategoriesofconstraintshaveverydifferenteffectsontheschedulingof
tasks:
Flexibleconstraints,suchasAsSoonAsPossible,allowtaskstobescheduled
withoutanylimitationsotherthantheirpredecessorandsuccessorrelationships.
Nofixedstartorenddatesareimposedbytheseconstrainttypes.Usethese
constrainttypeswheneverpossible:
ASAP
Semi-flexibleconstraints,suchasStartNoEarlierThanorStartNoLaterThan,
limitthereschedulingofataskwithinthedateboundaryyouspecify:
Constraint
Date
SNET
Inflexibleconstraints,suchasMustStartOn,completelypreventthereschedul-
ingofatask.Usetheseconstrainttypesonlywhenabsolutelynecessary:
MSO
Thetypeofconstraintyouapplytothetasksinyourprojectsdependsonwhatyou
needfromProject.Youshoulduseinflexibleconstraintsonlyifthestartorfinishdate
ofataskisfixedbyfactorsbeyondthecontroloftheprojectteam.Examplesofsuch
tasksincludehandoffstoclientsandtheendofafundingperiod.Fortaskswithout
suchlimitations,youshoulduseflexibleconstraints.Flexibleconstraintsgiveyouthe
mostdiscretioninadjustingstartandfinishdates,andtheyallowProjecttoadjust
datesifyourprojectplanchanges.Forexample,ifyouhaveusedASAPconstraints
andthedurationofapredecessortaskchangesfromfourdaystotwodays,Project
adjustsorpullsinthestartandfinishdatesofallsuccessortasks.However,ifasuc-
cessortaskhadaninflexibleconstraintapplied,Projectcouldnotadjustitsstartor
finishdates.
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7
Inthisexercise,youapplyaStartNoEarlierThanconstrainttoatask.
1 OntheProjectGuidetoolbar,clickTasks.
Tasks
2 IntheTaskspane,clicktheSetdeadlinesandconstraintaskslink.
TheDeadlinesandConstraintspaneappears.
3 Selecttask20,Scene3setup.
Thisscenemustbeshotatalocationthatisnotavailabletothefilmcrewuntil
May30,2005.
4 UnderConstrainataskintheDeadlinesandConstraintspane,selectStartNo
EarlierThan.
5 Inthedateboxbelowit,typeorselect5/30/05.Yourscreenshouldlooklikethe
6 AtthebottomoftheDeadlinesandConstraintspane,clicktheDonelink.
ProjectappliesanSNETconstrainttothetask,andaconstrainticonappearsinthe
Indicatorscolumn.
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7
YoucanpointtotheicontoseetheconstraintdetailsinaScreenTip.
Show/Hide
ProjectGuide
Positionyourmousepointeroveraconstraintindicator
(oranyiconintheIndicatorscolumn)toseeaScreenTip.
Task20isrescheduledtostartonMay30insteadofMay26.Alltasksthat
dependontask20arealsorescheduled.
Hereareafewmorethingstokeepinmindwhenapplyingconstraintstotasks:
EnteringaFinishdateforatask(forexample,intheFinishcolumn)appliesan
FNETconstrainttothetask.
EnteringaStartdateforatask(forexample,intheStartcolumn)ordragginga
GanttbardirectlyontheGanttchartappliesaSNETconstrainttothetask.
Inmanycases,enteringadeadlinedateisapreferablealternativetoenteringa
semi-flexibleorinflexibleconstraint.Youwillworkwithdeadlinedateslaterin
thischapter.
Unlessyouspecifyatime,Projectschedulesaconstraintdatesstartorfinish
timeusingtheDefaultStartTimeorDefaultEndTimevaluesontheCalendar
tab(Toolsmenu,Optionscommand).Inthisproject,thedefaultstarttimeis
8A.M.Ifyouwantaconstrainedtasktobescheduledtostartatadifferenttime,
enterthattimealongwiththestartdate.Forexample,ifyouwanttoschedulea
tasktostartat10A.M.onMay30,enter5/30/0510AMintheStartfield.
Toremoveaconstraint,ontheProjectmenu,clickTaskInformation,andinthe
TaskInformationdialogbox,clicktheAdvancedtab.IntheConstraintTypebox,
selectAsSoonAsPossibleor(ifschedulingfromtheprojectfinishdate)AsLate
AsPossible.
Ifyouneedtoapplysemi-flexibleorinflexibleconstraintstotasksinadditionto
taskrelationships,youmightcreatewhatiscallednegative slack.Forexample,
youhaveasuccessortaskthathasafinish-to-startrelationshipwithitspredeces-
sortask.IfyouenteredaMustStartOnconstraintonthesuccessortaskearlier
thanthefinishdateofthepredecessortask,thiswouldresultinnegativeslack
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7
andaschedulingconflict.Bydefault,theconstraintdateappliedtothesucces-
sortaskwilloverridetherelationship.However,ifyouprefer,youcanset
Projecttohonorrelationshipsoverconstraints.OntheToolsmenu,clickOptions,
andintheOptionsdialogbox,clicktheScheduletab.CleartheTaskswillalways
honortheirconstraintdatescheckbox.Thissettingappliesonlytothecurrent
projectfile.
Ifyoumustscheduleaprojectfromafinishdateratherthanastartdate,some
constraintbehaviorschange.Forexample,theALAP(ratherthantheASAP)con-
strainttypebecomesthedefaultfornewtasks.Youshouldpaycloseattention
toconstraintswhenschedulingfromafinishdatetomakesuretheyhavethe
effectsyouintend.
ViewingtheProjectsCriticalPath
Acritical path istheseriesoftasksthatwillpushouttheprojectsenddateifthe
tasksaredelayed.Thewordcriticalhasnothingtodowithhowimportantthese
tasksaretotheoverallproject.Itrefersonlytohowtheirschedulingwillaffectthe
projectsfinishdate.However,theprojectfinishdateisofgreatimportanceinmost
projects.Ifyouwanttoshortenthedurationofaprojecttobringinthefinishdate,
youmustbeginbyshorteningthecriticalpath.
Overthelifeofaproject,theprojectscriticalpathislikelytochangefromtimeto
timeastasksarecompletedaheadoforbehindschedule.Schedulechanges,suchas
assigningresourcestotasks,canalsochangethecriticalpath.Afterataskonthecrit-
icalpathiscompleted,itisnolongercritical,becauseitcannotaffecttheprojectfin-
ishdate.InChapter16,GettingYourProjectBackonTrack,youwillworkwitha
varietyoftechniquestoshortenaprojectsoverallduration.
Akeytounderstandingthecriticalpathistounderstandslack,alsoknownasfloat.
Therearetwotypesofslack:freeandtotal.Free slackistheamountoftimeatask
canbedelayedbeforeitdelaysanothertask.Total slack istheamountoftimeatask
canbedelayedbeforeitdelaysthecompletionoftheproject.
Ataskisonthecriticalpathifitstotalslackislessthanacertainamountnormally,
ifitiszero.Incontrast,noncritical taskshaveslack,meaningtheycanstartorfinish
earlierorlaterwithintheirslacktimewithoutaffectingthecompletiondateofa
project.
Inthisexercise,youviewtheprojectscriticalpath.Onewaytoseethecriticalpathis
toswitchtotheDetailGanttview.
2 IntheMoreViewsdialogbox,selectDetailGantt,andthenclicktheApplybutton.
TheprojectappearsintheDetailGanttview.
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7
3 OntheEditmenu,clickGoTo.
Tip H+gisthekeyboardshortcutforGoTo.
4 IntheIDbox,type12,andthenclickOK.
Projectdisplaystask12,theproductionsummarytask.
Noncriticaltaskshave Thistaskiscritical.
freeslack,displayedhere.
TheScene3tasksandlatertasksarecriticaltasks.IntheDetailGanttview,
Projectdistinguishesbetweencriticalandnoncriticaltasks.Criticaltaskbarsare
red,butnoncriticaltaskbarsareblue.Inthisview,youcanalsoseetaskswithfree
slack.
NoticetheGanttbaroftask18,Scene7processdailies.Thebluebarrepresents
thedurationofthetask.Thethinteallineandthenumbernexttoitrepresentfree
slackforthistask.Asyoucansee,thisparticulartaskhassomeslackandis
thereforeanoncriticaltask.(Rememberthatthetermcriticalinthissensehas
nothingtodowiththetasksimportance,onlywithhowmuchorlittletotalslackthe
taskhas.)Theslackontask18wascausedbytheStartNoEarlierThanconstraint
appliedtotask20.
Workingwiththecriticalpathisthemostimportantwaytomanageaprojectsoverall
duration.Inlaterexercises,youwillmakeadjustmentsthatmightextendtheprojects
duration.Checkingtheprojectscriticalpathand,whennecessary,shorteningthe
overallprojectdurationareimportantprojectmanagementskills.
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7
Tip Critical pathisafrequentlymisusedphraseonmanyprojects.Justlistenforrefer-
encestocriticalpathworkonyourcurrentprojectstoseehowfrequentlythephraseis
usedcorrectly.Rememberthatcriticalhasnothingtodowiththerelativeimportanceofa
task,onlywithitseffectontheprojectfinishdate.
Hereareafewmorethingstokeepinmindwhenworkingwiththecriticalpath:
Bydefault,Projectdefinesataskascriticalifithaszeroslack.However,you
canchangetheamountofslackrequiredforatasktobecritical.OntheTools
menu,clickOptions,andintheOptionsdialogbox,clicktheCalculationtab.In
theTasksarecriticalifslackislessthanorequaltobox,enterthenumberofdays
youwant.
Projectconstantlyrecalculatesthecriticalpath,evenifyouneverdisplayit.
YouseefreeslackrepresentedinthechartportionoftheDetailGanttview,and
youcanalsoseethevaluesoffreeandtotalslackintheScheduletable.You
canapplytheScheduletabletoanyGanttorTaskSheetview.
Tip Tolearnmoreaboutmanagingacriticalpath,typeAboutthecriticalpathintothe
SearchboxintheupperrightcorneroftheProjectwindow.TheSearchboxinitiallycon-
tainsthetextType a question for help.
InterruptingWorkonaTask
Wheninitiallyplanningprojecttasks,youmightknowthatworkonacertaintaskwill
beinterrupted.Youcansplitthetasktoindicatetimeswhentheworkwillbeinter-
ruptedandwhenitcanresume.Herearesomereasonswhyyoumightwanttosplit
atask:
Youanticipateaninterruptioninatask.Forexample,aresourcemightbe
assignedtoaweek-longtaskbutneedstoattendaneventonWednesdaythatis
unrelatedtothetask.
Ataskisunexpectedlyinterrupted.Afterataskisunderway,aresourcemight
havetostopworkonthetaskbecauseanothertaskhastakenpriority.Afterthe
secondtaskiscompleted,theresourcecanresumeworkonthefirsttask.
Inthisexercise,yousplitatask.
Projectdisplaystask4,Develop production boards.
135
7
YouknowthatworkonthistaskwillbeinterruptedfortwodaysstartingMarch21.
SplitTask
SplitTask
mousepointer
Thetimescaleisdividedintotiers.Thetimesettingofthe
lowesttierdetermineshowyoucansplittasks.Inthis
example,youcansplittasksintoone-dayincrements.
3 OntheStandardtoolbar,clicktheSplitTaskbutton.
AScreenTipappears,andthemousepointerchanges.
4 MovethemousepointerovertheGanttbaroftask4.
ThisScreenTipisessentialforaccuratelysplittingatask;itcontainsthedateat
whichyouwouldstartthesecondsegmentofthetaskifyoudraggedthemouse
pointerfromitscurrentlocationontheGanttbar.Asyoumovethemousepointer
alongtheGanttbar,youwillseethestartdateintheScreenTipchange.
UsethisScreenTiptohelpyouaccurately
splittasks.Thisinformationwillchange
asyoumovetheSplitTaskmousepointer.
SplitTaskmousepointer
5 Move(butdontclick)themousepointerovertheGanttbaroftask4untilthestart
dateofMonday,3/21/05,appearsintheScreenTip.
6 DragthemousepointertotherightuntilthestartdateofWednesday,3/23/05,
appearsintheScreenTip,andthenreleasethemousebutton.
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7
Projectinsertsatasksplit,representedintheGanttchartasadottedline,between
thetwosegmentsofthetask.
Four-headed
arrowmouse
pointer
Thesplitappearsasadottedlineconnectingthesegments
ofthetask.Itindicatesinterruptionofworkonatask.
Tip Splittingtaskswiththemousemighttakealittlepractice.Ifyoudidntsplittask4
sothatthesecondsegmentstartson3/23/05,justpointtoitagain.Whenthemouse
pointerchangestoafour-headedarrow,dragthesegmenttothecorrectstartdate.
Hereareafewmorethingstokeepinmindwhensplittingtasks:
Adjustingthebottomtierofthetimescaleisimportantforsplittingtasks:the
calibrationofthebottomtierdeterminesthesmallesttimeincrementintowhich
youcansplitatask.WiththebottomtiersetattheDayslevel,youmustsplit
ataskbyatleastaday.Ifyouwantedtosplitataskatthehourlylevel,you
wouldhavetoadjustthebottomtierfurther(throughtheTimescalecommand
ontheFormatmenu).
Youcansplitataskintoasmanysegmentsasyouwant.
Youcandragasegmentofasplittaskleftorrighttoreschedulethesplit.
Thetimeofthetasksplititself,representedbythedottedline,isnotcountedin
thedurationofthetaskunlessthetasktypeisFixedDuration.Noworkoccurs
duringthesplit.
Ifthedurationofasplittaskchanges,thelastsegmentofthetaskisincreased
ordecreased.
Ifasplittaskisrescheduled(forexample,ifitsstartdatechanges),theentire
task,splitsandall,isrescheduled.Thetaskkeepsthesamepatternofsegments
andsplits.
Resourcelevelingormanuallycontouringassignmentsovertimecancause
taskstosplit.YouwilllevelresourcesinChapter8,Fine-TuningResourceand
AssignmentDetails,andcontourassignmentsinChapter9,Fine-Tuningthe
ProjectPlan.
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7
Torejointwosegmentsofasplittask,dragonesegmentofthetaskuntilit
touchestheothersegment.
Ifyoudonotwanttodisplaysplitsasadottedline,youcanremovethem.On
theFormatmenu,clickLayout,andintheLayoutdialogbox,cleartheShowBar
Splitscheckbox.
AdjustingWorkingTimeforIndividualTasks
Sometimesyouwantspecifictaskstooccurattimesthatareoutsideoftheprojectcal-
endars(orforassignedresources,theresourcecalendars)workingtime.Toaccom-
plishthis,youapplyatask calendar tothesetasks.Aswiththeprojectcalendar,you
specifywhichbasecalendartouseasataskcalendar.Herearesomeexamplesof
whenyoumightneedataskcalendar:
YouareusingtheStandardbasecalendarasyourprojectcalendar,andyou
haveataskthatmustrunovernight.
Youhaveataskthatmustoccuronaspecificweekday.
Youhaveataskthatmustoccurovertheweekend.
Unlikeresourcesandresourcecalendars,Projectdoesnotcreatetaskcalendarsas
youcreatetasks.Whenyouneedacustomtaskcalendar,youassignoneofthebase
calendarsprovidedwithProject(ormorelikelyanewbasecalendaryouhavecre-
ated)tothetask.
Forexample,ifyouassignthe24Hoursbasecalendartoatask,Projectwillschedule
thattaskaccordingtoa24-hourworkdayratherthantheworkingtimespecifiedin
theprojectcalendar.
Fortasksthathavebothataskcalendarandresourceassignments,Projectschedules
workintheworkingtimesthatarecommonbetweenthetaskcalendarandresource
calendar(s).Ifthereisnocommonworkingtime,Projectalertsyouwhenyouapply
thetaskcalendarorassignaresourcetothetask.
Tip Whenyouassignabasecalendartoatask,youcanchoosetoignoreresource
calendarsforallresourcesassignedtothetask.DoingsocausesProjecttoschedulethe
resourcestoworkonthetaskaccordingtothetaskcalendarandnottheirownresource
calendars(forexample,towork24hoursperday).Ifthiswouldresultinresourceswork-
inginwhatwouldotherwisebetheirnonworkingtime,youmightwanttofirstdiscussthis
withtheaffectedresources.
Inthefilmproject,oneofthescenesmustbefilmedatnight.However,theproject
calendardoesnotincludeworkingtimelateenoughtocoverthefilmingofthis
scene.Becausethistaskisreallyanexceptiontothenormalworkingtimeofthe
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7
project,youdonotwanttochangetheprojectcalendar.Inthisexercise,youcreate
anewbasecalendarandapplyittotheappropriatetask.
2 IntheChangeWorkingTimedialogbox,clicktheNewbutton.
TheCreateNewBaseCalendardialogboxappears.
3 IntheNamebox,typeEveningShoot.
4 ClicktheMakeacopyofoptionifitisnotselected,clickStandardinthecorre-
spondingdrop-downmenu,andthenclickOK.
5 InthecalendarbelowtheSelectDate(s)label,selectthecolumnheadingsM
throughF,forMondaythroughFriday.
6 IntheupperrowoftheFromandToboxes,enter5:00PMand11:00PM,andthen
deletethevaluesinthesecondrow.YourChangeWorkingTimedialogboxshould
looklikethefollowingillustration:
Thiscustombasecalendarcontainstheunique
workingtimesnotavailableinthebuilt-incalendars.
7 ClickOKtoclosethedialogbox.
NextyouwillapplytheEveningShootcalendartoataskthatmustbefilmedinthe
evening.
8 Selectthenameoftask34,Scene2shoot.
9 ToseetheGanttbarofthistask,ontheStandardtoolbar,clicktheGoToSelected
Taskbutton.
GoToSelected
Task
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7
Task
Information
11 ClicktheAdvancedtab.
12 IntheCalendarbox,selectEveningShootfromthelist.
13 ClicktheSchedulingignoresresourcecalendarscheckbox,andthenclickOKto
closethedialogbox.
ProjectappliestheEveningShootcalendartotask34.Acalendariconappearsin
theIndicatorscolumn,remindingyouthatthistaskhasataskcalendarappliedto
it.Becauseyouchosetoignoreresourcecalendarsinthepreviousstep,the
resourcesassignedtothesetaskswillbescheduledattimesthatwouldotherwise
benonworkingtimesforthem.
Tip Toremoveataskcalendarfromatask,ontheAdvancedtaboftheTaskInforma-
tiondialogbox,clickNoneintheCalendarbox.
ChangingTaskTypes
YoumightrecallfromChapter4,AssigningResourcestoTasks,thatProjectusesthe
followingformula,calledtheschedulingformula,tocalculateatasksworkvalue:
Work = Duration Units
Rememberalsothatataskhasworkwhenithasatleastoneworkresourceassigned
toit.Eachvalueintheschedulingformulacorrespondstoatasktype.Atask type
determineswhichofthethreeschedulingformulavaluesremainsfixediftheother
twovalueschange.
Thedefaulttasktypeisfixed units:whenyouchangeatasksduration,Projectrecal-
culateswork.Likewise,ifyouchangeataskswork,Projectrecalculatestheduration.
Ineithercase,theunitsvalueisunchanged.Thetwoothertasktypesarefixed
durationandfixed work.
Forafixed-durationtask,youcanchangethetasksunitsorworkvalue,andProject
willrecalculatetheothervalue.Forafixed-worktask,youcanchangetheunitsor
durationvalue,andProjectwillrecalculatetheothervalue.Notethatyoucannotturn
offeffort-drivenschedulingforafixed-worktask.
Whichistherighttasktypetoapplytoeachofyourtasks?Itdependsonhowyou
wantProjecttoschedulethattask.Thefollowingtablesummarizestheeffectsof
changinganyvalueforanytasktype.Youreaditlikeamultiplicationtable.
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7
Task
Information
Track
Fixedduration
Fixedunits
Fixedwork
Duration Units Work
Duration
Duration
Duration
Duration
Units
Units
Work Work
Work
Ifthe
task
type
is...
...andyouchangethe
...then
Microsoft
Project
recalculates
Toseethetasktypeoftheselectedtask,ontheStandardtoolbar,clicktheTask
Informationbutton,andintheTaskInformationdialogbox,clicktheAdvancedtab.
YoucanalsoseethetasktypeintheTaskForm.(WhenintheGanttChartview,you
candisplaytheTaskFormbyclickingtheSplitcommandontheWindowmenu.)You
canchangeatasktypeatanytime.Notethatcharacterizingatasktypeasfixeddoes
notmeanthatitsduration,units,orworkvaluesareunchangeable.Youcanchange
anyvalueforanytasktype.
Inthisexercise,youchangeschedulingformulavaluesandtasktypes.
1 OntheProjectGuidetoolbar,clickTrack.
2 IntheTrackpane,clicktheMakechangestotheprojectlink.
TheChangeProjectpaneappears,andtheProjectGuide:EditAssignmentsview
replacestheGanttChartview.Thistypeofviewiscalledausageview.Thisview
groupstheassignedresourcesbeloweachtaskandshowsyou,amongother
things,eachtasksandassignmentsduration,work,andassignmentunitsval-
uesthethreevariablesoftheschedulingformula.
Projectdisplaystask2,Review script,anditsassignments.
Youcanseethattask2hasatotalworkvalueof40hours(thatis,20hourseach
fortworesources),resourceunitsof100percenteach,andadurationofone-half
ofaweek.Nextyouwillchangethetasksdurationtoseetheeffectsontheother
values.
Afteradiscussionamongalltheresourceswhowillreviewthescript,allagreethat
thetasksdurationshoulddoublebuttheworkrequiredtocompletethetask
shouldremainthesame.
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7
SmartTag
Actions
5 IntheDurationfieldfortask2,typeorselect1w,andpressF.
Projectchangesthedurationoftask2tooneweekandincreasestheworkper
resourceto40hourseach.Youwantthedurationtodouble(itdid)buttheworkto
remainthesame(itdidnt),soyouwillusetheSmartTagtoadjusttheresultsof
thenewtaskduration.
6 PointattheDurationfieldandthenclicktheSmartTagActionsbutton.
lowingillustration:
Becausetask2stasktypeisfixedunits(thedefaulttasktype),theSmartTags
defaultselectionistoincreaseworkasthedurationincreased.However,youdlike
tokeeptheworkvaluethesameanddecreaseassignmentunitsforthetasksnew
duration.
7 IntheSmartTagActionslist,clickResourceswillworkfewerhoursperday,sothe
taskwilltakelonger.
Theassignmentunitsvalueofeachresourcedecreasesto50percent,andthe
totalworkonthetaskremainsfixedat40hours(thatis,20hourspereach
assignedresource).
NextyouwillchangeatasktypeusingtheTaskInformationdialogbox.
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7
Projectdisplaystask67,Hold formal approval showing.
Task
Information
11 ClicktheAdvancedtabifitisnotalreadyselected.
Theselectedtaskdescribestheformalscreeningofthefilmforthefinancialback-
ersoftheproject.YoucanseeintheTaskTypeboxthatthistaskcurrentlyhasa
fixed-unitstasktype.
Thetaskisscheduledforafullday,althoughafewoftheassignedresourceswill
workfortheequivalentofhalfaday.Toreflectthis(andproperlymanageresource
costsforthetask),youwillmakethisafixed-durationtaskandadjusttheassign-
mentunitvaluesforsomeoftheassignedresources.
12 IntheTaskTypebox,selectFixedDuration.
13 ClicktheResourcestab.
14 IntheUnitscolumn,settheunitsvaluesforMarkHassallandScottCooperto50%
each.
YoucanseetheupdatedworkvaluesofthetworesourcesintheProjectGuide:
EditAssignmentsview.Notethatthedurationvalueremainsunchanged.
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7
Tip Asummarytaskalwayshasafixed-durationtasktype,andyoucannotchangeit.
Becauseasummarytaskisbasedontheearlieststartdateandthelatestfinishdateof
itssubtasks,itsdurationiscalculatedbasedonitssubtasksandisnotdirectlyeditable.
Ifyouwanttoconfirmthis,double-clickSummaryTask1,Pre-Productionoranother
summarytaskandviewtheAdvancedtabintheTaskInformationdialogbox.
TaskTypesandEffort-DrivenScheduling
Manypeoplemisunderstandtasktypesandeffort-drivenschedulingandconcludethat
thesetwoissuesaremorecloselyrelatedthantheyreallyare.Bothsettingscanaffect
yourschedule.Butwhereastheeffectofatasktypeapplieswheneveryoueditatasks
work,duration,orunitvalues,effort-drivenschedulingaffectsyourscheduleonlywhen
youreassigningorremovingresourcesfromtasks.Formoreinformationabouteffort-
drivenscheduling,seeChapter4,AssigningResourcestoTasks.
EnteringDeadlineDates
OnecommonmistakenewProjectusersmakeistoplacesemi-flexibleorinflexible
constraintsontoomanytasksintheirprojects.Suchconstraintsseverelylimityour
schedulingflexibility.
Yetifyouknowthataspecifictaskmustbecompletedbyacertaindate,whynot
enteraMustFinishOnconstraint?Hereiswhynot:letssayyouhaveafive-daytask
thatyouwanttoseecompletedbyOctober14,andtodayisOctober3.Ifyouentera
MustFinishOnconstraintonthetaskandsetittoOctober14,Projectwillmoveitout
sothatitwill,indeed,endonOctober14.
ThistaskhasaMustFinishOnconstraint,
soProjectschedulesittofinishonthe
specifieddate,butnoearlier.
Now,evenifthetaskcouldbecompletedearlier,Projectwillnotrescheduleittostart
earlier.Infact,byapplyingthatconstraint,youhaveincreasedtheriskforthistask.If
thetaskisdelayedforevenonedayforanyreason(arequiredresourceisoutsick,
forexample),thetaskwillmissitsplannedfinishdate.
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7
Deadline
Indicator
Missed
Deadline
Indicator
AbetterapproachtoschedulingthistaskistousethedefaultAsSoonAsPossible
(ASAP)constraintandenteradeadlineofOctober14.Adeadlineisadatevalueyou
enterforataskthatindicatesthelatestdatebywhichyouwantthetasktobecom-
pleted,butthedeadlinedateitselfdoesnotconstrainthetask.
WithanAsSoonAsPossibleconstraintapplied,
thetaskstartsearlierandleavesslackbetween
thefinishdateandthedeadlinedate.
ThedeadlinemarkerappearsontheGanttchart.
Nowthetaskhasthegreatestschedulingflexibility.Itmightbecompletedwell
beforeitsdeadline,dependingonresourceavailability,predecessortasks,andwhat-
everotherschedulingissuesapply.
EnteringadeadlinedatecausesProjecttodisplayadeadlineindicatoronthechart
portionoftheGanttChartview.Ifthetasksfinishdatemovespastitsdeadline,
ProjectdisplaysamisseddeadlineindicatorintheIndicatorfieldforthattask.
Inthisexercise,youenterdeadlinedatesforsometasks.
2 IntheIDbox,type11andclickOK.
Projectdisplaystask11.Thistaskisamilestonemarkingthescheduledfinish
dateofthepre-productionphaseoftheproject.Youwanttomakesurethatthepre-
productiontasksconcludebyMay27,2005,soyouwillenteradeadlinedatefor
thismilestone.
3 IftheTaskspaneisnotalreadydisplayed,ontheProjectGuidetoolbar,clickTasks.
4 IntheTaskspane,clicktheSetdeadlinesandconstraintaskslink.
TheDeadlinesandConstraintspaneappears.
5 IntheDateboxunderSetadeadline,typeorselect5/27/05,andthenpressD.
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7
ProjectinsertsadeadlineindicatorinthechartportionoftheGanttChartview.Your
screenshouldlooklikethefollowingillustration:
Deadlineindicator
Nowyoucanseeataglancehowclosethepre-productionphaseistomeetingor
missingitsdeadline.Ifthescheduledcompletionofthepre-productionphase
movespast5/27/05,ProjectwilldisplayamisseddeadlineindicatorintheIndica-
torscolumn.
Nextyouwillenteradeadlinedateforasummarytask.
6 Selectthenameoftask12,Production.
ThistaskistheProductionSummarytask.Youwanttoconcludefilmingbymid-
August2005.
7 IntheDateboxunderSetadeadline,typeorselect8/19/05,andthenpressD.
Projectinsertsadeadlinedatemarkerforthesummarytask.Ifyouwishtoseeit,
scrollthechartportionoftheGanttChartviewtotheright.
8 AtthebottomoftheDeadlinesandConstraintspane,clicktheDonelink.
Show/Hide TheProjectGuidecloses.
ProjectGuide
Tip YoucanalsoenteradeadlinedatefortheselectedtaskontheAdvancedtabin
theTaskInformationdialogbox.OntheProjectmenu,clickTaskInformation.
Exceptforonesituation,enteringadeadlinedatehasnoeffectontheschedulingofa
summaryorsubtask.However,adeadlinedatewillcauseProjecttoalertyouifthe
scheduledcompletionofataskexceedsitsdeadlinedate.
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7
Theonesituationinwhichthedeadlinedatecanaffecttheschedulingofatask
involvesslack.Whenataskisgivenadeadlinedate,itsslackdoesnotextendbeyond
thedeadlinedate.
Tip Toremoveadeadlinefromatask,cleartheDatefieldintheDeadlinesandCon-
straintspaneoftheProjectGuide,orcleartheDeadlinefieldontheAdvancedtabofthe
TaskInformationdialogbox(availablebyclickingTaskInformationontheProjectmenu).
EnteringFixedCosts
Formostprojects,financialcostsarederivedmainlyfromresourcecosts.Typically,
yousetuphourly,weekly,ormonthlycostratesforresources.However,inaddition
to(orsometimesinsteadof)theresourcecostsassociatedwithatask,ataskmight
haveafixed cost.Afixedcostisaspecificmonetaryamountbudgetedforatask.It
remainsthesameregardlessofhowmuchtimeoreffortresourcesexpendtocom-
pletethetask.Herearesomecommonexamplesoffixedcostsinprojects:
Travelexpensesforaconsultant,paidinadditiontoanhourlyoradailyfee.
Asetupfee,chargedinadditiontoaper-dayrentalfee,forapieceof
equipment.
Apermittofilminapubliclocation.
Ifyouenterbothresourcecostsandfixedcostsforatask,Projectaddsthetwoto
determinethetaskstotalcost.Ifyoudonotenterresourcecostinformationintoa
projectplan(perhapsbecauseyoudonotknowhowmuchyourresourceswillbe
paid),youcanstillgainsomecontrolovertheprojectstotalcostbyenteringfixed
costspertask.
Youcanspecifywhenfixedcostsshouldaccrue:
Start.Theentirefixedcostisscheduledforthestartofthetask.Whenyoutrack
progress,theentirefixedcostofthetaskisincurredassoonasthetaskstarts.
End.Theentirefixedcostisscheduledfortheendofthetask.Whenyoutrack
progress,theentirefixedcostofthetaskisincurredonlyafterthetaskis
completed.
Prorated.Thefixedcostisdistributedevenlyoverthedurationofthetask.
Whenyoutrackprogress,theprojectincursthecostofthetaskattherateat
whichthetaskiscompleted.Forexample,ifataskhasa$100fixedcostandis
75percentcomplete,theprojecthasincurred$75againstthattask.
Whenyouplanaproject,theaccrual methodyouchooseforfixedcostsdetermines
howthesecostsarescheduledovertime.Thiscanbeimportantinanticipatingbudget
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7
andcash-flowneeds.Bydefault,Projectassignstheproratedaccrualmethodforfixed
costs,butyoucanchangethattomatchyourorganizationscostaccountingpractices.
Forthefilmproject,youknowfrompastexperiencethatthefilmingpermitswillcost
$500,payablewhenyouapplyforthepermits.Inthisexercise,youassignafixed
costtoataskandspecifyitsaccrualmethod.
2 IntheMoreViewsdialogbox,clickTaskSheet,andthenclicktheApplybutton.
TheTaskSheetviewappears.
TheCosttableappears,replacingtheEntrytable.
4 IntheFixedCostfieldfortask8,Apply for filming permits,type500,andpressD.
5 IntheFixedCostAccrualfield,selectStart,andpressD.
Afixedcostvalueiseitheraccruedatthestartor
finishofataskorproratedoverthedurationof
thetask,dependingontheoptionyouchoose.
NowProjectwillschedulea$500costagainstthetaskApply for filming permitsat
thetasksstartdate,andtheprojectwillincurthiscostwhenthetaskstarts.This
costisindependentofthetasksdurationandofthecostsofresourcesassigned
toit.Infact,thetaskstotalcost(visibleintheTotalCostcolumn)includesboththe
$500fixedcostandthecostoftheresourcesassignedtothetask.
SettingUpaRecurringTask
Manyprojectsrequirerepetitivetasks,suchasattendingprojectstatusmeetings,cre-
atingandpublishingstatusreports,orrunningqualitycontrolinspections.Althoughit
iseasytooverlooktheschedulingofsuchevents,youshouldaccountforthemin
yourprojectplan.Afterall,statusmeetingsandsimilareventsthatindirectlysupport
theprojectrequiretimefromresources.Andsucheventstaketimeawayfromyour
resourcesotherassignments.
Tohelpaccountforsucheventsinyourprojectplan,createarecurring task.Asthe
namesuggests,arecurringtaskisrepeatedataspecifiedfrequency,suchasdaily,
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7
weekly,monthly,oryearly.Whenyoucreatearecurringtask,Projectcreatesaseries
oftaskswithStartNoEarlierThanconstraints,notaskrelationships,andeffort-driven
schedulingturnedoff.
Inthisexercise,youcreatearecurringtask.
2 Selectthenameoftask12,Production.
Youwanttherecurringtaskstobeinsertedintotheprojectasthelastitemsinthe
pre-productionphase,directlyabovetask12.
3 OntheInsertmenu,clickRecurringTask.
TheRecurringTaskInformationdialogboxappears.
4 IntheTaskNamebox,typeStaffplanningmeeting.
5 IntheDurationbox,type2h.
6 UnderRecurrencepattern,makesureWeeklyisselected,andthenselectthe
Mondaycheckbox.
Nextyouwillspecifythedateofitsfirstoccurrence.Bydefault,itistheprojectstart
date.However,youwanttheweeklystatusmeetingstobeginaweeklater.
7 IntheStartbox,typeorselect3/14/05.
Nextyouwillspecifythenumberofrecurrences.Youdothisbyenteringeitheran
exactnumberofrecurrencesoradatebywhichthetaskshouldend.
8 SelectEndafter,andtypeorselect10occurrences.
9 ClickOKtocreatetherecurringtask.
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7
Projectinsertstherecurringtasks,nestedwithinthePre-Productionphase.Initially
thesummarytaskiscollapsed.ArecurringtaskiconappearsintheIndicators
column.
GoToSelected
Task
Assign
Resources
10 ToseethefirstoccurrencesoftherecurringmeetingsGanttbars,ontheStandard
toolbar,clicktheGoToSelectedTaskbutton.
Thisiconindicates Unlikeothersummarytasks,the
arecurringtask. summaryrecurringtaskshowsonly
theindividualoccurrencesofthetask.
NotethatthesummaryGanttbarfortherecurringtaskdoesnotlookliketheother
summaryGanttbarsintheGanttchart.AsummaryGanttbarforarecurringtask
showsonlytheoccurrencesorroll-upsoftheindividualoccurrencesofthetask.For
example,contrastthesummaryGanttbarfortherecurringtaskwiththatoftask1,
Pre-Production.
Nextyouwillassignresourcestotherecurringtask.
11 Verifythattask12isselected,thenontheStandardtoolbar,clickAssign
Resources.
12 IntheAssignResourcesdialogbox,clickClairHector.ThenholddowntheHkey
whileclickingJohnathanPerreraandScottCooper.
13 ClicktheAssignbutton,andthenclickClose.
TheAssignResourcesdialogboxcloses,andProjectassignstheselected
resourcestotherecurringtask.Nextyouwillviewtheindividualoccurrencesofthe
recurringtask.
14 Clicktheplussignnexttothesummaryrecurringtaskstitle,Staffplanningmeet-
ing.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
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7
Thenamesofrecurringtasksare
automaticallynumberedsequentially.
Youcanalsoseeresourceassignments
fortheindividualrecurringtasks.
Eachoccurrenceofthesummarytaskissequentiallynumbered(ifyouwishtoverify
this,widentheTaskNamecolumn),andtheresourceassignmentsappearforthe
subtasks.
15 Clicktheminussignnexttothesummaryrecurringtaskstitle,Staffplanningmeet-
ing,tohidethesubtasks.
Hereareafewmorethingstokeepinmindwhencreatingrecurringtasks:
Bydefault,ProjectschedulesarecurringtasktostartattheDefaultStartTime
valueenteredontheCalendartab(ontheToolsmenu,clickOptions).Inthis
project,thatis8A.M.Ifyouwanttoschedulearecurringtasktostartatadiffer-
enttime,enterthattimealongwiththestartdateintheStartboxoftheRecur-
ringTaskInformationdialogbox.Forexample,ifyouhadwantedtherecurring
staffmeetingtobescheduledfor10A.M.startingonOctober3,youwould
enter10/3/0510AMintheStartbox.
Whenyouschedulearecurringtasktoendonaspecificdate,Projectsuggests
thecurrentprojectenddate.Ifyouusethisdate,besuretomanuallychangeit
iftheprojectenddatechangeslater.
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7
Projectalertsyouifyoucreatearecurringtaskthatwouldoccurduringnon-
workingtime(aholiday,forexample).Youcanthenchoosenottocreatethat
occurrenceortoscheduleitforthenextworkingday.
YoushouldalwaysassignresourcestorecurringtaskswiththeAssignResources
dialogbox.EnteringresourcenamesintheResourceNamefieldofthesummary
recurringtaskassignstheresourcestothesummarytask,nottotheindividual
occurrences.
CLOSE:theShortFilmProject7file.
KeyPoints
Byusingacombinationoftaskrelationships,andleadandlagtime,youcan
moreaccuratelymodelhowworkshouldbedone.
Whenenteringleadtimebetweenapredecessorandsuccessortask,enteringa
percentageleadtimevalueoffersmoreflexibilitybecauseProjectrecalculates
theleadtimevaluewheneverthepredecessortasksdurationchanges.
TheconstraintoptionsinProjectenableyoutofullytakeadvantageofthe
schedulingengineinProject,ortoeffectivelyturnitoff.Thinkthroughthe
effectsofsemi-flexibleandinflexibleconstraintsonyourschedules,anduse
themsparingly.
Youcanoftensetadeadlinedateforataskinsteadofapplyingahardcon-
straintlikeMustFinishOn.
Thecriticalpathindicatestheseriesoftasksthatdeterminetheprojectsfinish
date.Projectconstantlyrecalculatesthecriticalpath,whichmaychangeasthe
detailsofyourprojectplanchange.
Fortasksthatmustbecompletedoutsideoftheprojectsnormalworkingtime
(asspecifiedbytheprojectcalendar),youcancreateanewcalendarandapply
ittothetask.
Projectsupportsthreedifferenttasktypes;fixedunitsisthedefault.Atasks
typedetermineshowProjectreschedulesataskwhenyouchangework,dura-
tion,orassignmentunitsvalues.
152
Changeresource
availabilityovertime,
page159
Controlwhenaresourcestarts
workonanassignment,
page161
Contourresourceassignments
manuallyorwithbuilt-in
contourpatterns,
page163
Assignmaterialresourcestotasks
usingvariableconsumptionrates,
page168
8
Fine-TuningResource
andAssignmentDetails
Setupdifferentpayratesforresources.
Setuppayratesthatwillchangeovertimeforaresource.
Setresourceavailabilitytochangeovertime.
Delaythestartofaresourceassignment.
Controlhowaresourcesworkonataskisscheduledovertimebyusingwork
contours.
Applydifferentcostratesforaresourceassignedtodifferentkindsoftasks.
Entervariableconsumptionratesformaterialresources.
enceentriesonpagesxxviiixxix.
Becausepeopleandequipmentresourcesareoftenthemostexpensivepartofaproject,
understandinghowtomakethebestuseofresourcestimeisanimportantprojectplan-
ningskill.Inthischapter,youexamineanduseavarietyofadvancedMicrosoftOffice
Project2003featuresrelatingtoresourcesandtheirassignmentstotasks.
EnteringMultiplePayRatesforaResource
Somework resourcesmightperformdifferenttaskswithdifferentpayrates.Forexam-
ple,intheshortfilmproject,thedirectorofphotographycouldalsoserveasacamera
operator.Becausethepayratesfordirectorofphotographyandcameraoperatorare
different,youcanentertwocost rate tables fortheresource.Then,afteryouassign
theresourcetotasks,youspecifywhichratetableshouldapply.Eachresourcecan
haveuptofivecostratetables.
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8
Fine-TuningResourceandAssignmentDetails PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling
Inthisexercise,youcreateasecondcostratetableforaresource.
OPEN:ShortFilmProject8afromthe\My Documents\Microsoft Press\Project 2003 Step by Step\Chapter 8
Advanced Resources and Assignments folder.Youcanalsoaccessthepracticefilesforthisbookbyclicking
Start,AllPrograms,MicrosoftPress,Project2003StepbyStep,andthenselectingthechapterfolderofthe
fileyouwanttoopen.
1 OntheFilemenu,clicktheSaveAsbutton.
TheResourceSheetviewreplacestheGanttChartview.
4 IntheResourceSheetview,clickthenameofresource18,JanMiksovsky.
Resource TheResourceInformationdialogboxappears.
Information
156
PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling Fine-TuningResourceandAssignmentDetails
8
Tip Youcanalsodouble-clicktheResourceNamefieldtodisplaytheResource
6 ClicktheCoststab.
YouseeJansdefaultpayrateof$18.75perhouronratetableA.Eachtab(labeled
A,B,andsoon)correspondstooneofthefivepayratesaresourcecanhave.
7 UnderCostratetables,clicktheBtab.
8 Selectthedefaultentryof$0.00/hinthefielddirectlybelowthecolumnheading
StandardRate,andthentype14/h.
9 IntheOvertimeRatefieldinthesamerow,type21/h,andthenpresstheFkey:
Whenyouenterapayrate,Projectsupplies
thecurrencysymbolifyoudonot.
10 ClickOKtoclosetheResourceInformationdialogbox.
NoticethatontheResourceSheet,Jansstandardpayrateisstill$18.75perhour.
(ThisisrecordedintheStd.Ratecolumn.)Thismatchesthevalueinherratetable
A,thedefaultratetable.ThisratetablewillbeusedforallofJanstaskassign-
mentsunlessyouspecifyadifferentratetable.Youwilldothisinalatersection.
SettingUpPayRatestoApplyatDifferentTimes
Resourcescanhavebothstandardandovertimepayrates.Bydefault,Projectuses
theseratesforthedurationoftheproject.However,youcanchangearesourcespay
ratestobeeffectiveasofthedateyouchoose.Forexample,youcouldinitiallysetup
157
8
Resource
Information
aresourceonJanuary1withastandardrateof$10perhour,planningtoraisethe
resourcesstandardrateto$13perhouronJuly1.
Projectusesthesepayrateswhencalculatingresourcecosts,basedonwhenthe
resourcesworkisscheduled.Youcanassignupto25payratestobeappliedatdif-
ferenttimestoeachofaresourcesfivecostratetables.
Inthisexercise,youenterdifferentpayratesforaresourcetobeappliedatalaterdate.
1 IntheResourceNamecolumn,selectthenameofresource11,DougHampton.
3 ClicktheCoststab.
YoullenterapayrateincreaseincostratetableA.
4 IntheEffectiveDatecellinthesecondrowofcostratetableA,typeorselect
7/1/05.
5 IntheStandardRatecellinthesecondrow,type20%,andthenpresstheFkey:
Ifyouenterapositiveornegativepercentagevaluehere,
Projectautomaticallycalculatesthenewratevaluebased
onthepreviousratevalue.
NotethatProjectcalculatesthe20percentincreasetoproducearateof$15.60
perhour.Thepreviousrateof$13perhourplus20percentequals$15.60per
hour.Youcanenteraspecificvalueorapercentageincreaseordecreasefromthe
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8
previousrate.Calculatinganewpayratebasedonapercentageoftheprevious
payrateisaone-timecalculation.ShouldyoulaterchangeDougsinitialstandard
payrate(currently$13.00/hour),hisnextpayratewouldnotbeaffected.
Tip Inadditiontoorinsteadofstandardandovertimepayratesthatcanchange
overtime,aresourcecanalsohaveacostperusethatcanchangeovertime.
NotethatDougHamptonsinitialrate,$13.00/hr,appearsinhisStd.Ratefield.
Thisfieldwilldisplay$13perhouruntilthecurrentdatechangesto7/1/05or
later.Thenitwilldisplayhisnewstandardrateof$15.60perhour.
SettingUpResourceAvailability
toApplyatDifferentTimes
OneofthevaluesProjectstoresforeachworkresourceistheresourcesMax.Units
value.Thisisthemaximumcapacityofaresourcetoaccomplishtasks.Aresources
workingtimesettings(recordedintheindividualresourcecalendars)determinewhen
workassignedtoaresourcecanbescheduled.However,theresourcescapacityto
work(measuredinunits,andlimitedbytheresourcesMax.Unitsvalue)determines
theextenttowhichtheresourcecanworkwithinthosehourswithoutbecoming
overallocated.
YoucanspecifydifferentMax.Unitsvaluestobeappliedatdifferenttimeperiodsfor
anyresource.Settingaresourcesavailabilityovertimeenablesyoutocontrolexactly
whataresourcesMax.Unitsvalueisatanytime.Forexample,youmighthavetwo
electriciansavailableforthefirsteightweeks,threeforthenextsixweeks,andthen
twofortheremainderoftheproject.Yousetresourceavailabilityovertimeinthe
ResourceAvailabilitygridontheGeneraltaboftheResourceInformationdialogbox.
(YoucanopenthisdialogboxbyclickingtheResourceInformationcommandonthe
Projectmenuwheninaresourceview.)
Important SettingtheMax.Unitsvaluesfordifferenttimeswillnotpreventa
resourcefrombecomingoverallocated,butProjectwillindicatewhentheresources
assignmentsexceedtheirMax.Unitscapacity.
Inthisexercise,youcustomizearesourcesavailabilityovertime.
1 IntheResourceNamecolumn,clickthenameofresource13,Electrician.
Resource 3 ClicktheGeneraltab.
Information
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8
Youexpecttohavetwoelectriciansavailabletoworkonthisprojectfromthestart
oftheprojectthroughJune12,2005,threeelectriciansfromJune13through
June17,andthenjusttwofortheremainderoftheproject.
4 UnderResourceAvailability,inthefirstrowoftheAvailableFromcolumn,leaveNA
(forNotApplicable).
5 IntheAvailableTocellinthefirstrow,typeorselect6/12/05.
6 IntheAvailableFromcellinthesecondrow,typeorselect6/13/05.
7 IntheAvailableTocellinthesecondrow,typeorselect6/17/05.
8 IntheUnitscellinthesecondrow,typeorselect300%.
9 IntheAvailableFromcellinthethirdrow,typeorselect6/18/05.
10 LeavetheAvailableTocellinthethirdrowblank.(ProjectwillinsertNA foryouafter
youcompletethenextstep.)
11 IntheUnitscellinthethirdrow,typeorselect200%,andthenpresstheFkey:
Whenyouenterdatesinanabbreviatedformat,suchas
6/12/05,Projectconvertsthemtothisexpandedformat.
Tip This tip describes enterprise project management (EPM) functionality.Ifyou
haveProjectProfessional,youllseeadditionalitemsintheResourceInformation
dialogboxthatrelatetoenterpriseresourcefeaturesenabledbyProjectServer.For
moreinformation,seePart4,IntroducingProjectServer.
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8
Now,fortheperiodbetweenJune13throughJune17,youcanscheduleupto
threeelectricianswithoutoverallocatingthem.Beforeandafterthisperiod,you
havejusttwoelectricianstoschedule.
Note TheMax.UnitsfieldfortheElectriciansresourcewilldisplay300%onlywhen
thecurrentdate(basedonyourcomputerssystemclock)iswithintheJune13through
June17range.Atothertimesitwilldisplay200%.
DelayingtheStartofAssignments
Ifmorethanoneresourceisassignedtoatask,youmightnotwantalltheresources
tostartworkingonthetaskatthesametime.Youcandelaythestartofworkforone
ormoreresourcesassignedtoatask.
Forexample,letssayataskhasfourresourcesassigned.Threeoftheresourcesini-
tiallyworkonthetask,andthefourthlaterinspectsthequalityofthework.The
inspectorshouldstartworkonthetasklaterthantheotherresources.
Tip Ifyouneedtodelaythestartofallresourcesassignedtoataskratherthan
adjustingeachresourcesassignment,youshouldreschedulethestartdateofthetask.
Inthisexercise,youdelaythestartofoneresourcesassignmentonatask.
TheTaskUsageviewappears.Inthisview,theassignedresourcesarelistedunder
eachtask.
2 OntheEditmenu,clickGoTo,enter84intheIDbox,andthenclickOK.
Tip RememberthatH+gisashortcutfordisplayingtheGoTodialogbox.
Projectdisplaystask84,Archive master film and audio tape:
Asyoucansee,thistaskcurrentlyhasthreeresources(twopeopleandtheediting
lab)assignedtoit.YouwanttodelaythestartofDougHamptonsworkonthistask
untilMonday,December12.
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8
3 Undertask84intheTaskNamecolumn,selectthenameoftheresourceDoug
Hampton.
Assignment
Information
TheAssignmentInformationdialogboxappears.
Note Youmayhavenoticedthatthesametoolbarbuttonisusedforthe
ResourceInformationandAssignmentInformationbuttonsthatyouveusedinthis
chapter,aswellastheTaskInformationbutton.WhichInformationdialogboxyou
get(Task,Resource,orAssignment)dependsonwhatyouhaveselectedwhenyou
clickthebutton.
5 ClicktheGeneraltab.
6 IntheStartbox,typeorselect12/12/05,andthenclickOKtoclosetheAssign-
mentInformationdialogbox:
Thetotalworkforthe
taskdoesnotchange.
Afterdelayingthestartofthe
resource'sassignment,work
isshiftedtothenextworkday.
Note Ifyouwantanassignmenttostartataspecifictimeaswellasonaspe-
cificdate,youcanspecifythetimeintheStartbox.Forexample,ifyouwantDoug
Hamptonsassignmenttostartat1P.M.onDecember12,type12/12/041:00PM.
Otherwise,ProjectusesthedefaultstarttimeasspecifiedintheDefaultstarttime
boxontheCalendartaboftheOptionsdialogbox.
ProjectadjustsDougHamptonsassignmentonthistasksothatheworksnohourson
itWednesdaythroughFridaybutfourhoursonthefollowingMondayandtwoon
Tuesday.Theotherresourcesassignedtothetaskarenotaffected.Notethatthetotal
workofthistaskdidnotchange,butitsdurationdidtheworkwasspreadfromtwo
days(WednesdayandThursday)tofivedays(WednesdaythroughTuesday).
Tip Youcanalsodelayormakeotherchangestoindividualresourceassignmentsby
usingtheProjectGuide.ClicktheTrackbuttonontheProjectGuidetoolbar,andthen
clicktheMakechangestotheprojectlink.IntheProjectGuidesEditAssignmentsview,
changetheassignment-leveldetailsyouwant.
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ApplyingContourstoAssignments
IntheResourceUsageandTaskUsageviews,youcanseeexactlyhowlongeach
resourceisscheduledtoworkoneachtask.Inadditiontoviewingassignment
details,youcanchangetheamountoftimearesourceworksonataskinanygiven
timeperiod.Therearetwowaystodothis:
Applyapredefinedworkcontour toanassignment.Predefinedcontoursgener-
allydescribehowworkisdistributedovertimeintermsofgraphicalpatterns.
Forexample,theBellpredefinedcontourdistributeslessworktothebeginning
andendoftheassignment,anddistributesmoreworktowardthemiddle.Ifyou
weretographtheworkovertime,thegraphsshapewouldresembleabell.
Edittheassignmentdetailsdirectly.Forexample,intheResourceUsageor
TaskUsageview,youcanchangetheassignmentvaluesdirectlyinthetime-
scaledgrid.
Howyoucontouroreditanassignmentdependsonwhatyouneedtoaccomplish.
Predefinedcontoursworkbestforassignmentsinwhichyoucanpredictalikelypat-
ternofeffortataskthatrequiresconsiderableramp-uptimemightbenefitfroma
back-loadedcontour,forexample,toreflectthelikelihoodthattheresourcewillbe
mostproductivetowardtheendoftheassignment.
Inthisexercise,youapplyapredefinedcontourtoonetasksassignments,andyou
manuallyeditanotherassignment.
Projectscrollstotask79,Record final narration.Thistaskhasthreeresources
assignedtoit:
Asyoucanseeinthetimescaleddataattheright,allthreeresourcesaresched-
uledtoworkonthistaskataregularrateofeighthoursperdayexceptforthe
firstandlastdaysofthetask.Theseassignmentshaveaflatcontour.Thisisthe
defaultworkcontourtypeProjectuseswhenschedulingwork.
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8
Assignment
Information
YouwanttochangeMichaelPattensassignmentonthistasksothatalthoughthe
otherassignedresourcesworkfull-time,hestartswithabriefdailyassignmentand
increaseshisworktimeasthetaskprogresses.Heshouldcontinueworkingonthe
taskaftertheotherresourceshavefinishedtheirassignments.Toaccomplishthis,
youwillapplyaback-loadedcontourtotheassignment.
Note Thereasoneachresourceassignedtotask79hasjustfourhoursofwork
onthetasksfirstandlastdayisthatthetaskisscheduledtostarthalfwaythrough
theworkday(at1P.M.)onWednesday,andfinishinthemiddleoftheworkdayon
Tuesday.
2 IntheTaskNamecolumn,selectMichaelPatten,thesecondresourceassignedto
task79.
ProjectdisplaystheAssignmentInformationdialogbox.
5 IntheWorkContourbox,selectBackLoaded,andthenclickOKtoclosetheAssign-
mentInformationdialogbox.
Projectappliesthecontourtothisresourcesassignmentandrescheduleshiswork
onthetask:
Theback-loadedcontourcausesProjecttoassignverylittle.
worktotheresourceinitiallyandthenaddmoreworkeachday.
Thecontourindicatormatchesthetypeof
contourappliedback-loadedinthiscase.
Ifyouscrollthetimescaleddatatotheright,youseethatineachsuccessivedayof
thetasksduration,MichaelPattenisassignedslightlymoretimetoworkonthe
assignment.YoualsoseeacontourindicatorintheIndicatorscolumn,showingthe
typeofcontourthatisappliedtotheassignment.
6 Pointtotheindicator:
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8
ProjectdisplaysaScreenTipdescribingthetypeofcontourappliedtothis
assignment.
BecauseMichaelPattensassignmenttothistaskfinisheslaterthantheassign-
mentsoftheotherresources,MichaelPattendeterminesthefinishdateofthe
task.OnecommonwaytophrasethisisthatMichaelPattenisthedriving resource
ofthistask;hisassignmentdetermines,ordrives,thefinishdateofthetask.
Nextyouwilldirectlyeditanothertasksassignmentvalues.
Tip Applyingacontourtothisassignmentcausedtheoveralldurationofthetask
tobeextended.Ifyoudonotwantacontourtoextendatasksduration,changethe
tasktype(ontheAdvancedtaboftheTaskInformationdialogbox)toFixedDuration
beforeapplyingthecontour.Applyingacontourtoafixed-durationtaskwillcause
Projecttorecalculatetheresourcesworkvaluesothatheorsheworkslessinthe
sametimeperiod.
Projectscrollsverticallytotask2,Review script:
NotethatClairHectoriscurrentlyassignedfourhoursperdayforeachdayofthe
assignmentsduration.Whyfourhours?Clairnormallyhaseightworkinghoursper
dayonthesedays(asdeterminedbyherresourcecalendar).Shewasassignedto
thistaskat50percentassignmentunits,however,sotheresultingscheduledwork
isjustfourhoursperday.
YouwanttochangeClairHectorsassignmentonthelasttwodaysofthistaskso
thatshewillworkfull-timeonit.Toaccomplishthis,youwillmanuallyedither
assignmentvalues.
8 SelectClairHectorsfour-hourassignmentforThursday,March10.
9 Type8h,andthenpresstheDkey.
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8
10 InClairsassignmentforFriday,type8h,andthenpressF:
HereareClairHector'sassignedworkvalues
forThursdayandFriday,afteryoueditedthem.
AfteryoumanuallyeditClair'sassignment,thisindicatorappears.
NowClairisassignedeighthoursperdayonthesedays.Projectdisplaysacontour
indicatorintheIndicatorscolumn,thistimeshowingthatamanuallyeditedcontour
hasbeenappliedtotheassignment.
Tip Ifyouwanttodocumentdetailsaboutcontouringanassignment,oranything
Assignment
aboutanassignment,youcanrecordthedetailsinanassignmentnote.InTask
Notes
UsageorResourceUsageview,selecttheassignment,andthenclicktheAssign-
mentNotesbuttonontheStandardtoolbar.Assignmentnotesaresimilartotask
andresourcenotes.
ApplyingDifferentCostRatestoAssignments
Youcansetasmanyasfivepayratesperresource.Thisenablesyoutoapplydiffer-
entpayratestodifferentassignmentsforaresource,forexample,dependingonthe
skillsrequiredforeachassignment.Foreachassignment,Projectinitiallyusesrate
tableAbydefault,butyoucanspecifythatanotherratetableshouldbeused.
Inaprevioussection,yousetupasecondratetableforJanMiksovskytobeapplied
foranyassignmentswheresheisfunctioningasacameraoperator.Janiscurrently
assignedtotask27,Scene 7 shoot,asacameraoperator,butherassignmentstill
reflectsherdefaultpayrateasdirectorofphotography.Inthisexercise,youchange
thepayratetabletobeappliedtoJanforherassignmenttotask27.
ProjectscrollstheTaskUsageviewtodisplaytask27,Scene 7 shoot.
2 OntheViewmenu,pointtoTable:Usage,andclickCost.
ProjectdisplaystheCosttable.
3 ClicktherowheadingdirectlytotheleftofJan Miksovskysothattheentireassign-
mentisselected.
4 Scrollthetableportion(ontheleft)oftheTaskUsageviewtotherightuntilthe
TotalCostcolumnisvisible:
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8
IntheCosttableyoucanseethetask'sandeachassignment'stotalcost.
Toseeotherassignmentcostvaluessuchasactualcostorvariance,scroll
thetabletotheright.
NotethecurrentcostofJansassignmenttothistask:$150.00.
7 IntheCostRateTablebox,typeorselectB,andthenclickOKtoclosetheAssign-
mentInformationdialogbox.
ProjectappliesJanscostratetableBtotheassignment.Thenewcostofthe
assignment,$112.00,appearsintheTotalCostcolumn.
Tip Ifyoufrequentlychangecostratetablesforassignments,youwillfindit
quickertodisplaytheCostRateTablefielddirectlyintheResourceUsageorTask
Usageview.Selectacolumnheading,andontheInsertmenu,clickColumn.Inthe
FieldNamebox,selectCostRateTableinthedrop-downlist,andthenclickOK.
Assignment
Information
EnteringMaterialResourceConsumptionRates
Theshortfilmprojectincludesonematerial resource:16-mmfilm.Ifyoucompleted
Chapter4,AssigningResourcestoTasks,youassignedamaterialresourcewitha
fixedamount,orfixed consumption rate,toatask.Anotherwaytousematerial
resourcesistoassignthemwithavariable consumption rate.Hereisthedifference
betweenthetworates:
Afixedconsumptionratemeansthatregardlessofthedurationofthetaskto
whichthematerialresourceisassigned,anabsolutequantityoftheresource
willbeused.Forexample,pouringconcreteforahousefoundationrequiresa
fixedamountofconcrete,nomatterhowlongittakestopourit.
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8
Avariableconsumptionratemeansthatthequantityofthematerialresource
consumeddependsonthedurationofthetask.Whenshootingfilm,forexam-
ple,youwillshootmorefilminfourhoursthanintwo,andyoucandetermine
anhourlyrateatwhichyoushoot(orconsume)film.Afteryouenteravariable
consumptionrateforamaterialresourcesassignment,Projectcalculatesthe
totalquantityofthematerialresourceconsumed,basedonthetasksduration.
Theadvantageofusingavariablerateofconsumptionisthattherateistiedto
thetasksduration.Ifthedurationchanges,thecalculatedquantityandcostof
thematerialresourcewillchangeaswell.
Ineithercase,afteryouenterastandardpayrateforoneunitofthematerial
resource,Projectcalculatesthetotalcostoftheassignment.Forexample,wewill
assumethata100-footspoolof16-mmfilmcosts$20topurchaseandprocess.
Inthisexercise,youenteranhourlyvariableconsumptionrateforataskthatrequires
shooting(orconsuming)film.Thenyoulookattheresultingquantityornumberof
unitsoffilmrequiredbythedurationofthetask,aswellasthecostofthematerial
resourceassignment.
Projectdisplaystask27,Scene 7 shoot.Thisisthefirstofseveraltasksthat
requirefilmtobeshot.Nextyouwillassignthematerialresource16-mmFilmto
thistask.
Assign
TheAssignResourcesdialogboxappears.
Resources
4 IntheUnitsfieldfor16-mmFilmintheAssignResourcesdialogbox,type5/hand
thenclicktheAssignbutton.
Note Besuretoselect16-mmFilmandnot16-mm CameraintheAssign
Resourcesdialogbox.
Projectassignsthefilmtothetask,ataconsumptionrateoffive100-footspools
perhour:
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8
Becausethistaskcurrentlyhasaneight-hourduration,thetotalfilmassignment
shouldbe40spoolsoffilm.Toverifythisandseetheresultingcostofthematerial
resourceassignment,youwillchangeviews.
5 IntheAssignResourcesdialogbox,clicktheClosebutton.
Nextyouwillviewthecostandworkvaluesofthe16-mmFilmassignmentto
task27viatheAssignmentInformationdialogbox.
7 Clickthe16-mmFilmassignmentundertask27,Scene 7 shoot.
Assignment TheAssignmentInformationdialogboxappears.
Information
9 IftheGeneraltabisnotalreadyactive,selectit.
Becausethecostoftheassignmentiscalculated,
youcan'tedititdirectly.
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8
Hereyoucanseethecostandworkvaluesofthe16-mmFilmassignment.
Thecalculatedcostoftheassignment,$800,isthe40unitsofthismaterial
resourceforthisassignmentmultipliedbythe$20perunitcostenteredfor
thismaterialresource.(ThisvalueisrecordedintheStd.Ratefieldforthe
resource.)Shouldthedurationofthetaskchange,thenumberofunitsoffilm
consumedanditstotalcostwouldchangecorrespondingly.IntheWorkbox,
youcanseethatthe16-mmFilmassignmenttotask27iscurrently40
100-footspoolsoffilm.
KeyPoints
Whenworkingwithresourcecosts,youcanspecifydifferentcostratesfordif-
ferentassignmentsandapplydifferentcostratesatdifferenttimes.
Youcanaccountforvariableresourceavailabilityovertime(viaaresources
Max.Unitsvalue),whichallowsyoutomorefinelycontrolwhenaresourcewill
appeartobeoverallocated.
Inausageviewyoucaneditthescheduledworkvaluesofresourceassign-
mentsovertime.Forexample,youcandelaythestartofoneresourceonan
assignmentwithoutaffectingtheotherresourcesassignedtothesametask.
Materialresources,whenassignedtoatask,canhaveafixedorvariablecon-
sumptionrate.
170
Viewworkassignmentsper,
dayormonth,
page174
Editresourceassignments
tomanuallyresolve
overallocations,
page180
Checkaprojectsvitalcost
anddurationstatistics,
page193
Useresourcelevelingtoresolveresource
overallocationproblemsthroughoutaprojectplan,
page186
9
Fine-Tuning
theProjectPlan
Lookathowresourcesarescheduledtoworkoverthedurationofaproject.
Editaresourceassignmenttoresolvearesourceoverallocation.
Resolveresourceoverallocationsautomatically.
Seedetailedandoverallprojectcosts.
Seetasksonthecriticalpaththatdeterminesaprojectsfinishdate.
enceentriesonpagexxx.
Uptonowyouhaveworkedwithtasks,resources,andassignmentsseparately.Now
youwillfine-tunesomesettingsthataffectallthreeelements.Whenyoubuilda
projectplan,youworkwithtasks,resources,andassignmentstogether.Changesyou
maketotasks,forexample,affecttheresourcesassignedtothosetasks.
ExaminingResourceAllocationsoverTime
Inthisexercise,youwillfocusonresourceallocationhowthetaskassignments
youvemadeaffecttheworkloadsofthepeopleandequipmentresourcesofa
project.Therelationshipbetweenaresourcescapacityandhisorhertaskassign-
mentsiscalledallocation.Eachresourceisinoneofthreestatesofallocation:
Underallocated.Theresourcesassignmentsdonotfillhisorhermaximum
capacity.Forexample,afull-timeresourcewhohasonly25hoursofwork
assignedina40-hourworkweekisunderallocated.
Fully allocated.Theresourcesassignmentsfillhisorhermaximumcapacity.
Forexample,afull-timeresourcewhohas40hoursofworkassignedina
40-hourworkweekisfullyallocated.
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9
Fine-TuningtheProjectPlan PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling
Overallocated.Theresourcesassignmentsexceedhisorhermaximumcapacity.
Forexample,afull-timeresourcewhohas65hoursofworkassignedina40-
hourworkweekisoverallocated.
InMicrosoftOfficeProject2003,aresourcescapacitytoworkismeasuredinunits;
themaximumcapacityofagivenresourceiscalledmaximum units.Unitsaremea-
suredeitherasnumbers(forexample,threeunits)orasapercentage(forexample,
300percentunits).
ProjectManagementFocus:EvaluatingResourceAllocation
Itistemptingtosaythatfullyallocatingallresourcesallthetimeiseveryprojectman-
agersgoalbutthatwouldbeanoversimplification.Dependingonthenatureofyour
projectandtheresourcesworkingonit,someunderallocationsmightbeperfectlyfine.
Overallocationmightnotalwaysbeaproblemeither,dependingontheamountofover-
allocation.Ifoneresourceisoverallocatedforjustahalfhour,Projectcanalertyou,but
suchaminoroverallocationmightnotbeaproblemyouneedtosolve,dependingonthe
resourceinvolvedandthenatureoftheassignment.Severeoverallocationforexam-
ple,aresourcebeingassignedtwicetheworkheorshecouldpossiblyaccomplishin
onedayisalwaysaproblem,however,andyoushouldknowhowtoidentifyitand
havestrategiesforaddressingit.Thischapterhelpsyouidentifyandremedyresource
overallocation.
Inthisexercise,youlookatresourceallocationsandfocusontworesourceswhoare
overallocated.
Chapter 9 Advanced Plan folder.YoucanalsoaccessthepracticefilesforthisbookbyclickingStart,All
Programs,MicrosoftPress,Project2003StepbyStep,andselectingthechapterfolderofthefileyouwant
toopen.
NextyouwillusetheProjectGuidetoviewresourceusage.
174
PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling Fine-TuningtheProjectPlan
9
4 IntheReportpane,clicktheSeehowresourcestimeisallocatedlink.
Asplitview,withtheResourceUsageviewontopandtheGanttChartviewonthe
bottom,appears:
OntheleftsideoftheResourceUsageviewisatable(theUsagetable,bydefault)
thatshowsassignmentsgroupedperresource,thetotalworkassignedtoeach
resource,andeachassignmentswork.Thisinformationisorganizedintoanoutline
thatyoucanexpandorcollapse.
Therightsideoftheviewcontainsassignmentdetails(work,bydefault)arranged
onatimescale.Youcanscrollthetimescalehorizontallytoseedifferenttimeperi-
ods.Youcanalsochangethetiersofthetimescaletodisplaydatainunitsof
weeks,days,hours,andsoon.
Nextyouwillcollapsetheoutlineinthetabletoseetotalworkperresourceover
time.
5 Intheupperpane,clicktheResourceNamecolumnheading.
6 OntheFormattingtoolbar,clicktheHideSubtasksbutton.
HideSubtasks
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9
ProjectcollapsestheResourceUsageview.Resourceassignmentsarehiddenin
theUsagetable,andtheresourcestotalworkvaluesovertimeappearinthe
timescaledgridontheright,asshowninthefollowingillustration:
Tip Noticethenameofthefirstresource,Unassigned.Thisresourcelistsall
taskstowhichnospecificresourcesareassigned.
Nextyouwilllookattwopeopleresourcesandtheirallocations.
7 IntheResourceNamecolumn,clickthenameofresource4,AnneL.Paper.
GoToSelected
ProjectscrollsthetimescaledgridtoshowAnneL.Papersearliestassignment:
Task
eighthoursonaThursday.BelowtheResourceUsageview,theGanttChartview
showsthetaskstowhichAnneisassigned.
9 PointtotheTcolumnheading(forThursday)atthetopofthetimescaledgrid:
Inanytimescaledview,youcangetdetailsaboutdates
byhoveringyourmousepointeroverthetimescale.
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9
AScreenTipappearswiththedateoftheassignment:6/2/05.SuchScreenTips
arehandyinanytimescaledview,suchastheResourceUsageviewortheGantt
Chartview.
Currentlythetimescaleissettodisplayweeksinthemiddletieranddaysinthe
bottomtier.Nowyoullchangethetimescaletoseetheworkdatasummarized
morebroadly.
10 AtthebottomoftheResourceAllocationpaneintheProjectGuide,clickthe
ChangeTimescalelink.
TheTimescaledialogboxappears.
Tip YoucanalsoclickTimescaleontheFormatmenu.
Thetimescalecandisplayuptothreetiers,typicallyindescendingorderofdetail,
suchasyears,months,anddays.However,thetoptierisdisabledbydefault.
11 MakesurethattheMiddleTiertabisselected,andintheUnitsboxunderMiddle
tierformatting,clickMonths.
12 IntheShowboxunderTimescaleoptions,clickOnetier(Middle).Yourscreen
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9
13 ClickOKtoclosetheTimescaledialogbox.
Projectchangesthetimescaledgridtoshowworkvaluespermonth:
Asyoucanseeinthetimescaledgrid,AnneL.Paperisunderallocatedineachof
thetwomonthsinwhichshehasassignmentsintheproject:JuneandJuly.Anneis
oneoftheactorsassignedtothescenesinwhichhercharacterisneeded,sothis
underallocationisreallynotaproblemyouneedtoaddress.
NoticethatthenamesofClairHectorandotherresourcesappearinred.Thered
formattingmeansthattheseresourcesareoverallocated:atoneormorepointsin
thescheduletheirassignedtasksexceedtheircapacitytowork.Youwillfocuson
ClairHector,firstbychangingthetimescalesettings.
14 AtthebottomoftheResourceAllocationpane,clicktheChangeTimescalelink.
TheTimescaledialogboxappears.
15 MakesurethattheMiddleTiertabisselected,andintheUnitsbox,clickWeeks.
16 IntheShowboxunderTimescaleoptions,clickTwotiers(Middle,Bottom),andthen
clickOKtoclosetheTimescaledialogbox.
17 IntheResourceNamecolumn,clickthenameofresource6,ClairHector.
ProjectscrollsthetimescaledgridtoshowClairHectorsearliestassignments.For
theweekofMarch6,Clairhasnooverallocations.
19 ScrolltheResourceUsageviewsothatClairHectorappearsatthetopoftheview,
andthenscrollthetimescaledportionoftheview(usingthescrollbarsatthebot-
tomofthescreen)todisplaytheweekofMarch13,2005.Yourscreenshouldlook
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9
Monday,March14,showsClairsfirstoverallocation:10hours.IntheGanttChart
viewbelow,youcanseethetwotaskstowhichClairisassignedonMonday.
20 ClicktheplussignnexttoClairHectorsnameintheResourceNamecolumn.
ProjectexpandstheResourceUsageviewtoshowClairHectorsindividual
assignments.
21 ScrolltheResourceUsageviewdowntoseebothofClairsassignmentsonMon-
day,March14.
ClairhastwoassignmentsonMarch14:thetwo-hourtaskStaff planning meeting 1
andtheeight-hourtaskDevelop script breakdown and schedule.Thesetwotasks
havebeenscheduledattimesthatoverlapbetweenthehoursof8A.M.and10A.M.
(Ifyouwanttoseethis,formatthetimescaletodisplaydaysinthemiddletierand
hoursinthebottomtier.)Thisisarealoverallocation:Clairprobablycannotcom-
pletebothtaskssimultaneously.However,itisarelativelyminoroverallocation
giventhescopeoftheproject,andyoudontneedtobetooconcernedaboutresolv-
ingthislevelofoverallocation.
Thereareother,moreseriousoverallocationsintheschedule,however,whichyou
willremedylaterinthischapter.
Hereareafewmorethingstokeepinmindwhenviewingresourceallocation:
Bydefault,theResourceUsageviewdisplaystheUsagetable.Youcandisplay
differenttables,however.OntheViewmenu,clickTable:Usage,andthenclick
thetableyouwantdisplayed.
Bydefault,theResourceUsageviewdisplaysworkvaluesinthetimescaled
grid.However,youcandisplayadditionalassignmentvalues,suchascostand
remainingavailability.OntheFormatmenu,clickDetails,andthenclickthe
valueyouwantdisplayed.
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9
Zoom Zoom
In Out
InsteadofusingtheTimescalecommandontheFormatmenutochangethe
tiersofthetimescale,youcanclicktheZoomInandZoomOutbuttonsonthe
Standardtoolbar.However,thismethodmightnotproducetheexactlevelof
detailyouwant.Ifitdoesnot,usetheTimescalecommandontheFormatmenu.
Toseeallocationsforeachresourcegraphedagainstatimescale,youcandis-
playtheResourceGraphviewbyclickingtheResourceGraphcommandonthe
Viewmenu.Usethearrowkeysorhorizontalscrollbartoswitchbetween
resourcesinthisview.
ManuallyResolvingResourceOverallocations
Inthisexerciseandthenext,youwillcontinuetofocusonresourceallocationhow
thetaskassignmentsyouhavemadeaffecttheworkloadsofthepeopleandequip-
mentresourcesoftheproject.Inthisexercise,youwillmanuallyeditanassignment
toresolvearesourceoverallocation.Inthenextexercise,youwillautomatically
resolveresourceoverallocations.
Manuallyeditinganassignmentisjustonewaytoresolvearesourceoverallocation.
Othersolutionsincludethefollowing:
ReplacetheoverallocatedresourcewithanotherresourceusingtheReplacebut-
tonintheAssignResourcesdialogbox.
ReducethevalueintheUnitsfieldintheAssignmentInformationorAssign
Resourcesdialogbox.
Iftheoverallocationisnottoosevere(forexample,10hoursofworkassignedina
normaleight-hourworkday),youcanoftenleavetheoverallocationintheschedule.
Tip Tolearnmoreaboutresolvingresourceoverallocationproblems,typeResolving
resourceoverallocationintotheSearchboxintheupperrightcorneroftheProjectwin-
dow.TheSearchboxinitiallycontainsthetextType a question for help.
Inthisexercise,youwillusetheResourceAllocationviewtoexamineoneoverallo-
catedresourcesassignmentsandedittheassignmenttoeliminatetheoverallocation.
1 OntheWindowmenu,clickRemoveSplit.
Show/Hide TheProjectGuidecloses,leavingtheResourceUsageviewvisible.
ProjectGuide
3 OntheViewmenu,clickMoreViews,clickResourceAllocation,andthenclickthe
Applybutton:
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9
ProjectswitchestotheResourceAllocationview.Thisviewisacombinationview
thatdisplaystheResourceUsageviewinthetoppaneandtheLevelingGanttview
inthebottompane.
4 IntheResourceUsageview,scrollverticallythroughtheResourceNamecolumn.
Notethatseveralnamesappearinred.Theseareoverallocatedresources.
5 IntheResourceNamecolumn,clickthenameofresource14,EricLang.
6 ClicktheplussignnexttoEricLangsnametodisplayhisassignments.
GoToSelected
Task
Eventhoughthisresource'sassignmentson
theyhavebeenscheduledattimesthatoverlap,
thisdaydon'texceedhisdailyworkcapacity,
resultinginanhour-by-houroverallocation.
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Assignment
Information
IntheupperpaneyouseethatEricisassignedfull-timetotwotasksthatbothstart
onFriday,May20.Heisoverallocatedforthedurationofbothtasks.Inthelower
pane,youseetheGanttbarsforthespecifictasksthathavecausedErictobe
overallocatedonthesedays.Fortasks9and10,Ericisassignedeighthoursof
workoneachtaskMondayandTuesday.Thisresultsin16hoursofworkperday,
whichisbeyondEricscapacitytowork.
YoumightalsonoticethatEricisassignedatotalofeighthoursofworkonFriday,
andthenagainonthefollowingWednesday.Thesevaluesalsoappearinred,indi-
catingthatEricisoverallocatedonthosedaysaswell.Thisisbecausethetwo
tasksarescheduledtostartatthesametimeFridayandendatthesametime
Wednesday.SoeventhoughErichasatotalofeighthoursofworkassignedon
FridayandWednesday,hereallyhastwofour-hourassignmentsinparallel.Thisis
anoverallocation.
Nextyouwillmanuallyresolvethisoverallocation.
8 IntheResourceNamecolumn,clickEricsfirstassignment,Reservecamera
equipment.
11 IntheUnitsboxnexttoEricsname,typeorclick50%,andthenclickOKtoclose
theAssignmentInformationdialogbox:
Ericsdailyworkassignmentsonthistaskarereducedtotwoorfourhoursperday,
butthetaskdurationincreased.Youdliketoreducetheworkbutnotextendthe
durationofthetask.NotetheSmartTagindicatorthatappearsnexttothenameof
theassignment.YouwillusetheSmartTagtochangetheschedulingeffectofthe
newassignmentunits.
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lowingillustration:
13 IntheSmartTagActionslist,clickChangethetaskstotalwork(person-hours)to
matchtheunitsandduration.
ProjectreducesEricsworkassignmentsonthetaskandrestoresthetasktoits
originalduration.
However,Ericisstilloverallocated.Toremedythis,youwillreducehisassignment
unitsonhissecondtask.
14 IntheResourceNamecolumn,clickEricssecondassignment,Reservesound
equipment.
16 ClicktheGeneraltabifitisnotalreadyvisible.
17 IntheUnitsboxnexttoEricsname,typeorclick50%,andthenclickOKtoclose
theAssignmentInformationdialogbox.
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19 IntheSmartTagActionslist,clickChangethetaskstotalwork(person-hours)to
matchtheunitsandduration.
Yourscreenshouldlooklikethefollowingillustration:
EricstotalassignmentsonMondayandTuesdayarenowreducedtoeighthours
eachday.Heisfullyallocatedonthesedays.BymanuallyeditingEricsassign-
mentstoreducehisworkonthesedays,youhaveresolvedhisoverallocation.
Thereareotherresourceoverallocationsintheshortfilmprojectthatyoucan
resolveautomaticallywithresourceleveling,however.Youwilldothisinthenext
section.
LevelingOverallocatedResources
Intheprevioussection,youreadaboutresourceallocation,learnedwhatcauses
overallocation,andmanuallyresolvedanoverallocation.Resource leveling isthepro-
cessofdelayingorsplittingaresourcesworkonatasktoresolveanoverallocation.
TheoptionsintheLevelResourcesdialogboxenableyoutosetparametersabout
howyouwantProjecttoresolveresourceoverallocations.Projectwillattemptto
resolvesuchoverallocationswhenyouchoosetolevelresources.Dependingonthe
optionsyouchoose,thismightinvolvedelayingthestartdateofanassignmentor
taskorsplittingtheworkonthetask.
Note Althoughtheeffectsofresourcelevelingonaschedulemightbesignificant,
resourcelevelingneverchangeswhoisassignedtotasks,orthetotalworkorassign-
mentunitvaluesofthoseassignments.
Forexample,considerthefollowingtasks,allofwhichhavethesamefull-time
resourceassigned:
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Inthissplitview,theResourceGraphviewappearsbelowtheGanttChartview.
Onday1,theresourceisoverallocatedat200percent.Onday2,theresourceisfully
allocatedat100percent.Onday3,heisoverallocatedat200percentagain.After
day3,theresourceisfullyallocatedat100percent.
Whenyouperformresourceleveling,Projectdelaysthestartdatesofthesecondand
thirdtaskssothattheresourceisnotoverallocated,asshowninthefollowingfigure:
Notethatthefinishdateofthelatesttaskhasmovedfromday6today8.Thisiscom-
monwithresourceleveling,whichoftenpushesouttheprojectfinishdate.Before
leveling,therewasatotalofeightdaysofwork,buttwoofthosedaysoverlapped,
causingtheresourcetobeoverallocatedonthosedays.Afterleveling,alleightdays
ofworkarestillthere,buttheresourceisnolongeroverallocated.
Resourcelevelingisapowerfultool,butitdoesonlyafewbasicthings:itdelays
tasks,splitstasks,anddelaysresourceassignments.Itdoesthisfollowingafairly
complexsetofrulesandoptionsyouspecifyintheResourceLevelingdialogbox.
(Theseoptionsareexplainedinthefollowingexercise.)Resourcelevelingisagreat
fine-tuningtool,butitcannotreplaceyourgoodjudgmentaboutresourceavailability,
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9
taskdurations,relationships,andconstraints.Resourcelevelingwillworkwithallthis
informationasitisenteredintoyourprojectplan,butitmightnotbepossibletofully
resolveallresourceoverallocationswithinthetimeframeyouwantunlessyou
changesomeofthebasictaskandresourceinformation.
Tip Tolearnmoreaboutresourceleveling,typeAboutresourcelevelingintothe
SearchboxintheupperrightcorneroftheProjectwindow.
Inthisexercise,youlevelresourcesandlookattheeffectsonassignmentsandthe
projectfinishdate.
TheResourceSheetviewappears.Notethatseveralresourcenamesappearinred
anddisplaytheOverallocatediconintheIndicatorscolumn.
Troubleshooting IfyoudonotseetheOverallocatediconforanyresources,
Overallocated trythefollowing:OntheToolsmenu,clickLevelResources.IntheResourceLeveling
dialogbox,makesurethatDayByDayisselectedintheLookforoverallocationson
abasisboxandthenclickOK.
3 OntheToolsmenu,clickLevelResources.
TheResourceLevelingdialogboxappears.Inthenextseveralsteps,youwillwalk
throughtheoptionsinthisdialogbox.
4 UnderLevelingcalculations,makesurethatManualisselected.
ThesesettingsdeterminewhetherProjectlevelsresourcesconstantly(Automatic)
oronlywhenyoutellitto(Manual).Automaticlevelingoccursassoonasa
resourcebecomesoverallocated.
Tip AllsettingsintheResourceLevelingdialogboxapplytoallprojectplansyou
workwithinProject,nottojusttheactiveprojectplan.Usingautomaticleveling
mightsoundtempting,butitwillcausefrequentadjustmentstoprojectplans
whetheryouwantthemornot.Forthatreason,werecommendyoukeepthisset-
tingonManual.
5 IntheLookforoverallocationsona...basisbox,makesurethatDaybyDayis
selected.
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9
ThissettingdeterminesthetimeframeinwhichProjectwilllookforoverallocations.
Ifaresourceisoverallocatedatall,itsnamewillbeformattedinred.Ifitsoverallo-
catedatthelevelyouchoosehere,ProjectwillalsoshowtheOverallocatedindica-
tornexttoitsname.
Tip Onmostprojects,levelinginfinerdetailthandaybydaycanresultinunreal-
isticallypreciseadjustmentstoassignments.
6 MakesurethattheClearlevelingvaluesbeforelevelingcheckboxisselected.
Sometimesyouwillneedtolevelresourcesrepeatedlytogettheresultsyouwant.
Forexample,youmightinitiallyattempttolevelweekbyweek,andthenswitchto
daybyday.IftheClearlevelingvaluesbeforelevelingcheckboxisselected,Project
removesanyexistinglevelingdelaysfromalltasksandassignmentsbeforelevel-
ing.If,forexample,youpreviouslyleveledtheprojectplanandthenaddedmore
assignments,youmightclearthischeckboxbeforelevelingagainsothatyou
wouldntlosethepreviouslevelingresults.
7 UnderLevelingrangeforShortFilmProject9makesurethatLevelentireprojectis
selected.
Hereyouchoosetoleveleithertheentireprojectoronlythoseassignmentsthat
fallwithinadaterangeyouspecify.Levelingwithinadaterangeismostusefulafter
youhavestartedtrackingactualworkandyouwanttolevelonlytheremaining
assignmentsinaproject.
8 IntheLevelingorderbox,makesurethatStandardisselected.
YoucontrolthepriorityProjectusestodeterminewhichtasksitshoulddelayto
resolvearesourceconflict.TheIDOnlyoptiondelaystasksonlyaccordingtotheir
IDnumbers:numericallyhigherIDnumberswillbedelayedbeforenumericallylower
IDnumbers.Youmightwanttousethisoptionwhenyourprojectplanhasnotask
relationshipsorconstraints.TheStandardoptiondelaystasksaccordingtoprede-
cessorrelationships,startdates,taskconstraints,slack,priority,andIDs.The
Priority,Standardoptionlooksatthetask priority valuebeforetheotherstandard
criteria.(Taskpriorityisanumericrankingbetween0and1000thatindicatesthe
tasksappropriatenessforleveling.Taskswiththelowestpriorityaredelayedor
splitfirst.)
9 MakesurethattheLevelonlywithinavailableslackcheckboxiscleared.
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9
Tip Rememberthattoclearacheckboxmeanstoremoveacheckfromthe
checkbox,andtoselect acheckboxmeanstoputacheckinit.Youcantogglethe
selectionstateofacheckboxbyclickingit.
ClearingthischeckboxallowsProjecttoextendtheprojectsfinishdate,ifneces-
sary,toresolveresourceallocations.
SelectingthischeckboxwouldpreventProjectfromextendingtheprojectsfinish
dateinordertoresolveresourceoverallocations.Instead,Projectwoulduseonly
thefreeslackwithintheexistingschedule.Dependingontheproject,thismightnot
beadequatetofullyresolveresourceoverallocations.
10 MakesurethattheLevelingcanadjustindividualassignmentsonataskcheckbox
isselected.
ThisallowsProjecttoaddlevelingdelay(orsplitworkonassignmentsifLeveling
cancreatesplitsinremainingworkisalsoselected)independentlyofanyother
resourcesassignedtothesametask.Thismightcauseresourcestostartandfin-
ishworkonataskatdifferenttimes.
11 MakesurethattheLevelingcancreatesplitsinremainingworkcheckboxis
selected.
ThisallowsProjecttosplitworkonatask(oronanassignmentifLevelingcan
adjustindividualassignmentsonataskisalsoselected)asawayofresolvingan
overallocation.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
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9
Tip This tip describes enterprise project management (EPM) functionality. Ifyou
haveProjectProfessional,youllseeadditionalitemsintheLevelResourcesdialog
boxthatrelatetoenterpriseresourcefeaturesenabledbyProjectServer.Formore
information,seePart4,IntroducingProjectServer.
12 ClicktheLevelNowbutton.
13 Projectaskswhetheryouwanttoleveltheentirepooloronlyselectedresources.
LeaveEntirePoolselected,andclickOK.
Projectlevelstheoverallocatedresources.
NoticethattheOverallocatedindicatorsaregone,althoughsomeresourcenames
stillappearinred.Thismeansthatsomeresourcesarestilloverallocatedhourby
hour(orminutebyminute)butnotdaybyday.
Nextyouwilllookattheprojectplanbeforeandafterleveling,usingtheLeveling
Ganttview.
14 OntheViewmenu,clickMoreViews,clickLevelingGantt,andthenclicktheApply
button.
ProjectswitchestotheLevelingGanttview.
15 Clickthenameoftask8,Applyforfilmingpermits.
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9
GoToSelected
Thisviewgivesyouabetterlookatsomeofthetasksthatwereaffectedbyleveling:
Task
IntheLevelingGanttview,thebarontop
representstheprelevelscheduleofthetask.
Thebarbelowrepresentsthescheduleafter
leveling.
Noticethateachtasknowhastwobars.Thegreenbarontoprepresentsthe
preleveledtask.Youcanseeataskspreleveledstart,finish,anddurationbypoint-
ingtoagreenbar.Thebluebaronthebottomrepresentstheleveledtask.
Projectwasabletoresolvetheresourceoverallocations.Forthisparticularproject,
levelingpushedouttheprojectfinishdatebytwodays.
ExaminingProjectCosts
Notallprojectplansincludecostinformation,butforthosethatdo,keepingtrackof
projectcostscanbeasimportantasormoreimportantthankeepingtrackofthe
scheduledfinishdate.Twofactorstoconsiderwhenexaminingprojectcostsarethe
specifictypesofcostsyouwanttoseeandhowyoucanbestseethem.
Thetypesofcostsyoumighthaveoverthelifeofaprojectincludethefollowing:
Baselinecosts:Theoriginalplannedtask,resource,orassignmentcostssavedas
partofabaselineplan.
Current(orscheduled)costs:Thecalculatedcostsoftasks,resources,and
assignmentsinaprojectplan.Asyoumakeadjustmentsinaprojectplan,such
asassigningorremovingresources,Projectrecalculatescurrentcosts,justasit
recalculatestaskstartandfinishdates.Afteryoustartincurringactualcosts(nor-
mallybytrackingactualwork),thecurrentcostequalstheactualcostplus
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9
remainingcostpertask,resource,orassignment.Currentcostsarethevalues
youseeinfieldslabeledCostorTotal Cost.
Actualcosts:Thecoststhathavebeenincurredfortasks,resources,or
assignments.
Remainingcosts:Thedifferencebetweenthecurrentorscheduledcostsandthe
actualcostsfortasks,resources,orassignments.
Youmightneedtocomparethesecosts(baselinevs.actual,forexample),orexamine
themindividuallypertask,resource,orassignment.Oryoumightneedtoexamine
costvaluesforsummarytasksorforanentireprojectplan.Somecommonwaysto
seethesetypesofcostsincludethefollowing:
Youcanseetheentireprojectscurrent,baseline,actual,andremainingcostsin
theProjectStatisticsdialogbox(ontheProjectmenu,clickProjectInformation,
andthenclickStatistics).
Youcanseeorprintformattedreportsthatincludecashflow,budget,overbud-
gettasksorresources,andearnedvalue(ontheViewmenu,clickReports,and
thenclicktheCostsbutton).
SeeAlso Earnedvalueisapowerfulscheduleanalysistoolthatreliesoncost
informationinaprojectplan.Formoreinformation,seeChapter19,Measuring
PerformancewithEarnedValueAnalysis.
Youcanseetask,resource,orassignment-levelcostinformationinusageviews
bydisplayingtheCosttable(ontheViewmenu,pointtoTable:Entry,andthen
clickCost).
Tip Whenprintingusageviews,youcanincludecosttotals.Youcanincluderow
totalswhenprintingdaterangesfromausageview(ontheFilemenu,clickPage
Setup,andinthePageSetupdialogbox,clicktheViewtab,andselectthePrintrow
totalsforvalueswithinprintdaterangecheckbox).Youcanalsoincludecolumn
totalsinusageviews(ontheFilemenu,clickPageSetup;inthePageSetupdialog
box,clicktheViewtab,andselectthePrintcolumntotalscheckbox).
Inthisexercise,youlookattheoverallprojectcostsandatindividualtaskcosts.
1 OntheViewmenu,clickMoreViews,clickTaskSheet,andthenclicktheApply
button.
ProjectswitchestotheTaskSheetview.Nextyouwilldisplaytheprojectsummary
tasktoseethetop-levelorrolled-upvaluesoftheproject.
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9
box,andthenclicktheOKbutton.
ProjectdisplaystheprojectsummarytaskatthetopoftheTaskSheetview.Next
youwillswitchtotheCosttable.
TheCosttableappears.
6 Double-clickbetweenthetextinthecolumnlabelstowidenanycolumnsthatdis-
playpoundsigns(##).
Hereyoucanseemanytypesofcostvaluesfortheoverallproject,projectphases
(summarytasks),andindividualtasks.Atthispointintheprojectlifecycle,the
projectplanincludesabaseline,soyouseevaluesintheBaselinecolumn;some
assignmentadjustmentsweremadeearlierinthischapter,soyouseesomeval-
uesintheVariancecolumn;butitdoesnotyetcontainanyactualprogress,sothe
Actualcolumncontainsonlyzerovalues.
CheckingtheProjectsFinishDate
Aprojectsfinishdateisafunctionofitsdurationandstartdate.Mostprojectshavea
desired,orsoft,finishdate,andmanyprojectshaveamusthit,orhard,finishdate.
Whenmanagingprojectslikethese,itisessentialthatyouknowtheprojectscurrent
orscheduledfinishdateandunderstandhowtheadjustmentsyoumakeintheplan-
ningstageaffectthefinishdate.
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9
Inthelanguageofprojectmanagement,aprojectsfinishdateisdeterminedbyits
critical path.Thecriticalpathistheseriesoftasksthatwillpushouttheprojectsend
dateifthetasksaredelayed.Forthisreason,whenevaluatingthedurationofa
project,youshouldfocusmainlyonthetasksonthecriticalpath,calledcriticaltasks.
Tip Rememberthatthewordcriticalhasnothingtodowithhowimportantthesetasks
aretotheoverallproject.Thewordrefersonlytohowtheirschedulingwillaffectthe
projectsfinishdate.
Inthisexercise,youlookattheprojectscriticalpathandfinishdate.
Tip This tip describes enterprise project management (EPM) functionality.
IfyouarerunningProjectProfessional,youwillseeaslightlydifferentdialogbox.
TheProjectInformationdialogboxinProjectProfessionalincludesanEnterprise
CustomFieldssection.EnterprisecustomfieldsareusedonlywithProjectServer.
FormoreinformationaboutProjectServer,seePart4,IntroducingProjectServer.
IntheProjectInformationdialogboxyoucanseethecurrentorscheduledfinish
datefortheproject:December22,2005.Notethatyoucaneditthestartdateof
theprojecthere,butnotitsfinishdate.Projecthascalculatedthisfinishdate
basedonthestartdateplustheoveralldurationoftheproject.Thisprojectis
scheduledfromthestartdate,astheSchedulefromboxindicates.Insomecases
youmightwanttoscheduleaprojectfromafinishdate,inwhichcaseyouenterthe
finishdateandtaskinformationandProjectcalculatesthestartdate.
Tip Itmightsoundtemptingtoscheduleaprojectfromafinishdate,especiallyif
ithasahardmust-hitdeadline.However,innearlyallcasesyoushouldresistthis
temptationandinsteadschedulefromastartdate.Tolearnmoreabouttheeffects
ofschedulingfromafinishdate,typeAboutschedulingaprojectfromafinishdate
intotheSearchboxintheupperrightcorneroftheProjectwindow.
Nextyouwilllookatthedurationvaluesforthisproject.
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9
Hereyoucanseetheprojectscurrent,baseline,andactualstartandfinishdates,
aswellasitsschedulevariance.
Thisprojectcurrentlyhasnoactualworkreported,soyouseeNAintheActualStart
andActualFinishfields,andzerovaluesintheActualDurationandActualWork
fields.
3 ClicktheClosebuttontoclosetheProjectStatisticsdialogbox.Toconcludethis
exercise,youwilllookatthecriticalpath.
5 IntheReportpane,clicktheSeetheprojectscriticaltaskslink.
TheProjectGuide:CriticalTasksviewreplacestheTaskSheetview.IntheCritical
Pathpane,youcanseethecurrentscheduledfinishdateandapplyafiltertothe
view.
Show/Hide
ProjectGuide
Projectscrollstheviewtoshowtask30,theScene3summarytask.Yourscreen
shouldlooklikethefollowingillustration:
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9
Hereyoucanseebothcriticaltasks(theirGanttbarsarered)andnoncriticaltasks
(blue).Anychangestothedurationsofcriticaltaskswillaffecttheprojectfinish
date.However,changestothenoncriticaltaskswontnecessarilyaffecttheproject
finishdate,dependingonavailableslack.Whenyoumakeadjustmentstothe
projectplan,andespeciallyafteryoustarttrackingactualwork,thespecifictasks
onthecriticalpatharelikelytochange.Forthisreasonyoushouldfrequentlycheck
theprojectfinishdateandthecriticaltasksthatdetermineit.
KeyPoints
Aresourcesmaximumunits(Max.Units)valuedetermineswhentheresource
becomesoverallocated.
TheResourceUsageviewenablesyoutoseethedetailsofassignmentsthat
causeresourceoverallocation.
Youcanmanuallyorautomaticallyresolveresourceoverallocations.
Wheneditingaresourceassignmentvalue(suchasassignmentunits),youcan
useaSmartTagtochangetheschedulingeffectofyouraction.
Youcanviewcostdetailsfromtheindividualassignmentlevelallthewaytothe
entireprojectlevel.
Thetasksonthecriticalpathdeterminetheprojectfinishdate.
195
Sorttaskorresourcedata,
page198
Grouptasksorresources
andshowsummaryor
roll-upvaluespergrouping,
page202
Applycustomfilterstoshowjust
thedatayouwanttosee,
page207
Createyourownviewwith
thetable,group,andfilter
definitionsyouwant,
page215
10
Organizingand
FormattingProject
Details
Sorttaskandresourcedata.
Displaytaskandresourcedataingroups.
Filterorhighlighttaskandresourcedata.
Createacustomtable.
Createacustomview.
enceentriesonpagesxxxixxxii.
Afteryouvebuiltaprojectplan,chancesareyouwillneedtoexaminespecific
aspectsofitforyourownanalysisortosharewithotherstakeholders.Althoughthe
built-inviews,tables,andreportsinMicrosoftOfficeProject2003providemanyways
toexamineaprojectplan,youmightneedtoorganizeinformationtosuityourown
specificneeds.
Inthischapter,youusesomeoftheformattingtoolsinProjecttochangethewayyour
dataappears.Projectincludespowerfulfeaturesthatenableyoutoorganizeandana-
lyzedatathatotherwisewouldrequireseparatetools,suchasaspreadsheetapplication.
SortingProjectDetails
SortingisthesimplestwaytoreorganizetaskorresourcedatainProject.Youcansort
tasksorresourcesbypredefinedcriteria,oryoucancreateyourownsortorderwith
uptothreelevelsofnesting.Forexample,youcansortresourcesbyresourcegroup
andthensortbycostwithineachresourcegroup.
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10
OrganizingandFormattingProjectDetails PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling
Likegroupingandfiltering,whichyouwillworkwithinlatersections,sortingdoes
not(withoneexception)changetheunderlyingdataofyourprojectplan;itsimply
reordersthedatayouhave.Theoneexceptionistheoptionitofferstorenumbertask
orresourceIDsaftersorting.Aftertasksorresourcesarerenumbered,youcannot
restoretheiroriginalnumberedsequence.
However,itsfinetopermanentlyrenumbertasksorresourcesifthatswhatyou
intendtodo.Forexample,whenbuildingaresourcelist,youmightenterresource
namesintheorderinwhichtheresourcesjoinyourproject.Later,whenthelistis
complete,youmightwanttosortthemalphabeticallybynameandpermanently
renumberthem.
EachresourceintheShortFilmProjectplanisassignedtooneofseveralresource
groups.ThesegroupshavenameslikeCrew, Production, Talent, andothernames
thatmakesenseinafilmproductioncompany.Foryourprojectplans,youmightuse
resourcegroupstorepresentfunctionalteams,departments,orwhatevermostlogi-
callydescribescollectionsofsimilarresources.
Sortingallresourcesbyresourcegroupenablesyoutoseemoreeasilythecostsasso-
ciatedwitheachresourcegroup.Thiscanhelpyouplanyourprojectsbudget.You
canalsosortresourceswithineachgroupbycostfrommosttoleastexpensive.
Inthisexercise,yousortaresourceview.
OPEN:ShortFilmProject10afromthe\My Documents\Microsoft Press\Project 2003 Step by Step\Chapter 10
Advanced Formatting folder.YoucanalsoaccessthepracticefilesforthisbookbyclickingStart,AllPrograms,
MicrosoftPress,Project2003StepbyStep,andthenselectingthechapterfolderofthefileyouwanttoopen.
TheResourceSheetviewappears.Bydefault,theEntrytableappearsinthe
ResourceSheetview;however,theEntrytabledoesnotdisplaythecostfieldper
resource.YouwillswitchtotheSummarytableinstead.
4 OntheViewmenu,pointtoTable:Entry,andthenclickSummary.
TheSummarytableappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
198
PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling OrganizingandFormattingProjectDetails
10
NowyouarereadytosorttheResourceSheetview.
5 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoSort,andclickSortBy.
TheSortdialogboxappears.
6 UnderSortBy,clickCostinthedrop-downlist,andnexttothat,clickDescending.
7 MakesurethatthePermanentlyrenumberresourcescheckboxiscleared:
Important ThePermanentlyrenumberresources(orwheninataskview,the
Permanentlyrenumbertasks)checkboxintheSortdialogboxisaProject-level
(thatis,application)setting;ifselected,itpermanentlyrenumbersresourcesor
tasksinanyProjectplaninwhichyousort.Becauseyoumightnotwanttoperma-
nentlyrenumberresourcesortaskseverytimeyousort,itsagoodideatoclear
thischeckbox.
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10
8 ClicktheSortbutton.
TheSummarytableintheResourceSheetviewissortedbytheCostcolumn,in
descendingorder.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
TheResourceSheetviewisnow
sortedbycost,indescendingorder.
Thisarrangementisfineforlookingatresourcecostsintheentireproject,butper-
hapsyoudliketoseethisdataorganizedbyresourcegroup.Toseethis,youll
applyatwo-levelsortorder.
Tip Whenyousortdata,thesortorderappliestotheactiveview,regardlessof
thespecifictablecurrentlydisplayedintheview.Forexample,ifyousorttheGantt
ChartviewbystartdatewhiledisplayingtheEntrytableandthenswitchtotheCost
table,youllseethetaskssortedbystartdateintheCosttable.
9 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoSort,andthenclickSortBy.
TheSortdialogboxappears.Init,youcanapplyuptothreenestedlevelsofsort
criteria.
10 UnderSortBy,clickGroupinthedrop-downlist,andnexttothat,clickAscending.
Tip Youcansortbyanyfield,notjustthefieldsvisibleintheactiveview.
11 UnderThenBy(inthecenterofthedialogbox),clickCostinthedrop-downlist,and
nexttothat,clickDescending.
12 MakesurethatthePermanentlyrenumberresourcescheckboxiscleared.
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10
13 ClicktheSortbutton.
ProjectsortstheResourceSheetviewtodisplayresourcesbygroup(Crew,Equip-
ment,andsoon)andthenbycostwithineachgroup.Yourscreenshouldlook
NowtheResourceSheetviewissortedfirstby
resourcegroupandthenwithineachgroupbycost.
Thissortoffersaneasywaytoidentifythemostexpensiveresourcesineach
resourcegroupworkingontheshortfilmproject.
Toconcludethisexercise,youllre-sorttheresourceinformationtoreturnittoits
originalorder.
14 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoSort,andthenclickByID.
Projectre-sortstheresourcelistbyresourceID.
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10
Notethatthereisnovisualindicationthatataskorresourceviewhasbeensorted
otherthantheorderinwhichtherowsofdataappear.Youcannotsavecustomsort
settingsthatyouhavespecified,asyoucanwithgroupingandfiltering.However,the
sortorderyoumostrecentlyspecifiedwillremainineffectuntilyoure-sorttheview.
GroupingProjectDetails
Asyoudevelopaprojectplan,youcanusethedefaultviewsavailableinProjectto
viewandanalyzeyourdatainseveralways.Oneimportantwaytoseethedatain
taskandresourceviewsisbygrouping.Groupingallowsyoutoorganizetaskor
resourceinformation(or,wheninausageview,assignmentinformation)according
tocriteriayouchoose.Forexample,ratherthanviewingtheresourcelistinthe
ResourceSheetviewsortedbyID,youcanviewresourcessortedbycost.Grouping
goesastepbeyondjustsorting,however.Groupingaddssummaryvalues,orroll-
ups,atintervalsthatyoucancustomize.Forexample,youcangroupresourcesby
theircostwitha$1,000intervalbetweengroups.
Tip Insomerespects,groupinginProjectissimilartotheSubtotalsfeatureinExcel.In
fact,groupingallowsyoutoreorganizeandanalyzeyourProjectdatainwaysthatwouldoth-
erwiserequireyoutoexportyourProjectdatatoaspreadsheetprogram.
Groupingcansignificantlychangethewayyouviewyourtaskorresourcedata,
allowingforamorerefinedlevelofdataanalysisandpresentation.Groupingdoesnt
changetheunderlyingstructureofyourprojectplan;itsimplyreorganizesandsum-
marizesthedata.Aswithsorting,whenyougroupdatainaview,thegrouping
appliestoalltablesyoucandisplayintheview.YoucanalsogrouptheNetwork
Diagramview,whichdoesnotcontainatable.
Projectincludesseveralpredefinedtaskandresourcegroups,suchasgroupingtasks
bydurationorresourcesbystandardpayrate.Youcanalsocustomizeanyofthe
built-ingroupsorcreateyourown.
Tip YoucanalsousetheProjectGuidetoapplyafilterorgrouptoatableortosort
informationinatable.OntheProjectGuidetoolbar,clickReport.IntheReportspane,
clicktheChangethecontentororderofinformationinaviewlink.
Inthisexercise,yougroupresourcesbytheirGroupname(thisisthevalueinthe
Group fieldCrew, Equipment,andsoon).Thisissimilartothesortingyoudidin
theprevioussection,butthistimeyouwillseesummarycostvaluesforeach
resourcegroup.
1 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoGroupBy:NoGroup,andthenclickResourceGroup.
Projectreorganizestheresourcedataintoresourcegroups,addssummarycostval-
uespergroup,andpresentsthedatainanexpandedoutlineform.Yourscreen
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10
AftergroupingresourcesbytheGroupfield,
Projectaddssummaryvaluesforeachgroup.
Projectappliescoloredformatting(inthiscase,ayellowbackground)tothesum-
marydatarows.Becausethesummarydataisderivedfromsubordinatedata,you
cannotedititdirectly.Displayingthesesummaryvalueshasnoeffectonthecost
orschedulecalculationsoftheprojectplan.
Thisarrangementoftheresourcecostinformationissimilartothesortingyoudid
intheprevioussection.TogiveyourselfmorecontroloverhowProjectorganizes
andpresentsthedata,youllnowcreateagroup.
2 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoGroupBy:ResourceGroup,andthenclickMore
Groups.
TheMoreGroupsdialogboxappears:
Inthisdialogboxyoucanseealltheavailablepredefinedgroupsfortasks(whenin
ataskview)andresources(wheninaresourceview).Yournewgroupwillbemost
similartotheResourceGroup,soyoullstartbycopyingit.
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3 MakesurethatResourceGroupisselected,andthenclicktheCopybutton.
TheGroupDefinitionindialogboxappears.
4 IntheNamebox,typeResourceGroupsbyCost.
5 IntheFieldNamecolumn,clickthefirstemptycellbelowGroup.
6 TypeorselectCost.
7 IntheOrdercolumn,selectDescendingfortheCostfield.
Theresourceswillbesortedwithintheirgroupsbycostfromhighesttolowest
values.
Nextyoullfine-tunethecostintervalsatwhichProjectwillgrouptheresources.
8 ClicktheDefineGroupIntervalsbutton.
TheDefineGroupIntervaldialogboxappears.
9 IntheGrouponbox,selectInterval.
10 IntheGroupintervalbox,type1000.
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10
11 ClicktheOKbutton.
12 ClickOKagaintoclosetheGroupDefinitionindialogbox.
ResourceGroupsbyCostappearsasanewgroupintheMoreGroupsdialogbox.
13 ClicktheApplybutton.
ProjectappliesthenewgrouptotheResourceSheetview.Togetabetterlookat
thegroupings,youllneedtowidentheResourceNamecolumn.
14 Double-clicktheResourceNamecolumnheading.
TheColumnDefinitiondialogboxappears.
15 ClicktheBestFitbutton.
ProjectwidenstheResourceNamecolumn.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothe
Afterapplyingatwo-levelgroup,informationisgrouped
firstbyresourcegroupandthenwithineachgroupbycost.
Theresourcesaregroupedbytheirresourcegroupvalue(theyellowbandsthat
bindtogetherCrew,Equipment,andsoon)andwithineachgroupbycostvaluesat
$1,000intervals(thegraybands).
Toconcludethisexercise,youllremovethegrouping.
16 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoGroupBy:ResourceGroupsByCost,andclickNo
Group.
Projectremovesthesummaryvaluesandoutlinestructure,leavingtheoriginal
data.Displayingorremovingagrouphasnoeffectonthedataintheproject.
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GroupBy
Tip Allpredefinedgroupsandanygroupsyoucreateareavailabletoyouthrough
theGroupBybuttonontheStandardtoolbar.Thenameoftheactivegroupappears
onthisbutton,whichresemblesaboxwithadrop-downlist.Clickthearrowinthe
GroupBybuttontoseeothergroupnames.Ifnogroupisappliedtothecurrent
table,No Groupappearsonthebutton.
Tolearnmoreaboutusinggroups,typeAvailablegroupsintotheSearchboxinthe
upperrightcorneroftheProjectwindow.TheSearchboxinitiallycontainsthetext
Type a question for help.
FilteringProjectDetails
AnotherusefulwaytochangethewayyouviewProjecttaskandresourceinforma-
tionisbyfiltering.Asthenamesuggests,filteringhidestaskorresourcedatathat
doesnotmeetthecriteriayouspecify,displayingonlythedatayoureinterestedin.
Likegrouping,filteringdoesnotchangethedatainyourProjectplan;itjustchanges
thewaythatdataappears.
Therearetwowaystousefilters.Eitherapplypredefinedfilterstoaview,orapply
anAutoFiltertoaview:
Applyapredefinedorcustomfiltertoseeorhighlightonlythetaskorresource
informationthatmeetsthecriteriaofthefilter.Forexample,theCriticalTaskfil-
terdisplaysonlythetasksonthecriticalpath.Somepredefinedfilters,suchas
theTaskRangefilter,promptyoutoenterspecificcriteriaforexample,a
rangeoftaskIDs.Ifataskorresourcesheetviewhasafilterapplied,thefilter
nameappearsintheFilterbuttonontheFormattingtoolbar.
UseAutoFiltersforadhocfilteringinanytableinProject.WhentheAutoFilter
featureisturnedon,smallarrowsappearnexttothenamesofcolumnheadings.
Clickthearrowtodisplayalistofcriteriabywhichyoucanfilterthedata.Which
criteriayouseedependsonthetypeofdatacontainedinthecolumnfor
example,AutoFiltercriteriainadatecolumnincludechoiceslikeTodayandThis
month,aswellasaCustomoption,withwhichyoucanspecifyyourowncriteria.
YouuseAutoFilterinProjectinthesamewayyoumightuseAutoFilterinExcel.
Bothtypesoffiltershiderowsintaskorresourcesheetviewsthatdonotmeetthe
criteriayouspecify.YoumightseegapsinthetaskorresourceIDnumbers.The
missingdataisonlyhiddenandnotdeleted.Aswithsortingandgrouping,when
youfilterdatainaview,thefilteringappliestoalltablesyoucandisplayintheview.
Viewsthatdonotincludetables,suchastheCalendarandNetworkDiagramviews,
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AutoFilter
alsosupportfiltering(throughtheFilteredForcommandontheProjectmenu),butnot
AutoFilters.
Acommonlyusedformatforcommunicatingscheduleinformationonafilmprojectis
calledashooting schedule.Inthisexercise,youcreateafilterthatdisplaysonlythe
uncompletedfilmshoottasks.Inlatersections,youllcombinethisfilterwithacus-
tomtableandacustomviewtocreateacompleteshootingscheduleforeveryoneon
thefilmproject.
TheGanttChartviewappears.Beforeyoucreateafilter,youllquicklyseethetasks
youreinterestedinbyapplyinganAutoFilter.
2 OntheFormattingtoolbar,clicktheAutoFilterbutton.
Projectdisplaysarrowstotherightofthecolumnheadings.Yourscreenshould
looklikethefollowingillustration:
AfterturningonAutoFilter,thesearrows
appearnexttocolumnheadings.Click
themtochoosetheAutoFilteryouwant.
3 ClickthedownarrowintheTaskNamecolumnheading,andthenclick(Custom).
TheCustomAutoFilterdialogboxappears.Youdliketoseejustthetasksthatcon-
tainthewordshoot.
4 UnderName,makesurecontainsappearsinthefirstbox.
5 Intheadjacentbox,typeshoot.
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6 ClickOKtoclosetheCustomAutoFilterdialogbox.
Projectfiltersthetasklisttoshowonlythetasksthatcontainthewordshootand
theirsummarytasks.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
AfterapplyinganAutoFilter,thefilteredcolumn
nameanditsAutoFilterarrowareformattedinblue.
NotethattheTaskNamecolumnheadingandarrowappearinblue.Theseare
visualindicatorsthatanAutoFilterhasbeenappliedtothisview.
NextyouturnofftheAutoFilterandcreateacustomfilter.
7 OntheFormattingtoolbar,clicktheAutoFilterbutton.
ProjecttogglestheAutoFilteroff,redisplayingalltasksintheprojectplan.Nowyou
arereadytocreateacustomfilter.
TheMoreFiltersdialogboxappears:
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10
Inthisdialogboxyoucanseeallthepredefinedfiltersfortasks(wheninatask
view)andresources(wheninaresourceview)availabletoyou.
TheFilterDefinitionindialogboxappears.
10 IntheNamebox,typeUncompletedShoots.
11 InthefirstrowintheFieldNamecolumn,typeorselectName.
12 InthefirstrowintheTestcolumn,selectcontains.
13 InthefirstrowintheValue(s)column,typeshoot.
Thatcoversthefirstcriterionforthefilter;nextyoulladdthesecondcriterion.
14 InthesecondrowintheAnd/Orcolumn,selectAnd.
15 InthesecondrowintheFieldNamecolumn,typeorselectActualFinish.
16 InthesecondrowintheTestcolumn,selectequals.
17 InthesecondrowintheValue(s)column,typeNA.
NAmeansnotapplicableandisthewayProjectmarkssomefieldsthathaveno
valueyet.Inotherwords,anyshootingtaskthatdoesnothaveanactualfinish
datemustbeuncompleted.
18 ClickOKtoclosetheFilterDefinitionindialogbox.
ThenewfilterappearsintheMoreFiltersdialogbox.
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10
ProjectappliesthenewfiltertotheGanttChartview.Yourscreenshouldlooksimi-
lartothefollowingillustration:
Afterapplyingafilter,Projecthidesinformationthatdoes
notmeetthefilterscriteria.NotethegapsinthetaskIDs;
thisisonevisualcluethatafilterhasbeenapplied.
Nowthetasksarefilteredtoshowonlytheuncompletedshootingtasks.Because
wehaventstartedtrackingactualworkyet,alltheshootingtasksareuncompleted
atthistime.
Tip Ratherthanhidingtasksthatdonotmeetthefiltercriteria,youcanhighlight
thosethatdoinblue.ClicktheHighlightbuttoninsteadoftheApplybuttoninthe
MoreFiltersdialogbox.
Toconcludethisexercise,youwillremovethefiltering.
20 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoFilteredFor:UncompletedShoots,andthenclickAll
Filter
Tasks.
Projectremovesthefilter.Asalways,displayingorremovingafilterhasnoeffecton
theoriginaldata.
Tip AllfiltersarealsoavailabletoyouthroughtheFilterbuttonontheFormatting
toolbar.Thenameoftheactivefilterappearsinthisbutton;clickthearrownextto
thefilternametoseeotherfilters.Ifnofilterisappliedtothecurrentview,All Tasks
orAll Resourcesappearsonthebutton,dependingonthetypeofviewcurrently
displayed.
TolearnmoreaboutthefiltersavailableinProject,typeAboutfiltersorAvailablefil-
tersintotheSearchboxintheupperrightcorneroftheProjectwindow.
CustomizingTables
Asyoumightalreadyknow,atableisaspreadsheet-likepresentationofprojectdata,
organizedintoverticalcolumnsandhorizontalrows.Eachcolumnrepresentsoneof
themanyfieldsinProject,andeachrowrepresentsasingletaskorresource(orin
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10
usageviews,anassignment).Theintersectionofacolumnandarowcanbecalleda
cell(ifyoureorientedtowardspreadsheets)orafield(ifyouthinkindatabaseterms).
Projectincludesseveraltablesthatcanbeappliedinviews.Youvealreadyused
someofthesetables,suchastheEntrytableandtheSummarytable.Chancesarethat
thesetableswillcontainthefieldsyouwantmostofthetime.However,youcan
modifyanypredefinedtable,oryoucancreateanewtablethatcontainsonlythe
datayouwant.
Inthisexercise,youcreateatabletodisplaytheinformationfoundonashooting
schedule,acommonformatforpresentingscheduleinformationinfilmprojects.
2 ClickTaskSheet,andthenclicktheApplybutton.
ProjectdisplaystheTaskSheetview.
3 OntheViewmenu,pointtoTable:Entry,andthenclickMoreTables.
TheMoreTablesdialogboxappears:
Inthisdialogboxyoucanseealltheavailablepredefinedtablesfortasks(whenin
ataskview)andresources(wheninaresourceview).
4 MakesurethatTaskistheactiveoption,andtheninthelistoftables,makesure
thatEntryisselected.
TheTableDefinitionindialogboxappears.
6 IntheNamebox,typeShootingScheduleTable.
Nextyouwillremoveseveralfields,addothers,andthenputtheremainingfieldsin
theorderyouwant.
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7 IntheFieldNamecolumn,clickeachofthefollowingfieldnames,andthenclick
theDeleteRowbuttonafterclickingeachfieldname:
Indicators
Duration
Finish
Predecessors
ResourceNames
Afteryouvedeletedthesefields,yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing:
Nextyouwilladdsomefieldstothistabledefinition.
8 IntheFieldNamecolumn,clickthedownarrowinthenextemptycellbelowStart,
andthenselectCast(Text9)fromthedrop-downlist.
9 IntheAlignDatacolumninthesamerow,clickLeft.
AssoonasyouclickintheAlignDatacolumn,Projectcompletesrowentriesforthe
CastfieldnamebyaddingdatatotheWidthandAlignTitlecolumns.
10 IntheWidthcolumn,typeorclick25.
11 IntheFieldNamecolumninthenextemptyrowbelowCast,clickLocation(Text10)
inthedrop-downlist.
12 IntheAlignDatacolumn,clickLeft.
13 IntheWidthcolumn,typeorclick15.
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10
ThetwocustomizedtextfieldsCast(Text9)andLocation(Text10)containthechar-
acternamesandfilmlocationsfortheshootingtasks.Thesewerepreviouslycus-
tomizedintheprojectplan.
Theremainingworktocompletethistabledefinitionistoreorderthefieldsto
matchtheordercommonlyfoundonashootingschedule.
14 IntheFieldNamecolumn,clickStart,andthenclicktheCutRowbutton.
15 IntheFieldNamecolumn,clickName,andthenclickthePasteRowbutton.
16 IntheDateFormatbox,click1/28/0212:33PM.
Thismatchestheorderinwhichinformationiscommonlylistedonafilm-shooting
schedule.
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17 ClickOKtoclosetheTableDefinitionindialogbox.
ThenewtableappearsintheMoreTablesdialogbox.
ProjectappliesthenewtabletotheTaskSheetview.IftheStartcolumndisplays
poundsigns(###),double-clickthecolumnheadingsrightedgetowidenit.
Inthenextsection,youwillcombinethecustomfilterwiththiscustomtabletocre-
ateashootingscheduleviewforthefilmproject.
Tip TolearnmoreaboutthetablesavailableinProject,typeAvailabletablesinto
theSearchboxintheupperrightcorneroftheProjectwindow.
CustomizingViews
NearlyallworkyouperforminProjectoccursinaview.Aviewmightcontainele-
mentssuchastables,groups,andfilters.Youcancombinethesewithotherelements
(suchasatimescaledgridinausageview)orwithgraphicelements(suchasthe
graphicrepresentationoftasksinthechartportionoftheGanttChartview).
Projectincludesdozensofviewsthatorganizeinformationforspecificpurposes.You
mightfindthatyouneedtoseeyourprojectinformationinsomewaynotavailablein
thepredefinedviews.IfProjectsavailableviewsdontmeetyourneeds,youcanedit
anexistingvieworcreateyourownview.
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10
Inthisexercise,youcreateafilm-shootingscheduleviewthatcombinesthecustom
filterandcustomtableyoucreatedintheprevioussections.Theviewyoucreatewill
morecloselymatchastandardformatusedinthefilmindustry.
TheMoreViewsdialogboxappears:
Inthisdialogboxyoucanseeallthepredefinedviewsavailabletoyou.
TheDefineNewViewdialogboxappears.Mostviewsoccupyasinglepane,buta
viewcanconsistoftwoseparatepanes.
3 MakesureSingleViewisselected,andthenclickOK.
TheViewDefinitionindialogboxappears.
4 IntheNamebox,typeShootingScheduleView.
5 IntheScreenbox,selectTaskSheetfromthedrop-downlist.
6 IntheTablebox,selectShootingScheduleTablefromthedrop-downlist.
Thespecifictableslistedinthedrop-downlistdependonthetypeofviewyou
selectedinstep5:task-relatedtablesorresource-relatedtables.
7 IntheGroupbox,selectNoGroupfromthedrop-downlist.
Thespecificgroupslistedinthedrop-downlistdependonthetypeofviewyou
selectedinstep5.
8 IntheFilterbox,selectUncompletedShootsfromthedrop-downlist.
Thespecificfilterslistedinthedrop-downlistdependonthetypeofviewyou
selectedinstep5.
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9 SelecttheShowinmenucheckbox.
10 ClickOKtoclosetheViewDefinitionindialogbox.
ThenewviewappearsandshouldbeselectedintheMoreViewsdialogbox.
Projectappliesthenewview.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
Thiscustomviewisarrangedlikeashooting
schedule,astandardformatinthefilmindustry.
Nowonlyuncompletedshootsaredisplayed,andthefieldsappearinanordercon-
sistentwithastandardshootingscheduleforafilmproject.Also,Projectaddedthe
ShootingScheduleviewtotheViewmenu.ThisviewwillbesavedwiththisProject
plan,andyoucanuseitwheneveryouwant.
Toconcludethisexercise,youwilladjustrowheightandcolumnwidthtodisplay
someinformationthatisnotcurrentlyvisible.
12 WhileholdingdowntheHkey,clickthetaskIDnumbersfortasks27,39,51,57,
and63.
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10
Ineachoftheseselectedrows,thenamesintheCastcolumnexceedthewidthof
thecolumn.
13 DragthebottomedgeofthetaskIDfortask27downapproximatelyonerow.
Tip WhiledraggingtheedgeofthetaskID,lookatthestatusbarinthelowerleft
corneroftheProjectwindow.Thestatusbarindicatesthenewrowheightasyou
dragtheedgeofthetaskID.
Projectresizestheselectedrows.
14 Double-clicktherightedgeoftheLocationcolumnheading.
Projectresizesthecolumnwidthtoaccommodatethewidestvalueinthecolumn.
Toresizeacolumnswidth,drag
therightedgeofthecolumnheading.
Toresizearowsheight,dragthebottomedge
ofthetaskID.Selectedrowsarealsoresized.
Tip TolearnmoreaboutworkingwithviewsandtheviewsavailableinProject,
typeAboutviewsintotheSearchboxintheupperrightcorneroftheProjectwindow.
KeyPoints
CommonwaysoforganizingdatainProjectincludesorting,grouping,and
filtering.InallcasesProjectneverdeletesthedata;itjustchangeshowitis
displayed.
Projectincludesmanybuilt-insortorders,groupings,andfilters,andyoucan
createyourown.
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10
Whereassortingandfilteringrearrangeorselectivelyshowonlysomedataina
projectplan,groupingaddssummaryvaluesorroll-upsofvaluessuchas
costs,basedonwhateverintervalyouchoose.
TablesaretheprimaryelementsofmostviewsinProject.Projectincludessev-
eralbuilt-intables,andyoucancreateyourown.
YouworkwithdatainProjectviaviews.Viewsmaycontaintables,groups,fil-
ters,andinsomecasesgraphicalcharts.TheGanttChartview,forexample,
consistsofatableontheleftandatimescaledchartontheright.
Projectcontainsmanybuilt-inviews,andyoucancreateyourown.
218
Seehowyouroutputwillappear,
acrosspages,andchoosetonot
printblankpages,
page229
Customizethelegendandother
partsofviewsandreports,
page229
Customizepagelayoutandprinting
optionsforviewsandreports,
page225
11
PrintingProject
Information
Changepagesetupoptionsforviewsandreports.-
Printaview.-
Printareport.-
enceentriesonpagesxxxiixxxiii.
Inthischapter,youworkwithsomeofthemanyviewsandreportsinMicrosoft
OfficeProject2003toprintyourprojectplan.Oneofthemostimportanttasksofany
projectmanageriscommunicatingprojectinformationtostakeholders,andthatoften
meansprinting.Tocommunicateprojectdetailsinprintedform,youcanusethepre-
definedviewsandreportsastheyareorcustomizethemtobettersuityourneeds.
Tip This tip describes enterprise project management (EPM) functionality. Printinginfor-
mationfromProjectisacommonmeansofcommunicatingwithstakeholders.Ifyouare
usingProjectProfessionalinconjunctionwithProjectServer,youandyourstakeholders
havemanyadditionaloptionsforcommunicatingprojectinformation.Formoreinforma-
tion,seePart4,IntroducingProjectServer.
PrintingYourProjectPlan
Printinginformationfromaprojectplantosharewithstakeholdersisacommon
activityformostprojectmanagers.InProject,printingfocusesonviewsandreports.
Youveprobablyalreadyseenseveralviewsandafewreports,suchastheGantt
ChartviewandtheProjectSummaryreport.Bothviewsandreportsorganizedetails
ofaprojectplanintospecificformatsforspecificpurposes.Inaviewyoucanenter,
read,edit,andprintinformation,whereasinareportyoucanonlyprintinformation.
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11
PrintingProjectInformation PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling
ThinkofviewsasyourgeneralworkingenvironmentinProject,andthinkofreports
asspecificformatsforprinting.
Youcancustomizethewayyouprintbothviewsandreports;however,Projecthas
feweroptionsforprintingreports.Whenprinting,youhavemanyofthesame
optionswithbothviewsandreports,aswellassomespecificoptionsuniquetoviews
orreports.Tocustomizeprintingforavieworreport,youusethePageSetupand
Printdialogboxes.
FirstletslookatthePageSetupdialogbox.ToseethePageSetupdialogboxfor
views,clickPageSetupontheFilemenu.Toseethisdialogboxforreports,firstdis-
playareportinthePrintPreviewwindow,andthenclickthePageSetupbutton.
InthePageSetupdialogbox,thePageandMarginstabsareavailableforbothviews
andreports.However,thespecificoptionsyouchooseinthePageSetupdialogbox
foranyvieworreportaffectonlythatvieworreport;thesettingsarenotshared
betweenviewsorreports.
Somepagesetupoptionsareuniquetoviewsorreports,andafewoptionsareavail-
abletoonlyspecificviewsorreports.Hereisasummaryofuniquepagesetupoptions:
YoucanuseoptionsontheHeader,Footer,andViewtabsinthePageSetupdia-
logboxforallviews.TheViewtabinparticularincludesoptionsthatvary
dependingonwhichviewiscurrentlyactive.Forviewsthatincludealegend
(suchastheGanttChart,NetworkDiagram,andCalendarviews),theLegend
tabisalsoavailable.
YoucanuseoptionsontheHeaderandFootertabsinmostreports,buttheView
andLegendtabsarenotavailableforanyreports.
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PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling PrintingProjectInformation
11
ProjectManagementFocus:CommunicatingwithStakeholders
Besidesknowinghowtoprint,itsimportanttoknowwhattoprint.Mostprojectmanag-
ersfindthattheyhavedifferentstakeholderswithdifferentinformationneeds.Forexam-
ple,whattheprojectsfinancialsupportersneedtoseeattheplanningstageofaproject
mightbequitedifferentfromwhattheprojectsresourcesneedtoseeafterworkhas
begun.Thebuilt-inviewsandreportsinProjectshouldcovernearlyallstakeholdercom-
municationneeds(atleastwhenprintingisthesolution).Hereisasummaryofwhich
viewsandreportsbestcommunicateprojectplandetailstovariousstakeholders.
Ifthisstakeholder
Ismost
interestedin Providethisprintedview
Orthisprinted
report
Projectsponsor Overallproject GanttChartwithproject ProjectSummary
orclient duration summarytaskdisplayed,
information filteredforsummary
tasks
Overallproject TaskSheetwithproject Budgetorother
cost summarytaskdisplayed reportsintheCost
information andCosttableapplied category
Schedule TrackingGanttwith ProjectSummary,
statusafter Trackingtableapplied CompletedTasks,or
workhasbegun TasksStartingSoon
Resources Thetasksto CalendarorResource To-DoList,Who
assignedtotasks whichtheyare Usage,filteredforthe DoesWhat,orWho
intheproject assigned specificresource DoesWhatWhen
Resource Thescopeof ResourceSheet, ResourceUsage,
managersinyour worktheir ResourceGraph,or WhoDoesWhat,or
organization resourceshave ResourceUsage otherreportsinthe
intheproject Assignments
category
Otherproject Schedulelogic, NetworkDiagram,Detail CriticalTasks
managersinyour criticalpath, Gantt,orTrackingGantt
organization andtask
relationships
Thistablelistsjustsomeofthemanybuilt-inviewsandreportsinProject.Ifyouhavea
specificinformationneed,explorealltheviewsandreportsbeforeyouattempttobuild
yourown.Chancesare,Projecthasavieworreportthatwillmeetyourneedsorserveas
astartingpointforcustomization.
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11
Tip Tolearnmoreaboutwhichviewsorreportsbestconveyspecificprojectinforma-
tion,typeAboutprintingviewsandreportsintotheSearchboxintheupperrightcornerof
theProjectwindow.TheSearchboxinitiallycontainsthetextType a question for help.
NextletslookatthePrintdialogbox.ToseethePrintdialogboxforviews,click
PrintontheFilemenu.Toseethisdialogboxforreports,firstdisplaythereportin
thePrintPreviewwindow,andthenclickthePrintbutton.
Dependingontheactivevieworreport,theTimescaleoptionsmightnotbeavailable.
Tip Dependingontheprinterorplottertowhichyouareprinting,youmighthaveaddi-
tionaloptionsuniquetothatdevice.Tosettheseoptions,clickthePropertiesbuttonfor
yourselectedprinterinthePrintdialogbox.
InthePrintdialogbox,mostoptionsavailableforviewsarealsoavailableforreports.
Forexample,someviewsandsomereportssupporttimescaleoptionsinthePrintdia-
logbox,butothersdonot.TheGanttChartviewandtheWhoDoesWhatWhen
report,forexample,bothincludeatimescale.InthePrintdialogboxesforboth,you
canprintspecificrangesfromthetimescaleifyouwish.
Inthisexercise,youcomparethepagesetupoptionsofviewsandreports.
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11
OPEN:ShortFilmProject11afromthe\MyDocuments\Microsoft Press\Project 2003 Step by Step\
Chapter 11 Printingfolder.YoucanalsoaccessthepracticefilesforthisbookbyclickingStart,All
Programs,MicrosoftPress,Project2003StepbyStep,andthenselectingthechapterfolderofthefile
youwanttoopen.
Nextyouwilllookatpagesetupoptions.
ThePageSetupdialogboxappears.Notethetitleofthedialogbox:Page Setup
Gantt Chart.BecausethePageSetupdialogboxchangesdependingontheactive
view,Projectincludestheviewnameinthedialogboxtitlebar.
4 ClicktheViewtab.
BecausetheGanttChartviewincludesatable,theViewtabincludessomeoptions
relatingtocolumns.TheGanttChartalsoincludesatimescale,soyouseean
optionrelatingtothetimescale.
5 ClickCancel.
ThePageSetupdialogboxcloses.Nextyoullswitchtoanotherviewandseehow
thepagesetupoptionsdiffer.
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11
TheCalendarviewappears.Thisviewlacksboththetableandchartelementsyou
sawintheGanttChartviewandinsteadrepresentstasksinamonth-at-a-glance
arrangement.
ThePageSetupdialogboxappears.Noteagainthetitleofthedialogbox:Page
Setup Calendar.
8 ClicktheViewtabifitisnotalreadyactive.
TheoptionsavailablefortheCalendarviewarequitedifferentfromthoseofthe
GanttChartview.Hereyouhaveseveraloptionsforcontrollinghowdetailsareorga-
nizedintheCalendarviewwhenprinted.
ThePrintnotescheckbox,however,isavailableforboththeGanttChartand
Calendarviews.
9 ClickCancel.
ThePageSetupdialogboxcloses.
Toconcludethisexercise,youwillseethepagesetupoptionsforareport.
TheReportsdialogboxappears.
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11
Tip Youcanalsodouble-clicktheCustombutton.
TheCustomReportsdialogboxappears.
12 IntheCustomReportsbox,clickWhoDoesWhat,andthenclicktheSetupbutton.
ThePageSetupdialogboxappears.Noteagainthetitleofthedialogbox:Page
Setup Who Does What.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
Mostofthetabsyou'veseenforviewsarealsoavailableforreports,butthe
LegendandViewtabsarenot.
13 ClickCanceltoclosethePageSetupdialogbox,andclickCancelagaintoclosethe
CustomReportsdialogbox.
14 ClicktheClosebuttontoclosetheReportsdialogbox.
Tip TheviewsavailableinProjectarelistedintheMoreViewsdialogbox.(Onthe
Viewmenu,clickMoreViews.)Likewise,allavailablereportsarelistedintheCustom
Reportsdialogbox.(OntheViewmenu,clickReports,clickCustom,andthenclick
Select.)AnotherhandywaytodisplayavieworreportisthroughtheProjectGuide.
(OntheProjectGuidetoolbar,clickReport,andthenclicktheSelectaviewor
reportlink.)
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11
PrintingViews
Printingaviewenablesyoutogetonpaperjustaboutanythingyouseeonyour
screen.Anycustomizationyouapplytoaview,suchasapplyingdifferenttablesor
groups,willbeprintedaswell.Withafewexceptions,youcanprintanyviewyou
seeinProject.Herearetheexceptions:
Youcannotprintformviews,suchastheTaskFormandtheRelationship
Diagram.
Ifyouhavetwoviewsdisplayedinacombinationview(oneviewinthetop
paneandtheotherviewinthebottompane),onlytheviewintheactivepane
willbeprinted.
Keepinmindthatthepartofyourprojectplanthatyouseeonyourscreenatonetime
mightbearelativelysmallportionofthefullproject,whichcouldrequirealargenum-
berofpagestoprint.Forexample,theGanttChartviewofasix-monthprojectwith
85taskscanrequire14ormoreletter-sizepagestoprintinitsentirety.PrintingGantt
ChartorNetworkDiagramviewscanusequiteabitofpaper;infact,someheavy-duty
Projectusersmakeposter-sizeprintoutsoftheirprojectplansusingplotters.
Whetheryouhaveaprinteroraplotter,itsagoodideatopreviewanyviewsyou
intendtoprint.ByusingthePageSetupdialogboxinconjunctionwiththePrintPre-
viewwindow,youcancontrolmanyaspectsoftheviewtobeprinted.Forexample,
youcancontrolthenumberofpagesonwhichtheviewwillbeprinted,applyhead-
ersandfooters,anddeterminecontentthatappearsinthelegendoftheGanttChart
andsomeotherviews.
Tip WhenprintingGanttChartviewsandotherviewsthatincludeatimescale,adjust-
ingthetimescalebeforeprintingaffectsthenumberofpagesrequired.Toadjustthe
timescalesothatitshowsthelargesttimespaninthesmallestnumberofpages,onthe
Viewmenu,clickZoom;thenintheZoomdialogbox,clickEntireProject.
Tofurtherreducethenumberofpagesrequired,youcancollapseaprojectplansoutline
Show tosummarytasks.ClicktheShowbuttonontheFormattingtoolbar,andthenclickthe
outlinelevelyouwant.Acollapsedviewshowingonlysummarytasksandmilestones
mightbeinformativeenoughforpeoplewhosimplywantanoverallsenseoftheproject
plan.Ifyoureinterestedinaspecifictimeperiod,youcanprintjustthatportionofthe
timescale.Oryoumightapplyafiltertodisplayonlytheinformationthatsofgreatest
interesttoaparticularaudience:lateoroverbudgettasks,forexample.
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11
Inthisexercise,youpreviewtheGanttChartviewandchangeoptionsinthePage
Setupdialogbox.
ProjectdisplaystheGanttChartviewinthePrintPreviewwindow.Yourscreen
ThePrintPreviewtoolbarcontainsbuttonsfornavigatingbetweenpages,zooming
inandout,settingPageSetupoptions,printing,andexitingPrintPreview.
ThePrintPreviewwindowhasseveraloptionstoexplore.Letsstartwiththepage
navigationbuttons.
2 OnthePrintPreviewtoolbar,clickthePageRightbuttonseveraltimestodisplay
PageRight
differentpages.
3 ClickthePageDownbuttononce.
PageDown
Togetabroaderviewoftheoutput,youllswitchtoamulti-pageview.
4 ClicktheMultiplePagesbutton.
MultiplePages
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11
TheentireGanttChartviewappearsinthePrintPreviewwindow.Yourscreen
shouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration.
OnePage
ThemultiplepagePrintPreviewdisplaystheentireprintedoutputon
separatesheets(thepapersizeisdeterminedbyyourprintersettings).
Ifyouhaveaplotterselectedasyourdefaultprinter,oryouhaveadifferentpage
sizeselectedforyourdefaultprinter,whatyouseeinthePrintPreviewwindowwill
differfromwhatsshownhere.
Thestatusbartextreads3 rows by 7 columns.Werefertorowsandcolumnson
theGanttChartandinotherviews;inthePrintPreviewwindow,however,these
termsdenoterowsandcolumnsofpagesinthiscase,threerowsofpagesby
sevencolumnsofpages,foratotalof21pages.Thestatusbartextcanhelpyou
quicklydeterminethesize(inpages)ofyourprintedview.
NextyoullchangesomeoptionsinthePageSetupdialogbox.
5 OnthePrintPreviewtoolbar,clicktheOnePagebutton.
ProjectdisplaysthefirstpageoftheGanttchart.
6 ClickthePageSetupbutton.
ThePageSetupdialogboxappears.Thisisthesamedialogboxyoudseeifyou
clickedPageSetupontheFilemenu.Thefirstchangewellmaketotheprinted
GanttChartistoaddthecompanynametotheheaderthatisprintedoneverypage.
7 ClicktheHeadertab.
8 OntheHeadertabareAlignmenttabs.MakesurethatCenterisselected.
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11
9 IntheGeneralbox,clickCompanyNameinthedrop-downlist,andthenclickthe
Addbutton.
Projectinsertsthe&[Company]codeintotheheaderanddisplaysapreviewinthe
PreviewwindowofthePageSetupdialogbox.Thecompanynamecomesfromthe
Propertiesdialogbox(Filemenu).NextyoullchangethecontentoftheGanttChart
viewslegend.
10 ClicktheLegendtab.
11 OntheLegendtabareAlignmenttabs.ClicktheRighttab.
Withthecurrentsettings,Projectwillprinttheprojecttitleandthecurrentdateon
theleftsideofthelegend.Youwillalsoprinttheprojectstartdateanddurationon
therightsideofthelegend.
12 ClicktheRightAlignmentbox,andtypeStart:,followedbyaspace.
13 IntheGeneralbox,clickProjectStartDateinthedrop-downlist,andthenclickthe
Addbutton.
Projectaddsthelabelandcodefortheprojectstartdatetothelegend.
14 PresstheFkeytoaddasecondlinetothelegend,andthentypeDuration:,fol-
lowedbyaspace.
15 IntheProjectfieldsbox,clickDurationinthedrop-downlist,andthenclicktheAdd
button.
Projectaddsthelabelandcodeforprojectdurationtothelegend.
16 IntheWidthbox,typeorclick3.
Thisincreasesthewidthoftheboxontheleftsideofthelegend.
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11
17 ClickOKtoclosethePageSetupdialogbox.
Projectappliesthechangesyouspecifiedtothelegend.Togetacloserlook,zoom
inonthelegend.
18 InthePrintPreviewwindow,clickthelowerleftcornerofthepagewiththemagnifying-
glasspointer.
Projectzoomsintoshowthepageatalegibleresolution.Yourscreenshouldlook
Youcanseethedatayouaddedtothelegend,whichwillbeprintedoneverypage
oftheprintedoutput.
Toconcludethisexercise,youwillchoosenottoprintpagesthatdonotincludeany
Ganttbars.
19 ClicktheMultiplePagesbuttonagain.
NotethatseveralofthepagesinthelowerleftandupperrightrangeoftheGantt
ChartviewdonotcontainanyGanttbars.IfyouintendtoprintaGanttChartview
andstitchthepagestogether,thesepagesdontaddanyinformation,soyoudont
needtoprintthem.
20 ClickthePageSetupbutton.
21 InthePageSetupdialogbox,clicktheViewtab.
232
New in
Office 2003
11
22 ClearthePrintblankpagesbox,andthenclickOK.
InthePrintPreviewwindow,theblankpagesareformattedwithagraypattern,indi-
catingthattheywillnotbeprinted.Thetwopagesinthelowerleftcornerwillbe
printed,however,becausetheycontainthetableportionoftheGanttChartview.
ThePrintPreviewwindowcloses,andtheGanttChartviewappears.Althoughyou
didnotprint,yourchangestotheheaderandthelegendwillbesavedwhenyou
savetheprojectfile.
Tip Youcanprinttheprojectplannowifyouwish;however,previewingthe
projectplanisadequateforthepurposesofthelesson.WhenprintinginProject,
youhaveadditionaloptionsinthePrintdialogbox,whichyoucanopenbyclicking
thePrintcommandontheFilemenu.Forexample,youcanchoosetoprintaspe-
cificdaterangeofatimescaledview,suchastheGanttChartview,oryoucanprint
aspecificpagerange.
New in
Tip Inthissectionyouvemanuallyadjustedseveralprintoptions.TheProject
Office 2003
Guideincludesawizard-likeinterfaceforprintingaviewthatsimplifiestheprinting
options.OntheProjectGuidetoolbarclickReports,andthenclickthePrintcurrent
viewasareportlink.
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11
PrintingReports
ReportsarepredefinedformatsintendedforprintingProjectdata.Unlikeviews,
whichyoucaneitherprintorworkwithonscreen,reportsaredesignedonlyfor
printing.Youdontenterdatadirectlyintoareport.Projectincludesseveralpre-
definedreportsyoucanedittodisplaytheinformationyouwant.
Althoughreportsaredistinctfromviews,somesettingsyouspecifyforaviewmight
affectcertainreports.Forexample:
Ifsubtasksarecollapsedorhiddenundersummarytasksinaview,reportsthat
includetasklistswillshowonlythesummarytasksandnotthesubtasks.
Inusageviews,ifassignmentsarecollapsedorhiddenundertasksorresources,
theusagereports(TaskUsageorResourceUsage)likewisehideassignment
details.
Inthisexercise,youseeareportinthePrintPreviewwindow,andthenyoueditits
definition(thatis,thesetofelementsthatmakeupthereport)toincludeadditional
information.
TheReportsdialogboxappears,showingthebroadcategoriesofreportsavailable
inProject.
TheCustomReportsdialogboxappears.
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11
ThisdialogboxlistsallpredefinedreportsinProjectandanycustomreportsthat
havebeenadded.
3 IntheReportsbox,clickTask,andthenclickthePreviewbutton.
ProjectdisplaystheTaskreportinthePrintPreviewwindow.Yourscreenshould
Thisreportisacompletelistofprojecttasks(exceptforsummarytasks),similarto
whatyoudseeintheEntrytableoftheGanttChartview.Youdliketoseethisdata
presentedinadifferentway,soyoulleditthisreport.
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11
ThePrintPreviewwindowcloses,andtheCustomReportsdialogboxreappears.
Nextyoullcreateacopyofabuilt-inreportandmodifythecopy.
5 IntheReportsbox,makesurethatTaskisstillselected,andthenclicktheCopy
button.
TheTaskReportdialogboxappears.
6 IntheNamebox,clickthedisplayedtext,andthentypeCustomTaskReport.
7 InthePeriodbox,clickMonthsinthedrop-downlist.
ChoosingMonthsheregroupstasksbythemonthinwhichtheyoccur.Becausethe
reportnowincludesatimeperiodelement,theTimescaleoptionsinthePrintdia-
logboxbecomeavailable,enablingyoutoprintdatawithinaspecificdaterangeif
youwant.
8 IntheTablebox,clickSummaryinthedrop-downlist.
Tip ThetableslistedintheTaskReportdialogboxarethesameasthose
youcanapplytoanyviewthatshowstasksinatable.Infact,ifyoucompleted
Chapter10,OrganizingandFormattingProjectDetails,theShootingSchedule
tableyoucreatedthereappearsinthelisthere.Wheneditingareportformat,you
canapplypredefinedorcustomtablesandfilters,chooseadditionaldetailsto
includeinthereport,andapplyasortordertotheinformationallinthedialog
boxforthereportyoureediting.
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11
9 ClickOKtoclosetheTaskReportdialogbox.
10 IntheCustomReportsdialogbox,makesurethatCustomTaskReportisselected
intheReportsbox,andthenclickthePreviewbutton.
Projectappliesthecustomreportsettingsyouchosetothereport,andthereport
appearsinthePrintPreviewwindow.Nextyouwillzoomintoseethereportinmore
detail.
11 InthePrintPreviewwindow,clicktheupperleftcornerofthepagewiththemagnifying-
glasspointer.
ThiscustomreportshowsthefieldsdisplayedintheSummaryTasktablebut
dividesthetasksbymonth.
13 IntheCustomReportsdialogbox,clicktheClosebutton.
14 ClicktheClosebuttonagaintoclosetheReportsdialogbox.
TheGanttChartviewreappears.
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11
KeyPoints
InProjectyoucanprintviewsorreports.Reportsaredesignedonlyforprinting
(orprintpreviewing).
Whenprintingaview,yougenerallywillgetonpaperwhatyouseeonyour
screen.
Withevenmoderatelylargeprojectplans,aprintedvieworreportmightrequire
moresheetsofpaperthanyouexpect.Forthisreason,itsagoodideato
alwayspreviewyouroutputbeforeprintingit.
ThemanyreportsavailableinProjectareorganizedintoseveralcategoriessuch
asCostsandAssignments.Theseareworthexploring(forexample,bypreview-
ing)sothatyouknowwhatsavailable.
238
Publishviewsandtask,resource,
andassignmentdataasaWebpage,
page249
UsetheExportWizardtochoose
theProjectinformationyouwant
tosaveasaWebpage,andhow
itshouldbeformatted,
page246
Takesnapshotsofviewsto
pasteintootherapplications,
ortosaveaGIFimages,
page243
12
PublishingProject
InformationOnline
TakeasnapshotofaGanttChartviewasaGIFimage.
PublishProjectinformationinHTMLformat.
ControlhowProjectinformationissavedinHTMLformat.
enceentriesonpagesxxxiiixxxiv.
PrintingMicrosoftOfficeProject2003informationisacommonwaytoshareproject
detailswithothers,butithasitslimitations.Projectdetailscanbeoutofdatealmost
assoonasyoucommitthemtopaper.Yourealsolimitedtoduplicatinganddistrib-
utingcopiesoftheprintedoutput,whichhassomeoverhead.Publishingproject
informationonline,ontheotherhand,enablesyoutomoreeasilyupdatepublished
projectdetailsandsharethemwithawideaudienceofonlineviewers.
Inthischapter,youworkwiththeWebpublishingfeaturesofProject.Thesefeatures
includetheCopyPicturefeature,whichenablesyoutotakeasnapshotoftheactive
viewandsaveitasaGIFimage.YoualsoexportProjectinformationtoHTMLformat
andcontrolhowtheexportedinformationappears.Inmanyorganizations,publishing
inHTMLformatonanintranetistheprimarymeansbywhichprojectdetailsarecom-
municatedtostakeholders.
Tip This tip describes enterprise project management (EPM) functionality. Thischapter
describessharingProjectinformationonlinebysavingittoHTMLorGIFformatfiles.
ProjectProfessional,whenusedwithProjectServer,providesmuchmoresophisticated
waysofnotonlypublishingprojectinformationonline,butcollectinginformation(suchas
actualwork)fromresourcesandotherstakeholdersonlineaswell.Tolearnmoreabout
theenterprisecollaborationtoolsavailablewithProjectServer,seePart4,Introducing
ProjectServer.
241
12
PublishingProjectInformationOnline PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling
CopyingProjectInformationasaGIFImage
CopyPicture
Whencommunicatingprojectdetailstoresources,managers,andotherstakeholders,
chancesareyoullneedtocopyinformationfromProjectandpasteitintootherpro-
gramsandformats.Projectsupportsthestandardcopy-and-pastefunctionalityofmost
Windowsprograms,andithasanadditionalfeaturecalledCopy Picturethattakes
snapshotsofaview.YoucantakethesesnapshotsbychoosingtheCopyPicturecom-
mandontheEditmenuorclickingtheCopyPicturebuttonontheStandardtoolbar.
WiththeCopyPicturefeature,youhavethefollowingoptionswhentakingsnapshots
oftheactiveview:
Copytheentireviewvisibleonthescreenorselectedrowsofatableinaview.
Copyarangeoftimethatyouspecifyordisplayonthescreen.
Eitherway,youcansavethesnapshottoaGraphicsInterchangeFormat(GIF)filein
alocationyouspecify.AfteryousavetheimageasaGIFfile,youcanuseitinanyof
themanyprogramsthatsupporttheGIFformat.YoucanalsocombineitwithHTML
contentonaWebpage,asyoulldolaterinthischapter.YoucanevenusetheCopy
PicturefeaturetocopyanimagetotheClipboardandlaterpasteitintoanotherpro-
gramforonscreenviewing(inPowerPoint,forexample)orforprinting(inWord,for
example).
Tip Ifyouwanttocopyportionsofatable(topasteatasklistintoaspreadsheet,
forexample)ratherthancopyingagraphicimage,usetheCopyCellcommandonthe
Editmenu.
Inthisexercise,youchangewhatappearsintheGanttChartviewandthenusethe
CopyPicturefeaturetosaveasnapshotofthisviewasaGIFfile.Tobegin,youfilter
theGanttcharttoshowonlysummarytasks.
Chapter 12 Publishing Online folder.YoucanalsoaccessthepracticefilesforthisbookbyclickingStart,
youwanttoopen.
242
PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling PublishingProjectInformationOnline
12
3 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoFilteredFor:AllTasks,andthenclickSummaryTasks.
ProjectfilterstheGanttcharttodisplayonlysummarytasks.Nextyoullzoomout
onthetimescaletoseetheentireproject.
ProjectadjuststhetimescaleintheGanttChartviewtodisplaytheentireprojects
durationinthewindow.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
CopyPicture TheCopyPicturedialogboxappears.
Tip YoucanalsoclickCopyPictureontheEditmenu.
7 UnderRenderimage,clickToGIFimagefile.
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12
Go
Projectdefaultstosavingthefileinthesamelocationasthepracticefileandwith
thesamename,exceptwitha.gifextension.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothe
Whentakingasnapshotofaview,selecthowyouwanttheimagerendered
here;thefirsttwooptionscopytheimagetotheWindowsClipboard,
whereasthethirdenablesyoutosavetheimageasaGIFfile.
8 ClickOKtoclosetheCopyPicturedialogbox.
TheGIFimageissaved.
YoucanopenyourbrowseroragraphicsprogramtoviewtheGIFimageyoujust
saved,butyoucanalsoviewitfromwithinProject.
9 OntheViewmenu,pointtoToolbars,andthenclickWeb.
TheWebtoolbarappears.
Tip Youcanalsoright-clickanytoolbartoseetheToolbarsshortcut menuand
thendisplayorhideatoolbarlistedonthatmenu.
10 OntheWebtoolbar,clicktheGobutton,andthenclickOpenHyperlinkinthedrop-
downlist.
TheOpenInternetAddressdialogboxappears.
11 ClicktheBrowsebutton.
TheBrowsedialogboxappears.
12 IntheFilesoftypebox,clickGIFFilesinthedrop-downlist.
13 LocatetheGIFimagenamedShortFilmProject12inyourChapter12Publishing
Onlinefolder.
244
12
14 ClicktheGIFimage,andthenclicktheOpenbutton.
15 IntheOpenInternetAddressdialogbox,clickOK.
ProjectopenstheGIFimage.IfyouhaveMicrosoftInternetExplorerasyourdefault
programforviewingGIFfiles,yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
TheGanttChartviewsnapshotissavedtoaGIFimage,
whichyoucanviewinabrowserorgraphicseditingprogram.
Asnotedearlier,whatyouseeisagraphicimageoftheGanttChartview.TheGIF
imageshowstheviewyoudisplayedinProject,almostexactlyasyouhaditsetup.
16 ClosetheprogramyouusedtoviewtheGIFfile,andthenreturntoProject.
Tip TheCopyPicturefeatureisunavailablewhenaformview,suchastheTaskForm
orRelationshipDiagramview,isdisplayed.
GIFimagesofviewsinProjectareusefulontheirown.However,youcanalsocom-
binethemwithotherProjectcontentandsavetheresultsasaWebpageforpublica-
tiontotheWebortoanintranetsite.Youwilldothisinthefollowingsection.
SavingProjectInformationasaWebPage
AnotherwaytopublishProjectinformationistosaveitasaWebpage.Unlikethe
CopyPicturefeature,theSaveAsWebPagefeatureisgearedtowardpublishingtext.
Projectusesmaps(alsocalledexport mapsordata maps)thatspecifytheexactdata
245
12
toexportandhowtostructureit.MapsorganizeProjectdataintoHTMLtables;the
predefinedmapsresemblesomeofthepredefinedtablesandreportsinProject.You
canusemapsastheyareorcustomizethemtoexportonlytheProjectdatayouwant.
Inthisexercise,yousaveProjectdataasaWebpageusingamap,andthenyouview
theresultsinyourbrowser.
TheSaveAsdialogboxappears.Projectpromptsyoutosavetheinformationasa
Webpageinthesamelocationfromwhichyouopenedthepracticefile.Ifyouseea
differentlocationintheSaveInbox,navigatetotheChapter12PublishingOnline
folderonyourharddisk.
2 ClicktheSavebutton.
TheExportWizardappears.Thiswizardhelpsyouexportthestructureddatafrom
Projecttoadifferentformat.
3 ClicktheNextbutton.
ThesecondpageoftheExportWizardappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilarto
246
12
TheExportWizardusesmapstoorganizethewayfieldsfromaProjectplanare
exportedtoanotherfileformat.Forthisexercise,youwilluseoneofthemaps
includedwithProject.
4 SelecttheUseexistingmapoption,andthenclicktheNextbutton.
5 UnderChooseamapforyourdata,clickExporttoHTMLusingstandardtemplate.
6 ClicktheFinishbutton.
ProjectsavesthedatainHTMLformat.Thisparticularmapproducesthreetables
thatcontaintask,resource,andassignmentinformationfromtheshortfilmproject.
AllthreetableswillappearonthesingleWebpagethatyousaved.Nextyouwill
viewtheWebpage.
7 OntheWebtoolbar,clickGo,andthenclickOpenHyperlinkinthedrop-downlist.
Go
9 LocatetheWebpagenamedShortFilmProject12intheChapter12Publishing
Onlinefolderonyourharddisk.
247
12
10 ClickShortFilmProject12,andthenclicktheOpenbutton.
ProjectopenstheWebpageinyourbrowser.IfyouhaveInternetExplorer,your
screenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
ThisistheresultofsavingProjectdataasa
WebpageusingastandardHTMLtemplate.
12 ScrollthroughtheWebpage.Asyoucansee,itcontainsthetask,resource,and
assignmentinformationfromtheprojectplan.
13 Closeyourbrowser,andreturntoProject.
SavinginformationasaWebpageenablesyoutopublishlargevolumesofproject
informationinHTMLformat.
Important ThedatayoucanexportwhenusingtheSaveAsWebPagecommandis
nottiedtothespecificviewyouhappentobeinatthetimeyousave.Thecurrentview
doesnotaffectwhatdatacanorcantbeexported.
Youcandoafewthingstofine-tunetheWebpagesyoupublishfromProject:
248
12
Youcaneditthemap.AfteryouselectthemapintheExportWizard,clickNext
repeatedlytoseetheotheroptionsinthewizard.Youhaveagreatdealofflex-
ibilityinchoosingtheexacttask,resource,andassignmentfieldsyouwantto
exportandhowyouwanttheexporteddataorganized.
YoucanapplyadifferentHTMLtemplatetotheWebpagewhenyousaveit.
ThischangestheformatoftheWebpage,anditisthesubjectofthenext
section.
IfyoureHTML-savvy,youcanedittheresultingWebpageaftersavingitin
Project.Forexample,youcanaddseveralProject-specifictagstoaWebpage.
Foralistofthosetags,typeAvailableHTMLexporttemplatesandtagsintothe
SearchboxintheupperrightcorneroftheProjectwindow.TheSearchboxini-
tiallycontainsthetextType a question for help.
ChangingtheLookofaProjectWebPage
AlthoughmapsdeterminewhichProjectdatayousaveasaWebpageandhowits
organized,HTML templates determinehowthatdataisformatted.Projectincludes
severalHTMLtemplatesthatyoucanapplyasyousavedataasaWebpage.Youcan
experimentwithdifferentformatstofindthoseyoulikebest.
Inthisexercise,yousaveprojectinformationasaWebpage,applyadifferenttem-
plate,andincludetheGIFimageyoucreatedearlier.
TheSaveAsdialogboxappears.Projectpromptsyoutosavetheinformationasa
Webpageinthesamelocationfromwhichyouopenedthepracticefile.
2 IntheFilenamebox,typeShortFilmProject12WithGanttChart,andclickthe
Savebutton.
TheExportWizardappears.
4 SelecttheUseexistingmapoption,andthenclicktheNextbutton.
5 UnderChooseamapforyourdata,clickExporttoHTMLusingstandardtemplate,
andthenclicktheNextbutton.
249
12
TheMapOptionspageappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
Intheprevioussection,yousawthatmoreinformationwasexportedtotheWeb
pagethanyouneed,soyoullpublishonlytaskandresourceinformationthistime.
6 UnderSelectthetypesofdatayouwanttoexport,cleartheAssignmentscheckbox.
NextyouwillpickadifferentHTMLtemplatetouse.UnderHTMLoptions,theBase
exportonHTMLtemplatecheckboxisselectedbydefault,andthepathtothecur-
renttemplateappears.
7 ClicktheBrowsebuttonnexttothepathtothecurrenttemplate.
TheBrowsedialogboxappears,displayingalloftheHTMLtemplatesthatare
includedwithProject.
Tip IfyouinstalledProjecttothedefaultlocation,theHTMLtemplatesit
includesareinthefollowingfolder:
C:\ProgramFiles\MicrosoftOffice\Templates\1033\MicrosoftProjectWeb
8 Inthelistoftemplates,clickStripesIvy,andthenclickOK.
TheresjustonemorethingtodobeforecreatingtheWebpage.Earlierinthischap-
ter,youcreatedaGIFimageoftheGanttChartviewnamedShortFilmProject
12.gif.YoudliketoincludethisimageintheWebpage.
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12
9 SelecttheIncludeimagefileinHTMLpagecheckbox.
IftheGIFimagefilehasthesamenameandisinthesamefolderastheProjectfile
youresavingasaWebpage,thepathtothatimagefileappearsbydefault.Had
youselectedadifferentnameorfolderwhencreatingtheGIFimage,youdneedto
clicktheBrowsebuttontolocateit.
ProjectsavesyourProjectdatainHTMLformat.NextyouwillviewtheWebpage
youjustcreated.
11 OntheWebtoolbar,clickGo,andthenclickOpenHyperlinkinthedrop-downlist.
Go
13 LocatetheWebpagenamedShortFilmProject12WithGanttChartinyour
Chapter12PublishingOnlinefolder.
14 ClickShortFilmProject12WithGanttChart,andthenclicktheOpenbutton.
251
12
TheWebpageappearsinyourbrowser.IfyouhaveInternetExplorer,yourscreen
WithadifferenttemplateandtheGIFimageincluded,
thisistheresultofsavingProjectdataasaWebpage.
16 ScrollthroughtheWebpagetoviewtheGanttchartimage,theTaskstable,andthe
Resourcestable.ThenewWebpagedoesnthavetheAssignmentstable,andit
showsdifferentformattingfromthepageyoucreatedearlier.
17 Closeyourbrowser,andreturntoProject.
18 Right-clickanytoolbar.Intheshortcutmenuthatappears,clickWeb.
TheWebtoolbardisappears.
YouveonlyscratchedthesurfaceofProjectsWebpublishingcapabilities.Depending
onthecommunicationneedsyouhaveasaprojectmanager,youmightusethesefea-
turesextensively.Bymodifyingexportmaps,applyingHTMLtemplates,oreditingthe
resultingWebpages,youcancarefullytailortheinformationyouprovideoverthe
Web.
252
12
KeyPoints
Projectdetailscanchangequickly.Youmayfinditmoreefficienttopublish
Projectplansonline,andthenupdateandrepublishasneeded,thanto
printProjectdataonpaper.
TheCopyPicturecommand(Editmenu)helpsyouproduceaGIFformatgraphic
imageyoucaninsertintoanotherdocumentorWebpage.Youcanalsocopy
theimagetotheClipboardandlaterpastetoanydestinationyouwish.
WhensavingtoaWebpage,youuseexportmapstospecifywhichProject
information(orfields)youwanttoexport.
WhenexportingProjectdatatoaWebpage,youcontroltheformattingofthe
exporteddatabyapplyingoneofseveralbuilt-inHTMLtemplates.
253
CreatesnapshotsofProjectviews
topasteintootherapplications,
page257
UsetheCopyPictureto
OfficeWizardtocreate
newOfficedocumentswith
keyProjectstatusvalues
andaGanttChartimage,
page260
ExportinformationfromProject
intocommonformatsusedby,
data-crunchingapplications,
page271
13
SharingProject
Informationwith
OtherPrograms
CopyandpastedatatoandfromProject.
GenerateanewOfficedocumentthatcontainsessentialprojectdetailsandan
illustration.
UseProjecttoopenafileproducedinanotherprogram.
SaveProjectdatatootherfileformatsusingimport/exportmaps.
enceentriesonpagesxxxivxxxv.
Inthischapter,youfocusonvariouswaysofgettingdataintoandoutofMicrosoft
OfficeProject2003.InadditiontothestandardWindowscopyandpastefeatures
withwhichyoumightbefamiliar,Projectoffersavarietyofoptionsforimportingand
exportingdata.
Throughoutthischapter,youllseethefollowingterms:
Thesource program istheprogramfromwhichyoucopyinformation.
Thedestination program istheprogramtowhichyoupasteinformation.
describesvariouswaysofsharinginformationbetweenProjectandotherapplications,
usuallytocommunicateprojectdetailstostakeholders.ProjectProfessional,when
usedwithProjectServer,offersmuchmoresophisticatedwaysofcommunicatingwith
resourcesandotherstakeholdersonline.Tolearnmoreabouttheenterprisecollabora-
tiontoolsavailablewithProjectServer,seePart4,IntroducingProjectServer.
255
13
SharingProjectInformationwithOtherPrograms PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling
CopyingandPastingwithProject
YoucancopyandpastedatatoandfromProjectbyclickingtheCopyCell,Copy
Picture,Paste,andPasteSpecialcommandsontheEditmenu(orthecorresponding
buttonsontheStandardtoolbar).WhencopyingdatafromProject,youcanchoose
oneoftwooptions,dependingontheresultsyouwant:
Youcancopytext(suchastasknamesanddates)fromatableandpasteitas
textintoadestinationprogram,suchasWord.
YoucancopyagraphicimageofaviewfromProjectandpasteitasagraphic
imageinthedestinationprogram.WiththeCopyPicturecommandontheEdit
menu,youcancreateagraphicimageofavieworaselectedportionofaview.
UsetheCopyPicturefeaturetooptimizetheimageforonscreenviewing(in
PowerPoint,forexample)orforprinting(inWord,forexample).
Tip TheCopyPicturecommandalsoincludesanoptiontosavethesnapshotto
aGIFimagefile.YoucanthenincludetheGIFimageinaWorddocumentore-mail
message,orpostitdirectlytoanintranetsite.
ThereisanimportantdistinctionbetweenusingCopyandCopyPicture.Ifyouuse
Copy,youcaneditthedatainthedestinationprogram.However,CopyPicture
yieldsanimagethatyoucaneditonlywithagraphicseditingprogram,suchas
MicrosoftPaint.
Tip ManyWindowsprograms,suchasWordandExcel,haveaPasteSpecialcommand
ontheirEditmenu.ThiscommandgivesyoumoreoptionsforpastingtextfromProject
intothedestinationprogram.Forexample,youcanusethePasteSpecialcommandin
Wordtopasteformattedorunformattedtext,apicture,oraProjectDocumentObject
(anOLE object).Youcanalsochoosetopastejustthedataorpasteitwithalinktothe
sourcedatainProject.FormoreinformationaboutusingOLEwithProject,typeAbout
incorporatingtext,graphics,orobjectsintotheSearchboxintheupperrightcornerofthe
Projectwindow.TheSearchboxinitiallycontainsthetextType a question for help.
YoualsohavetwooptionswhenpastingdataintoProjectfromotherprograms:
Youcanpastetext(suchasalistoftaskorresourcenames)intoatablein
Project.Forexample,youcanpastearangeofcellsfromExcelorasequenceof
paragraphsfromWordintoProject.Youmightpasteaseriesoftasknamesthat
areorganizedinaverticalcolumnfromExcelorWordintotheTaskNamecol-
umninProject,forinstance.
YoucanpasteagraphicimageoranOLEobjectfromanotherprogramintoa
graphicalportionofaGanttChartview.Youcanalsopasteagraphicimageor
256
PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling SharingProjectInformationwithOtherPrograms
13
anOLEobjectintoatask,resource,orassignmentnote;intoaformview,such
astheTaskorResourceFormviews;orintotheheader,footer,orlegendofa
vieworreport.
Important Pastingtextasmultiplecolumnsrequiressomeplanning.Firstmake
surethattheorderoftheinformationinthesourceprogrammatchestheorderofthecol-
umnsintheProjecttable.Youcaneitherrearrangethedatainthesourceprogramto
matchthecolumnorderintheProjecttable,orviceversa.Secondmakesurethatthe
columnsinthesourceprogramsupportthesametypesofdatatext,numbers,dates,
andsoonasdothecolumnsinProject.
Fortheshortfilmproject,youdliketoaddaGanttchartimagetoadocumentyouve
preparedforastakeholderoftheproject.Inthisexercise,youcopyasnapshotofa
GanttchartandpasteitintoMicrosoftWordPad(orWord,ifyouprefer).Youcopy
thesamewayregardlessofthedestinationprogramyouhaveinmind.Forexample,
youcouldpastethesnapshotintoawordprocessorfileorane-mailmessage.To
begin,youllformattheGanttChartviewtoshowtheinformationyouwant.
Inthisexercise,youcopyanimageofaGanttChartviewtotheClipboardandthen
pasteitintoanotherdocument.
Chapter 13 Sharing folder.YoucanalsoaccessthepracticefilesforthisbookbyclickingStart,All
Programs,MicrosoftPress,Project2003StepbyStep,andthenselectingthechapterfolderofthefile
youwanttoopen.
3 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoFilteredFor:AllTasks,andthenclickSummaryTasks.
Projectdisplaysonlythesummarytasksintheproject.
5 IntheZoomdialogbox,clickEntireproject,andthenclickOK.
257
13
ProjectadjuststhetimescaleoftheGanttcharttoshowtheentireproject.Your
CopyPicture
TheCopyPicturedialogboxappears.
7 UndertheRenderimagelabel,selectForscreen,andthenclickOK.
ProjectcopiesasnapshotoftheGanttChartviewtotheClipboard.
Nextyoullopenaproposalthatsbeencreatedinawordprocessor.Youcanopen
thisinWordPadorinWordifyouhaveit.
IfyoudonothaveWordinstalled,clicktheWindowsStartbutton,pointto
AllPrograms,pointtoAccessories,andthenclickWordPad.
IfyouhaveWordinstalled,startit.
9 InWordPadorWord,ontheFilemenu,clickOpen.
10 LocateandopenthedocumentnamedLetterToClientinyourChapter13Sharing
folder(youmayhavetoselectAllFilesintheFilesoftypebox).
11 Oncethedocumenthasopened,selecttheparagraph(insertGanttChartpicture
here).
12 OntheEditmenu,clickPaste.
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New in
Office 2003
13
ProjectpastesthesnapshotoftheGanttChartviewfromtheClipboardtothedocu-
ment.IfyouareusingWordPad,yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
TheimageoftheGanttChartviewhasbeenpastedintoaWordPaddocument.
TheGanttchartcannotbeeditedinthisformatexceptasagraphicimage.
Again,notethatratherthanpastingtheimageintoaWordorWordPaddocument,
youcouldpastethisimageintoane-mailmessageoranothertypeofdocument.
13 OntheWordPadorWordFilemenu,clickExit.Whenpromptedtosavethedocu-
ment,clickNo.
GeneratingaProjectSummaryReportfor
Word,PowerPoint,orVisio
New in
AlthoughtheCopyPicturefeatureisusefulformovinganimageoftheactiveviewto
Office 2003
theClipboardortoaGIFfile,Projectmakesiteasytogoastepfurtherandgenerate
acompletedocumentinWord,PowerPoint,orVisio.Projectenablesthiswiththe
CopyPicturetoOfficeWizard,whichstepsyouthroughtheprocessofspecifyingthe
exactdatayouwantincludedinthenewOfficedocument,andhowyouwantitdis-
played.ThiswizardworkswithmostviewsinProject,butnotwiththeCalendar
view,RelationshipDiagramview,orformviews.
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13
TheCopyPicturetoOfficeWizardgeneratesanewOfficedocumentthatcontainsa
tableoffieldvaluesthatapplytoyourentireproject(suchastheprojectfinishdate),
andaGIFimageofthecurrentProjectview.Thewizardgivesyoutheoptionofgen-
eratinganewdocumentinanyofthethreemostcommonOfficeformatsforproject
statusreporting:PowerPoint,Word,andVisio.
InthisexerciseyouusetheCopyPicturetoOfficeWizardtocreateaWorddocument
withaGIFimageofaGanttchart.
Important IfthecomputeronwhichyouarenowworkingdoesnothavePowerPoint,
Word,orVisio2000orlaterinstalled,youcannotcompletethisexampleofusingthe
CopyPicturetoOfficeWizard.Ifthisisthecase,goontothenextsection.
1 OntheViewmenupointtoToolbars,andclickAnalysis.
TheAnalysistoolbarappears.
2 OntheAnalysistoolbar,clicktheCopyPicturetoOfficeWizardbutton.
TheInformationpageofthewizardappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothe
3 ClickNext.
Step1ofthewizardappears.Hereyoucontroltheoutlinelevelofthetasklist.
4 MakesurethatKeepmyoriginaloutlinelevelisselected.Yourscreenshouldlook
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13
5 ClickNext.
Step2ofthewizardappears.Hereyouspecifyexactlywhatyouwantcopied,andat
whatsize.
6 Makesurethat,underCopy,Rowsonscreenisselected,underTimescale,As
shownonscreenisselected,and,underImageSize,Defaultisselected.Your
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13
7 ClickNext.
Step3ofthewizardappears.HereyouspecifytheOfficeapplicationforwhichyou
wantanewdocumentcreated.
Beforeyoupickanapplication,however,youllpreviewtheGIFimagethewizardwill
create.Youpreviewitinyourbrowser,thoughthewizardeventuallyinsertstheGIF
imageoftheactiveviewintotheapplicationformatyouchose.
8 ClickPreview.
ProjectdisplaystheGIFimageofyourviewinyourbrowser.Yourscreenshouldlook
9 CloseyourbrowserandreturntoStep3ofthewizardinProject.
10 UnderApplication,clickWord.
11 UnderOrientation,clickLandscape.
12 ClickNext.
Step4ofthewizardappears.Hereyoureviewand,ifyouwish,modifytheproject-
levelfieldstobeincludedinthenewdocument.Thesefieldswillappearinatable
abovetheGIFimage.
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13
13 IntheMicrosoftOfficeProjectFieldsbox,selectCost,andthenclicktheAddbutton.
TheCostfieldnameappearsatthebottomofthefieldslistintheFieldstoExport
box.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
14 ClickFinish.
Projectdisplaysaconfirmationmessagethatitcompletedthenewdocument
creation.
15 ClickClose.
ThewizardstartsWord,ifitisnotalreadyrunning,andcreatesthenewdocument.
16 IfWordisminimized,clicktheWordicononthetaskbarandifnecessaryswitchto
thenewdocumentinWord.
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13
Theproject-levelfieldsappearinatableabovetheGIFimageoftheGanttChart
view.Foryourreal-worldreportingneedsyoucouldusesuchadocumentasastart-
ingpointforarecurringprojectstatusreport,orforaone-timeprojectwrite-up.
17 ClosethedocumentinWordandswitchbacktoProject.
OpeningOtherFileFormatsinProject
InformationthatyouneedtoincorporateintoaProjectdocumentcancomefroma
varietyofsources.Atasklistfromaspreadsheetorresourcecostsfromadatabaseare
twoexamples.YoumightwanttousetheuniquefeaturesofProjecttoanalyzedata
fromanotherprogram.Forexample,manypeoplekeeptasklistsandsimpleproject
schedulesinExcel,butaccountingforbasicschedulingissueslikeworkingandnon-
workingtimeisimpracticalinExcel.
AsyoumightrecallfromChapter12,PublishingProjectInformationOnline,Project
usesmapswhensavingdatatoHTMLandotherformats.Projectalsousesmaps
whenopeningdatafromanotherfileformat.Infact,thesamemapsareusedforboth
openingandsavingdata,sotheyareknownasimport/export maps.(Youmightalso
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13
hearthesereferredtoasdata mapsorjustmaps.)Youuseimport/exportmapsto
specifyhowyouwantindividualfieldsinthesourceprogramsfiletocorrespondto
individualfieldsinthedestinationprogramsfile.Afteryousetupanimport/export
map,youcanuseitoverandoveragain.
Tip IfyouhaveExcelinstalledonyourcomputer,opentheworkbooknamedSample
TaskListintheChapter13Sharingfolder.Theimportantthingstonoteaboutthework-
bookarethenamesandtheorderofthecolumns,thepresenceofaheaderrow(the
labelsatthetopofthecolumns),andthatthedataisinaworksheetnamedTasks.
Whenyouredoneviewingtheworkbook,closeitwithoutsavingchanges.
Inthisexercise,acolleaguehassentyouanExcelworkbookthatcontainsherrecom-
mendedtasks,durations,andsequenceofactivitiesforsomeworkSouthridgeVideo
willdointhefuture.YouopentheExcelworkbookinProjectandsetupanimport/
exportmaptocontrolhowtheExceldataisimportedintoProject.
1 InProject,ontheFilemenu,clickOpen.
TheOpendialogboxappears.
2 LocatetheChapter13SharingfolderintheProject2003StepbyStepfolderon
yourharddisk.
3 IntheFilesoftypebox,selectMicrosoftExcelWorkbooks.
Tip WhilescrollingthroughtheFilesoftypebox,youcanseetheseveralfilefor-
matsProjectcanimport.Ifyouworkwithprogramsthatcansaveinanyofthesefile
formats,youcanimporttheirdataintoProject.Formoreinformation,typeFilefor-
matssupportedbyProjectintotheSearchbox,locatedintheupperrightcornerof
theProjectwindow.
4 Double-clicktheSampleTaskListfile.
TheImportWizardappears.Thiswizardhelpsyouimportstructureddatafromadif-
ferentformattoProject.
Tip IfyoucompletedChapter12,PublishingProjectInformationOnline,you
willfindtheImportWizardtobeverysimilartotheExportWizard.Rememberthat
Projectusesbasicallythesameprocessandmapsforimportingasitdoesfor
exporting.
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13
ThesecondpageoftheImportWizardappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilarto
TheImportWizardusesmapstoorganizethewaystructureddatafromanotherfile
formatisimportedintoProject.Forthisexercise,youwillcreateanewmap.
6 MakesurethatNewmapisselected,andthenclicktheNextbutton.
TheImportModepageoftheImportWizardappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimi-
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13
7 MakesurethatAsanewprojectisselected,andthenclicktheNextbutton.
TheMapOptionspageoftheImportWizardappears.
8 SelecttheTaskscheckbox,andmakesurethatImportincludesheadersis
selectedaswell.
Headers herereferstocolumnheadings.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefol-
lowingillustration:
TheTaskMappingpageoftheImportWizardappears.Hereyouidentifythesource
workbookandspecifyhowyouwanttomapthedatafromthesourceworkbookto
Projectfields.
10 IntheSourceworksheetnamelist,selectTasks.
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13
Projectanalyzestheheaderrownamesfromtheworkbookandsuggeststhe
Projectfieldnamesthatareprobablematches.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilarto
OnthispageoftheImportWizardyouspecifyhowProjectshould
importdataforotherfileformatsinthiscaseanExcelworkbook.
UsethePreviewareatoseehowthedatafromanotherfileformatwill
bemappedtoProjectfields,basedonthesettingyou'vemadeabove.
ThefinalpageoftheImportWizardappears.Hereyouhavetheoptionofsavingthe
settingsforthenewimportmap,whichisusefulwhenyouanticipateimportingsim-
ilardataintoProjectinthefuture.Thistimeyoullskipthisstep.
ProjectimportstheExceldataintoanewProjectplan.Yourscreenshouldlooksim-
ilartotheillustrationshownnext.(Thedatesyouseeonthetimescalewilldiffer
fromthoseshownbecauseProjectusesthecurrentdateastheprojectstartdate
inthenewfile.)
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13
Afterimportingthetasknamesanddurations,theyappear
asanunlinkedsequenceoftasks,readyforediting.
Thistasklistwillbecomeamorefullydevelopedschedulethatyoulluseinalater
chapter.
13 Closethenewfilewithoutsavingchanges.
Tip IfyoufindthatothersneedtogiveyoutasklistsforcreatingaplaninProjectand
youmustreorganizeorcleanupthelistsyouget,tryusingtheMicrosoftProjectTaskList
ImportTemplate.ProjectinstallsthisExceltemplate.InExcel,thistemplateappearson
theSpreadsheetSolutionstaboftheTemplatesdialogbox.TheExceltemplateissetup
withtheproperfieldheadingsandcolumnordertomakeimportingacleantasklistin
Projecteasy.
Formorecompleximporting,seetheMicrosoftProjectPlanImportExportTemplate(also
anExceltemplate,visibleontheSpreadsheetSolutionstaboftheTemplatesdialogbox).
Thistemplatecontainsnotonlytaskbutalsoresourceandassignmentfieldheadings
andcolumnordersforimportingmorecomplexinformationintoProject.
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13
SavingtoOtherFileFormatsfromProject
PastingProjectdataintootherprogramsmightbefineforone-timeorinfrequent
needs,butthistechniquemightnotworkaswellifyouneedtoexportalarge
volumeofdatafromProject.Instead,youcansaveProjectdatainavarietyoffilefor-
mats.YoucantakeoneoftwoapproachestosavingProjectdatainotherfileformats:
Youcansavetheentireprojectasadatabase.Infact,youcanstoremultiple
projectsinasingledatabasefileforcentralizedadministrationorforotherpur-
poses.Savingaprojectinadatabaseformatmightalsohelpifyouneedtoreport
oranalyzedatainwaysthatProjectdoesntsupport.Thesupportedformats
includeProjectDatabase(.mpd)andAccessDatabase(.mdb).Thesetwoformats
arealmostidentical.OneimportantdifferenceisthattheProjectDatabaseformat
requiresyoutosavetheentireproject,buttheAccessDatabaseformatallows
youtosaveeithertheentireprojectorjustthedatayouspecifyinanexport
map.YoucanalsosaveanentireprojecttoExtensibleMarkupLanguage(XML)
formatforstructureddataexchangewithotherapplicationsthatsupportit.
Youcansavejustthedatayouspecifyinadifferentformat.Thesupportedfor-
matsincludeAccessdesktopdatabase,Webpage,Excelworkbook,ExcelPivot-
Table,andtab-delimitedorcomma-delimitedtext.IfyoucompletedChapter12,
PublishingProjectInformationOnline,youworkedwithanexportmapwhen
savingProjectdatatoaWebpage.Youusethesameapproachwhenspecifying
datayouwanttosaveinanyformat.Youchoosetheformatinwhichyouwant
tosave,pickabuilt-inexportmap(orcreateyourown),andexportthedata.
Tip ProjectincludesthoroughdocumentationfortheProjectDatabaseformat.Ifyou
installedProjectinthedefaultlocation,youllfindthedocumentationfileatC:\Program
Files\Microsoft Office\Office11\1033\Pjdb.htm.
FormoreinformationaboutthefileformatsProjectcanworkwith,typeFileformatssup-
portedbyProjectintotheSearchboxintheupperrightcorneroftheProjectwindow.
Althoughtheshortfilmprojecthasnotyetstarted,theprojectfilealreadycontains
quiteabitofplannedcostdata.Youdliketogivethisdatatothefinancialplannerof
SouthridgeVideososhecanstartworkondetailedbudgets.However,thefinancial
plannerusesabudgetprogramthatcantworkdirectlywithProjectfiles.Youdecide
toprovideherwithcostdataastab-delimitedtext.Thiswillallowherthegreatest
flexibilityinimportingthedataintoherbudgetprogram.
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WorkingwithProjectFileFormats
PriortoProject2000,theProjectfileformatchangedsignificantlywitheverymajorrelease.
StartingwithProject2000,however,Microsoftdevelopedafileformatthatgrowswith
eachnewreleaseofProjectbutisstillusablewithpreviousversions.Thismeansthatyou
cancreateaprojectplaninProject2003andopenitdirectlyinProject2000or2002.
Featuresthatarenewinthe2003versionwillnotbevisiblewhenthefileisopenedinthe
2000or2002version.Otherwise,youcanfreelyexchangefilesbetweenthe2003,2002,
and2000versions.
Project2003canopenProject98files,aswellassaveinProject98format.Features
thatwereintroducedafterthe98version,suchasdeadlinedatesandmultiplebase-
lines,willnotappearwhensavingafilein98format.
Project2003canopenfilesintheMPXformat,whichissupportedbyavarietyofproject
managementprograms.PreviousversionsofProjectupto98cansaveintheMPXformat.
IfyouneedtomigrateprojectplansfromversionsofProjectpriorto98toProject2003,
usetheMPXformat.NotethatProject2003canopen,butnotsavein,MPXformat.
Project2003canalsoexportfilestoXMLformat.XMLisanexcellentformatforexchang-
ingstructureddatabetweenProjectandotherapplicationsthatsupportit.
Inthisexercise,yousaveprojectcostdatatoatextfileusingabuilt-inexportmap.
Atthispoint,youshouldstillhaveShortFilmProject13openinProject.
TheSaveAsdialogboxappears.Projectsuggestssavingthefileinthesameloca-
tionfromwhichyouopenedthepracticefile.Ifyouseeanythingdifferentinthe
SaveAsdialogbox,locatetheChapter13Sharingfolder.
2 IntheFilenamebox,typeShortFilmProject13Costs.
3 IntheSaveastypebox,clickText(Tabdelimited)fromthelist,andthenclickthe
Savebutton.
TheExportWizardappears.
Tip Rememberthatwhenyouuseimport/exportmaps,itmakesnodifference
whatthecurrentviewisinProject.Thecurrentviewdoesnotaffectwhatdatacan
orcantbeexported.
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13
ThesecondpageoftheExportWizardappears.
5 ClickUseexistingmap,andthenclicktheNextbutton.
6 UnderChooseamapforyourdata,selectCostdatabytask.
Projectsavesthetextfile.Toviewit,youwillopenitinMicrosoftNotepad.
8 OntheWindowsStartmenu,pointtoAllPrograms,pointtoAccessories,andclick
Notepad.
Notepadstarts.
9 InNotepad,makesurethatWordWrapisturnedoff.(OntheFormatmenu,Word
Wrapshouldnotbeselected.)
10 OntheFilemenu,clickOpen.
11 OpenthedocumentShortFilmProject13CostsinyourChapter13Sharingfolder.
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13
Inthisfile,thefieldsareseparatedbytabs.Itmightnotbeeasyforyoutoread,but
thisformatiseasilyimportedintovirtuallyanydata-crunchingprogram.
12 OntheFilemenu,clickExit.
Notepadcloses,andyoureturntoProject.
ChartingDatainExcelwiththe
AnalyzeTimescaledDataWizard
YoucancreatechartsoftimephasedtaskorresourceinformationinExcelusingawizard
inProject.ThewizardiscalledtheAnalyzeTimescaledDataWizard.Tostartit,onthe
Viewmenu,pointtoToolbars,andthenclickAnalysis.OntheAnalysistoolbar,clickthe
AnalyzeTimescaledDataInExcelbutton.WiththeAnalyzeTimescaledDataWizard,you
canseetrendsofeitherplannedoractualvaluesdistributedovertime(indailyupto
yearlyincrements)fortasksorresources.Youcanchoosetoexporttheentireprojector
justselectedtasksorresources.
Ifyouhaveataskview(suchastheGanttChart)displayedwhenyoustartthewizard,you
canusethewizardtoexportanytimephasedtask-relatedvaluesyouwant.Forexample,
(continued)
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13
intheplanningstageofaproject,youcouldexportandcharttheplannedWorkandCost
totalspermonthandseethemonthlytotalschartedovertime.Hereiswhatsuchachart
fortheShortFilmProject13filelookslike:
Afterworkhasbegun,someusefulvaluestochartincludeBaselineWorkwithActual
WorkandBaselineCostwithActualCost.
Ifyouhavearesourceview(suchastheResourceSheet)displayedwhenyoustart
thewizard,youcanusethewizardtoexportanytimephasedresource-relatedvalues
youwant.
Youcouldmanuallydoeverythingthewizarddoesforyou,butthewizardisfaster.The
wizarddoesrequirethatyouhaveExcelinstalledonthesamesystemasProject,how-
ever.IntheExcelworkbookcreatedbythewizardyoualsogetthedetailed,timephased
datafromwhichthechartisgenerated.Hereisthetimephaseddatathatthechartabove
isderivedfrom:
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13
KeyPoints
WhensharingProjectdatawithotherOfficeapplications,twousefultechniques
includecopyingimagesoftheactiveviewandgeneratinganewOfficedocu-
mentthatincludeskeyProjectdetailsandanimageoftheactiveview.
YoucanbothcopyfromandpasteintoProjectmuchasyoucanwithother
Windowsapplications.HoweverwhenpastingdataintoatableinProject,take
caretoensurethatthedatayouwantendsupinthecorrectfields.
TohelpimportExceldataintoProject,ProjectinstallstwoExceltemplatesthat
areproperlystructuredforimportingintoProject.
WhenopeningotherdataformatsinProject,Projectusesimportmapstohelp
organizetheimporteddataintotherightstructureforaProjecttable.
ProjectsupportssavingdatatocommonstructureddataformatssuchasAccess
desktopdatabaseandXML.
275
Updateabaselineprior,
totrackingactualwork,
page279
Enteractual
workfortasks
andassignments,
page283
Entertimephasedactualwork
fortasksandassignments,
page291
Interruptworkontheprojectto
restartafterthedateyouspecify,
page296
14
TrackingProgresson
TasksandAssignments
Updateapreviouslysavedbaselineplan.
Recordactualworkfortasksandassignments.
Recorddailyactualworkvalues.
Interruptworkonataskandspecifythedateonwhichthetaskshouldstart
again.
enceentriesonpagexxxv.
Building,verifying,andcommunicatingasoundprojectplanmighttakemuchor
evenmostofyourtimeasaprojectmanager.However,planningisonlythefirst
phaseofmanagingyourprojects.Aftertheplanningiscompleted,theimplementa-
tionoftheprojectstartscarryingouttheplanthatwaspreviouslydeveloped.Ide-
ally,projectsareimplementedjustasplanned,butthisisseldomthecase.Ingeneral,
themorecomplextheprojectplanandthelongeritsplannedduration,themore
opportunitythereisforvariancetoappear.Varianceisthedifferencebetweenwhat
youthoughtwouldhappen(asrecordedintheprojectplan)andwhatreallyhap-
pened(asrecordedbyyourtrackingmethod).
Properlytrackingactualworkandcomparingitagainsttheplanenablesyoutoiden-
tifyvarianceearlyandadjusttheincompleteportionoftheplanwhennecessary.If
youcompletedChapter6,TrackingProgressonTasks,youwereintroducedtothe
simplerwaysoftrackingactualsinaprojectplan.Theseincluderecordingtheper-
centageofataskthathasbeencompletedaswellasitsactualstartandfinishdates.
Thesemethodsoftrackingprogressarefineformanyprojects,butMicrosoftOffice
Project2003alsosupportsmoredetailedwaysoftracking.
Inthischapter,youtracktask-levelandassignment-levelworktotalsandworkper
timeperiod,suchasworkcompletedperweekorperday.Informationdistributed
overtimeiscommonlyknownastimephased,sotrackingworkbytimeperiodis
sometimesreferredtoastracking timephased actuals.Thisisthemostdetailedlevel
oftrackingprogressavailableinProject.
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14
TrackingProgressonTasksandAssignments PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling
Aswithsimplertrackingmethods,trackingtimephasedactualsisawaytoaddressthe
mostbasicquestionsofmanagingaproject:
Aretasksstartingandfinishingasplanned?Ifnot,whatwillbetheimpacton
theprojectsfinishdate?
Areresourcesspendingmoreorlesstimethanplannedtocompletetasks?
Isittakingmoreorlessmoneythanplannedtocompletetasks?
Asaprojectmanager,youmustdeterminewhatleveloftrackingbestmeetsthe
needsofyourprojectplanandyourstakeholders.Asyoumightexpect,themore
detailedthetrackinglevel,themoreeffortrequiredfromyouandtheresources
assignedtotasks.Thischapterexposesyoutothemostdetailedtrackingmethods
availableinProject.
Inthischapter,youworkwithdifferentmeansoftrackingworkandhandlingincom-
pletework.Youbegin,however,byupdatingtheprojectbaseline.
describesenteringactualvaluesdirectlyinProject.ProjectProfessional,whenusedwith
ProjectServer,offersmuchmoresophisticatedwaysofcollectinginformation(suchas
actualwork)fromresourcesandotherstakeholders.Tolearnmoreabouttheenterprise
collaborationtoolsavailablewithProjectServer,seePart4,IntroducingProjectServer.
UpdatingaBaseline
IfyoucompletedChapter6,TrackingProgressonTasks,yousavedabaselineplan
foraprojectplan.Recallthatabaselineisacollectionofimportantvaluesinaproject
plan,suchastheplannedstartdates,finishdates,andcostsoftasks,resources,and
assignments.Whenyousaveabaseline,Projecttakesasnapshotoftheexistingval-
uesandsavesitintheProjectplanforfuturecomparison.
Keepinmindthatthepurposeofthebaselineistorecordwhatyouexpectedthe
projectplantolooklikeatonepointintime.Astimepasses,however,youmight
needtochangeyourexpectations.Aftersavinganinitialbaselineplan,youmight
needtofine-tunetheprojectplanbyaddingorremovingtasksorassignments,and
soon.Tokeepanaccuratebaselineforlatercomparison,youhaveseveraloptions:
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PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling TrackingProgressonTasksandAssignments
14
Updatethebaselinefortheentireproject.Thissimplyreplacestheoriginal
baselinevalueswiththecurrentlyscheduledvalues.
Updatethebaselineforselectedtasks.Thisdoesnotaffectthebaselinevalues
forothertasksorresourcebaselinevaluesintheprojectplan.
Saveasecondorsubsequentbaseline.Youcansaveupto11baselinesinasin-
gleplan.ThefirstoneiscalledBaseline,andtherestareBaseline1through
Baseline10.
Tip TolearnmoreaboutbaselinesinProjectsonlineHelp,typeAboutbaselinesinto
theSearchboxintheupperrightcorneroftheProjectwindow.TheSearchboxinitially
containsthetextType a question for help.
Sinceyoucompletedtheinitialplanningfortheshortfilmprojectandsavedaninitial
baseline,theprojectplanhasundergonesomeadditionalfine-tuning.Thisincluded
someadjustmentstoassignmentsandtaskdurationsandanewtaskinthepre-
productionphaseoftheproject.Becauseofthesechanges,theinitialbaselinedoes
notquitematchtheprojectplanasitiscurrentlyscheduled.Inthisexercise,you
comparetheprojectplanasitiscurrentlyscheduledwiththebaselineplanand
updatethebaselinefortheprojectplan.
Chapter 14 Advanced Tracking folder.YoucanalsoaccessthepracticefilesforthisbookbyclickingStart,
youwanttoopen.
2 IntheFilenamebox,typeShortFilmProject14Baseline,andthenclicktheSave
button.
Nextyouwillswitchtoadifferentviewtoseebaselineandscheduledvalues
arrangedforeasycomparison.
3 OntheViewmenu,clickTrackingGantt.
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14
TheTrackingGanttviewappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
IntheTrackingGanttview,theGanttbarsforthetasksas
theyarecurrentlyscheduledappearinblue(orifcritical,red)
andtheirbaselineschedulevaluesappearingray.
Inthechartportionofthisview,thetasksastheyarecurrentlyscheduledappear
asbluebars(iftheyarenotcriticaltasks)orredbars(iftheyarecritical).Below
them,thebaselinevaluesofeachtaskappearasgraybars.
Tip InGanttChartviews,thecolors,patterns,andshapesofthebarsrepresent
specificthings.ToseewhatanyitemontheGanttchartrepresents,justpointyour
mousepointeratitandadescriptionwillappearinaScreenTip.Toseeacomplete
legendofGanttchartitemsandtheirformatting,ontheFormatmenu,clickBar
Styles.
Tip RememberthatH+gisashortcutfordisplayingtheGoTodialogbox.
TheTrackingGanttviewscrollstodisplaytheGanttbarsfortask5,Review produc-
tion boards.Thistaskwasaddedtotheplanaftertheinitialbaselinewassaved.
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14
Thistaskwasaddedtotheprojectplanafteritsinitial
baselinewassaved,sothistaskhasnobaseline.
AsyoucanseeintheTrackingGanttview,thistaskhasnobaselinevalues.
Toconcludethisexercise,youwillresavethebaselinefortheprojectplan.
5 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoTracking,andthenclickSaveBaseline.
TheSaveBaselinedialogboxappears.
6 MakesurethattheSavebaselineoptionisselected.IntheForarea,makesure
thattheEntireprojectoptionisselected.
Tip Toupdateabaselinejustforselectedtasks,clickSelectedtasksintheFor
area.Whenyoudothis,theoptionsunderRollupbaselinesbecomeavailable.You
cancontrolhowbaselineupdatesshouldaffectthebaselinevaluesforsummary
tasks.Forexample,youcouldresaveabaselineforasubtaskandupdateits
relatedsummarytaskbaselinevaluesifyouwanted.
7 ClickOKtoupdatethebaseline.
Projectalertsyouthatyouareabouttooverwritethepreviouslysavedbaseline
values.
8 ClicktheYesbutton.
Projectupdatesthebaselinevaluesfortheprojectplan.
Afterresavingthebaselinefortheentireproject,
thebaselinestart,finish,anddurationvalues
(amongothers)matchthescheduledvalues.
Task5nowhasabaseline,andalloftheothertasksbaselinevaluesnowmatch
theirscheduledvalues.
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14
9 OntheStandardtoolbar,clicktheSavebutton.
Save
10 OntheFilemenu,clickClosetoclosetheprojectplan.
SavingInterimPlans
Afteryouvestartedtrackingactualvalues,oranytimeyouveadjustedyourschedule,
youmightwanttotakeanothersnapshotofthecurrentstartandfinishdates.Youcando
thiswithaninterim plan.Likeabaseline,aninterimplanisasetofcurrentvaluesfrom
theprojectplanthatProjectsaveswiththefile.Unlikethebaseline,however,aninterim
plansavesonlythestartandfinishdatesoftasks,notresourceorassignmentvalues.
Youcansaveupto10differentinterimplansduringaproject.(Ifyoufindthatyouneed
multiplesnapshotsofscheduledvaluesinadditiontostartandfinishdates,youshould
insteadsaveadditionalbaselines.)
Dependingonthescopeanddurationofyourprojects,youmightwanttosaveaninterim
planatanyofthefollowingjunctures:
Attheconclusionofamajorphaseofwork
Atpresettimeintervals,suchasweeklyormonthly
Justbeforeorafterenteringalargenumberofactualvalues
Tosaveaninterimplan,ontheToolsmenu,pointtoTracking,andthenclickSave
Baseline.IntheSaveBaselinedialogbox,selecttheSaveinterimplanoption.Tolearn
moreaboutinterimplans,typeSaveaninterimplanintotheSearchboxintheupperright
corneroftheProjectwindow.
TrackingActualandRemaining
ValuesforTasksandAssignments
IfyoucompletedChapter6,TrackingProgressonTasks,youenteredactualstart,
finish,anddurationvaluesforindividualtasks.Fortasksthathaveresourcesassigned
tothem,youcanenteractualandremainingworkvaluesforthetaskasawholeor
forspecificassignmentstothattask.TohelpyouunderstandhowProjecthandlesthe
actualvaluesyouenter,considerthefollowing:
Ifataskhasasingleresourceassignedtoit,theactualworkvaluesyouenter
forthetaskortheassignmentapplyequallytoboththetaskandtheresource.
Forexample,ifyourecordthattheassignmentstartedonMarch21andhasfive
hoursofactualwork,thosevaluesapplytothetaskaswell.
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14
Ifataskhasmultipleresourcesassignedtoit,theactualworkvaluesyouenter
forthetaskaredistributedamongorrolled downtotheassignmentsaccording
totheirassignmentunits.Thislevelofdetailisappropriateifyouarentcon-
cernedaboutthedetailsattheindividualassignmentlevel.
Ifataskhasmultipleresourcesassignedtoit,theactualworkvaluesyouenter
foroneassignmentarerolled uptothetask,butdontaffecttheotherassign-
mentstothetask.Thislevelofdetailisappropriateifdetailsattheindividual
assignmentlevelareimportanttoyou.
Inthisexercise,yourecordtask-levelandassignment-levelactualsandseehowthe
informationisrolledupordownbetweentasksandassignments.
OPEN:ShortFilmProject14bfromthe\My Documents\Microsoft Press\Project 2003 Step by Step\
youwanttoopen.
2 IntheFilenamebox,typeShortFilmProject14Actuals,andthenclicktheSave
button.
Thisversionoftheprojectplanincludestheupdatedbaselinevaluesyoupreviously
saved,aswellasthefirstactualsreportedagainstthefirstpre-productiontask.
TheTaskUsageviewappears.Thisusageviewlistsresourcesunderthetasksto
whichtheyreassignedinatableontheleftsideoftheview.Ontherightsideof
theview,youseerowsorganizedunderatimescale.Therowsnexttoeachtask
nameshowyouthescheduledworkvaluesforthetask.Therowsnexttothe
resourcenamesshowyouthescheduledworkvaluesforeachresourceinother
words,thescheduledworkperassignment.Thesearethetimephasedvaluesof
theassignments.Thetwosidesoftheviewaresplitbyaverticaldividerbar.
4 IntheTaskNamecolumn,clickthenameoftask3,Developscriptbreakdownand
schedule.
GoToSelected
Thetimephasedgridontherightsideoftheviewscrollstodisplaythefirstsched-
Task
uledworkforthetask.
Nextyoullswitchthetableanddetailsshownintheview.
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6 OntheViewmenu,pointtoTable:Usage,andthenclickWork.
TheWorktableappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
Inausageview,atableappearsintheleftpane,
andatimephasedgridappearsintherightpane.
Thistimephasedgriddisplaysscheduledworkperday.
foreachassignmentandtask.Changingthetimescale
ofthegridchangesthelevelofdetailitreports,though
theunderlyingtimephaseddatadoesnotchange.
ThistableincludestheActualWorkandRemainingWorkcolumnsyouwillworkwith
shortly,thoughtheymightnotyetbevisible.ThevaluesintheWorkcolumnarethe
taskandassignmenttotalsforscheduledwork.Notethateachtasksworkvalue
isthesumofitsassignmentworkvalues.Forexample,theworktotalfortask2,
48hours,isthesumofClairHectors28hoursofworkonthetaskandScott
Coopers20hours.
Nextyoullchangethedetailsshownonthetimephasedgridontherightsideof
theview.
7 OntheFormatmenu,pointtoDetails,andthenclickActualWork.
Foreachtaskandassignment,ProjectdisplaystheWorkandActualWorkrowson
thetimephasedgridontherightsideoftheview.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilarto
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14
Whenyoudisplaytheactualworkdetails,the
Act.Workrowappearsinthetimephasedgrid
foreveryassignment,task,andsummarytask.
Inthetimephasedgrid,youseethescheduledworkvaluesperday.Ifyouwereto
addupthedailyworkvaluesforaspecifictaskorassignment,thetotalwould
equalthevalueintheWorkcolumnforthattaskorassignment.Inausageview,
youseeworkvaluesattwodifferentlevelsofdetail:thetotalvalueforataskor
assignmentandthemoredetailedtimephasedlevel.Thesetwosetsofvaluesare
directlyrelated.
Nextyoullentertask-levelandassignment-levelactualworkvaluesandseehow
theyarereflectedinthetimephaseddetails.
8 Usingthemouse,dragtheverticaldividerbartotherightuntilyoucanseeallthe
columnsintheWorktable.
Tip Whenthemousepointerisintherightpositiontodragtheverticaldivider
VerticalDivider bar,itchangestoatwo-headedarrowthatpointsleftandright.
Pointer
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14
Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothisillustration:
Toseemoreorlessofthetableontheleftandthe
timephasedgridontheright,dragthisdividerbarleftorright.
9 IntheActualcolumnfortask3,Develop script breakdown and schedule,typeor
click42h,andthenpressF.
Enteringanactualvalueforthetaskcauses
Projecttodistributetheactualvalues
amongtheassignedresourcesand
adjustremainingworkandothervalues.
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14
SeveralimportantthingshappenedwhenyoupressedF:
TheamountofactualworkyouenteredwassubtractedfromtheRemaining
column.
Theactualworkwasdistributedtothethreeassignmentsonthetask,
resultingin14hoursofactualworkbeingrecordedforeachresource.
Likewise,theupdatedremainingworkvaluewasrecalculatedforeach
assignment.
Theupdatedactualandremainingworkvalueswererolleduptothepre-
productionsummarytask.
Theactualworkvalueswerealsoredistributedtothetaskandassignment
timephasedvalues.
Nextyoulltakeacloserlookattheactualworkvalues.
10 DragtheverticaldividerbartotheleftuntilyouseejusttheTaskNamecolumnin
theWorktable.
Theactualworkvalueenteredforthetask
isalsodistributedamongtheassigned
resourcesinthetimephasedgrid.
Inthetimephasedgridsideoftheview,youcanseethedailyscheduledworkand
actualworkvaluesforthethreeresourcesonMondayandTuesday,March14and
15.Becauseyouenteredanactualworkvaluefortheentiretask,Projectassumes
thattheworkwasdoneasscheduled(sixhoursofscheduledworkperresourceon
MondayandeighthoursonTuesday)andrecordsthesetimephasedvaluesforthe
resources.
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14
Toconcludethisexercise,youwillenterassignmentworkvaluesandseetheeffect
onthetask.
11 Dragtheverticaldividerbarbacktotherightuntilyouseeallthecolumnsinthe
Worktable.
12 IntheActualcolumnforClairHectorsassignmenttotask3,typeorclick30h,and
thenpressF.
Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothisillustration:
Enteringanactualvaluefortheassignment
causesProjecttorolluptheactualtothetask,
butdoesnotaffecttheotherassignments.
ClairHectorsactualandremainingworkvaluesareupdated,andthoseupdates
alsorolluptothetaskanditssummarytask.However,theactualandremaining
workvaluesfortheothertworesourcesassignedtothetaskarenotaffected.
13 Dragtheverticaldividerbarbacktothelefttoseetheupdatedtimephasedvalues
forthetask.
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14
Theactualworkvalueenteredfortheassignment
Save
isrolleduptothetaskanddistributedacross
theassignmentinthetimephasedgrid.
AgainProjectassumesthattheactualworkvalueyouenteredforClairwascom-
pletedasscheduled,soherworkandactualworktimephasedvaluesmatch
throughThursday,March17.
Note Inthisexercise,youreenteringactualworkvaluesbutyoucanalsoenter
remainingworkvaluesorpercentageofworkcomplete.Allthesevaluesarerelatedto
eachotherachangetooneaffectstheothers.Youcanupdatethesevaluesinthe
WorktableorontheTrackingtaboftheAssignmentInformationdialogbox(whenan
assignmentisselected).
Trackingatasksactualworkcompletevalueismoredetailedthanenteringasimple
percentagecompleteonatask.However,neithermethodisasdetailedasentering
timephasedactualworkfortasksorassignments(asyouwillseeinthenextsection).
Theresnothingwrongwithtrackingactualworkatthetaskorassignmentlevel(or
justenteringapercentagecomplete,forthatmatter)ifthatlevelofdetailmeetsyour
needs.Infact,whetheryouseethetimephaseddetailsornot,Projectalwaysdistrib-
utesanypercentagecompleteortask-levelorassignment-levelactualworkvalueyou
enterintocorrespondingtimephasedvalues,asyousawearlier.Thisisonereason
whynewProjectuserssometimesaresurprisedtoencounterextremelydetailedtime-
phasedvalues,suchas1.67hoursofwork,scheduledforaday.Ifyougenerally
understandthemathProjectisfollowing,however,youcanfigureoutwheresuch
numberscomefrom.Ontheotherhand,youmightnotcareaboutthislevelofsched-
ulingdetailandthatsOKtoo.
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14
ManuallyEnteringActualCosts
Wheneveryouveenteredactualworkvaluesinthischapter,Projecthascalculatedactual
costvaluesfortheaffectedtask,itssummarytask,theresourcesassignedtothetask,
andtheentireproject.Bydefault,Projectcalculatesactualcostsanddoesntallowyou
toenterthemdirectly.Inmostcasesthisiswhatwerecommend,andwhatthepractice
filesusedinthisbookdo.Howeverifyouwanttoenteractualcostvaluesyourselfinyour
ownprojectplans,followthesesteps:
1 OntheToolsmenu,clicktheOptionscommand.
TheOptionsdialogboxappears.
2 ClicktheCalculationtab.
3 UndertheCalculationoptionsforShortFilmProject14Actualslabel,clearthe
ActualcostsarealwayscalculatedbyMicrosoftOfficeProjectcheckbox.
4 ClickOK.
Afterautomaticcostcalculationisturnedoff,youcanenterorimporttask-levelor
assignment-levelactualcostsintheActualfield.Thisfieldisavailableinseveralloca-
tions,suchastheCosttable.Youcanalsoenteractualcostvaluesdailyoratanother
intervalinanytimescaleview,suchastheTaskUsageortheResourceUsageview.On
theFormatmenu,pointtotheDetailscommand,andthenclickActualCost.
TrackingTimephasedActual
WorkforTasksandAssignments
Enteringtimephasedactualsrequiresmoreworkontheprojectmanagerspartand
mightrequiremoreworkfromresourcestoinformtheprojectmanageroftheirdaily
actuals.However,doingsogivesyoufarmoredetailabouttheprojectstaskand
resourcestatusthantheothermethodsofenteringactuals.Enteringtimephasedval-
uesmightbethebestapproachtotakeifyouhaveagroupoftasksoranentire
projectthatincludethefollowing:
High-risktasks
Relativelyshort-durationtasksinwhichavarianceofevenafractionofaday
couldputtheoverallprojectatrisk
Tasksinwhichsponsorsorotherstakeholdershaveanespeciallystronginterest
Tasksthatrequirehourlybillingforlabor
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14
Atthispointintheshortfilmproject,thepre-productionworkhasbeencompleted,
andtheproductionphasehasjustbegun.Becauseofthelargenumberofresources
involved,thehighsetupandteardowncosts,andthelimitedavailabilityofsitesat
whichsomescenesmustbefilmed,thesetasksaretheriskiestonesoftheproject.In
thisexercise,youenterdailyactualsforproductiontasksintheTaskUsageview.
OPEN:ShortFilmProject14cfromthe\My Documents\Microsoft Press\Project 2003 Step by Step\
youwanttoopen.
2 IntheFilenamebox,typeShortFilmProject14TimephasedActuals,andthenclick
theSavebutton.
3 Clicktheminussignnexttotask1,Pre-Production, tocollapsethisphaseofthe
projectplan.
4 Clickthenameoftask26,Scene7setup,andthenontheStandardtoolbar,click
theGoToSelectedTaskbutton.
GoToSelected
Task
Projectscrollsthetimephasedgridtodisplaythefirstscheduledworkvaluesofthe
Productionphase.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
Thefirsttimephasedactualworkvaluesyouwillenterareatthetasklevel,andnot
forspecificassignments.
5 Inthetimephasedgrid,clickthecellattheintersectionoftheWednesday,May25
columnandthetask26actualworkrow.
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14
Tip Ifyoupointtothenameofadayonthetimescale,Projectwilldisplaythefull
dateofthatdayinaScreenTip.
Youcanchangetheformattingofthetimescaletocontrolthetimeperiodinwhich
youenteractualvaluesinthetimephasedgrid.Forexample,youcanformatitto
showweeksratherthandays,andwhenyouenteranactualvalueattheweekly
level,thatvalueisdistributedovertheweek.Formoreinformationaboutadjusting
thetimescale,typeChangethetimescaletoseeadifferentlevelofdetailintothe
SearchboxintheupperrightcorneroftheProjectwindow.
6 Type10h,andthenpresstheOkey.
Hereisthefirsttimephased
actualworkvalueyouentered.
Assoonasyouenteredthefirstactualvalueforthetask,thescheduledworkvalue
changedtomatchit.Bothworkandactualworkvaluesrolleduptothetaskand
summarytasklevelsandweredistributedamongthespecificassignmentstothe
task.Youcanseethishappeninthetimephasedgrid.
7 IntheThursday,May26actualworkcell,type5h,andthenpressF.
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14
Hereisthesecondtimephasedactual
workvalueyouentered.Thetimephased
valuesforthetaskaredistributedtothe
timephasedassignmentvaluesand
affectthetaskandassignmenttotals
inthetableontheleft.
Thatconcludestheactualworkforthistask.Nextyoullenteractualworkvaluesfor
theassignmentsonthenexttask.
Fortask27,Scene 7 rehearsal,youhavetheactualworkvaluesforseveral
resourcesforThursdayandFriday,May26and27,2005
8 Ifnecessary,scrolltheTaskUsageviewupsothatalloftheassignmentsto
task27arevisible.
9 Inthetimephasedgrid,clickthecellattheintersectionoftheThursday,May26
columnandJanMiksovskysactualworkrowforherassignmenttotask27.
10 Enterthefollowingactualworkvaluesintothetimescalegrid:
Resourcename
JanMiksovsky
JoBrown
JosephMatthews
PaulBorm
ScottCooper
SueJackson
Thursdaysactualwork Fridaysactualwork
3h 5h
3h 5h
2h 7h
3h 1h
2.5h 5.5h
6h 2h
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14
11 Whenyouarefinished,yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
12 Again,theindividualresourcesactualworkvalueswererolleduptothetasks
actualworkvalues.Theoriginalworkvaluesarealsosavedinthebaseline,should
youeverneedtorefertothemlater.
Save
Tip Inthisexercise,youhaveseenhowtaskandassignmentvaluesaredirectly
related;anupdatetoonedirectlyaffectstheother.However,ifyouwant,youcanbreak
thisrelationship.Doingsoenablesyoutorecordprogressforresourceassignments,for
example,andmanuallyenteractualvaluesforthetaskstowhichthoseresourcesare
assigned.Younormallyshouldnotbreakthisrelationshipunlessyouhavespecialreport-
ingneedswithinyourorganizationforexample,youmustfollowastatusreporting
methodologybasedonsomethingotherthantheactualvaluesrecordedforassignments
inprojectplans.Tobreakthisrelationship,ontheToolsmenu,clickOptions.Onthe
CalculationtaboftheOptionsdialogbox,cleartheUpdatingtaskstatusupdatesresource
statuscheckbox.Thissettingappliestotheentireprojectplanyouhaveopenatthe
time;youcannotapplyittoonlysometaskswithinaprojectplan.
Whenyouneedtotrackactualworkatthemostdetailedlevelpossible,usethe
timephasedgridintheTaskUsageortheResourceUsageview.Ineitherview,you
canenteractualworkvaluesforindividualassignmentsdaily,weekly,oratwhatever
timeperiodyouwant.Forexample,ifataskhasthreeresourcesassignedtoit,and
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14
youknowthattworesourcesworkedonthetaskforeighthoursonedayandthe
thirdworkedforsixhours,youcanentertheseasthreeseparatevaluesonatime-
phasedgrid.
Ifyourorganizationusesatimesheetreportingsystemfortrackingactualwork,you
mightbeabletousethistimesheetdatainProjectastimephasedactuals.Youmight
notneedtotrackatthislevel,butifresourcescompletetimesheetsforotherpurposes
(billingotherdepartmentswithintheorganization,forexample),youcanusetheir
dataandsaveyourselfsomework.
CollectingActualsfromResources
Thetableyouusedinthepreviousexerciseissimilartoatimecard.Infact,toenter
assignment-levelactualworkvalues,youneedsomeformofpapertimecardoritselec-
tronicequivalent.Severalmethodsareusedtocollectsuchdatafromresources,assum-
ingthatyouneedtotrackactualsatthislevelofdetail.Somecollectionmethodsinclude
thefollowing:
UseProjectProfessionalinconjunctionwithProjectServerforintranet-basedteam
collaboration,tracking,andstatusreporting.TolearnmoreaboutProject2002
Server,seePart4,IntroducingProjectServer.
Collectactualvaluesyourself.Thismethodisfeasibleifyoucommunicatewithonly
asmallgroupofresourcesonafrequentbasis.Itsalsoagoodopportunitytotalk
directlytotheresourcesaboutanysurprisestheymighthaveencountered(either
positiveornegative)whileperformingthework.
Collectactualsthroughaformalstatusreportingsystem.Thistechniquemightwork
throughthealreadyexistinghierarchyofyourorganizationandserveadditionalpur-
posesbesidesprojectstatusreporting.
ReschedulingIncompleteWork
Duringthecourseofaproject,fromtimetotimeworkmightbeinterruptedforaspe
cifictaskorfortheentireproject.Shouldthishappen,youcanhaveProjectresched
uletheremainingworktorestartafterthedateyouspecify.
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14
Whenyourescheduleincompletework,youspecifythedateafterwhichworkcan
resumetherescheduleddate.HereishowProjecthandlestasksinrelationtothe
rescheduleddate:
Ifthetaskdoesnothaveanyactualworkrecordedforitpriortotheresched
uleddateanddoesnothaveaconstraintapplied,theentiretaskisrescheduled
tobeginafterthatdate.
Ifthetaskhassomeactualworkrecordedpriortobutnoneaftertheresched
uleddate,thetaskissplitsothatallremainingworkstartsaftertherescheduled
date.Theactualworkisnotaffected.
Ifthetaskhassomeactualworkrecordedforitpriortoaswellasafterthe
rescheduleddate,thetaskisnotaffected.
Atthispointintheshortfilmproject,workonthefirsttwosceneshasbeencom
pletedandtheteamisabouttostartworkonthenextscheduledscene,Scene1.In
thisexercise,youtroubleshootadelayinworkcausedbyaproblematthestudio.
OPEN:ShortFilmProject14dfromthe\My Documents\Microsoft Press\Project 2003 Step by Step\
youwanttoopen.
2 IntheFilenamebox,typeShortFilmProject14Reschedule,andthenclickthe
Savebutton.
TheGanttChartviewscrollstodisplaytheGanttbarfortask38,Scene 1 setup.
Currentlythistaskhasonedayofactualworkcompletedandtwodaysofsched-
uledworkremaining.
4 ScrolltheGanttChartviewupsothattheScene1summarytaskappearsnearthe
topoftheview.
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14
Progressbarsindicatetheportionof
thetaskthathasbeencompletedin
thiscase,onedayofathree-daytask.
YouhavelearnedthatontheeveningofTuesday,June7,awaterpipeburstinthe
studiowhereScene1wastobeshot.Noneoftheprojectsequipmentwasdam-
aged,butthecleanupwilldelayworkuntilthefollowingMonday,June13.This
effectivelystopsworkontheproductiontasksfortherestoftheweek.Nextyouwill
rescheduleincompleteworksotheprojectcanstartagainonMonday.
5 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoTracking,andthenclickUpdateProject.
TheUpdateProjectdialogboxappears.
6 SelecttheRescheduleuncompletedworktostartafteroption,andinthedatebox,
typeorclick6/12/05.
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14
7 ClickOKtoclosetheUpdateProjectdialogbox.
Projectsplitstask38sothattheincompleteportionofthetaskisdelayeduntil
Monday.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
ReschedulingworkfortheprojectcausesProjecttosplit
thistask,andthenrescheduletheremainderofit(and
allsubsequenttasks)afterthedateyouspecified.
Asyoucansee,althoughthedurationoftask38remainsatthreedays,itsfinish
dateandsubsequentstartdatesforsuccessortaskshavebeenpushedout.So
althoughwehaveaddressedaspecificproblem,indoingsowehavecreatedother
problemsintheremainderoftheproject.Youwilladdressthisandotherproblems
intheprojectplaninlaterchapters.
Tip YoucanturnoffProjectsabilitytorescheduleincompleteworkontasksthat
haveanyactualwork.OntheToolsmenu,clicktheOptionscommand.Inthe
Optionsdialogbox,clicktheScheduletab,andthencleartheSplitin-progresstasks
checkbox.
Ifyouusestatusdatesforreportingactuals,Projectsupportsseveraloptionsforcon-
trollingthewaycompletedandincompletesegmentsofataskarescheduledaround
thestatusdate.OntheToolsmenu,clicktheOptionscommand.IntheOptionsdialog
box,clicktheCalculationtab.Theoptionsthatcontrolschedulingaroundthestatus
dateareMoveendofcompletedpartsafterstatusdatebacktostatusdateandthethree
othercheckboxesbelowit.
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14
FormoreinformationabouttheseandotheroptionsonthetabsoftheOptionsdialog
box,clicktheHelpbuttonthatappearsinthedialogbox.Tolearnmoreaboutwork-
ingwithstatusdatesinProject,typeAboutthestatusdateintotheSearchboxinthe
upperrightcorneroftheProjectwindow.
CLOSE:theShortFilmProject14Reschedulefile.
KeyPoints
Savingabaselinesavesalargesetoftask,resource,andassignmentvaluesina
projectplan.Savinganinterimplan,however,savesonlythestartandfinish
datesoftasks.
Ifyoutrackworkatthetasklevel,workrollsdowntotheassignments.Con-
versely,ifyoutrackworkattheassignmentlevel,workrollsuptothetask
level.
Inusageviews,youcanchangethetimeincrementsonthelowertierofthe
timescaletomatchthetimeperiodagainstwhichyouwishtotrack.Forexam-
ple,ifyouwishtorecordactualworkasfullweeks,youcansetthetimescaleto
displayweeksonthelowertier.
Shouldworkonaprojectbeinterruptedforsomereason,youcanreschedule
theworktobeginagainonthedateyouspecify.
299
Usedifferenttablestosee
scheduleandcostvariance
fortasksandresources,
page309
Usethecustomizedfieldto
createastoplightviewthat
illustratescostvariance,
page318
Compareactual
progressagainstthe
baselineplan,
page303
Customizeafieldwitha
formulaandgraphicalindicators,
page318
15
ViewingandReporting
ProjectStatus
Determinewhichtaskswerestartedorcompletedlate.
Viewtaskcostsatsummaryanddetaillevels.
Examineresourcecostsandvariance.
Usecustomfieldstocreateastoplightviewthatillustrateseachtaskscost
variance.
enceentriesonpagesxxxvxxxvi.
Afteraprojectsbaselinehasbeensetandworkhasbegun,theprimaryfocusofthe
projectmanagershiftsfromplanningtocollecting,entering,andanalyzingproject
performancedetailsinMicrosoftOfficeProject2003.Formostprojects,theseperfor-
mancedetailsboildowntothreeprimaryquestionsorvitalsigns:
Howmuchworkwasrequiredtocompleteatask?
Didthetaskstartandfinishontime?
Whatwasthecostofcompletingthetask?
Comparingtheanswerstothesequestionsagainstthebaselinegivestheprojectman-
agerandotherstakeholdersagoodwaytomeasuretheprojectsprogressandto
knowwhencorrectiveactionmightbenecessary.
Communicatingprojectstatustokeystakeholderssuchascustomersandsponsors
isarguablythemostimportantfunctionofaprojectmanager,andonethatmight
occupymuchofyourworkingtime.Althoughperfectflowofcommunicationcant
guaranteeaprojectssuccess,aprojectwithpoorcommunicationsflowisalmost
guaranteedtofail.
Akeytoproperlycommunicatingprojectstatusisknowingthefollowing:
Whoneedstoknowtheprojectsstatusandforwhatpurpose?
Whatformatorlevelofdetaildothesepeopleneed?
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15
ViewingandReportingProjectStatus PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling
Thetimetoanswerthesequestionsisintheinitialplanningphaseoftheproject.
Afterworkontheprojectisunderway,yourmaincommunicationstaskwillbe
reportingprojectstatus.Thiscantakeseveralforms:
Statusreportsthatdescribewheretheprojectisintermsofcost,scope,and
schedule(thesearethethreesidesoftheproject triangle)
Progressreportsthatdocumentthespecificaccomplishmentsoftheprojectteam
Forecaststhatpredictfutureprojectperformance
Wherethescheduledoractualprojectperformancediffersfromthebaselineplan,
youhavevariance.Varianceisusuallymeasuredastime,suchasdaysbehindsched-
ule,orascost,suchasdollarsoverbudget.Afterinitialprojectplanningiscomplete,
manyprojectmanagersspendmostoftheirtimeidentifying,justifying,and,inmany
cases,respondingtovariance.However,beforeyoucanrespondtovariance,you
mustfirstidentify,document,andreportit.Thatisthesubjectofthischapter.
describesreportingprojectstatustostakeholders.ProjectProfessional,whenusedwith
ProjectServer,providesmuchmoresophisticatedwaysofnotonlypublishingprojectsta-
tusonline,butcollectinginformation(suchasactualwork)fromresourcesandother
stakeholdersaswell.Tolearnmoreabouttheenterprisecollaborationtoolsavailable
withProjectServer,seePart4,IntroducingProjectServer.
IdentifyingTasksThatHaveSlipped
Onecauseofvarianceisdelaysinstartingorfinishingtasks.Youdcertainlywantto
knowabouttasksthatstartedlateorfuturetasksthatmightnotstartasscheduled.Its
alsohelpfultoidentifycompletedtasksthatdidnotstartontimeandtotrytodeter-
minewhy.
Therearedifferentwaystoseedelayedtasks,dependingonthetypeofinformation
youwant:
ApplytheTrackingGanttviewtographicallycomparetasksbaselinedateswith
theiractualorscheduleddates.
ApplytheVariancetabletoataskviewtoseethenumberofdaysofvariance
foreachtasksstartandfinishdates.
FilterfordelayedorslippingtaskswiththeSlipped/LateProgressorSlipping
Tasksfilters.
302
PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling ViewingandReportingProjectStatus
15
FollowtheinstructionsintheCheckProgresspane(selectChecktheprogressof
theprojectunderTrackintheProjectGuide)orintheCompareProgresspane
(selectCompareprogressagainstbaselineworkunderReportsintheProject
Guide).
Inthisexercise,youapplysomeoftheseandothermethodstoidentifyvariance.
Chapter 15 Reporting Status folder.YoucanalsoaccessthepracticefilesforthisbookbyclickingStart,
youwanttoopen.
Tobeginyouranalysisoftasksthathaveslipped,youllstartatthehighestlevel
theprojectsummaryinformation.
TheProjectStatisticsdialogboxappears.
Hereyoucanseethestartandfinishvaluesfor
theproject,includingthefinishdate'svariance.
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15
Inthisdialogboxyoucansee,amongotherthings,thattheprojectcurrentlyhas
13daysofschedulevarianceonthefinishdate.Ineffect,theoverallprojectfinish
datehasslippedoutthisnumberofdays.
Fortheremainderofthisexercise,youwillusevarioustechniquestoexaminethe
specifictaskvariance.
6 OntheViewmenu,clickTrackingGantt.
ProjectdisplaystheTrackingGanttview.
7 IntheTaskNamecolumn,clickthenameoftask25,theScene7summarytask,
andscrolltheTrackingGanttviewupsothattask25appearsnearthetopofthe
view.
GoToSelected
Inthechartportionofthisview,thetasksastheyarecurrentlyscheduledappear
Task
asbluebars(iftheyarenotcriticaltasks)orredbars(iftheyarecritical).Inthe
lowerhalfofeachtasksrow,thebaselinevaluesofeachtaskappearasgraybars.
Abluebarrepresentsthetask
asitiscurrentlyscheduledorthe
timeframeinwhichitwascompleted.
Theoriginalbaselineschedule
appearsasgraybarsinthe
TrackingGanttview.
Hereyoucanseewheretasksbegantovaryfromtheirbaselines.Tasks26and27
startedasplanned,buttask27finishedlaterthanplanned.
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15
TheGoTodialogboxappears.
Tip RememberthatH+g isakeyboardshortcutfordisplayingtheGoTo
dialogbox.
10 IntheIDbox,type41,andclickOK.
ProjectscrollstheTrackingGanttviewtodisplaytask41anditsadjacenttasks.
11 ScrolltheTrackingGanttviewupsothattask41appearsnearthetopoftheview.
Here,youcanseebaselinetaskbars(thepatternedgraybars),completedtask
bars(thesolidbluebars),andbarsfortasksscheduledbutnotyetnotstarted(the
redbars).
Tip ToseedetailsaboutanybarorotheriteminaGanttChartview,positionthe
mousepointeroverit.Afteramoment,aScreenTipappearswithdetails.
Tofocusinonjusttheslippingtasks,youwillapplyafilter.
TheMoreFiltersdialogboxappears.Init,youcanseeallthepredefinedfiltersfor
tasks(wheninataskview)andresources(wheninaresourceview)availabletoyou.
13 IntheMoreFiltersbox,clickSlippingTasks,andthenclicktheApplybutton.
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15
Projectfiltersthetasklisttoshowonlythosetasksthat,astheyarenowsched-
uled,haveslippedfromtheirbaselineplan.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothe
NotethegapsinthetaskIDnumbers.Tasks1through23,forexample,donot
appearwiththefilterapplied,becausetheyarealreadycomplete.
Atthispointintheschedule,thescheduledstartdateoftaskshasslippedquitea
bit.(Tovisuallyverifyhowmuchthesetaskshaveslipped,youcanscrollthechart
portionoftheTrackingGanttviewtothelefttoseethebaselineGanttbarsforeach
task.)ThesetasksscheduledGanttbarsareformattedredtoindicatethatthey
arecritical,meaningthatanydelayincompletingthesetaskswilldelaythe
projectsfinishdate.
14 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoFilteredFor:SlippingTasks,andthenclickAllTasks.
Projectremovesthefilter.Asalways,displayingorremovingafilterhasnoeffecton
theoriginaldata.
TheTrackingGanttviewgraphicallyillustratesthedifferencebetweenscheduled,
actual,andbaselineprojectperformance.Toseethisinformationinatableformat,
youwilldisplaytheVariancetableintheTaskSheetview.
16 IntheViewslist,clickTaskSheet,andthenclicktheApplybutton.
ProjectdisplaystheTaskSheetview.NextyoullswitchtotheVariancetable.
17 OntheViewmenu,pointtoTable:Entry,andthenclickVariance.
Tip Youalsocanright-clicktheSelectAllbuttonintheupperleftcornerofthe
activetabletoswitchtoadifferenttable.
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15
TheVariancetableappearsintheTaskSheetview.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilar
tothefollowingillustration:
Toquicklyswitchtoadifferenttable,right-click
here,andthenclickthetableyouwant.
Inthistableyoucanseethescheduled,baseline,andvariancevaluespertask.
Hereareafewmoretipsandsuggestionsforviewingslippedtasks:
ToseealegendofallGanttbarcolorcodingandsymbols,switchtoaGantt
ChartviewandontheFormatmenu,clickBarStyles,andintheBarStylesdia-
logbox,lookattheNameandAppearancecolumns.
AllfiltersareavailabletoyouviatheFilterbuttonontheFormattingtoolbar.
Filter
Thenameoftheactivefilterappearsinthisbutton;clickthearrownexttothe
filternametoseeotherfilters.Ifnofilterisappliedtothecurrentview,AllTasks
orAllResourcesappearsonthebutton,dependingonthetypeofviewcurrently
displayed.
Youcanseethecriteriathatmostfiltersusetodeterminewhichtasksor
resourcestheywilldisplayorhide.OntheProjectmenu,pointtoFilterFor:All
Tasks,andthenclickMoreFilters.IntheMoreFiltersdialogbox,clickafilterand
clicktheEditbutton.IntheFilterDefinitiondialogbox,youcanseethetests
appliedtovariousfieldsforthefilter.
TheSlippingTasksreportdescribestasksthatareoff-schedule.OntheView
menu,clickReports.IntheReportsdialogbox,double-clickCurrentActivities,
andthendouble-clickSlippingTasks.
Inthisexerciseyouhaveviewedvarianceforatask.Toseevarianceforassign-
mentstoatask,switchtotheTaskUsageview,andthenapplytheVariance
table(toseescheduledvariance)ortheWorktable(toseeworkvariance).
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ProjectManagementFocus:GettingtheWordOut
Ifyouworkinanorganizationthatishighlyfocusedonprojectsandprojectmanagement,
chancesarethatstandardmethodsandformatsalreadyexistwithinyourorganizationfor
reportingprojectstatus.Ifnot,youmightbeabletointroduceprojectstatusformatsthat
arebasedonclearcommunicationandprojectmanagementprinciples.
TechniquesyoucanuseinProjecttohelpyoureportprojectstatusincludethefollowing:
PrintingtheProjectSummaryreport.
CopyingProjectdatatootherapplicationsforexample,usetheCopyPictureTo
OfficeWizard(Analysistoolbar)tocopytheGanttChartviewtoWordortoPowerPoint.
SavingProjectdatainotherformats,suchasHTML,usingtheCompareToBase-
lineexportmap.
ForProjectProfessionalusers,sharingprojectstatusthroughProjectServer,which
enablesthestakeholdersyouchoosetoviewprojectdetailsthroughtheirWeb
browsers.
Allthesestatus-reportingtoolsaredescribedelsewhereinthisbook.
ExaminingTaskCosts
Theschedulesstatus(Didtasksstartandfinishontime?),althoughcriticaltonearly
allprojects,isonlyoneindicatorofoverallprojecthealth.Forprojectsthatinclude
costinformation,anothercriticalindicatoriscostvariance:Aretasksrunningoveror
underbudget?TaskcostsinProjectconsistoffixedcostsapplieddirectlytotasks,
resourcecostsderivedfromassignments,orboth.Whentaskscostmoreorlessthan
plannedtocomplete,costvarianceistheresult.Evaluatingcostvarianceenablesyou
tomakeincrementalbudgetadjustmentsforindividualtaskstoavoidexceedingyour
projectsoverallbudget.
Tip Anotherwayofusingprojectcoststomeasurepastperformanceandpredict
futureperformanceisearnedvalueanalysis.Formoreinformationaboutearnedvalue
analysis,typeAboutearnedvalueanalysisintotheSearchboxintheupperrightcornerof
theProjectwindow.TheSearchboxinitiallycontainsthetextType a question for help.You
canalsoseeChapter19,MeasuringPerformancewithEarnedValueAnalysis.
Althoughtasksandresources(andtheircosts)aredirectlyrelated,itsinformativeto
evaluateeachindividually.Inthisexercise,youviewtaskcostvariance.Againyoull
startatthehighestleveltheprojectsummaryinformation.
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15
Hereyoucanseetheprojectscostvalues.
IntheCostcolumn,youcanseethecurrent,baseline,actual,andremainingcost
valuesfortheentireproject:
Thecurrentcostvalueisthesumoftheactualandremainingcostvalues.
Thebaselinecostvalueistheprojectstotalplannedcostwhenitsbase-
linewassaved.
Theactualcostisthecostthatsbeenincurredsofar,thatis,after39per-
centoftheprojectsdurationand44percentofthetotalworkhavebeen
completed.
Theremainingcostisthedifferencebetweenthecurrentcostandactual
cost.
Clearly,somecostvariancehasoccurred,butyoucanttellfromthisinformation
whenorwhereitoccurred.
Nextyouwillswitchtoviewswhereyoucanexaminecostvariancemoreclosely,
startingwiththeCosttable.
4 OntheViewmenu,pointtoTable:Variance,andclickCost.
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15
Tip Youalsocanright-clicktheupperleftcorneroftheactivetable,andinthe
shortcutmenuthatappears,clickCost.
TheCosttableappearsintheTaskSheetview.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilarto
Inthistable,youcanseeeachtasksbaselinecost,scheduledcost(intheTotal
Costcolumn),actualcost,andvariance.Thevarianceisthedifferencebetweenthe
baselinecostandthescheduledcost.Ofcourse,costsarentscheduledinthe
samesensethatworkisscheduled;however,costs(otherthanfixedcosts)are
deriveddirectlyfromthescheduledwork.
Nextyoullfocusonthetop-levelcosts.
6 OntheFormattingtoolbar,clicktheHideSubtasksbutton.
HideSubtasks
Projectdisplaysonlythetopthreesummarytasks,whichinthisprojectcorrespond
tothemajorphasesoftheshortfilmproject.Becausewerecurrentlyworkingon
tasksintheProductionphase,welldirectourattentionthere.
7 Clicktheplussignnexttotask24,Production.
ProjectexpandstheProductionsummarytasktoshowthesummarytasksforthe
individualscenes.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
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15
Hereisthemostsignificantvariance
intheProductionphaseatthispoint.
LookingattheVariancecolumn,youcanseethatScene7hadsomemodestvari-
ance,butScene1hadsignificantlymore.NextyoullfocusonthedetailsforScene1.
8 Clicktheplussignnexttosummarytask37,Scene 1.
ProjectexpandstheScene1summarytasktoshowthesubtasks.Yourscreen
LookingattheVariancecolumn,youcanseethattheScene1rehearsalaccounts
formuchofthevariancefortheScene1summarytask.
10 OntheFormattingtoolbar,clicktheShowSubtasksbutton.
ShowSubtasks
Projectexpandsthetasklisttoshowallsubtasks.
Toconcludethisexercise,youwillusetheProjectGuidetoexaminetaskcosts.The
informationissimilartowhatyouveseenbefore,buttheProjectGuideincludesa
handyexplanationofvarianceandashortlistofthemostrelevantfilters.
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15
12 IntheReportpane,clicktheSeeprojectcostslink.
TheProjectGuide:AnalyzeCostsviewappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilarto
ThisviewissimilartotheTaskSheetviewwiththeCosttableapplied,whichyou
displayedinstep4ofthisexercise.IntheProjectCostspane,youalsohavequick
accesstothefiltersmostrelevanttoprojectcosts.
13 IntheProjectCostspane,underApplyafilter,clickCostOverbudgetinthedrop-
downlist.
Projectfiltersthetasklisttoshowonlythosetasksthathadactualandscheduled
costsgreaterthantheirbaselinecosts.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothis
illustration:
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15
Show/Hide
ProjectGuide
NotethegapsinthetaskIDnumbers,indicatingwhichtasksarenotshownwith
thisfilterapplied.
14 IntheApplyafilterbox,clickNoFilterApplied.
Projectremovesthefilter.
Whatcausedthetaskcostvarianceintheshortfilmproject?Becausethisprojects
costsarealmostentirelyderivedfromworkperformedbyresources,wecanconclude
thatmoreworkthanscheduledhasbeenrequiredtocompletethetasksuptonow.
Aswenotedearlier,taskandresourcecostsarecloselyrelated;inmostcasesthetask
costsaremostlyorfullyderivedfromthecostsofresourcesassignedtotasks.Exam-
iningresourcecostsisthesubjectofthenextexercise.
Hereareafewmoretipsandsuggestionsforworkingwithcostdata:
Toseetasksthatareoverbudget,youcanusetheOverbudgetTasksreport.On
theViewmenu,clickReports.IntheReportsdialogbox,double-clickCosts,and
thendouble-clickOverbudgetTasks.
TheCostOverbudgetfilterandalltheotherfiltersintheProjectCostspaneof
theProjectGuidearealsoavailableintheMoreFiltersdialogbox(ontheProject
menu,pointtoFilteredFor:AllTasks,andthenclickMoreFilters)andviathe
FilterbuttonontheFormattingtoolbar.
ToseeworkvarianceintheWorktable,inataskviewontheViewmenupoint
toTable,andthenclickWork.Youcanalsocomparetimephasedbaselineand
scheduledworkinausageview.Forexample,intheTaskUsageview,onthe
Formatmenu,pointtoDetails,andclickBaselineWork.
Inthisexercise,youhaveviewedcostvarianceforatask.Toseecostvariance
forassignmentstoatask,switchtotheTaskUsageview,andthenapplythe
Costtable.
ExaminingResourceCosts
Projectmanagerssometimesfocusonresourcecostsasameansofmeasuring
progressandvariancewithinaproject.However,resourcecostinformationalso
servesotherpeopleandotherneeds.Formanyorganizations,resourcecostsarethe
primaryoreventheonlycostsofdoingprojects,sokeepinganeyeonresourcecosts
mightdirectlyrelatetothefinancialhealthofanorganization.Itmightnotbea
projectmanager,butanexecutive,costaccountant,orresource managerwhoismost
interestedinresourcecostsonprojectsastheyrelatetoorganizationalcosts.
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15
Anothercommonreasontotrackresourcecostsisforbillingeitherwithinanorgani-
zation(forexample,billinganotherdepartmentforservicesyourdepartmenthaspro-
vided)orexternally.Ineithercase,theresourcecostinformationstoredinproject
planscanserveasthebasisforbillingoutyourdepartmentsororganizationsser-
vicestoothers.
Becausecostvaluesintheshortfilmprojectarealmostentirelyderivedfromthecosts
ofresourceassignments,youlllookatresourcecostvariancenext.
TheResourceSheetviewappears.
TheCosttableappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
IntheCosttableyoucanseeeachresourcescost,baselinecost,andrelatedcost
values.Inmostcases,theresourcecostvaluesarederivedfromeachresources
costratemultipliedbytheworkontheirassignmentstotasksintheprojectplan.
Currently,theresourcesheetissortedbyresourceID.Nextyouwillsortitby
resourcecost.
4 IntheSortBybox,clickCostinthedrop-downlist,andclickDescending.
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15
clicktheSortbutton.
Projectsortstheresourcesbycost,fromhighesttolowest.Yourscreenshouldlook
Withresourcessortedbycostindescendingorder,youcanquickly
identifythemostexpensiveresourcesworkingontheproject.
Thissortquicklytellsyouwhothemostandleastexpensiveresourcesare(asindi-
catedintheCostcolumn),butitdoesnthelpyouseevariancepatterns.Youwilldo
thatnext.
7 IntheSortBybox,clickCostVariance,andmakesureDescendingisstillselected.
clicktheSortbutton.
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15
Projectre-sortstheresourcesbycostvariance,fromhighesttolowest.Yourscreen
Withresourcessortedbyvarianceindescending
order,youcanquicklyidentifythosewhosecost
variedthemostfromplannedcosts.
Withtheresourcelistsortedbycostvariance,youcanquicklyzeroinonthose
resourceswiththegreatestvariance,and,ifyouwant,begintoinvestigatewhy.
9 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoSort,andthenclickByID.
Projectre-sortstheresourcesbyID.
Hereareafewmoretipsandsuggestionsforworkingwithresourcecosts:
YoucanusetheOverbudgetResourcesreporttolistresourceswhoareover
budget.OntheViewmenu,clickReports.IntheReportsdialogbox,double-
clickCosts,andthendouble-clickOverbudgetResources.
Youcanalsoseetimephasedcostvaluesinausageview.Forexample,inthe
ResourceUsageview,ontheFormatmenu,clickDetailStyles.IntheUsage
Detailstab,showtheBaselineCostandCostfields.ThisalsoworksintheTask
Usageview.
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15
WhatAboutAllThoseOtherCosts?
Inmanyprojects,costbudgetsdontfullyreflectallthecostsofcompletingtheproject.
Forexample,intheshortfilmproject,werenotaccountingforsuchoverheadcosts
asrentingoracquiringstudiospace,electricity,orreplacementpartsforequipment.
Dependingonyourorganizationsneedsandpractices,youmightneedtotracksuch
overheadcostsinyourprojectplan.Ifyoudoneedtotrackoverheadcosts,youmightbe
abletouseaburdened labor rateresourceratesthatfactorinsuchoverheadcosts.
Usingburdenedlaborrateshastheadditionalbenefitofhidingeachresourcesexactpay
rateoftenconsideredhighlyconfidentialinformationintheprojectplan.Heresone
caveat,though:ifyouplantousecostinformationfromyourprojectplanforaccounting
purposes,especiallyforcapitalizingspecifictasktypes,checkwithanaccountingexpert
abouthowsalary,benefit,andoverheadcostratesshouldbehandled.
ReportingProjectCostVariancewithaStoplightView
Therearemanydifferentwaystoreportaprojectsstatusintermsoftaskorbudget
variance,orothermeasures.ThereisnoshortageoffeaturesinProjectthatsupport
reportingprojectstatus,butthemainthingtokeepinmindisthathowyoureport
projectstatusislessatechnicalquestionthanacommunicationsquestion.Forexam-
ple,whatformatandlevelofdetaildoyourstakeholdersneedtosee?Shouldproject
sponsorsseedifferentaspectsofaprojectsperformancethanitsresourcessee?These
questionsarecentraltothejoboftheprojectmanager.Fortunately,asnotedearlier,
Projectisarichcommunicationstoolthatyoucanusetoputtogetherthetypeof
projectstatusinformationthatbestmeetstheneedsofyourstakeholders.
Tip Creatingastoplightviewinvolvesusingformulasincustomfields.Customfields
areaverypowerfulandflexiblefeature,andthestoplightviewisjustoneexampleof
whatyoucandowiththem.Tolearnmoreaboutcustomfields,typeAboutcustomfields
intotheSearchboxintheupperrightcorneroftheProjectwindow.
Inthisexercise,youfocusoncreatingwhatisoftencalledastoplightreport.Thissta-
tusreportrepresentskeyindicatorsfortasks,suchasscheduleorbudgetstatus,asa
simplered,yellow,orgreenlight,muchasyoudfindonatrafficsignal.Suchstatus
reportsareeasyforanybodytounderstand,andtheyquicklyprovideageneralsense
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15
ofthehealthofaproject.Strictlyspeaking,whatyoullcreatehereisnotareportin
Project,sowellcallitastoplight viewinstead.
2 ClickTaskSheet,andclicktheApplybutton.
ProjectdisplaystheTaskSheetview.ItcurrentlycontainstheCosttable.
Tosaveyoutime,wehaveaddedacustomizedfieldinthisProjectfilecontaininga
formulathatevaluateseachtaskscostvariance.Nextyouwillviewtheformulato
understandwhatitdoes,andthenviewthegraphicalindicatorsassignedtothefield.
3 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoCustomize,andthenclickFields.
TheCustomizeFieldsdialogboxappears.
4 ClicktheCustomFieldstab.
5 IntheTypebox,clickNumberinthedrop-downlist.
6 Inthelistbox,clickOverbudget(Number3).
TheNumber3fieldhasbeenrenamedOverbudgetand
customizedwithaformulaandgraphicalindicators.
7 UnderCustomattributes,clicktheFormulabutton.
TheFormuladialogboxappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
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15
Whenwritingaformula,usethesebuttonsto
insertProjectfieldsorfunctionsintoyourformula.
Thisformulaevaluateseachtaskscostvariance.Ifthetaskscostis10percentor
lessabovebaseline,theformulaassignsthenumber10tothetask.Ifthecostis
between10and20percentabovebaseline,itisassigneda20.Ifthecostismore
than20percentabovebaseline,itreceivesa30.
8 ClickCanceltoclosetheFormuladialogbox.
9 IntheCustomizeFieldsdialogbox,underValuestodisplay,clicktheGraphicalIndi-
catorsbutton.
TheGraphicalIndicatorsdialogboxappears.Hereyouspecifyauniquegraphical
indicatortodisplay,dependingonthevalueofthefieldforeachtask.Again,to
saveyoutime,theindicatorsarealreadyselected.
Dependingonthevaluereturnedbytheformula,Projectwilldisplay
oneofthesethreegraphicalindicatorsintheOverbudgetcolumn.
10 InthefirstcellundertheImagecolumnheading,clickthedrop-downarrow.
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15
Hereyoucanseethemanygraphicalindicatorsyoucanassociatewiththevalues
offields.
11 ClickCanceltoclosetheGraphicalIndicatorsdialogbox,andthenclickCancel
againtoclosetheCustomizeFieldsdialogbox.
Toconcludethisexercise,youwilldisplaytheOverbudget(Number3)columninthe
Costtable.
12 ClicktheFixedCostcolumnheading.
13 OntheInsertmenu,clickColumn.
TheColumnDefinitiondialogboxappears.
14 IntheFieldNamebox,clickOverbudget(Number3)inthedrop-downlist,andthen
clickOK.
ProjectdisplaystheOverbudgetcolumnintheCosttable.Yourscreenshouldlook
Becausethesetaskshavenocost,noindicatorsaredisplayed.
Aseachtaskscostvariancechanges,sodothegraphicalindicatorsaccordingto
therangesspecifiedintheformula.Thisisahandyformatforidentifyingtasks
whosecostvarianceishigherthanyoudlike,asindicatedbytheyelloworred
lights.
Tip ToseeagraphicalindicatorsnumericvalueinaScreenTip,justpointtothe
indicator.
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15
Uptonow,youveidentifiedscheduleandbudgetvarianceinataskviewandbudget
varianceinaresourcevieweachanimportantmeasureofprojectstatus.Thisisa
goodtimetoremindyourselfthatthefinalqualifierofprojectstatusisnottheexact
formattingofthedatainProject,buttheneedsofyourprojectsstakeholders.Deter-
miningwhattheseneedsarerequiresyourgoodjudgmentandcommunicationskills.
KeyPoints
Schedulevarianceiscausedbytasksthathaveslippedfromtheirplannedstart
orfinishdates(asrecordedinabaseline).Youcanuseacombinationofviews,
tables,filters,andreportstoidentifywhichtaskshaveslippedandcaused
variance.
Scheduleandcostvariancearecloselyrelatedifaprojectplanhasone,it
likelyhastheother.Aswithschedulevariance,youcanapplyacombinationof
views,tables,filters,andreportstolocatecostvariance.
Youcanuseformulasandgraphicalindicatorsincustomfieldstocreatea
highlycustomizedview,suchasastoplightview,tocommunicatekeyproject
healthindicatorstoyourstakeholders.
321
Replaceresources
assignedtotasks
inaprojectplan,
page330
Resolve
misseddeadlines
byshortening
taskdurations,
page325
Reduceresourcecosts
byshorteningtheir,
assignmentsontasks,
page330
Compressthedurationoftasks
byassigningovertimework,
page334
16
GettingYourProject
BackonTrack
Assignadditionalresourcestotaskstoreducetaskdurations.
Editworkvaluesforresourceassignmentsandreplaceresourcesassigned
totasks.
Assignovertimeworktoassignmentsandchangetaskrelationshipstocom-
presstheoverallprojectduration.
enceentriesonpagexxxvii.
Afterworkhasstartedonaproject,addressingvarianceisnotaone-timeevent.
Insteaditisanongoingeffortbytheprojectmanager.Thespecificwayyoushould
respondtovariancedependsonthetypeofvarianceandthenatureoftheproject.In
thischapter,wellfocusonsomeofthemanyvarianceproblemsthatcanariseduring
aprojectasworkprogresses.Wellframetheseproblemsaroundtheproject triangle
describedindetailinAppendixA,AShortCourseinProjectManagement.
Scope
Time Cost
Inshort,theprojecttrianglemodelframesaprojectintermsofthetime(orduration),
cost (orbudget),andscope(theprojectworkrequiredtoproduceasatisfactory
deliverable).Invirtuallyanyprojectofanycomplexity,oneofthesefactorswillbe
moreimportantthantheothertwo.Themostimportantfactorissometimescalledthe
drivingconstraintbecausemeetingitdrivesyouractionsasaprojectmanager.For
example,foraprojectthatmustbeconcludedbyaspecificdate,youmighthaveto
makecostandscopecompromisestomeetthedeadline.Workingwiththeproject
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16
GettingYourProjectBackonTrack PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling
trianglegivesyouagoodwaytothinkaboutthetrade-offsthatnearlyalwaysmustbe
madeinprojects.Justasimportantly,itgivesyouaclearwayofexplainingthepros
andconsoftrade-offstotheprojectsresources,sponsors,andotherstakeholders.
Intheprojecttrianglemodel,time,cost,andscopeareinterconnected;changingone
elementcanaffecttheothertwo.However,forpurposesofidentifying,analyzing,
andaddressingproblemsinprojectmanagement,itsusefultofitproblemsintoone
ofthesethreecategories.
Thespecificissueswellfocusoninthischapterarentnecessarilythemostcommon
problemsyoullfaceinyourownprojects.Becauseeveryprojectisunique,theresno
waytoanticipatewhatyoullruninto.However,weveattemptedtohighlightthe
mostpressingissuesatthemidpointoftheshortfilmprojectsdurationandtoapply
solutionstomanycommonproblems.Notethatsomeofthefeaturesyoulluseinthis
chapteryoumightalsousewhenplanningaproject.Here,however,yourintentis
differentgettingtheprojectplanbackontrack.
TroubleshootingTimeandScheduleProblems
Schedulevariancewillalmostcertainlyappearinanylengthyproject.Maintainingcontrol
overtheschedulerequiresthattheprojectmanagerknowwhenvariancehasoccurred
andtowhatextent,andthentaketimelycorrectiveactiontostayontrack.Tohelpyou
identifywhenvariancehasoccurred,theshortfilmprojectplanincludesthefollowing:
Deadlinedatesappliedtokeymilestones.
Aprojectbaselineagainstwhichyoucancompareactualperformance.
Thedeadlinedatesandprojectbaselinewillhelpyoutroubleshoottimeandschedule
problemsinMicrosoftOfficeProject2003.Inthisexercise,youaddressthemissed
deadlinefortheproductionphaseoftheshortfilmprojectandshortenthedurations
ofsometasksonthecriticalpath.
Chapter 16 Getting Back on Track folder.Youcanalsoaccessthepracticefilesforthisbookbyclicking
Start,AllPrograms,MicrosoftPress,Project2003StepbyStep,andthenselectingthechapterfolderof
thefileyouwanttoopen.
324
PartII: AdvancedProjectScheduling GettingYourProjectBackonTrack
16
Tobegintroubleshootingthetimeandscheduleissues,youllgetatop-levelviewof
thedegreeofschedulevarianceintheprojectplannow.
Thecurrentdateyouseewillprobablydiffer.
Inityoucanseethescheduledfinishdatefortheproject:January6,2006.How-
ever,youknowthisdatemustbepulledinsotheprojectconcludesbeforetheend
of2005.
Nextyouwilllookatthedurationvaluesforthisproject.
Basedoncurrentprojectperformanceandtheremaining
workasscheduled,theprojectwillfinish13dayslaterthan
plannedinthebaseline.
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16
Hereyoucansee,amongotherthings,thatoveralltheprojectplannowhas13days
offinishvariance.
TheProjectStatisticsdialogboxalsoindicatessomecostvariancethedifference
betweenthecurrentandbaselinecostvalues.Youwillexaminethismorecloselyin
alaterexercise.
Beforeyouaddresstheoverallprojectduration,youllexaminethemisseddeadline
fortheproductionphase.
6 PointtothemisseddeadlineindicatorintheIndicatorscolumnfortask24,the
Productionsummarytask.
Positioningthemousepointeroverthemisseddeadline
indicatordisplaysaScreenTipinwhichyoucansee
thedetailsofthedeadlineandthetask'sfinishdate.
Enoughschedulevariancehasoccurredinthepre-productionphaseandthecom-
pletedportionoftheproductionphasetocausethescheduledcompletionofthe
productionphasetomoveoutbeyonditsdeadlinedateofAugust12.
Takeamomenttolookovertheremainingtasksintheproductionphase.These
consistofseveralmorescenestobeshot.Becauseofthenatureofthiswork,you
cantchangetaskrelationships(forexample,fromfinish-to-starttostart-to-start)to
decreasethedurationofeachscenessummarytask;thetasksfollowalogical
finish-to-startrelationship.Norcanyouscheduletwoormorescenestobeshotin
parallel,becausemanyofthesameresourcesarerequiredforallofthem.Toget
theproductionphasebackdowntoanacceptableduration,youllhavetoshorten
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16
Assign
Resources
thedurationofsomeofitssubtasks.Todothis,youllassignadditionalresources
tosometasks.
Lookingovertheremainingproductiontasks,youseethatsomeofthesetupand
teardowntasksseemtobethelongest,soyoullfocusonthese.
7 Clickthenameoftask50,Scene5setup,andthenscrolltheGanttChartviewup
sothetaskappearsatthetopoftheview.
Thisthree-daytaskcurrentlyhasthreeresourcesassigned.Afterconferringwith
theseresources,youallagreethattheycouldcompletethetaskmorequicklywith
additionalresources.
9 IntheAssignResourcesdialogbox,undertheResourceNamecolumn,clickFrank
Lee,andthenclicktheAssignbutton.
ProjectassignsFrankLeetothetask,andbecauseeffort-driven scheduling is
enabledforthistask,Projectreducesthedurationofthetaskto2.4days.Your
Becauseeffort-drivenschedulingisenabled
forthistask,assigninganadditional
resourcereducesthetask'sduration.
Tofurtherreducethetasksduration,youllassignanotherresource.
10 IntheResourceNamecolumn,clickKeithHarris,andthenclicktheAssignbutton.
Projectfurtherreducesthedurationofthetaskto2days.
NextyouwillreducethedurationsofthesetupandteardowntasksofScene6.This
time,however,youllmakemultipleassignmentstomultipletaskssimultaneously,
becauseitsquicker.
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16
11 IntheTaskNamecolumn,clickthenameoftask56,Scene6setup.Whileholding
downtheHkey,clickthenameoftask59,Scene6teardown.
12 IntheResourceNamecolumnoftheAssignResourcesdialogbox,whileholding
downtheHkey,clickKeithHarrisandthenFrankLee.
Projectassignsthesetworesourcestotasks56and59andcorrespondingly
reducesthedurationsofthetwotasks.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefol-
lowingillustration:
14 Scrolluptoseetask24,theProductionsummarytask.
Notethatthemisseddeadlineindicatorisstillvisible.Ifyoupointatitwithyour
mousepointeryoullseethattheadditionalassignmentsyoujustmadedidindeed
moveupthecompletiondateoftheproductionphase,butnotenoughtomeetits
deadlinedate.Toremedythis,youllmakesomeadditionalassignmentstoother
tasks.
15 IntheTaskNamecolumn,clickthenameoftask62,Scene8setup.Whileholding
downtheHkey,clickthenameoftask65,Scene8teardown.
16 IntheResourceNamecolumnoftheAssignResourcesdialogbox,whileholding
downtheHkey,clickKeithHarrisandthenFrankLee.
18 ClicktheClosebuttontoclosetheAssignResourcesdialogbox.
19 Scrolluptoseetask24,theProductionsummarytask.
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16
Reducingthedurationsofsubtasksalsoreduced
thedurationofthissummarytaskenoughsothat,
asscheduled,itnolongermissesitsdeadline.
Themisseddeadlineindicatorisgone.Nextyoullseehowtheproductionphaseis
nowscheduled.RecallthatthedeadlinedateoftheProductionsummarytaskwas
August12.
21 IntheDatebox(nottheIDbox),typeorclick8/12/05,andthenclickOK.
ProjectscrollstheGanttCharttoshowtheendoftheProductionsummarytask.
Youcanvisuallyverifythatthesummary
taskconcludespriortoitsdeadlinein
thechartportionoftheGanttChartview.
Tip Youcanalsoseethesummarytasksscheduledfinishdateanddeadlinedateby
Task
clickingtheTaskInformationbuttonontheStandardtoolbar.
Information
Withtheupdatedsetupandteardowndurations,theoveralldurationoftheproduc-
tionphasenowendsonAugust11,justonedaybeforeitsdeadline.Giventhe
amountofvariancethatoccurredintheproductionphasealready,however,you
shouldkeepaclosewatchonthisphaseasworkprogresses.
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16
TroubleshootingCostandResourceProblems
Inprojectswhereyouveenteredcostinformationforresources,youmightfindthat
toaddressmanycostproblemsyoumustfine-tuneresourceandassignmentdetails.
Whetherornotitsyourintention,changingresourceassignmentdetailsnotonly
affectscostsbutcanaffecttaskdurationsaswell.
Asyousawinthepreviousexercise,theshortfilmprojectplanhassomecostvari-
ance.Asitiscurrentlyscheduled,theprojectplanwillendupcostingabout$11,000
morethanplanned,orabout9percentoverbudget.Thiscostvariancehasresulted
fromlonger-than-expectedassignmentdurationsandtheresultinghighercostsofthe
assignedresources.
Afterdoingsomeresearchintothehighcostoftheelectriciansonthesetupandtear-
downassignments,youlearnthatinmostcases,theyrereallyneededforonlyapor-
tionofthetasksdurations.Afterdiscussingtheissuewiththeproductionmanager,
youagreethattheelectriciansassignmentsontheremainingsetupandteardown
tasksshouldbehalved.Whileyoureupdatingtheproject,youllalsohandlethe
upcomingdepartureofanotherresource.
Inthisexercise,youadjustworkvaluesforresourceassignmentsandreplaceone
resourcewithanotheronupcomingassignments.Youbegin,however,bychecking
thetotalcostoftheelectriciansassignments.
TheResourceSheetviewappears.Notethecurrenttotalcostofresource13,
Electrician:$7,370.Thisisacombinationoftheelectriciansactualcosttodate
andtheiranticipatedcostforscheduledassignmentsyettobecompleted.You
wouldliketoreducethiscostbyreducingtheelectriciansworkontasks.
TheResourceUsageviewappears.
3 IntheResourceNamecolumn,clicktheplussignnexttothenameofresource13,
Electrician.ThenscrolltheResourceUsageviewsothatalloftheelectricians
assignmentsarevisible.
Becausescenes7,3,and1havealreadybeencompleted,youllfocusontheelec-
triciansassignmentstotheremainingscenes.
4 IntheWorkcolumnforScene2setup,type4h,andthenpresstheFkey.
Projectadjuststheworkoftheelectriciansonthistasktofourhours.
5 Enterthenewworkvaluesinthefollowinglistfortheelectriciansremaining
assignments:
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16
Forthisassignment
Scene2teardown
Scene5setup
Scene5teardown
Scene6setup
Scene6teardown
Scene8setup
Scene8teardown
Scene4setup
Scene4teardown
Enterthisworkvalue
2h
16h
8h
32h
7h
8h
4h
6h
6h
Whenyouredone,yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
Afterreducingtheworkontheelectricians
assignments,theirtotalwork(andresulting
costs)iscorrespondinglyreduced.
Notethatbecausetheelectricianswerenottheonlyresourceassignedtothese
tasks,reducingtheelectriciansscheduledworkinthiswaywillreducethecostof
theirassignments,butnotnecessarilythedurationsofthesetasks.Theother
resourcesassignedtothesetasksmayhaveassignmentsoflongerdurations.
Toverifythereductionintheelectricianscosts,youllswitchbacktotheResource
Sheetview.
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16
TheResourceSheetviewappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
Theelectriciansupdatedcostincludestheiractualcost
plusremainingcost.Onlyremainingcostisaffectedby
changingtheupcomingassignmentsfortheelectricians.
Notetheupdatedtotalcostofresource13,Electrician:$5,368.OnlytheCostand
RemainingCostvalueschanged;thecostsrelatingtoworkalreadyperformed(that
is,actualwork)arenotaffected,noristhebaselinecost.
Toconcludethisexercise,youwillupdatetheprojectplantoreflectthataresource
willbeleavingtheprojectearlyandhisassignmentswillbetakenoverbyanother
resource.MaxBensonwillbeleavingtheprojectjustafterthestartofworkon
scene2.YouwillreassignMaxBensonsworkonsubsequenttaskstoMegan
Sherman.Meganalsohappenstobeaslightlylessexpensiveresource,sothe
replacementwillhelpalittlewiththecostvariancetoo.
TheTaskUsageviewappears.ItcurrentlydisplaystheWorktable.
8 DragtheverticaldividerbartotherighttoshowallcolumnsintheWorktable.
ProjectdisplaystheassignmentsforthemostrecenttaskforwhichMaxBenson
hasanyactualworkreported.
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16
YoucanseethatMaxBensonsassignmenttotask44,Scene 2 setup,is50per-
centcomplete.ThisvalueappearsinthePercentWorkCompletecolumn,labeled
% W. Comp.
NextyoullfiltertheTaskUsageviewtoshowonlyincompletetasks.Thatway,
whenyoureplaceMaxBensonwithMeganSherman,thereplacementwillaffect
onlytheincompletetaskstowhichMaxBensonisassigned.
11 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoFilteredFor:AllTasks,andthenclickIncomplete
Tasks.
ProjectfilterstheTaskUsageviewtoshowonlythosetasksthatarenotyetcom-
plete.Nextyouwillmaketheresourcereplacement.KeepaneyeonMaxBensons
partialworkontask44.
Assign
TheAssignResourcesdialogboxappears.
Resources
14 IntheResourceNamecolumn,clickMaxBenson,andthenclicktheReplace
button.
TheReplaceResourcedialogboxappears.
15 IntheResourceNamecolumn,clickMeganSherman,andthenclickOK.
ProjectreplacesMaxBensonsfutureassignmentswithMeganSherman.
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16
16 ClickClosetoclosetheAssignResourcesdialogbox.
AfterreplacingMaxBensonwithMegan
Sherman,Maxsactualworkonthe
partiallycompletedtaskispreserved
andhisremainingworkonthetaskisassignedtoMegan.
Notethatfortask44,ProjectpreservedMaxBensonsfourhoursofworkonthe
taskandassignedtheremainderofhisworkonthetask(fourhours)toMegan.For
thesubsequenttaskstowhichMaxwasassigned,hehasbeenreplacedbyMegan.
17 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoFilteredFor:IncompleteTasks,andthenclickAll
Tasks.
ProjectunfilterstheTaskUsageview.NotethatMaxshistoricalactualworkisstill
recordedintheprojectplan.
TroubleshootingScope-of-WorkProblems
Theprojectsscopeincludesalltheworkrequiredandonlytheworkrequiredto
successfullydelivertheproductoftheprojecttoitsintendedcustomer.Afterproject
workhasstarted,managingitsscopeusuallyrequiresmakingtrade-offs:tradingtime
formoney,qualityfortime,andsoon.Youmighthavethegoalofnevermaking
suchtrade-offs,butamorerealisticgoalmightbetomakethebest-informedtrade-
offspossible.
Recallfromthepreviousexercisesthattheprojectfinishdateextendedinto2006.
Withtheactionstakeninthepreviousexercise,thefinishdatehasbeenpulledinto
2005,butyouwantittoendaroundmid-December2005atthelatest.Inthisexercise,
youfocusontheprojectsfinishdateandmakeseveraltrade-offstoensurethatthe
projectwilldeliveritsproductwithinthetimeframethatyouwant.
TheProjectInformationdialogboxappears.Asthescheduleisnow,ifallthe
remainingworkiscompletedasscheduled,theprojectwillbecompletedon
334
16
December29,2005.However,realistically,youexpecttheholidayseasonto
interferewithconcludingtheproject,soyoullneedtotakestepstopullinthe
finishdate.
2 ClickCanceltoclosetheProjectInformationdialogbox.
Becausetheprojectfinishdateiscontrolledbytasksonthecriticalpath,youll
beginbyviewingonlythosetasks.
4 IntheMoreViewsdialogbox,clickDetailGantt,andthenclicktheApplybutton.
TheDetailGanttviewappears.
5 OntheProjectmenu,pointtoFilteredFor:AllTasks,andthenclickCritical.
Projectdisplaysonlythecriticaltasks.Theremainingproductiontasksarealready
ascompressedastheycanbe,soyoullfocusoncompressingthepost-production
tasks.Tobegin,youllallowovertimeworkforseveraltasks,toshortentheir
durations.
Projectdisplaystask74,Log footage.
TheTaskFormappearsbelowtheDetailGanttview.
9 ClickanywhereintheTaskForm.ThenontheFormatmenu,pointtoDetails,and
clickResourceWork.
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16
TheResourceWorkdetailsappearintheTaskForm.
10 Toseetheeffectofthefollowingstepsonthedurationoftask74andsuccessor
tasks,scrolltheDetailGanttviewintheupperpaneuntiltask74isvisible.
11 IntheTaskForm,intheOvt.WorkcolumnfortheresourcenamedEditing Lab,type
orclick20h,andpressF.
12 IntheOvt.WorkcolumnforFlorian Voss,typeorclick20h,andclickOKintheupper
rightcorneroftheTaskForm.
TheovertimeworkvaluescauseProjecttoadjustthedailyworkassignmentsfor
theseresourcesandtoshortentheoveralldurationofthetask.Yourscreenshould
Assigningovertimeworkreducesthedurationofthetask
butnotthetotalamountofworkrequiredtocompletethetask.
Notethateachresourcestotalworkonthistaskremainsat68hours.Now,how-
ever,20ofthose68hoursperresourcewillbescheduledasovertime.Thesame
amountofworkwillbeperformed,butinashortertimespan.Projectwillapplyover-
timecostrates,iftheyhavebeensetup,totheovertimeportionofthe
assignment.
13 IntheGanttChartview,clickthenameoftask75,Recordroughnarration.
14 IntheTaskForm,enter30hours(30h)ofovertimeworkforbothoftheassigned
resources,andthenclickOK.
Projectschedulestheovertimeworkandrecalculatesthetasksduration.
15 IntheGanttChartview,clickthenameoftask76,Papereditfootage.
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16
16 IntheTaskForm,enter25hours(25h)ofovertimeworkforeachofthefour
assignedresources,andthenclickOK.
Projectschedulestheovertimeworkandrecalculatesthetasksduration.
TheProjectInformationdialogboxappears.Theadjustmentsyouvemadetothe
schedulehavepulledintheprojectsfinishdateto12/16/05.Althoughthatmeets
thetargetyouhadinmind,giventheoverallperformancetodate,youcanexpect
someadditionalvariance.Inanticipationofthis,youllmakefurtheradjustmentsto
thepost-productiontasks.
19 ClickCanceltoclosetheProjectInformationdialogbox.
Task81,Add head and tail titles,isafairlylongtask.Aftertalkingwiththe
resourcesassignedtoitanditspredecessortask,youallagreethatgiventhe
schedulecrunch,workontask81canbeginatthesametimeasitspredecessor,
task80.
20 IntheTaskNamecolumn,clickthenameoftask81,Addheadandtailtitles.
Task
Information
23 IntheTypefieldforthetaskspredecessor,clickStart-to-Start(SS)inthedrop-
downlist.
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16
GoToSelected
Task
Changingthepredecessorrelationshipbetween
thesetaskstostart-to-startdecreasesthe
overalldurationoftheprojectbecausethese
tasksareonthecriticalpath.
Projectreschedulestask81tostartwhen80startsandreschedulesallsubse-
quentlinkedtasksaswell.Notethatnowtask82aswellastask81willnowstart
beforetask80iscompleted.
TheProjectInformationdialogboxappears.Theprojectsfinishdateisnowpulled
backtolateNovemberaworkabledateatthistime.
Toconcludethisexercise,youllseewhateffectsthesefinaladjustmentshavehad
ontheprojectsfinalcostvaluesaswell.
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16
Thecurrentcostcalculationisnowclosertoitsbaselinecost,althoughyouknow
itslikelytogoup.
Youconferwiththeprojectsponsors,whoarepleasedthatyoucanwrapupthe
shortfilmprojectbeforetheholidayseason.Althoughproducingtheprojectdeliver-
ablewithintheseconstraintswillbeachallenge,yourebothrealisticandoptimis-
ticabouttheprojectsfutureperformanceandcomfortablewithyourproject
managementskillsandyourknowledgeofProject.Goodluck!
KeyPoints
Whenaddressingvarianceinaprojectplan,itisusefultoevaluateyourplan
(andvariance)intermsoftime,cost,andscope:thethreesidesoftheproject
triangle.
Whenaddressingscheduleproblems,focusyourremediesontasksonthecriti-
calpath;thesedrivethefinishdateoftheproject.
Whenaddressingcostorscopeproblems,focusonexpensiveresourcesand
especiallyontheirlongerassignments.
339
III
SpecialSubjects
341
Usegridlinesto
makeyourGantt
Chartviewseasier
toread,
page344
Changetheformattingofdifferent
typesofbarsintheGanttChartview,
page344
Changetheformatting
ofothertypesofviews,
suchastheCalendarview,
page354
Createnewboxstylesin
theNetworkDiagramview,
page350
17
ApplyingAdvanced
Formatting
FormattheGanttChartview.
FormattheNetworkDiagramview.
FormattheCalendarview.
enceentriesonpagesxxxviixxxviii.
Thischapterintroducesyoutosomeofthemoreadvancedformattingfeaturesin
MicrosoftOfficeProject2003.Awell-formattedprojectplanisessentialforcommuni-
catingdetailstoresources,customers,andotherstakeholders.Someoftheformatting
capabilitiesinProjectaresimilartothoseofastyle-basedwordprocessorsuchas
Word,inwhichdefiningastyleonceaffectsallcontentinthedocumenttowhichthat
stylehasbeenapplied.InProjectyoucanusestylestochangetheappearanceofa
specifictypeofGanttbar,suchasasummarybar,throughoutaprojectplan.Other
formattingoptionsyoureintroducedtointhischapterfocusonthedifferentwaysof
identifyingtasksandformattingsomeofthemorecommonlyusedviews.
FormattingBarStylesinaGanttChartView
Youcandirectlyformatspecificitems(amilestone,forexample)inaGanttchart
vieworusetheGanttChartWizard(ontheFormatmenu)tochangethelookofa
Ganttchartviewinlimitedways.TochangetheoverallappearanceofaGanttchart
view,however,youusetheBarStylescommandontheFormatmenu.
Note RememberthatseveralviewsareGanttchartviews,eventhoughonlyoneview
isspecificallycalledtheGanttChartview.OtherGanttchartviewsincludetheDetail
Gantt,LevelingGantt,MultipleBaselinesGantt,andTrackingGantt.Gantt chart viewgen-
erallyreferstoatypeofpresentationthatshowsGanttbarsorganizedalongatimescale.
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17
ApplyingAdvancedFormatting PartIII: SpecialSubjects
InadditiontochangingtheformattingofobjectsthatappearbydefaultinaGantt
chartview(suchasatasksGanttbar),youcanaddorremoveobjects.Forexample,
itmaybeusefultocomparebaseline,interim,andactualplansinasingleview.
Doingsohelpsyouevaluatethescheduleadjustmentsyouhavemade.
Inthisexercise,youdisplaythecurrentschedulealongwiththebaselineandthe
interimplan.(Thebaselineandtheinterimplanwerepreviouslysavedintheproject
plan.)YoubeginbycustomizingacopyoftheTrackingGanttchartview.
OPEN:ParnellFilm17afromthe\My Documents\Microsoft Press\Project 2003 Step by Step\Chapter 17
Advanced Formatting folder.YoucanalsoaccessthepracticefilesforthisbookbyclickingStart,AllPro-
grams,MicrosoftPress,Project2003StepbyStep,andthenselectingthechapterfolderofthefileyou
wanttoopen.
2 IntheFilenamebox,typeParnellFilm17,andthenclicktheSavebutton.
4 IntheViewslist,clickTrackingGantt,andclicktheCopybutton.
TheViewDefinitiondialogboxappears:
5 IntheNamebox,typeInterimTrackingGantt,andclickOK.
ThenewviewislistedintheMoreViewsdialogbox.
344
PartIII: SpecialSubjects ApplyingAdvancedFormatting
17
Projectdisplaysthenewview,whichatthispointisidenticaltotheTrackingGantt
view.
Nextyouwilladdtheinterimplanbarstotheview.
TheBarStylesdialogboxappears.
Tip Youcanalsodisplaythisdialogboxbydouble-clickingthebackgroundofthe
chartportionofaGanttchartview.
8 Scrolldownthelistofthebarstyles,andintheNamecolumn,clickBaselineSplit.
9 ClicktheInsertRowbutton.
Projectinsertsarowforanewbarstyleinthetable.
10 Inthenewcell,typeInterim.
Interimisthenameyoullgivetothenewtaskbarthatwillappearonthechartpor-
tionoftheview.
Tip ThenamesofmosttaskbarswillappearinthelegendofprintedGanttchart
views.Ifyoudonotwantyourcustomtaskbarnametoappearinthelegend,type
anasterisk(*)atthebeginningofthetaskbarname.Forexample,ifyouwantedto
preventInterimfromappearinginthelegend,youwouldenteritsnamehereas
*Interim.Forexample,intheBarStylesdialogboxyoucanseethattheRolledUp
Taskbarname(amongothers)isprefacedwithanasterisk,soitdoesnotappearin
thelegendofaprintedGanttchartview.
11 Inthesamerow,clickthecellundertheShowForTaskscolumnheading,and
thenclickNormalinthedrop-downlist.
TheShowForTasksvalueindicatesthetypeoftaskthebarwillrepresent,(such
asanormaltask,asummarytask,oramilestone)orthestatusofthetask(such
ascriticalorinprogress).
Tip ThisisafairlycomplexdialogboxinProject,butitisextensivelydocu-
mentedinonlineHelp.ToseeHelpforthisdialogbox,clicktheHelpbutton.
12 ClickthecellundertheFromcolumnheading,andclickStart1inthedrop-downlist.
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17
13 ClickthecellundertheTocolumnheading,andthenclickFinish1inthedrop-down
list.
TheFromandTovaluesrepresentthestartandendpointsforthebar.Yourscreen
Hereisthenewbarstyleyouarecreating.
Theoptionsonthesetabsapplytotheactivebarstyleabove;inthiscase,Interim.
TheStart1andFinish1itemsarethefieldsinwhichthefirstinterimplanvalues
werepreviouslysavedforyouintheprojectplan.Thecurrentstartdateandfinish
dateofeachtaskintheprojectweresavedtothesefieldswhentheinterimplan
wassaved.
YouhavenowinstructedProjecttodisplaythefirstinterimplanstartandfinish
datesasbars;nextyouwillspecifywhatthesebarsshouldlooklike.
14 ClickthecellundertheRowcolumnheading,andclick2inthedrop-downlist.
ThiscausesProjecttodisplaymultiplerowsofGanttbarsforeachtaskintheview.
NextfocusyourattentiononthelowerhalfoftheBarStylesdialogbox.
346
17
15 IntheShapeboxundertheMiddlelabel,clickthehalf-heightbar,thethirdoption
fromthetopofthelist.
Troubleshooting TheBarStylesdialogboxisoneofseveraldialogboxesin
Projectthatcontainstabs(andisreferredtoasatabbed dialog box).Ifyoudont
seetheShapeboxmentionedinthepreviousstep,verifythattheBarstabisactive
andnottheTexttab.
16 InthePatternboxundertheMiddlelabel,clickthesolidbar,thesecondoption
fromthetopofthelist.
17 IntheColorbox,clickGreen.
Becausethiscustomviewfocusesontheinterimplan,nextyoullformatthe
interimbarstoincludetheirstartandfinishdates.
18 IntheBarStylesdialogbox,clicktheTexttab.
19 IntheLeftbox,clickStart1inthedrop-downlist.
Tip Youcantypealetterinafieldnamelisttogodirectlytofieldsthatbegin
withthatletter.Forexample,youcantypeStogototheitemsthatbeginwithS.
347
17
20 IntheRightbox,clickFinish1inthedrop-downlist.
SelectingthesevalueswillcausetheStart1andFinish1datestoappearoneither
sideofthebar.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
21 ClickOKtoclosetheBarStylesdialogbox.
ProjectdisplaystheinterimbarsontheInterimTrackingGanttview,althoughits
possiblethatnoGanttbarswillbevisibleonyourscreenyet.Nextyouwillgeta
betterlookattheGanttbars.
TheGoTodialogboxappears.
23 IntheIDbox,type6,andclickOK.
ProjectscrollstheviewtodisplaytheGanttbarsfortask6anditsadjacenttasks.
Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration.
348
17
Inthiscustomview,theinterimplanappears
asgreenbarsandtheinterimstartandfinish
datesappearateitherendoftheinterimbars.
Hereyoucanseethatthecompletedtask6(shownasasolidbluebaratthetopof
thetaskrow)correspondsexactlytoitsinterimplanbar(thegreenbaratthebot-
tomofthetaskrow)andthatbothwerescheduledlaterthanthebaseline(thepat-
ternedgraybarinthemiddleofthetaskrow).Thatisbecauseafterthebaseline
wassaved,changestothescheduleweremadethatpushedoutthescheduled
startdateofthetask.
Toconcludethisexercise,youlldisplayhorizontalgridlinesonthechartportionof
theInterimTrackingGanttviewtobetterdistinguishtherowsofGanttbarspertask.
24 OntheFormatmenu,clickGridlines.
TheGridlinesdialogboxappears.
25 IntheLinetochangebox,makesurethatGanttRowsisselected,andtheninthe
Typebox,clickthelongdashedline,thelastoptioninthelist.
349
17
26 ClickOKtoclosetheGridlinesdialogbox.
Projectdrawsgridlinesbetweentaskrowsinthechart.Yourscreenshouldlook
HorizontalgridlineshelpseparatethesetsofGantt
barsforeachtaskfromthoseoftheothertasks.
DisplayinggridlineslikethisisagreatideawhenyouprintmultipleGanttbarsfor
eachtask.
FormattingtheNetworkDiagramView
Intraditionalprojectmanagement,theNetworkDiagramisastandardwayofrepre-
sentingprojectactivitiesandtheirrelationships.Tasksarerepresentedasboxes,or
nodes,andtherelationshipsbetweentasksaredrawnaslinesconnectingnodes.
UnlikeaGanttchart,whichisatimescaledview,anetworkdiagramenablesyouto
seeprojectactivitiesinmoreofaflowchartformat.Thisisusefulifyoudliketofocus
moreontherelationshipsbetweenactivitiesratherthanontheirdurations.
ProjectprovidessubstantialformattingoptionsfortheNetworkDiagram.Inthis
section,youwillusejustafewoftheseformattingoptions.Ifyoureaheavy-duty
NetworkDiagramuser,youllwanttoexploretheformattingoptionsingreaterdetail
onyourown.
Inthisexercise,youformatitemsintheNetworkDiagramview.
1 OntheViewmenu,clickNetworkDiagram.
TheNetworkDiagramviewappears.Inthisview,eachtaskisrepresentedbyabox
ornode,andeachnodecontainsseveralpiecesofinformationaboutthetask.Your
350
17
TheNetworkDiagramviewfocusesmoreon
taskrelationshipsthanondurationsorsequence.
Eachtaskisrepresentedasaboxornode,andthe
relationshipsbetweentasksarerepresentedasarrows.
Note NodeswithanXdrawnthroughthemrepresentcompletedtasks.
NextyoullreplacethetaskIDvalueswiththeWorkBreakdownStructure(WBS)
codes.
2 OntheFormatmenu,clickBoxStyles.
TheBoxStylesdialogboxappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
IntheStylesettingsforlist,youcanseeallofthenodeboxstylesavailablein
Project.ThePreviewboxshowsyouthespecificlabelsandfieldsdisplayedineach
boxstyle.
351
17
3 ClicktheMoreTemplatesbutton.
TheDataTemplatesdialogboxappears.Templatesdetermineswhatfieldsappear
inboxes(nodes)andtheirlayout.
4 IntheTemplatesinNetworkDiagramlist,makesurethatStandardisselected,and
TheDataTemplateDefinitiondialogboxappears.YouwanttoaddtheWBScode
valuetotheupperrightcornerofthenode.
5 IntheTemplatenamebox,typeStandard+WBS.
6 BelowChoosecell(s),clickthecellintheupperrightcorner;itcurrentlycontainsID.
7 Inthedrop-downlistoffields,clickWBS,andthenpresstheFkey.
PressingtheFkeycausesProjecttoupdatethepreviewinthedialogbox.Your
8 ClickOKtoclosetheDataTemplateDefinitiondialogbox.
9 ClicktheClosebuttontoclosetheDataTemplatesdialogbox.
10 IntheBoxStylesdialogbox,underStylesettingsfor,dragtoselectalltheitemsin
thebox:CriticalthroughProjectSummary.
11 IntheDatatemplatebox,selectStandard+WBSfromthedrop-downlist.
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17
12 ClickOKtoclosetheBoxStylesdialogbox.
ProjectappliestherevisedboxstyletonodesintheNetworkDiagram.Yourscreen
Afteryoureformattheboxstyleinthe
NetworkDiagramview,theWBScode
replacesthetaskIDineachnode.
FormattingtheCalendarView
TheCalendarviewisprobablythesimplestviewavailableinProject;however,even
theCalendarviewoffersseveralformattingoptions.Thisviewisespeciallyusefulfor
sharingscheduleinformationwithresourcesorotherstakeholderswhopreferatradi-
tionalmonth-at-a-glanceformatratherthanamoredetailedview,suchastheGantt
Chartview.
353
17
Inthisexercise,youreformatsummaryandcriticaltasksintheCalendarview.
TheCalendarviewappears.Itdisplaysfourweeksatatime,anditdrawstaskbars
onthedaysonwhichtasksarescheduled.Dependingonyourscreenresolution,
youmightseeadditionaltaskbarsintheCalendarview.
TheCalendarviewresemblesatraditionalmonth-at-a-glancecalendarand
displaystasksasbarsspanningthedaysonwhichtheyarescheduledtooccur.
TheBarStylesdialogboxappears.Theadditionalitemtypeyouwouldliketoshow
ontheCalendarviewisasummarybar.
3 IntheTasktypebox,clickSummary.
4 IntheBartypebox,clickLineinthedrop-downlist.
Thenextitemtypetoreformatiscriticaltasks.
5 IntheTasktypebox,clickCritical.
6 InthePatternbox,selectthesecondoptioninthedrop-downlist:thesolidblackbar.
7 IntheColorbox,selectRedfromthedrop-downlist.
354
17
8 ClickOKtoclosetheBarStylesdialogbox.
9 OntheFormatmenu,clickLayoutNow.
ProjectappliestheformatoptionstotheCalendarview.Ratherthanscrolling
throughtheCalendarview,youcanjumprighttoaspecificdate.
11 IntheDatebox(nottheIDbox),typeorselect9/26/05,andthenclickOK.
TheCalendarviewdisplaysthefirstcriticaltasks.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilar
tothefollowingillustration:
AfteryoureformattheCalendarview,criticaltasks
appearinredandsummarytasksappearaslines.
CLOSE:theParnellFilm17file.
355
17
KeyPoints
ManydifferenttypesofbarscanappearinthechartportionofaGanttchart
view.Eachtypeofbarcanrepresentakindoftask(suchasasummarytask)or
aconditionofatask(suchascompleted).
TheGanttChartWizardofferslimitedGanttbarformatting,buttheFormatBar
Stylescommand(Formatmenu)givesyoucompletecontroloverGanttbar
formatting.
AlthoughtheGanttChartviewisoftensynonymouswithprojectplans,the
NetworkDiagramview(sometimesincorrectlyreferredtoasaPERT chart)is
usefulforfocusingontherelationshipsbetweenactivities.
TheCalendarviewisespeciallyhelpfulforthosewhopreferatraditional
month-at-a-glanceformat.
356
RecordaVBAmacrotoperforman
often-repeatedsequenceofactions,
page365
WorkwiththeglobaltemplateandOrganizerto
sharecustomizedelementsbetweenprojectplans,
page361
Createacustomtoolbar,
page374
EditVBAmacrocodein
theVisualBasicEditor,
page369
18
CustomizingProject
Copyacustomizedelement,suchasatable,fromoneprojectplantoanother
byusingtheOrganizer.
Recordandplaybackasimplemacro.
EditamacrointheVisualBasicEditor.
Createacustomtoolbar.
ThischapterdescribessomeofthewaysyoucancustomizeMicrosoftOffice
Project2003tofityourownpreferences.SomeofthecustomizationoptionsinProject
aresimilartothoseyouseeinotherprogramsintheMicrosoftOfficeSystemsuch
asWordorExcel.Somecustomizationoptionsevenapplytoallprogramsinthe
MicrosoftOfficeSystemregardlessofthespecificprograminwhichyousetthem.
OtheroptionsareuniquetoProject.
Important Someoftheactionsyouperforminthischaptercanaffectyouroverall
settingsinProjectregardlessofthespecificprojectplanyouareusing.Tokeepyour
Projectenvironmentunaffectedoratthefactorysettings,afteryoucompletethischap-
ter,weincludestepstoundosomeactions.
WorkingwiththeOrganizer
TheOrganizeristhefeatureyouusetosharecustomizedelementsamongprojectplans.
ThecompletelistofelementsyoucancopybetweenfileswiththeOrganizerisindicated
bythenamesofthetabsintheOrganizerdialogbox,whichyouwillseeshortly.
OnefeatureofProjectthatyoucanworkwiththroughtheOrganizeristheglobal
template.ThisisaProjecttemplatenamedGlobal.mpt,anditisinstalledaspartof
359
18
CustomizingProject PartIII: SpecialSubjects
Project.Theglobaltemplateprovidesthedefaultviews,tables,andotherelements
inProject.Thelistofelementsprovidedbytheglobaltemplateincludesthefollowing:
Calendars Reports
Filters Tables
Forms Menusandtoolbars
Groups Modules(VBAmacros)
Maps(import/export) Views
Tip This tip describes enterprise project management (EPM) functionality. ProjectStan-
dardalwaysusestheglobaltemplate,andProjectProfessionalusestheglobaltemplate
whennotconnectedtoProjectServer.However,whenProjectProfessionalisconnected
toProjectServer,itusestheenterpriseglobaltemplateratherthantheglobaltemplate.
TheenterpriseglobaltemplateisstoredwithinProjectServerandgenerallyprovidesthe
sameservicesasdoestheglobaltemplate,butonanenterpriseprojectmanagement
scale.Formoreinformation,seePart4,IntroducingProjectServer.
Initially,thespecificdefinitionsofallviews,tables,andsimilarelementsarecon-
tainedintheglobaltemplate.Forexample,thefactthatthedefaultusagetablecon-
tainsonesetoffieldsandnotothersisdeterminedbytheglobaltemplate.Thevery
firsttimeyoudisplayaview,table,orsimilarelementinaprojectplan,itisautomat-
icallycopiedfromtheglobaltemplatetothatprojectplan.Thereafter,theelement
residesintheprojectplan.Anysubsequentcustomizationofthatelementinthe
projectplan(forexample,changingthefieldsdisplayedinatable)appliestoonly
thatoneprojectplananddoesnotaffecttheglobaltemplate.Theexceptiontothisis
macros,toolbars,andimport/exportmaps.Projectalwaysstorestheseelementsinthe
globaltemplateratherthanintheactiveprojectplan.
YoucoulduseProjectextensivelyandneverneedtotouchtheglobaltemplate.
Whenyoudoworkwiththeglobaltemplate,youdosothroughtheOrganizer.There
aretwoprimaryactionsyoucanaccomplishrelatingtotheglobaltemplate:
Createacustomizedelement,suchasacustomview,andmakeitavailablein
allprojectplansyouworkwithbycopyingthecustomviewintotheglobal
template.
Replaceacustomizedelementsuchasaviewortableinaprojectplanbycopy-
ingtheoriginal,unmodifiedelementfromtheglobaltemplatetotheproject
planinwhichyouvecustomizedthesameelement.
360
PartIII: SpecialSubjects CustomizingProject
18
ThesettingsintheglobaltemplateapplytoallprojectplansyouworkwithinProject.
Becausewedontwanttoaltertheglobaltemplateyouuse,inthisexercisewell
focusoncopyingcustomizedelementsbetweentwoprojectplans.Keepinmind,
though,thatthegeneralprocessofusingtheOrganizershownhereisthesame
whetheryouareworkingwiththeglobaltemplateandaprojectplanortwoproject
plans.Infact,anycustomelementyoucopyintotheglobaltemplatebecomesavail-
ableinalltheprojectplansyouuse.
Important IntheOrganizer,whenyouattempttocopyaview,table,orotherele-
mentfromaprojectplantotheglobaltemplate,Projectalertsyouifyouwilloverwrite
thatsameelementintheglobaltemplate.Ifyouchoosetooverwriteit,thatcustomized
element(suchasacustomizedview)willbeavailableinallnewprojectplansandany
otherprojectplansthatdonotalreadycontainthatelement.Ifyouchoosetorenamethe
customizedelement,itbecomesavailableinallprojectplansbutdoesnotaffectthe
existingelementsalreadystoredintheglobaltemplate.Itsgenerallyagoodideatogive
yourcustomizedelementsuniquenames,likeCustom Gantt Chart,sothatyoucankeep
theoriginalelementintact.
Inthisexercise,youwillcopyacustomtablefromoneprojectplantoanother.
OPEN:ParnellAerospacePromo18aandWingtipToysCommercial18bfromthe\My Documents\
Microsoft Press\Project 2003 Step by Step\Chapter 18 Customizing folder.Youcanalsoaccesstheprac-
ticefilesforthisbookbyclickingStart,AllPrograms,MicrosoftPress,Project2003StepbyStep,andthen
selectingthechapterfolderofthefileyouwanttoopen.
button.
3 Repeatsteps1and2tosaveParnellAerospacePromo18aasParnellAerospace
Promo18.
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18
TheWingtipToysCommercial18projectplancontainsacustomtablenamed
Custom Entry Table,whichiscurrentlydisplayedintheTaskSheetview.Your
Thetableinthisviewhasbeencustomized
byinsertingandremovingcolumns.
YoudliketocopythiscustomtabletotheParnellAerospacePromo18project
plan.
4 OntheToolsmenu,clickOrganizer.
TheOrganizerdialogboxappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
EverytabintheOrganizerdialogboxhasasimilar
structuretheelementsintheglobaltemplateareonthe
left,andthoseintheactiveprojectplanareontheright.
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18
5 Clickseveralofthetabsinthedialogboxtogetanoverviewoftheavailable
options,andthenclicktheTablestab.
Asyoucansee,everytaboftheOrganizerdialogboxhasasimilarstructure:ele-
mentsfromtheglobaltemplateappearontheleftsideofthedialogbox,andthe
sametypesofelementsfromtheactiveprojectplanappearontheright.
YoumightnoticethatthelistoftablesintheWingtipplanisnotthecompletelist
oftablesyoucandisplay.ThelistyouseefortheWingtipplanintheOrganizer
includesonlythetablesthathaveactuallybeendisplayedalreadyintheWingtip
plan.Ifyouweretodisplayanothertable,theScheduletable,forexample,Project
wouldcopythattabledefinitionfromtheglobaltemplateintotheWingtipplan.
SelectinganelementontheleftsideofthedialogboxandthenclickingtheCopy
buttonwillcopythatelementtotheprojectplanlistedontheright.Conversely,
selectinganelementontherightsideofthedialogboxandthenclickingtheCopy
buttonwillcopythatelementtothefilelistedontheleft.
6 IntheTablesavailableindrop-downlistontheleftsideoftheOrganizerdialogbox,
selectParnellAerospacePromo18.
ThisprojectplanappearsinthelistbecauseitisopeninProject.Yourscreen
Thesideofthedialogboxinwhichyouve
selectedanelementdeterminesthe
directioninwhichyoucopytheelement.
Asyoucansee,theParnellplan(ontheleft)doesnothavetheCustomEntryTable,
andtheWingtipplan(ontheright)does.
7 Inthelistoftablesontherightsideofthedialogbox,clickCustomEntryTable.
Tip Noticethatthetwoarrowsymbols(>>)intheCopybuttonswitchdirection
(<<)whenyouselectanelementontherightsideofthedialogbox.
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18
8 ClickCopy.
ProjectcopiestheCustomEntryTablefromtheWingtipplantotheParnellplan.
AfterclickingtheCopybutton,theCustomEntryTable
iscopiedfromtheWingtipplantotheParnellplan.
9 ClickClosetoclosetheOrganizerdialogbox.
Toconcludethisexercise,youwilldisplaythenewlycopiedcustomtable.
10 OntheWindowmenu,clickParnellAerospacePromo18.
ProjectswitchestotheParnellplan,theplantowhichyoujustcopiedthecustom
table.
12 IntheViewslist,clickTaskSheet,andthenclickApply.
13 OntheViewmenu,pointtoTable:Entry,andthenclickCustomEntryTable.
ProjectdisplaysthecustomtableintheParnellplan.Yourscreenshouldlooksimi-
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18
Important Inthisexercise,youcopiedatablebetweenprojectplans.Whencopying
anentireview,however,keepinmindthatitiscomprisedoftables,filters,andgroups.
Whencopyingcustomviewsbetweenplans,youmightalsoneedtocopyacustomtable,
filter,orgroupthatispartofthecustomview.
RecordingMacros
ManyactivitiesyouperforminProjectcanberepetitive.Tosavetime,youcanrecord
amacrothatcaptureskeystrokesandmouseactions.Themacroisrecordedin
MicrosoftVisualBasicforApplications(VBA),thebuilt-inmacroprogramminglan-
guageoftheMicrosoftOfficeSystem.YoucandosophisticatedthingswithVBA,but
youcanrecordandplaybacksimplemacroswithouteverdirectlyseeingorworking
withVBAcode.
Themacrosyoucreatearestoredintheglobaltemplatebydefault,sotheyareavail-
abletoyouwheneverProjectisrunning.(Infact,macros,toolbars,andimport/export
mapsareuniqueinthatwhenyoucreateorcustomizethem,Projectwillstorethem
intheglobaltemplateratherthantheactiveprojectplanbydefault.)Theprojectplan
forwhichyouoriginallycreatedthemacroneednotbeopentorunthemacroin
otherprojectplans.Ifyouwant,youcanusetheOrganizertocopythemacrofrom
theglobaltemplatetoanotherprojectplantogiveittoafriend,forexample.
PublishingaprojectplaninHTMLformatisagreatwaytoshareprojectdetailsonan
intranetortheWorldWideWeb.However,itslikelythedetailsyouinitiallypublish
willbecomeobsoletequicklyastheprojectplanisupdated.Republishingisarepeti-
tivetaskthatisidealforautomationthroughamacro.Inthisexercise,yourecordand
runamacrointheParnellAerospacePromo18projectplanthatpublishestheproject
plantoHTMLformat.
1 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoMacro,andthenclickRecordNewMacro.
TheRecordMacrodialogboxappears.
2 IntheMacronamebox,typeSave_As_Web_Page
Tip Macronamesmustbeginwithaletterandcannotcontainspaces.To
improvethereadabilityofyourmacronames,youcanuseanunderscore(_)in
placeofaspace.Forexample,ratherthannamingamacroSaveAsWebPage,you
cannameitSave_As_Web_Page.
Forthismacro,wewillnotuseashortcutkey.Whenrecordingothermacros,note
thatyoucannotuseaH+keycombinationalreadyreservedbyProject,socombi-
nationslikeH+f(thekeyboardshortcutforFind)andH+g(GoTo)areunavail-
able.WhenyouclickOKtoclosethedialogbox,Projectalertsyouifyouneedto
chooseadifferentkeycombination.
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18
3 IntheStoremacroinbox,clickThisProjecttostorethemacrointheactiveproject
plan.
Whenamacroisstoredinaprojectplan,themacrocanbeusedbyanyproject
planwhentheprojectplanthatcontainsthemacroisopen.Theotheroption,
GlobalFile,referstotheglobaltemplate.Inthisexercise,youwillnotcustomize
yourglobaltemplate.
4 IntheDescriptionbox,selecttheboilerplatetext,andreplaceitbytypingSavesa
copyoftheGanttChartviewandprojectdatatoawebpage.
Thedescriptionisusefultohelpidentifytheactionsthemacrowillperform.
5 ClickOK.
Projectbeginsrecordingthenewmacro.Projectdoesnotliterallyrecordandplay
backeverymousemovementandpassingsecond,butrecordsonlytheresultsof
thekeystrokesandmouseactionsyoumake.Donotfeelrushedtocompletethe
recordingofthemacro.
EventhoughtheprojectplanisalreadyshowingtheGanttChartview,includingthis
stepinthemacrorecordstheactionsothatiftheprojectplanwereinitiallyinadif-
ferentview,themacrowouldswitchtotheGanttChartview.
8 IntheZoomdialogbox,selectEntireProject,andthenclickOK.
Projectadjuststhetimescaletodisplaytheentireproject.Yourscreenshouldlook
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18
CopyPicture
9 OntheStandardtoolbarclicktheCopyPicturebutton.
TheCopyPicturedialogboxappears.
10 UnderRenderimage,clickToGIFimagefile,andthenclickOK.
ThefolderlocationandfilenameproposedfortheGIFimagearethesameasthose
oftheprojectplan,whichisfine.
11 OntheFilemenu,clickSaveAsWebPage,andthenclickSave.
Again,thefolderlocationandfilenameproposedfortheHTMLfilearethesameas
thoseoftheprojectplan,whichisfine.
WhenyouclickSave,theExportWizardappears.
12 IntheExportWizard,clicktheNextbutton.
TheMappageoftheExportWizardappears.
13 ClickUseexistingmap,andthenclicktheNextbutton.
TheMapSelectionpageoftheExportWizardappears.
14 UnderChooseamapforyourdata,clickExporttoHTMLusingstandardtemplate,
andthenclicktheNextbutton.
TheMapOptionspageoftheExportWizardappears.
15 UnderHTMLOptions,clickIncludeimagefileinHTMLpage,andthenclickFinish.
TheExportWizardsavestheWebpageasyouvespecified.Towrapuptheactions
recordedinthemacro,youwillresetthetimescale.
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18
16 OntheViewmenu,clickZoom,clickReset,andthenclickOK.
Nowyouarereadytostoprecording.
17 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoMacro,andthenclickStopRecorder.
Nextyouwillrunthemacrotoseeitplayback.
TheMacrosdialogboxappears.
19 IntheMacronamebox,clickParnellAerospacePromo18.mpp!
Save_As_Web_Page,andthenclicktheRunbutton.
ThemacrobeginsrunningbutpausesassoonasProjectgeneratesaconfirmation
messagetoreplacetheexistingGIFimagefile.
Important YoursecuritylevelsettinginProjectaffectsProjectsabilitytorun
macrosthatyourecord,orthatyougetfromothers.Youmaynothavesetthesecu-
rityleveldirectly,butitmayhavebeensetwhenyouinstalledProject,orbyasys-
tempolicywithinyourorganization.
20 ClickOverwrite,andthenclickOKtooverwritethepreviouslycreatedWebpage.
ThemacrorepublishestheprojectplantoHTMLformat.Nextyoullseetheresults
ofthemacrosactions.
21 InWindowsExplorer,navigatetotheChapter18Customizingfolder,anddouble-
clicktheParnellAerospacePromo18.htmlfiletoopenitinyourbrowser.
TheWebpage(consistingoftheHTMLfileandrelatedGIFimage)appearsinyour
browser.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
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18
LeavetheWebpageopeninyourbrowser;youllreturntoitinthenextexercise.
22 SwitchbacktotheParnellAerospacePromo18projectplaninProject.
ThismacrowouldbeveryusefuliftheParnellprojectmanagerneededtorepublish
thedetailsoftheprojectplanfrequently.Forexample,theprojectmanagercould
republishitatregularintervalsduringtheplanningstage,whenthedetailsarebeing
developed,andthenagainduringtheexecutionstage,whentheeffectsofactual
progresschangetheremainingscheduledwork.
EditingMacros
AshandyastheSave_As_Web_Pagemacrois,itcanbeimproved.Rememberthat
whenyouranitinthepreviousexercise,youhadtoconfirmthatProjectshouldover-
writetheexistingGIFimageandHTMLfiles.Becausetheintentofthemacroisto
publishthemostcurrentinformation,youwouldalwayswanttooverwritetheolder
information.Youcanchangethemacrocodedirectlytoaccomplishthis.Themacro
coderesidesinaVBAmodule,andyouworkwiththecodeintheVisualBasic
Environment.
Tip TheVBAlanguageandVisualBasicEnvironmentarestandardinmanyofthepro-
gramsintheMicrosoftOfficeSystem(includingProject).Althoughthespecificdetailsof
eachprogramdiffer,thegeneralwayyouuseVBAineachisthesame.VBAautomation
isapowerfultoolyoucanmaster,andthatknowledgecanbeusedinmanyMicrosoft
programs.
Inthisexercise,youworkintheVisualBasicEditortofine-tunethemacroyou
recordedinthepreviousexerciseandthenrunit.
2 UnderMacroname,clickParnellAerospacePromo18.mpp!Save_As_Web_Page,
andthenclicktheEditbutton.
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18
ProjectloadsthemodulethatcontainsthemacrointheVisualBasicEditor.Your
ThisVBAcodewasgenerated
whenProjectrecordedyourmacro.
AfullexplanationoftheVBAlanguageisbeyondthescopeofthisbook,butwecan
walkyouthroughsomestepstochangethebehaviorofthepreviouslyrecorded
macro.Youmightalsorecognizesomeoftheactionsthatyourecordedearlierby
thenamesusedintheVBAcode.
3 ClickatthebeginningofthelineViewApplyName:="&GanttChart",andpressF.
4 Clickinthenewlineyoujustcreated,pressD,andtypeApplication.AlertsFalse
Hereisthetextyoutyped.
Thiswillpreventthetwopromptsyoureceivedwhenrunningthemacroandaccept
thedefaultoptionofreplacingtheexistingfileswiththesamename.
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18
Tip Notethatasyouweretyping,selectionboxesandScreenTipsmighthave
appeared.TheVisualBasicEditorusessuchtoolsandfeedbacktohelpyouenter
textinamodulecorrectly.
5 InthelinethatbeginswithEditCopyPicture,selectthetextthatfollows
FromDate:=text"4/14/0512:00AM"(includingthequotationmarks),and
typeActiveProject.ProjectStart.
Notethatthespecificdateyouseemightnotbe4/14/05.
ThisVBAcodedescribestheprojectstartdateoftheactiveproject.Yourscreen
Hereisthetextstringyoutyped
toreturntheprojectstartdate.
ThiscausesthemacrotogetthecurrentstartdateoftheactiveprojectfortheGIF
imagethemacrocreates.
6 Inthesamerow,selectthetextthatfollowsToDate:=text"6/5/0512:00PM"
(includingthequotationmarks),andtypeActiveProject.ProjectFinish
Again,notethatthespecificdateyouseemightnotbe6/5/05.Yourscreen
Hereisthetextstringyoutyped
toreturntheprojectfinishdate.
ThiscausesthemacrotogetthecurrentfinishdateoftheactiveprojectfortheGIF
imagethatthemacrocreates.Nowiftheprojectplansstartorfinishdate
changes,thedaterangefortheGIFimagewillchangeaswell.
7 OntheFilemenuintheVisualBasicEditor,clickCloseandReturntoMicrosoft
Project.
TheVisualBasicEditorcloses,andyoureturntotheParnellplan.
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18
Youcouldruntheupdatedmacronow,buttotestwhetheritreallyusesthemost
currentprojectstartandfinishdates,youllchangethestartdateoftheproject
plan.
TheProjectInformationdialogboxappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothe
Notethecurrentstartandfinishdates:4/18/05and5/31/05.
9 IntheStartdatebox,typeorselect4/25/05,andthenclickOKtoclosetheProject
Projectreschedulesthestart(andallsubsequentdates)oftheprojectplan.Before
yourerunthemacro,however,youllmakeonemoremajorchangetotheplan.
Youllchangethedurationoftask1from14daysto7.
10 IntheDurationfieldfortask1,Transfersoundtracktomag.stock,typeorselect7d,
andthenpressF.
Projectadjuststhedurationfortask1andreschedulesallsuccessortasks.Your
Nowyouarereadytorerunthemacro.
11 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoMacro,andthenselectMacros.
TheMacrosdialogboxappears.
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18
12 IntheMacronamebox,clickParnellAerospacePromo
18.mpp!Save_As_Web_Page,andthenclickRun.
Themacroruns,andthistimeyouarenotpromptedtooverwritethepreviously
savedfiles.
Toverifythatthemacrorancorrectly,youllviewtheupdatedWebpageinyour
browser.
13 Switchbacktoyourbrowser.Thepreviouslyviewedprojectplanshouldstillbe
visible.
14 ClicktheRefreshbuttontoreloadthemostrecentlysavedHTMLfileandrelated
GIFimage.
TheupdatedHTMLfileandrelatedGIFimageappearinyourbrowser.Yourscreen
Themacrodetectedtheupdatedprojectstart
andfinishdatesandadjustedtheGIFimage
andotherdetailsontheWebpage.
Nowyoucanrunthemacroasfrequentlyasneededtokeepthemostup-to-date
informationpublished.
Tip VBAisarichandwell-documentedprogramminglanguage.Ifyouwouldliketotake
acloserlookatVBAinProject,ontheToolsmenu,clickMacro,andthenclickVisual
BasicEditor.IntheMicrosoftVisualBasicwindow,ontheHelpmenu,clickMicrosoft
VisualBasicHelp.Togethelponspecificitemsinamodulesuchasobjects,properties,
andmethods,clickaword,andthenpressthe!key.ToreturntoProject,ontheFile
menu,clickCloseandReturntoMicrosoftProject.
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18
CustomizingaToolbar
AswithotherOfficeapplications,youhaveseveralchoicesabouthowtoworkwith
Project.Infact,someofthepreferencesyousetinProjectautomaticallyapplyinthe
otherOfficeapplicationsandviceversa.Someofthecustomizationsettingsinclude
thefollowing:
DisplayingorhidingtheOfficeAssistant.(ItshiddenbydefaultinProject2003.)
TodisplaytheOfficeAssistant,clickShowtheOfficeAssistantontheHelpmenu.
TohidetheOfficeAssistant,clickHidetheOfficeAssistantontheHelpMenu.
SettingupProjecttosavetheactivefileorallopenfilesautomaticallyatthetime
intervalyouspecify.(OntheToolsmenuclickOptions,andontheSavetabofthe
Optionsdialogbox,selectSaveEveryandenterthetimeintervalyouwant.)
Creatingcustomizedtoolbarsthatincludebuttonsforanycommandsyouwant.
(Youwilldothisinthefollowingexercise.)
Inthisexercise,youcreateacustomtoolbarandassignthemacroyourecordedear-
liertoabuttononthecustomtoolbar.
1 SwitchbacktotheProjectwindowthatdisplaystheParnellprojectplan.
TheCustomizedialogboxappears.
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18
Acheckmarkindicatesthetoolbarsthatarecurrentlydisplayed;whatyousee
mightdiffer.
Tip Toolbarsareeitherdockedorfloating.Whendocked,atoolbarappearsat
oneedgeoftheProjectwindow.Normallythisisthetopedge,butyoucandocka
toolbaratanyedgeofthewindow.Whenatoolbarisfloating,ithasatitlebarthat
tellsyouthetoolbarsname.Tomoveadockedtoolbar,pointtothefarleftedge,
anddragthetoolbareitherintotheProjectwindowtomakeitfloatortoanother
edgeofthewindowtoredockit.
4 ClickNew.
TheNewToolbardialogboxappears.
5 IntheToolbarNamebox,typeMyCustomToolbar,andthenclickOK.
Thenewtoolbarappearsinthelistoftoolbarsandisdisplayedbydefault.(Initially
itsafloating,emptytoolbar.)Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
InitiallythenewtoolbarfloatsintheProjectwindow;
itmightnotappearinthisexactspotonyourscreen.
Nextyoulladdacommandtothetoolbarthatrunsthepreviouslyrecordedmacro.
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18
6 ClicktheCommandstab.
IntheCategorieslist,youcanseeseveralcategoriesofcommands.Manyofthese,
suchasFileandEdit,correspondtomenunames.
7 IntheCategorieslist,clickAllMacros.
ThecommandsintheAllMacroscategoryappearintheCommandslistonthe
right.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
MostofthecommandslistedfortheAllMacroscategoryrelatetomacrosincluded
withProject,andwhatyouseemightdiffer.HoweveryoushouldseetheParnell
AerospacePromo18.mpp!Save_As_Web_Pagemacrolistedbecauseitisstoredin
theactiveprojectplan.
8 DragtheParnellAerospacePromo18.mpp!Save_As_Web_Pagemacrofromthe
CustomizedialogboxontoMyCustomToolbar.
MyCustomToolbarwidenstoshowthefulltitleofthemacro.Ifnecessary,dragthe
toolbarsoyoucanseeallofit.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
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18
Nextyoullchangethetextthatappearsonthebuttonandaddagraphicimage.
9 IntheCustomizedialogbox,clickModifySelection,andthenclickImageandText.
Thissettingmakesroomonthebuttonforanimageaswellasatextlabel.
10 ClickModifySelection,andthenpointtoChangeButtonImage.
Asubmenuofbuttonimagesappears.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollow-
ingillustration:
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18
11 Clickthelastitemonthefourthrow,therunningfigure.
Projectaddsthebuttonimagetothebutton.Nextyouwillchangethetextlabelof
thebutton.
12 ClickModifySelection,andthenpositionyourmousepointerintheNameboxand
selectthefullnameofthemacro.
13 Withthenameofthemacroselected,typePublishToWeb,andthenpressF.
Projectchangesthetextlabelonthebutton.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothe
14 ClickClosetoclosetheCustomizedialogbox.
ThecustomtoolbarremainsfloatinginyourProjectwindow.
15 OnMyCustomToolbar,clickthePublishToWebbutton.
TheSave_As_Web_Pagemacroruns.Ifyouwant,switchbacktoyourbrowserand
refreshittoseetheresults,andthenswitchbacktoProject.
Customtoolbarsandanyothercustomizationsmadetobuilt-intoolbarsapplytoall
projectplansyouviewinProject.Thisisbecausetoolbarsettingsmustresidein
theglobaltemplate.Toconcludethisexercise,youlldeleteMyCustomToolbarand
themapcreatedbytheExportWizardfromyourglobaltemplatesoitdoesntaffect
youroverallProjectenvironment.
16 OntheToolsmenuclickOrganizer.
TheOrganizerdialogboxappears.
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18
18 IntheGlobal.MPTbox,clickMyCustomToolbar,andthenclickDelete.
19 Projectpromptsyoutoconfirmthatyouwanttodeletethetoolbar;clickYes.
20 ClicktheMapstab.
21 IntheGlobal.MPTbox,clickMap1,andthenclickDelete.
22 Projectpromptsyoutoconfirmthatyouwanttodeletethemap;clickYes.
23 ClickClosetoclosetheOrganizerdialogbox.
Tip YoucanalsodeleteatoolbarontheToolbarstaboftheCustomizedialogbox
(Toolsmenu).
CLOSE:theParnellAerospacePromo18andWingtipToysCommercial18files.
KeyPoints
InProjectyoushareelementsyoucustomize,suchastablesorfilters,between
projectplansviatheOrganizer.
Project,likemanyotherprogramsintheMicrosoftOfficeSystem,usesthe
VisualBasicforApplications(VBA)macroprogramminglanguage.Among
otherthings,macrosenableyoutoautomaterepetitivetasks.
IfyouwanttoworkdirectlywithVBAcode,youdosointheVisualBasicEdi-
tor,whichisincludedinProjectaswellasotherOfficeapplications.
YoucansubstantiallycustomizethetoolbarsinProjecttoincludethecom-
mandsandfeaturesthatinterestyouthemost.
379
Setthestatusdate,andseeearnedvalue
scheduleindicatorstoevaluatepastschedule
performanceandforecastfutureperformance,
page383
Seeearnedvaluecostindicatorstocompare
theprojectsperformancetothebaselineplan,
page385
19
Measuring
Performancewith
EarnedValueAnalysis
Setastatusdateandseeearnedvalueindicatorsforscheduleperformance.
Seeearnedvaluecostperformanceindicators.
Lookingattaskandresourcevariancethroughoutaprojectsdurationisanessential
projectmanagementactivity,butitdoesnotgiveyouacompletepictureofthe
projectslong-termhealth.Forexample,ataskmightbeoverbudgetandaheadof
schedule(possiblynotgood)oroverbudgetandbehindschedule(definitelynot
good).Viewingscheduleorcostvariancealonedoesnottellyoumuchaboutperfor-
mancetrendsthatmightcontinueforthedurationoftheproject.
Togetamorecompletepictureofoverallprojectperformanceintermsofbothtime
andcost,youcanuseearned value analysis.Thepurposeofearnedvalueanalysisis
tomeasuretheprojectsprogressandhelppredictitsoutcome.Earnedvalueanalysis
involvescomparingtheprojectsprogresstowhatyouexpectedtoachieve(as
reflectedinabaselineplan)byaspecificpointinthescheduleorbudgetofaproject
plan,andforecastingfutureprojectperformance.
Themaindifferencesbetweenearnedvalueanalysisandsimplerscheduleandcost
varianceanalysiscanbesummeduplikethis:
Simplevarianceanalysisanswersthequestion,Whatcurrentperformance
resultsarewegetting?
Earnedvalueanalysisaddressesthequestion,Forthecurrentperformance
resultswearegetting,arewegettingourmoneysworth?
Thedifferenceissubtlebutimportant.Hereisanexample.Letssayaprojecthasa
baselinedurationof160daysandabudgetof$82,000.Afterabouthalfofthebase-
linedurationhaselapsed,theactualcostsincurredareabout$40,000.Butwhatis
theprojectsstatus?Youcannottellbasedonthisinformationalone.Asimpledistri-
butionofcostovertimewouldsuggestthat$40,000spentbythemidpointofan
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19
MeasuringPerformancewithEarnedValueAnalysis PartIII: SpecialSubjects
$82,000projectisjustaboutright.Butperhapstheprojectisrunningaheadof
schedulemoreworkhasbeencompletedbymidpointthanplanned.Thatwould
begoodnews;theprojectmightfinishaheadofschedule.Ontheotherhand,the
projectmightberunningbehindschedulelessworkhasbeenaccomplishedthan
wasplanned.Thiswouldbebadnews;theprojectwilllikelymissitsplannedfinish
date,exceeditsbudget,orboth.
Earnedvalueanalysisenablesyoutolookatprojectperformanceinamoresophisti-
catedway.Ithelpsyoutodeterminetwoimportantthings:thetruecostofproject
resultstodateandtheperformancetrendthatislikelytocontinuefortheremainder
oftheproject.
EarnedvalueanalysishasitsoriginsinlargeprojectscarriedoutfortheU.S.govern-
ment,anditremainsanessentialprojectstatusreportingtoolformajorgovernment
projects.However,becauseoftheusefulnessofearnedvalueanalysisinpredicting
futureprojectperformance,itisgainingpopularityintheprivatesectorandon
smallerprojectsaswell.
ViewingEarnedValueScheduleIndicators
ForMicrosoftOfficeProject2003tocalculateearnedvalueamountsforaprojectplan,
youmustfirstdothefollowing:
SaveabaselineplansoProjectcancalculatethebudgetedcostofthework
scheduledbeforeyoustarttrackingactualwork.(OntheToolsmenu,pointto
Tracking,andthenclickSaveBaseline.)
Recordactualworkontasksorassignments.
Setthestatus date soProjectcancalculateactualprojectperformanceuptoacer-
tainpointintime.(OntheProjectmenu,clickProjectInformation,andthenselect
astatusdate.)Ifyoudonotspecifyastatusdate,Projectusesthecurrentdate.
Earnedvalueanalysisusesthefollowingthreekeyvaluestogenerateallschedule
indicatorandcostindicatorvalues:
Thebudgetedcostofworkscheduled,calledBCWS.Thisisthevalueofthe
workscheduledtobecompletedasofthestatusdate.Projectcalculatesthis
valuebyaddingupallthetimephasedbaselinevaluesfortasksuptothe
statusdate.
Theactualcostofworkperformed,calledACWP.Thisistheactualcost
incurredtocompleteeachtasksactualworkuptothestatusdate.
382
PartIII: SpecialSubjects MeasuringPerformancewithEarnedValueAnalysis
19
Thebudgetedcostofworkperformed,calledBCWP orearnedvalue.Thisisthe
portionofthebudgetedcostthatshouldhavebeenspenttocompleteeach
tasksactualworkperformeduptothestatusdate.Thisvalueiscalledearned
valuebecauseitisliterallythevalueearnedbytheworkperformed.
Theearnedvalueanalysisscheduleandthecostvariancearedirectlyrelated,butits
simplertoexamineeachindependently.Toaccommodatethis,Projectgroupsthe
earnedvaluescheduleindicatorfieldsintoonetable,andtheearnedvaluecostindi-
catorfieldsintoanothertable.Athirdtablecombinesthekeyfieldsofbothschedule
andcostindicators.
Inthisexercise,yousetthestatusdateandviewearnedvaluescheduleindicatorsfor
theprojectplan.
Chapter 19 Earned Value folder. YoucanalsoaccessthepracticefilesforthisbookbyclickingStart,All
Programs,MicrosoftPress,Project2003StepbyStep,andthenselectingthechapterfolderofthefileyou
wanttoopen.
Nextyouwillsettheprojectstatusdate.Unlessyouspecifyastatusdate,Project
usesthecurrentdatewhenperformingearnedvaluecalculations.
4 IntheStatusDatebox,typeorselectJune30,2005,andclickOK.
Nowyouwillviewthefirstearnedvalueindicatorstable.
TheMoreTablesdialogboxappears.Init,youseethethreeearnedvaluetables.
6 IntheTableslist,selectEarnedValueScheduleIndicators,andclicktheApply
button.
ProjectdisplaystheEarnedValueScheduleIndicatorstableintheTaskSheetview.
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19
7 Double-clickbetweenthecolumnheadingstowidenanycolumnsthatdisplay
poundsigns(##).
Project-levelearned
valueindicators
Summarytask-level
earnedvalueindicators
Task-levelearned
valueindicators
Hereyoucanseetheearnedvaluescheduleindicatorsfortheprojectplan,sum-
marytasks,andsubtasks.Allearnedvaluenumbersarereportedeitherasdollars
orasindexratiosforeasycomparison;negativecostvaluesappearinparenthe-
ses.Notetheinformationinthefollowingcolumns:
BCWSisthebudgetedcostofworkscheduled,asdescribedearlier.Asof
thestatusdate,atotalof$44,763.55wasscheduledtobespenton
tasks.Inthebaselineplan,theshortfilmprojectwouldhaveincurredthis
amountbythestatusdate.Projectusesthisvalueforcomparisontothe
BCWPandtoderiveothervalues.
BCWP isthebudgetedcostofworkperformed.Thevalueoftheworkper-
formedasofthestatusdateintheshortfilmprojectisonly$36,636.37
quiteabitlessthantheBCWSvalue.
SVistheschedulevariance,whichissimplythedifferencebetweenthe
BCWPandtheBCWS.Theshortfilmprojecthasnegativeschedulevari-
anceof$8,127.19.
SV%istheratiooftheschedulevariancetotheBCWS,expressedasaper-
centage.Thisvaluetellsyouwhetherthecurrentlevelofcompletionon
tasksisaheadoforbehindtheperformancepredictedinthebaseline.The
shortfilmprojectis18percentbehindorunderbaselineperformance.
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19
SPI isthescheduleperformanceindex.ThisistheBCWPdividedbythe
BCWS,anditisthemostcommonwaytocompareearnedvalueschedule
performancebetweentasks,summarytasks,orprojects.Forexample,you
canseethatthepre-productionphaseoftheshortfilmprojecthasanSPI
of1;thebudgetedcostofworkscheduledwasequaltothebudgetedcost
ofworkperformed.However,thesecondphase,Production,hasaconsid-
erablyworseSPIvalue:0.63.Theprojectsummarytaskhasa0.82SPI
value.Onewayyoucaninterpretthisisthatforeverydollarsworthofwork
wehadplannedtoaccomplishbythestatusdate,only82centsworth
wasactuallyaccomplished.
Tip Heresaquickwaytogethelpaboutanearnedvaluefieldoranyfieldina
tableinProject.Pointtothecolumnheading,andintheScreenTipthatappears,
clicktheHelpOn<FieldName>link.Informationaboutthatfieldappearsinthe
Helpwindow.
Youcanusethesescheduleindicatorvaluestoaddressthequestion,Attherate
youremakingprogress,isthereenoughtimelefttocompletetheproject?Inthecase
oftheshortfilmproject,oneareatoinvestigateisthelowSPIfortheproduction
workcompletedthusfarandwhetherthecauseofthatproblemislikelytoaffect
theremainingproductionwork.
ThevaluesintheEarnedValueScheduleIndicatorstableinformusaboutschedule
performance,buttheydonotdirectlyinformusaboutcostperformance.Youexam-
inecostperformanceinthenextsection.
ViewingEarnedValueCostIndicators
Theflipsideofthequestion,Isthereenoughtimelefttocompletetheproject?
relatestocost:Isthereenoughmoneyavailabletocompletetheproject?Focusing
onearnedvaluecostindicatorscanhelpyouanswerthisquestion.Tocalculatecost
indicators,Projectusestheactualcostofworkperformed,orACWP,asderivedfrom
theactualworkvaluesrecordedinaprojectplan.
Inthisexercise,youdisplayearnedvaluecostindicatorsfortheprojectplan.
1 OntheViewmenu,pointtoTable:EarnedValueScheduleIndicators,andclickMore
Tables.
TheMoreTablesdialogboxappears.
2 IntheTableslist,selectEarnedValueCostIndicators,andclicktheApplybutton.
ProjectdisplaystheEarnedValueCostIndicatorstableintheTaskSheetview.
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19
3 Double-clickbetweenthecolumnheadingstowidenanycolumnsthatdisplay
poundsigns(##).
To gethelpaboutanyfieldinatable,pointtothecolumn
heading,andintheScreenTipthatappears,clicktheHelplink.
Hereyoucanseetheearnedvaluecostindicatorsfortheprojectplan,summary
tasks,andsubtasks.BecauseBCWSandBCWParekeyvaluesforbothschedule
andcostindicators,theyappearinbothtablesandweredescribedintheprevious
section.(NotethattheACWPfielddoesnotappearoneitherthescheduleindica-
torsorcostindicatorstables;itdoesappearontheEarnedValuetable,however.)
Notetheinformationinthefollowingcolumns:
CVisthecostvariance,thedifferencebetweenBCWPandACWP.The
shortfilmprojecthasverylowcostvariance.
CV%istheratioofcostvariancetoBCWS,expressedasapercentage.
Thisvaluetellsyouhowcloseyouare(underorover)tothebudgetplan
pertask.Theshortfilmprojectisessentiallyrightonbaselinecost
performance.
CPI isthecostperformanceindex.TheshortfilmprojectsCPI(asofthe
statusdate)is1.Onewayyoucaninterpretthisisthatforeverydollars
worthofworkwehavepaidfor,afulldollarsworthofworkwasactually
accomplished.
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19
BACisthebudgetatcompletion.Thisissimplythetotalbaselinecostofa
task,summarytask,ortheproject.Youevaluatethisfigureagainstthe
EACtoderivetheVAC.
EAC istheestimateatcompletion.Thisvaluerepresentstheforecasted
costtocompleteatask,summarytask,ortheprojectbasedonperfor-
mancesofar(uptothestatusdate).
VACisthevarianceatcompletion,orthedifferencebetweentheBACand
theEAC.TheVACrepresentstheforecastedcostvariancetocompletea
task,summarytask,ortheprojectbasedonperformancesofar(uptothe
statusdate).Theshortfilmprojecthasaverylowvarianceatcompletion
value.
TCPIisthetocompleteperformanceindex.Thisindexvalueshowsthe
ratioofremainingworktoremainingbudget,asofthestatusdate.The
shortfilmprojectsTCPIvalueis1,meaningremainingworkandremaining
budgetareessentiallyequal.Dependingonyourscreenresolution,you
mightneedtoscrollrighttoseethiscolumn.
Note Althoughitmightseemoddandevenconfusingtothinkofbeingaheadofor
behindscheduleintermsofdollars,rememberthatdollarsbuyworkandworkdrivesthe
completionoftasks.
Fromapurecostvarianceanalysisstandpoint,theshortfilmprojectappearstobein
verygoodshape.Yettheschedulevarianceanalysissuggestsotherwise.Theheartof
theissueisthatasofthestatusdate,quiteabitofworkhasstartedlaterthanplanned
buthasntcostmorethanplanned.Thetruehealthoftheprojectisoftennotobvious
andrequiresacomparisonofbothcostandschedulevariancebasedonpastperfor-
mance,aswellasforecastsoffutureperformance.
Now lets all take a deep breath.Earnedvalueanalysisisoneofthemorecomplicated
thingsyoucandoinProject,buttheinformationitprovidesonprojectstatusis
invaluable.Earnedvalueanalysisisalsoagreatexampleofthebenefitsofentering
taskandresourcecostinformationinaprojectplan.
Tip Aquickwaytoviewatasksearnedvaluenumbersinanytaskviewistodisplay
theEarnedValueform.OntheToolsmenu,pointtoCustomize,andthenclickForms.In
theCustomizeFormsdialogbox,clickEarnedValue,andthenclicktheApplybutton.
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19
ChangingHowProjectCalculatesEarnedValueNumbers
Alltheearnedvaluecalculationsshowninthepreviousexercisesusethedefaultcalcula-
tionoptionsinProject.However,youcanchangesettingstogiveyourselfmoreflexibility
inhowearnedvalueiscalculated.Someimportantsettingsyoucanchangeincludethe
following:
Ratherthanusingthepercentcompleteoftasksthatisbasedonactualsrecorded
inaprojectplan,youcantellProjecttouseapercentcompletevalueyouenter
regardlessofataskscalculatedpercentcomplete.Themanualoroverridevalueis
calledphysicalpercentcomplete.
RatherthanusingtheinitialbaselinevaluesstoredinthedefaultBaselinefieldsfor
earnedvaluecomparisons,youcantellProjecttouseanybaselinesetyouwant
BaselineorBaseline1throughBaseline10.
Youcansettheseoptionsforanentireprojectplanorchangeonlythecalculation
methodforaspecifictask:
Tochangetheseoptionsforanentireprojectplan,ontheToolsmenuclickOptions,
andthenintheOptionsdialogbox,clicktheCalculationtab.NextclicktheEarned
Valuebutton.IntheEarnedValuedialogbox,choosethecalculationmethodand
baselineoptionsyouwant.
Tochangetheearnedvaluecalculationmethodforaselectedtask,ontheProject
menu,clickTaskInformation,andthenintheTaskInformationdialogbox,clickthe
Advancedtab.IntheEarnedValueMethodbox,clickthemethodyouwant.
Ifyouchoosetousethephysicalpercentcompletemethodforeitheranentireproject
planorforaspecifictask,youmustenterapercentcompletevaluemanually.Thisfield
isdisplayedintheTrackingtable,andyoucaninsertitintoanyothertasktable.
KeyPoints
Earnedvalueanalysisisacomplexandrobustmeansofevaluatingprojectper-
formanceandpredictingitsoutcome.
Whenperformingearnedvalueanalysis,rememberthatitisessentialtosetthe
projectstatusdate.
Projectorganizeskeyearnedvalueindicatorsintoscheduleindicatorsandcost
indicatorstables,aswellasanoverallearnedvaluetable.
388
Shareresourcesfroma
centralresourcepoolacross
severalprojectplans,
page393
Changearesourcesworking
timeinonelocation,andsee
itupdatedacrossprojectplans,
page400
Createaconsolidatedproject
planforabirds-eyeviewofall
activitiesacrossmultipleprojects,
page410
Linktasksacross
differentprojectplans,
page413
20
ConsolidatingProjects
andResources
Createaresourcepooltoshareresourcesacrossmultipleprojects.
Lookatresourceallocationacrossmultipleprojects.
Changeresourceassignmentsinasharerplan,andseetheeffectsinthe
resourcepool.
Changearesourcesworkingtimeintheresourcepool,andseetheeffectsin
thesharerplan.
Makeaspecificdatenonworkingtimeintheresourcepool,andseetheeffects
inthesharerplan.
Createaprojectplan,andmakeitasharerplanfortheresourcepool.
Manuallyupdatetheresourcepoolfromasharerplan.
Insertprojectplanstocreateaconsolidatedproject.
Linktasksbetweentwoprojectplans.
Important Thischapterdescribesvariouswaysofsharingresourcesandmanaging
multipleprojects.Thisprocessismoregenerallycalledportfoliomanagementorenter-
priseprojectmanagement.ProjectProfessional,whenusedwithProjectServer,offers
muchmoresophisticatedwaysofmanagingaportfolioofprojectsandresourcesacross
anenterprise.TolearnmoreabouttheportfoliomanagementtoolsavailablewithProject
Server,seePart4,IntroducingProjectServer.
Mostprojectmanagersmustjugglemorethanoneprojectatatime.Theseprojects
oftenshareresourcesandareworkedonsimultaneously.MicrosoftOfficeProject2003
hasseveralfeaturestomakeiteasiertoworkwithmultipleprojects.Inthischapter,
youshareresourceinformationbetweenmultipleprojectplansandjoinseparate
projectplansasasingleconsolidatedplan.
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20
ConsolidatingProjectsandResources PartIII: SpecialSubjects
CreatingaResourcePool
Whenmanagingmultipleprojects,itiscommonforwork resources(peopleand
equipment)tobeassignedtomorethanoneprojectatatime.Itmightbecomediffi-
culttocoordinatetheresourcestimeamongthemultipleprojects,especiallyifthose
projectsaremanagedbydifferentpeople.Forexample,asoundengineerinafilm
studiomighthavetaskassignmentsforaTVcommercial,apromotionalprogram,
andadocumentaryfilmthreeprojectsproceedingsimultaneously.Ineachproject,
theengineermightbefully allocated orevenunderallocated.However,ifyouadd
togetherallhertasksfromtheseprojects,youmightdiscoverthatshehasbeenover-
allocated,orassignedtoworkonmoretasksthanshecanhandleatonetime.
Aresource pool canhelpyouseehowresourcesareutilizedacrossmultipleprojects.
Theresourcepoolisaprojectplanfromwhichotherprojectplansdrawtheirresource
information.Itcontainsinformationaboutallresourcestaskassignmentsfromallthe
projectplanslinkedtotheresourcepool.Youcanchangeresourceinformationsuch
asmaximumunits,costrates,andnonworkingtimeintheresourcepool,andall
linkedprojectplanswillusetheupdatedinformation.
Theprojectplansthatarelinkedtotheresourcepoolarecalledsharers.Hereisone
wayofvisualizingaresourcepoolandsharer plans:
Beforearesourcepooliscreated,eachprojectcontainsitsownresourceinformation.
Thismayleadtooverallocationandduplicationofresourceinformationforthe
resourcesassignedtobothprojects.
Afteraresourcepooliscreatedandprojectplans
arelinkedtoit,resourceinformationisconsolidated
intheresourcepoolandupdatedinthesharer
projectplans.Youcanlinknewprojectplans
totheresourcepoolaswell.
Assignmentdetailsfromthesharerplansareupdated
totheresourcepool.Resourcedetailssuchasworking
timeandstandardrateareupdatedtothesharerplans.
ResourcePool
Project2
Newproject
Resource
details
Resource
details
Resource
details
Project1 Project2
Project1
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PartIII: SpecialSubjects ConsolidatingProjectsandResources
20
Ifyoumanagejustoneprojectwithresourcesthatarenotusedinotherprojects,a
resourcepoolprovidesyounobenefit.However,ifyourorganizationplanstoman-
agemultipleprojects,settinguparesourcepoolenablesyoutodothefollowing:
Enterresourceinformationoncebutuseitinmultipleprojectplans.
Viewresourcesassignmentdetailsfrommultipleprojectsinasinglelocation.
Viewassignmentcostsperresourceacrossmultipleprojects.
Findresourceswhoareoverallocatedacrossmultipleprojects,evenifthose
resourcesareunderallocatedinindividualprojects.
Enterresourceinformation,suchasnonworkingtime,inanyofthesharerplans
orintheresourcepoolsothatitisavailableintheothersharerplans.
AresourcepoolisespeciallybeneficialwhenworkingwithotherProjectusersacross
anetwork.Inthosecases,theresourcepoolisstoredinacentrallocation,suchasa
networkserver,andtheindividualownersofthesharerplans(whichmightbestored
locallyoronanetworkserver)sharethecommonresourcepool.
Inthisexercise,youarrangethewindowsoftwoprojectplansthatwillbecomesharer
plans;thishelpsyouseetheeffectsofcreatingaresourcepool.Youthencreatea
projectplanthatwillbecomearesourcepoolandyoulinkthetwosharerplanstoit.
OPEN:WingtipToysCommercial20afromthe\My Documents\Microsoft Press\Project 2003 Step by
Step\Chapter 20 Consolidating folder.YoucanalsoaccessthepracticefilesforthisbookbyclickingStart,
youwanttoopen.
button.
3 OntheStandardtoolbar,clicktheOpenbutton.
4 Double-clicktheParnellAerospacePromo20bfile.
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20
New
Show/Hide
ProjectGuide
6 IntheFilenamebox,typeParnellAerospacePromo20,andthenclicktheSavebutton.
Thesetwoprojectplanswerepreviouslycreated,andbothcontainresourceinfor-
mation.Nextyouwillcreateanewprojectplanthatwillbecomearesourcepool.
10 IntheFilenamebox,typeResourcePool20,andthenclicktheSavebutton.
Tip Youcannamearesourcepoolanythingyouwant,butitisagoodideato
indicatethatitisaresourcepoolinthefilename.
11 OntheWindowmenu,clickArrangeAll.
ProjectarrangesthethreeprojectplanwindowswithintheProjectwindow.Youdo
notneedtoarrangetheprojectwindowsinthiswaytocreatearesourcepool,butit
ishelpfultoseetheresultsastheyoccurinthischapter.
NextyouwillswitchtheresourcepooltotheResourceSheetview.
12 OntheViewmenu,clickResourceSheet.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefol-
lowingillustration:
Titlebar
Priortobeinglinkedtoaresourcepool,
someresourcenamesandotherdetails
areduplicatedintheseprojectplans.
394
20
Lookingattheresourcenamesinthetwoprojectplans(ParnellAerospacePromo20
andWingtipToysCommercial20),youcanseethatseveralofthesameresources
appearinbothprojectplans.TheseincludeFabrikamInc.SoundStudio,JonGanio,
KenBergman,andothers.Noneoftheseresourcesareoverallocatedineither
project.
13 ClickthetitlebaroftheWingtipToysCommercial20window.
14 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoResourceSharing,andclickShareResources.
TheShareResourcesdialogboxappears.
15 UnderResourcesforWingtipToysCommercial20,selecttheUseresourcesoption.
TheUseresourcesFromlistcontainstheopenprojectplansthatcanbeusedasa
resourcepool.
16 IntheFromlist,clickResourcePool20inthedrop-downlist.
17 ClickOKtoclosetheShareResourcesdialogbox.
YouseetheresourceinformationfromtheWingtipToysCommercial20project
planappearintheResourcePool20plan.NextyouwillsetuptheParnellAero-
spacePromo20projectplanasasharerplanwiththesameresourcepool.
18 ClickthetitlebaroftheParnellAerospacePromo20window.
19 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoResourceSharing,andthenclickShareResources.
20 UnderResourcesforParnellAerospacePromo20,clicktheUseresourcesoption.
21 IntheFromlist,makesurethatResourcePool20isselected.
22 UnderOnconflictwithcalendarorresourceinformation,makesurethatthePool
takesprecedenceoptionisselected.
SelectingthisoptioncausesProjecttouseresourceinformation(suchascost
rates)intheresourcepoolratherthaninthesharerplanshoulditfindanydiffer-
encesbetweenthetwoprojectplans.
395
20
23 ClickOKtoclosetheShareResourcesdialogbox.
YouseetheresourceinformationfromtheWingtipToysCommercial20project
planappearintheresourcepool.Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowing
illustration:
Afterthesetwosharerplanshavebeenlinked
totheresourcepool,thecombinedresource
informationappearsinallthreefiles.
Theresourcepoolcontainstheresourceinformationfrombothsharerplans.Project
willconsolidateresourceinformationfromthesharerplansbasedonthenameof
theresource.JonGanio,forexample,islistedonlyonceintheresourcepool,no
matterhowmanysharerplanslisthimasaresource.However,Projectcannot
matchvariationsofaresourcesnameforexample,JonGaniofromonesharer
planandJ.Ganiofromanother.Forthisreason,itisagoodideatodevelopacon-
ventionfornamingresourcesandstickwithit.
Again,youdonothavetoarrangetheprojectwindowsasyoudidinthisexerciseto
linkthesharerplanstotheresourcepool.Butitishelpfulinthischaptertoseethe
resultsastheyoccur.
Tip Ifyoudecideyoudonotwanttousearesourcepoolwithaprojectplan,youcan
breakthelink.OntheToolsmenu,pointtoResourcesSharing,andclickShareResources.
UnderResourcesfor<CurrentProjectName>,selecttheUseownresourcesoption.
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20
CreatingaDedicatedResourcePool
Anyprojectplan,withorwithouttasks,canserveasaresourcepool.However,itisa
goodideatodesignateaprojectplanthatdoesnotcontaintasksastheresourcepool.
Thisisbecauseanyprojectwithtaskswillalmostcertainlyconcludeatsomepoint,and
youmightnotwantassignmentsforthosetasks(withtheirassociatedcostsandother
details)tobeincludedindefinitelyintheresourcepool.
Moreover,adedicatedresourcepoolwithouttaskscanenablepeoplesuchasline manag
ers orresourcemanagerstomaintainsomeinformationabouttheirresources,suchas
nonworkingtime,intheresourcepool.Thesepeoplemightnothavearoleinprojectman-
agement,andtheywillnotneedtodealwithtask-specificdetailsintheresourcepool.
ViewingAssignmentDetailsinaResourcePool
Oneofthemostimportantbenefitsofusingaresourcepoolisthatitallowsyoutosee
howresourcesareallocatedacrossprojects.Forexample,youcanidentifyresources
thatareoverallocatedacrossthemultipleprojectstowhichtheyareassigned.
Forexample,asyoumighthavenoticedintheprevioussection,theresourceKen
Bergman,whowasnotoverallocatedineitheroftheindividualprojectplans,did
appearoverallocatedafterProjectaccountedforallhisassignmentsacrossthetwo
projectplans.ThisisbecausewhenKensassignmentsfromthetwosharerplanswere
combined,theyexceededhiscapacitytoworkonatleastoneday.AlthoughKenmost
likelywaswellawareofthisproblem,theprojectmanagermaynothaveknownabout
itwithoutsettinguparesourcepool(orhearingabouttheproblemdirectlyfromKen).
Inthisexercise,youlookattheinformationintheresourcepool.
1 Double-clickthetitlebaroftheResourcePool20window.
TheresourcepoolwindowismaximizedtofilltheProjectwindow.Intheresource
pool,youcanseealloftheresourcesfromthetwosharerplans.Togetabetterview
ofresourceusage,youwillchangeviews.
TheResourceUsageviewappears.
3 IntheResourceNamecolumn,clickthenameofresource6,KenBergman,and
thenscrolltheResourceUsageviewtodisplayallofKensassignmentsbelowhis
name.
397
20
GoToSelected
Task
ThetimescaledetailsontherightsideoftheProjectwindowscrollhorizontallyto
showKenBergmansearliesttaskassignments.
5 ScrollthetimescaledetailstotherighttoseemoreofKensassignmentsduringthe
weekofMay1iftheyarenotalreadyvisible.
Therednumbers(forexample,16hoursonWednesdaythroughFriday,May4
through6)indicatedaysonwhichKenisoverallocated.Nextyouwilldisplaythe
ResourceFormtogetmoredetailaboutKensassignments.
Inthiscombinationview,youcanseeboththeresources
assignedtasksanddetailsabouteachassignment.
Inthiscombinationview,youcanseeallresourcesintheresourcepoolandtheir
assignments(intheupperpane),aswellaseachresourcesdetails(inthelower
pane)fromallsharerplans.Youcansee,forexample,thattheRecordroughnarra-
tiontasktowhichKenisassignedisfromtheWingtipToysCommercial20project,
andtheRecordmusictaskisfromtheParnellAerospacePromo20project.Kenwas
notoverallocatedineitherproject,butheisoverallocatedwhenyouseehisassign-
mentsacrossprojectsinthisway.
Ifyouwant,clickdifferentresourcenamesintheResourceUsageviewtoseetheir
assignmentdetailsintheResourceForm.
398
20
Tip Inaresourcepool,theResourceFormisjustonewaytoseethedetailsofspecific
assignmentsfromsharerfiles.OtherwaysincludeinsertingtheProjectorTaskSummary
NamecolumnsintothetableportionoftheResourceUsageview.(OntheInsertmenu,
clickColumn.)
UpdatingAssignmentsinaSharerPlan
Assign
Resources
GoToSelected
Task
Youmightrecallthatanassignmentisthematchingofaresourcetoatask.Becausea
resourcesassignmentdetailsoriginateinsharerplans,Projectupdatestheresource
poolwithassignmentdetailsasyoumaketheminthesharerplan.
Inthisexercise,youchangeresourceassignmentsinasharerplan,andyouseethe
changespostedtotheresourcepool.
1 IntheResourceUsageview,scrolldownuntilyouseeresource20,JennyLysaker,
intheResourceNamecolumn,andthenclickhername.
YoucanseethatJennyLysakerhasnotaskassignmentsineithersharerplan.
(ThevalueofherWorkfieldiszero.)NextyouwillassignJennytoataskinoneof
thesharerplans,andyouwillseetheresultintheresourcepoolaswellasinthe
project.
5 IntheTaskNamecolumn,clickthenameoftask5,Addeffects.
6 IntheResourceNamecolumnintheAssignResourcesdialogbox,clickJenny
Lysaker,andclicktheAssignbutton.
8 OntheWindowmenu,clickResourcePool20toswitchbacktotheresourcepool.
Asexpected,JennyLysakersnewtaskassignmentappearsintheresourcepool.
WhentheresourcepoolisopeninProject,anychangesyoumaketoresourceassign
mentsorotherresourceinformationinanysharerimmediatelyshowupinallother
opensharersandtheresourcepool.Youdontneedtoswitchbetweensharersandthe
resourcepool,asyoudidinthischapter,toverifytheupdatedresourceassignments.
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20
UpdatingaResourcesInformationinaResourcePool
Resource
Information
Anotherimportantbenefitofusingaresourcepoolisthatitgivesyouacentralloca
tioninwhichtoenterresourcedetails,suchascostratesandworkingtime.Whena
resourcesinformationisupdatedintheresourcepool,thenewinformationisavail-
ableinallthesharerplans.Thiscanbeespeciallyusefulinorganizationswithalarge
numberofresourcesworkingonmultipleprojects.Inlargerorganizations,people
suchaslinemanagers,resourcemanagers,orstaffinaprogram officeareoften
responsibleforkeepinggeneralresourceinformationuptodate.
KenBergmanhastoldyouthathewillbeunavailabletoworkonMay9and10.In
thisexercise,youupdatearesourcesworkingtimeintheresourcepool,andyousee
changesinthesharerplans.
1 IntheResourceNamecolumn,clickthenameofresource6,KenBergman.
3 ClicktheWorkingTimetab.
theupordownarrowbuttonuntilMay2005appears.
5 SelectthedatesMay9and10.
Tip Toselectthisdaterangewiththemouse,dragfrom9to10.
6 UnderSetselecteddate(s)to,selecttheNonworkingtimeoption,andthenclickOK
toclosetheResourceInformationdialogbox.
Tip Whenmakingsuchchangesintheresourcepool,youshouldhaveitopen
asread-write(asyoudonow).Wheneveryouopenaresourcepool,Projectasks
whetheryouwanttoopenitasread-only(thedefault)orread-write.
7 ScrollthetimescaledetailstoseethatonMay9and10Kenhasnoworksched-
uled.(Previouslyhedid.)Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
BecauseMay9and10havebeenmarked
asnonworkingdaysforthisresource,
noworkisscheduledonthesedays.
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20
Assign
Resources
ToverifythatKensnonworkingtimesettingwasupdatedinthesharerplans,you
willlookathisworkingtimeinoneofthoseprojectplans.
10 IntheAssignResourcesdialogbox,double-clickKenBergman.
11 ClicktheWorkingTimetab.
12 InthecalendarbelowSelectDate(s),dragtheverticalscrollbarorclickoneofthe
scrollarrowsuntilMay2005appears.
May9and10areflaggedasnonworkingdaysforKen;thechangetothis
resourcesworkingtimeintheresourcepoolhasbeenupdatedinthesharerplans.
13 ClickCanceltoclosetheResourceInformationdialogbox,andthenclicktheClose
buttontoclosetheAssignResourcesdialogbox.
UpdatingAllProjectsWorkingTimesinaResourcePool
Inthepreviousexercise,youchangedanindividualresourcesworkingtimeinthe
resourcepool,andyousawthechangepostedtothesharerplans.Anotherpowerful
capabilityofaresourcepoolistoenableyoutochangeworkingtimesforabasecal
endarandtoseethechangesupdatedtoallsharerplansthatusethatcalendar.For
example,ifyouspecifythatcertaindays(suchasholidays)aretobenonworking
daysintheresourcepool,thatchangeispostedtoallsharerplans.
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20
Note Bydefault,allsharerplanssharethesamebasecalendars,andanychanges
youmaketoabasecalendarinonesharerplanarereflectedinallothersharerplans
throughtheresourcepool.Ifyouhaveaspecificsharerplanforwhichyouwanttousedif-
ferentbasecalendarworkingtimes,changethebasecalendarthatsharerplanuses.
Inthisexercise,yousetnonworkingtimeinabasecalendarintheresourcepool,and
youseethischangeinallsharerplans.
1 OntheWindowmenu,clickResourcePool20.
TheentirecompanywillbeattendingalocalfilmfestivalonMay9,andyouwant
thistobeanonworkingdayforallsharerprojects.
3 IntheForbox,selectStandard(ProjectCalendar)inthedrop-downlist.
scrollarrowsuntilMay2005appears,andthenclickMay9.
5 UnderSetselecteddate(s)to,selecttheNonworkingtimeoption.
May9ismarkedasanonworkingdayintheresourcepool.
ToverifythatthischangetotheresourcepoolsStandardbasecalendarwas
updatedinthesharerplans,youwilllookatworkingtimeinoneofthesharer
plans.
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20
7 OntheWindowmenu,clickWingtipToysCommercial20.
9 IntheForbox,clickStandard(ProjectCalendar)inthedrop-downlist.
scrollarrowsuntilMay2005appears.
May9isflaggedasanonworkingday.Allprojectplansthataresharerplansofthe
sameresourcepoolwillseethischangeinthisbasecalendar.
Inthesharerplanslinkedtotheresourcepool,May9
appearsasanonworkingdayintheStandardbasecalendar.
11 ClickCanceltoclosetheChangeWorkingTimedialogbox.
Ifyouwant,youcanswitchtotheParnellAerospacePromo20projectplanandver-
ifythatMay9isalsoanonworkingdayforthatproject.
12 Closeandsavechangestoallopenprojectplans,includingtheresourcepool.
Important Whenworkingwithsharerplansandaresourcepool,itisimportantto
understandthatwhenyouopenasharerplan,youmustalsoopentheresourcepoolif
youwantthesharerplantobeupdatedwiththemostrecentchangestotheresource
pool.Forexample,ifyouchangetheprojectcalendarsworkingtimeintheresourcepool,
saveandcloseit,andthenlateropenasharerplanbutdontalsoopentheresource
pool,thatsharerplanwillnotreflecttheupdatedprojectcalendarsworkingtime.
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20
LinkingNewProjectPlanstoaResourcePool
Open
Youcanmakeaprojectplanasharerplanforaresourcepoolatanytime:whenini
tiallyenteringtheprojectplanstasks,afteryouhaveassignedresourcestotasks,or
evenafterworkhasbegun.Afteryouhavesetuparesourcepool,youmightfindit
helpfultomakesharerplansofnotonlyprojectsalreadyunderwaybutalsoallnew
projects.Thatway,yougetusedtorelyingontheresourcepoolforresource
information.
Tip Abigtimesavingadvantageofmakingnewprojectplanssharersofaresource
poolisthatyourresourceinformationisinstantlyavailable.Youdonthavetoreenterany
resourcedata.
Inthisexercise,youcreateaprojectplanandmakeitasharerplanforthe
resourcepool.
2 NavigatetotheChapter20Consolidatingfolder,anddouble-clickResourcePool20.
Projectpromptsyoutoselecthowyouwanttoopentheresourcepool.
Important Thedefaultoptionistoopentheresourcepoolasread-only.You
mightwanttochoosethisoptionifyouandotherProjectusersaresharinga
resourcepoolacrossanetwork.Ifyoustoretheresourcepoollocally,however,you
shouldopenitasread-write.Toreadmoreabouthowtoopenaresourcepool,click
theHelpbuttonintheOpenResourcePooldialogbox.
3 Clickthesecondoptiontoopentheprojectplanasread-write,andthenclickOK.
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20
TheResourceSheetviewappears.
New
Show/Hide
ProjectGuide
Assign
Resources
8 IntheFilenamebox,typeHansonBrothersProject20,andthenclicktheSave
button.
TheAssignResourcesdialogboxisinitiallyemptybecauseyouhavenotyetentered
anyresourceinformationinthisprojectplan.
10 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoResourceSharing,andthenclickShareResources.
TheShareResourcesdialogboxappears.
11 UnderResourcesforHansonBrothersProject20,selecttheUseresourcesoption.
12 IntheFromlist,makesurethatResourcePool20isselectedinthedrop-downlist,
andthenclickOKtoclosetheShareResourcesdialogbox.
IntheAssignResourcesdialogbox,youseealloftheresourcesfromtheresource
poolappear.
Nowtheseresourcesarereadyforassignmentstotasksinthisproject.
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20
14 OntheFilemenu,clickClose.Whenprompted,clicktheYesbuttontosaveyour
changes.
TheHansonBrothersProject20projectplancloses,andtheResourcePool20plan
remainsopen.
15 OntheFilemenu,clickClose.Whenprompted,clicktheYesbuttontosaveyour
changestoResourcePool20.
Yousavechangestotheresourcepoolbecauseitrecordsthenamesandlocations
ofitssharerplans.
OpeningaSharerPlanandUpdatingaResourcePool
IfyouaresharingaresourcepoolwithotherProjectusersacrossanetwork,whoever
hastheresourcepoolopenasread-writepreventsothersfromupdatingresource
informationsuchasstandardcostratesormakingotherprojectplanssharersofthat
resourcepool.Forthisreason,itisagoodideatoopentheresourcepoolasread-
onlyandtousetheUpdateResourcePoolcommandonlywhenyouneedtoupdate
theresourcepoolwithassignmentinformation.YoucanclicktheUpdateResource
PoolcommandfromtheResourceSharingsubmenuoftheToolsmenu.Thiscommand
updatestheresourcepoolwithnewassignmentinformation;oncethatisdone,any-
oneelsewhoopenstheresourcepoolwillseethelatestassignmentinformation.
Inthischapter,youareworkingwiththeresourcepoolandsharerplanslocally.If
youaregoingtousearesourcepooloveranetwork,itisagoodideatounderstand
theupdatingprocess.Thisexerciseintroducesyoutothatprocess.
Inthisexercise,youchangeassignmentsinasharerplan,andthenyoumanually
updatetheassignmentinformationintheresourcepool.
Open
2 NavigatetotheChapter20Consolidatingfolder,anddouble-clicktheParnell
AerospacePromo20file.
Becausethisprojectplanisasharerplanlinkedtoaresourcepool,Projectgives
youthefollowingoptions:
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20
Assign
Resources
3 ClicktheOpenresourcepooltoseeassignmentsacrossallsharerfilesoption,and
thenclickOK.
Choosingthesecondoption,Donotopenotherfiles,enablesyoutoseeassign-
mentsonlyintheonesharer.
Theresourcepoolopensasread-onlyinthebackground.(Ifyouwanttoverifythis,
lookattheitemsontheWindowmenu.)Nextyouwillchangesomeassignmentsin
thesharerplan.
4 OntheStandardtoolbar,clicktheAssignResourcesbutton.TheAssignResources
dialogboxappears.
5 IntheTaskNamecolumn,clickthenameoftask6,Addopticaltrack.
6 IntheResourceNamecolumnintheAssignResourcesdialogbox,clickStephanie
Hooper,andclicktheAssignbutton.
7 IntheTaskNamecolumn,clickthenameoftask8,Adddialog.
8 IntheResourceNamecolumnintheAssignResourcesdialogbox,clickSue
Jackson(locatedatthetopoftheResourceNamecolumn),andthenclickthe
Removebutton.
Youhavemadetwoassignmentchangesinthesharerplan.Becausetheresource
poolisopenedasread-only,thosechangeshavenotbeenpermanentlysavedin
theresourcepool.Nextyouwillupdatetheresourcepool.
9 OntheToolsmenu,pointtoResourceSharing,andthenclickUpdateResource
Pool.
Projectupdatestheassignmentinformationintheresourcepoolwiththenew
detailsfromthesharerplan.Anybodyelsewhoopensorrefreshestheresource
poolnowwillseetheupdatedassignmentinformation.
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20
Note Onlyassignmentinformationissavedtotheresourcepoolfromthe
sharerplan.Anychangesyoumaketoresourcedetails,suchasmaximumunits,
inthesharerplanarenotsavedintheresourcepoolwhenyouupdate.Whenyou
wanttochangetheresourcedetails,opentheresourcepoolasread-write.Afterit
isopenasread-write,youcanchangeresourcedetailsineithertheresourcepool
orthesharerplan,andtheotherprojectplanswillbeupdated.
Nextyouwillchangeanassignmentinthesharerplan,closetheprojectplan,and
thenupdatetheresourcepool.
10 IntheTaskNamecolumn,clickthenameoftask3,Syncsound.
11 IntheResourceNamecolumnintheAssignResourcesdialogbox,clickLane
Sacksteder,andthenclicktheAssignbutton.
13 OntheFilemenu,clickClose.
14 Whenpromptedtosavechanges,clicktheYesbutton.
Projectdeterminesthatbecausetheresourcepoolwasopenasread-only,thelat-
estassignmentchangesfromthesharerplanshavenotbeenupdatedinthe
resourcepool.Youareofferedthechoicesshowninthefollowingillustration:
15 ClickOK.
Projectupdatestheassignmentinformationwiththenewdetailsfromthesharer
plan.Theresourcepoolremainsopenasread-only.
16 OntheFilemenu,clickClose.
Becausetheresourcepoolwasopenedasread-only,Projectclosesitwithout
promptingyoutosavechanges.
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20
Troubleshooting Ifasharerplanisdeleted,assignmentinformationfromthat
sharerisstillstoredintheresourcepool.Toclearthisassignmentinformationfromthe
resourcepool,youmustbreakthelinktothesharerplan.Opentheresourcepoolas
read-write.OntheToolsmenu,clickResourceSharing,andthenclickShareResources.In
theShareResourcesdialogbox,clickthenameofthenow-deletedsharer,andclickthe
BreakLinkbutton.
WorkingwithConsolidatedProjects
Mostprojectsofteninvolveseveralpeopleworkingontasksatdifferenttimes,some-
timesindifferentlocations,andfrequentlyfordifferentsupervisors.Althougha
resourcepoolcanhelpyoumanageresourcedetailsacrossprojects,itmightnotgive
youthelevelofcontrolthatyouwantovertasksandrelationshipsbetweenprojects.
Agoodwaytopulltogetherfar-flungprojectinformationistouseaconsolidated
project.Thisisaprojectplanthatcontainsotherprojectplans,calledinserted projects.
Theinsertedprojectsdonotresidewithintheconsolidatedprojectplan,buttheyare
linkedtoitinsuchawaythattheycanbeviewedandeditedfromit.Ifaninserted
projectplaniseditedoutsideoftheconsolidatedproject,theupdatedinformation
appearsintheconsolidatedprojectplanthenexttimeitisopened.
Tip Consolidatedprojectplansarealsoknownasmasterprojects,andinserted
projectplansarealsoknownassubprojects.Thischapterusesthetermsconsolidated
andinserted.
Tolearnmoreaboutconsolidatedprojectplans,typeAboutmasterandsubprojectsinto
theSearchboxintheupperrightcorneroftheProjectwindow.TheSearchboxinitially
containsthetextType a question for help.
Usingconsolidatedprojectplansenablesyoutodothefollowing:
Seealltasksfromyourorganizationsprojectplansinasingleview.
Rollupprojectinformationtohigherlevelsofmanagement.Forexample,one
teamsprojectplanmightbeaninsertedprojectplanforthedepartmentscon-
solidatedprojectplan,whichinturnmightbeaninsertedprojectplanforthe
organizationsconsolidatedprojectplan.
Divideyourprojectdataintodifferentprojectplanstomatchthenatureofyour
project,forexample,byphase,component,orlocation.Thenyoucanpullthe
informationbacktogetherinaconsolidatedprojectplanforacomprehensive
lookatthewhole.
Seeallyourprojectsinformationinonelocation,soyoucanfilter,sort,and
groupthedata.
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20
Open
ConsolidatedprojectplansuseProjectsoutliningfeatures.Aninsertedprojectplan
appearsasasummarytaskintheconsolidatedprojectplan,exceptthatitssummary
GanttbarisgrayandaninsertedprojecticonappearsintheIndicatorscolumn.When
yousaveaconsolidatedprojectplan,youarealsopromptedtosaveanychangesyou
havemadetoinsertedprojectplansaswell.
Tip Ifyouhaveasetofprojectplansthatyounormallyworkon,butyoudontwantto
combinethemintooneconsolidatedprojectplan,considersavingthemaspartofawork-
space instead.Aworkspacesimplyrecordsthenamesandwindowsizesoftheopen
projectplansintoonefilethatyoucanlateropen.OntheFilemenu,clickSaveWorkspace.
Inthisexercise,youcreateanewconsolidatedprojectplanandviewthetwoinserted
projectplans.
2 NavigatetotheChapter20Consolidatingfolder,anddouble-clicktheParnell
AerospacePromo20file.
Tip YoucanalsoclickthefilenameatthebottomoftheFilemenu.
3 Projectaskswhetheryouwanttoopentheresourcepool.ClickDonotopenother
filesoption,andthenclickOK.
5 NavigatetotheChapter20Consolidatingfolder,anddouble-clicktheWingtipToys
Commercial20file.
6 Projectaskswhetheryouwanttoopentheresourcepool.SelecttheDonotopen
otherfilesoption,andthenclickOK.
Nextyouwilluseahandyshortcuttoinsertbothopenprojectplansintoanewplan,
creatingaconsolidatedprojectplan.
7 OntheWindowmenu,clickNewWindow.
TheNewWindowdialogboxappears.
8 UnderProjects,holddowntheHkeywhileclickingordragtoselectthenamesof
bothopenprojectplans,andthenclickOK.
Projectcreatesanewprojectplanthatwillbecometheconsolidatedproject,and
theninsertsthetwoprojectsintotheconsolidatedprojectasexpandedsummary
tasks.
410
20
Show/Hide
ProjectGuide
11 IntheZoomdialogbox,clicktheEntireProjectoption,andthenclickOK.
ProjectadjuststhetimescaleintheGanttchartsothatthefulldurationofthetwo
projectsisvisible.Ifnecessary,double-clicktherightedgeofanycolumnsthatdis-
playpoundsigns(###).Yourscreenshouldlooksimilartothefollowingillustration:
Insertedprojectsappearasexpandedsummarytasksinthe
consolidatedprojectplan.NotetheInsertedProjecticoninthe
Indicatorscolumnandthegrayprojectsummarytasksbars.
Tip IfyoupointtotheInsertedProjecticonintheIndicatorscolumn,Projectdis-
playsthefullpathtotheinsertedprojectplan.
Toconcludethisexercise,youwillsavetheconsolidatedprojectplananddisplay
itsprojectsummarytask.
13 IntheFilenamebox,typeConsolidatedProjects20,andthenclicktheSavebutton.
14 Whenpromptedtosavechangestotheinsertedprojects,clicktheYesToAll
button.
Nextyouwilldisplaytheprojectsummarytaskfortheconsolidatedproject.
411
20
17 UnderOutlineoptions,selecttheShowprojectsummarytaskbox,andthen
clickOK.
ProjectdisplaystheConsolidatedProjects20summarytask.Yourscreenshould
Thevaluesofthissummarytask,suchasdurationandwork,representtherolled-
upvaluesofbothinsertedprojects.AsSouthridgeVideotakesonmoreprojects,
insertingthemintotheconsolidatedprojectplaninthiswaygivesyouasingleloca-
tioninwhichtoviewallactivitiesoftheorganization.
Tip Toaddprojectplanstoaconsolidatedproject,ontheInsertmenu,clickProject.
CreatingDependenciesBetweenProjects
Mostprojectsdonotexistinavacuum.Tasksorphasesinoneprojectmightdepend
ontasksinotherprojects.Youcanshowsuchdependenciesbylinkingtasks
betweenprojects.
Reasonsthatyoumightneedtocreatedependenciesbetweenprojectsincludethe
following:
Thecompletionofonetaskinaprojectmightenablethestartofataskin
anotherproject.Forexample,anotherprojectmanagermightneedtocomplete
anenvironmentalimpactstatementbeforeyoucanstarttoconstructabuilding.
Evenifthesetwotasksaremanagedinseparateprojectplans(perhapsbecause
separatedepartmentsofadevelopmentcompanyarecompletingthem),one
projecthasalogicaldependencyontheother.
412
20
GoToSelected
Task
Task
Information
Apersonorapieceofequipmentmightbeassignedtoataskinoneproject,
andyouneedtodelaythestartofataskinanotherprojectuntilthatresource
completesthefirsttask.Thetwotasksmighthavenothingincommonother
thanneedingthatresource.
Taskrelationshipsbetweenprojectplanslooksimilartolinksbetweentaskswithina
projectplan,exceptthatexternalpredecessorandsuccessortaskshavegraytask
namesandGanttbars.Suchtasksaresometimesreferredtoasghost tasks,because
theyarenotlinkedtotaskswithintheprojectplan,onlytotasksinotherproject
plans.
Inthisexercise,youlinktasksintwoprojectplans,andyouseetheresultsinthetwo
projectplans,aswellasinaconsolidatedprojectplan.
2 IntheTaskNamecolumn,clickthenameoftask8,Adddialog.
TotherightofthetasksGanttbar,oneoftheresourcesassignedtothistaskis
namedFabrikamInc.SoundStudio.Youwanttousethisstudioforworkonthe
WingtipToysprojectafterthistaskiscompleted.Nextyouwilllinktask8toatask
intheWingtipToysCommercial20projectplan.
4 OntheWindowmenu,clickWingtipToysCommercial20.
6 Clickthenameoftask5,Finecutedit.
ProjectscrollstheGanttChartviewtodisplaytask5.
TheTaskInformationdialogboxappears.Inthenexttwostepsyouwillenterthe
filenameandtaskIDofthepredecessortaskinthisformat:FileName\TaskID.
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20
10 IntheIDcolumn,clickthenextemptycellbelowtask4,andtypeParnellAerospace
Promo20\8.
11 PresstheFkey,andthenclickOKtoclosetheTaskInformationdialogbox.
ProjectinsertstheghosttasknamedAdd dialog intheproject.Theghosttaskrep-
resentstask8fromtheParnellproject.
Theghosttaskappearsintheprojecttowhichitislinkedwithagraytaskname.
Theghosttask'sGanttbarisgray.
Tip IfyoupointtotheghosttasksGanttbar,ProjectdisplaysaScreenTipthat
containsdetailsabouttheghosttask,includingthefullpathtotheexternalproject
planwheretheexternalpredecessortask(theghosttask)resides.
414
20
NextyoulllookattheghosttaskintheParnellproject.
Hereyoucanseethatghosttask9,Fine cut edit, isasuccessorfortask8,Add
dialog.Becausetask9isasuccessortaskwithnootherlinkstothisproject,ithas
noeffectonothertaskshere.
Thelinkbetweenthesetwoprojectplanswillremainuntilyoubreakit.Deletinga
taskinthesourceplanortheghosttaskinthedestinationplandeletesthecorre-
spondingtaskorghosttaskintheotherplan.
Toconcludethisexercise,youwilldisplaythelinkbetweenthesetwoprojectsin
theconsolidatedprojectplan.
13 OntheWindowmenu,clickConsolidatedProjects20.
YoucanseethelinklinebetweenthetaskAdd dialog inthefirstinsertedproject
andthetaskFine cut editinthesecondinsertedproject.
Intheconsolidatedprojectplan,thecross-project
linkappearsasanormaltasklink.
Becauseyouarelookingataconsolidatedprojectplanthatshowsthetasksfrom
bothprojectplans,thecross-projectlinkdoesnotappearasaghosttask.
415
20
LinkTasks
Hereareafewmoretipsandsuggestionsforworkingwithconsolidatedprojectsand
cross-projectlinks:
Ifyoudonotwanttoseecross-projectlinks,ontheToolsmenu,clickOptions.
OntheViewtab,cleartheShowexternalsuccessorsorShowexternalpredeces-
sorscheckbox.
Whenviewingaconsolidatedproject,youcanquicklycreatecross-projectlinks
byclickingtheLinkTasksbuttonontheStandardtoolbar.Draggingthemouse
betweentwotaskbarswilldothesamething.
Eachtimeyouopenaprojectplanwithcross-projectlinks,Projectwillprompt
youtoupdatethecross-projectlinks.Youcansuppressthispromptifyou
wouldrathernotbereminded,oryoucantellProjecttoautomaticallyaccept
updateddatafromthelinkedprojectplan.OntheToolsmenu,clickOptions,
andthenclicktheViewtab.UnderCrossprojectlinkingoptionsfor<FileName>,
selecttheoptionsyouwant.
CLOSE:allopenfiles.
KeyPoints
Ifyouhaveresourceinformationduplicatedinmorethanoneprojectplan,a
resourcepoolisanexcellentwaytocollectresourceinformationacrossproject
plansandspotproblemssuchasresourceoverallocation.
Besidesindicatingindividualresourcesnonworkingtimeinaresourcepool,
youcanedittheprojectcalendarinaresourcepool(forexamplemarkingholi-
daysasnonworkingtime)andthatinformationwillbepropagatedtoallsharer
filesoftheresourcepoolfile.
Resourceassignmentdetailsfromallsharerfilesareavailableforviewing(but
notediting)intheresourcepoolfile.
Consolidatingprojectplansintoasingleplanisusefulwhenyouwanttoseeall
oftheaggregatedetailsinoneplace(theconsolidatedprojectplan),yetcon-
tinuetoworkwiththeindividualprojectplans(orallowmultipleProjectusers
toworkwiththem).
Whenataskinoneprojectplanhasalogicaldependencyonataskinanother
projectplan,youcanlinkthetwowithacross-projectlink.Thisproduceswhat
issometimescalledaghosttask(thepredecessororsuccessortask)inboth
projectplans.
416
IV
Introducing
ProjectServer
417
Addanorganizationsbest
practicesandmetricsto
customProjectGuides
inenterprisetemplates,
page424
Replacegenericresources
withworkresourcesbased
onmatchingskills,availability,
andlocation,
page429
PublishplanstoProjectServer,
tomakethempartofan
organizationsportfolioofprojects,
page439
21
PlanningWork
withProjectServer
UnderstandthecomponentsofaProjectServerbasedenterpriseprojectman-
agementsolution.
Createanewprojectplanbasedonanenterprisetemplate.
Assignworkresourcesfromanenterpriseresourcepoolbasedoncriteriasuch
aslocationandavailability.
PublishaplantoProjectServerafterdevelopingitinProjectProfessional.
Thischapterintroducessomeofthekeydifferencesbetweendesktopprojectman-
agement(asyouvepracticeditinthisbook,probablyusingProjectStandard)and
ProjectServerbasedenterprise project management.ProjectServeristhecornerstone
oftheMicrosoft Office System Enterprise Project Management Solution(wellreferto
thisasProject Serverbased EPM).Enterpriseprojectmanagementisoneofthemore
complexbutpotentiallyrewardingpracticesalargeorganizationcanadopt.
AlthoughyoumightbethesoleuserofProjectinyourorganization,therealuser
ofenterpriseprojectmanagementistheentireorganization,andthusthesoftware
toolsetiscorrespondinglymorecomplexthanitiswithProjectrunningonasingle
computer.Forthisreason,fullyaddressingthedetailsofenterpriseprojectmanage-
mentisfarbeyondthescopeofthisbook.However,wewanttoillustratethekey
featuresandprocessesofProjectServerbasedEPM,sothatyoucanstarttodeter-
minewhetheritcanserveausefulroleinyourorganization.Formostorganizations
wethinktheanswerwillbeYes,butgettingfrominitialinterestinProjectServer
basedEPMtofullimplementationisaseriesofcomplexsteps.Wehopethatthisand
thefollowingchapterscanhelpyouformulatesomeideasofhowProjectServer
basedEPMcanimproveyourorganizationsperformance.
ChancesareyoucurrentlydonthaveeasyaccesstoProjectServer.Infactittakes
quiteabitofsoftwareplanninganddeploymenttogettothepointwhereyoucan
seetheProjectServerinterface.Forthisreason,wedontrequireyoutopurchaseand
installProjectServertocompletetheexercisesinthischapter.Instead,wellplaytour
guideandwalkyouthroughtheplanning(thischapter),tracking(Chapter22),and
informationmanagement(Chapter23)aspectsofProjectServerbasedEPM.
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21
PlanningWorkwithProjectServer PartIV: IntroducingProjectServer
UnderstandingtheKeyPieces
ofEnterpriseProjectManagement
Ifyouvecompletedthepreviouschaptersinthisbook,youhaveagoodintroduction
toprojectmanagementonthescaleofasingleprojectmanagerwithprojectsthat
havedozensofresourcesworkingonhundredsoftasks.Youmaybepracticing
projectmanagementatthisscalenow.Indeed,witharesourcepoolandmulti-project
featuressuchasmasterprojects,asingleprojectmanagershouldbeabletostayon
topofseveraldifferentprojectsinvariousstagesofcompletionwithProjectStandard
runningonasinglecomputer.
Nowimaginedozensofprojectmanagersplanningandtrackinghundredsofprojects,
eachwithhundredsoreventhousandsofresourcesandtasksallwithinasingle
organization.Projectmanagementatthisscalerequiresahighdegreeofplanning,
coordination,andstandardization.Thisistherealmofenterpriseprojectmanage-
ment:alargeorganizationplanning,coordinating,andexecutingalargenumberof
projectssimultaneously.
Thinkaboutanypastorcurrentexperiencesyouvehadworkingonprojectsina
largeorganization,andtryansweringthesequestions:
Weretheprojectsdefinedandscopedinaconsistentwaythatwouldenable
apples-to-applescomparisons?
Wereresourceassignmentsmadewithfullknowledgeofeachresourcesskills,
location,andavailability?
Didtheexecutiveleadershipoftheorganizationhaveaclearpictureofthesta-
tusofeachproject?
IfyouranswertothesequestionsisNo,theorganizationwasprobablynotpractic-
ingenterpriseprojectmanagement.Thereisnoquestionthatmanylargeorganiza-
tionscangaingreatbenefitsbyadoptingenterpriseprojectmanagement.However,
thisisnoeasytask,ortheywouldhaveimplementedEPMalready.Succeedingwith
enterpriseprojectmanagementrequiresastrongwillingnessfromtheleadership
oftheorganization(executivesponsorship),awell-trainedgroupofadministrators,
projectandresourcemanagers,andasoftwareinfrastructurecapableofenablingit.
TheProjectServerbasedenterpriseprojectmanagementtoolsetconsistsofthe
following:
ProjectProfessional2003
ProjectWebAccess,thebrowser-basedinterfacetoProjectServer
420
PartIV: IntroducingProjectServer PlanningWorkwithProjectServer
21
ProjectServer2003,runningonWindowsServer2000orlater
SQLServer2000,thedatabaseforenterpriseprojectandresourcedata
Inaddition,toenabledocument,issue,andrisktracking(describedinChapter23,
ManagingRisks,Issues,andDocumentswithProjectServer),ProjectServercan
integratewithWindowsSharePointServices.
DeployingacompleteProjectServerbasedEPMsystemrequiresconsiderable
research,planning,andcoordinationwithinanorganizationthatiswellbeyondthe
scopeofthisbook.However,wewanttogiveyouachancetoseewhatProject
Serverbasedenterpriseprojectmanagementlookslikeanddeterminewhetherit
couldplayabeneficialroleinyourorganization.Toillustratethecapabilitiesof
ProjectServer,welluseasampledatabasethatsincludedwithProjectServer.Ifyour
organizationdecidestomovetoaProjectServerbasedenterpriseprojectmanage-
mentsolution,westronglyrecommendthatyoualsousethissampledatabasetoget
acloserlookatenterpriseprojectmanagement.Infact,hereisalistofkeyresources
tohelpyouwithyourevaluation,planning,anddeploymentofaProjectServer
basedenterpriseprojectmanagementsolution:
ReviewalloftherelevantmaterialonthemainProjectmarketingpage,
http://www.microsoft.com/office/project.
ReviewtheProjectServerResourceKitpublishedonTechNet:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet.
Completeapre-deploymentanalysiscontainedintheEnterpriseImplementa-
tionFramework(EIF).Searchforitonhttp://www.microsoft.com/technet.
OnceyourorganizationcommitstoapilotprogramwithProjectServerbased
EPM,installthesampledatabaseforProjectServerandcompletethetwoDay
intheLifeofevaluationguidesincludedwithProjectServer.Toviewthem
fromtheProjectServerinstallationCD,navigatetotheprjsvr\support\sample\
1033folder.Thefilesarenamedsampepm.htm(projectmanagementfocused)
andsamprm.htm(resourcemanagementfocused).
Ifyouareinanorganizationthatisrelativelynewtotheprojectmanagementdiscipline
orlacksanexperiencedinternalInformationTechnology(IT)group,considerworking
throughtheProjectServerdeploymentprocesswitharecognizedProjectPartner.
BuildingaNewPlanfromanEnterpriseTemplate
Oneoftheprincipalgoalsofpracticingenterpriseprojectmanagementistohave
standardwaysofdescribingworkinprojectsacrosstheorganization.Previouslyin
thisbookyouvebeenintroducedtotemplatesforProjectonthedesktop.Templates
421
21
areanexcellentwaytohelpensureconsistentprojectstructuresandschedulelogic,
tasknames,andeveninitialresourceassignments.Suchconsistencyisessentialfor
multi-projectorportfoliomanagementwithinanorganization.
InaProjectServerbasedEPMsetting,anorganizationcanimplemententerprise
templates thatresideinProjectServerandareavailabletoProjectProfessionalusers.
Enterprisetemplatescanhelpenforceorganizationalstandardsandgiveprojectman-
agersaquickerstartwhendevelopingnewprojectplans.Inthissection,youllsee
twooftheenterprisetemplatesthatarepartoftheA.DatumCorporationsample
databaseincludedwithProjectServer.Theseenterprisetemplateswillintroduceyou
togeneric resourcesandacustomizedProjectGuide.
Asnotedabove,wedontrequireyoutohaveaccesstoProjectServer.Instead,we
willguideyouthroughsomecommonProjectServerbasedEPMscenarios.Welldo
thisbyplayingtherolesofvariousProjectServerbasedEPMusersintheA.Datum
sampledatabase.
1 EvaCorets,aprojectmanageratA.DatumCorporation,startsProjectProfessional.
2 OntheFilemenuEvaclicksNew,andthenselectsoptionsintheNewProjecttask
panetoviewtheenterprisetemplatesforProjectProfessional.
InaProjectServerbasedEPMsystem,enterprise
templatesarestoredinProjectServerandareavailable
toProjectProfessionalusersintheorganization.
422
21
Likeallenterprisetemplates,thesearestoredinProjectServerandareavailableto
ProjectProfessionalusersatA.DatumCorporation.ThepeoplewhosetupProject
ServerbasedEPMatA.DatumCorporationcreatedtheenterprisetemplatesfor
themostcommontypesofprojectstheorganizationdoesandpopulatedeach
enterprisetemplatewithtasklists,schedulelogic,andotherinformationthat
reflectsthebestpracticesoftheorganization.
3 EvacreatesanewprojectplanbasedontheA.DatumNewProductTemplate.
Anenterprisetemplatecanincludenotonlytasklistsand
dependencies,butgenericresourcesassignedtotasks.
Thisprojectplanhasatasklistandlinksbetweentasks,andgenericresources
assignedtotasks.
423
21
4 EvaswitchestotheResourceSheetview,andseesthatthisprojectplanalready
includesseveralgenericresources.
Genericresourcesserveasplaceholdersforspecifictypes
ofworkresources;aspartofplanninganenterpriseproject
youreplacegenericresourceswithrealworkresources.
Likeregularworkresourcesinaresourcepool,genericresourcesresideinthe
enterprise resource pool thatallProjectServerbasedEPMusersshare.Generic
resources,asthenamesuggests,areplaceholderresourcesusuallyidentifiedbya
specificroleorjobtitle,suchasManufacturing engineer orSafety.Justlikearegu-
larenterpriseresource,agenericresourcecanincludecostandskillsdetails.One
waytothinkofagenericresourceisasaresourcestartingpoint;acertaintypeof
taskshouldbeperformedbyacertaintypeofresource.Thegenericresource
describesthattypeofresourcebutdoesntrepresentaspecificpersonorgroupof
people.Asaprojectmanagerdevelopsaprojectplan,heorshecaninitiallywork
withgenericresourcestomakesuretherightkindsofrolesareassignedtothe
righttasksandthenreplacethegenericresourceswithrealresourcesbeforethe
trackingstageoftheprojectbegins.Thisreplacementcanbemanualorauto-
mated,andisshownlaterinthischapter.
ElsewhereatA.DatumCorporationanotherprojectmanager,SteveMasters,is
alsodevelopinganewprojectplan.
424
21
5 StevestartsProjectProfessionalandopensadifferententerprisetemplate,the
A.DatumActiveDirectoryTemplate.
AcustomizedProjectGuide,associatedwithaspecificenterprise
template,canbeapowerfultooltohelpprojectmanagerswithinan
organizationuseaconsistentapproachtoplanninganewproject.
LiketheenterpriseprojecttemplatethatEvaisworkingwith,thistemplatealso
includesgenericresourcesassignedtotasks.ItalsoincludesacustomizedProject
Guide,whichinterviewsSteveforafewkeypiecesofinformationthatthenaffect
theprojectplan.
425
21
6 StevecompletesthecustomizedProjectGuideforthistemplateandenterssome
essentialdateandprojectscopeinformation.
ThiscustomizedProjectGuidemodifiesthedurationsofsometasksbased
onthescopeoftheproject'sdeliverable.WithProjectServeritispossible
tocodifyyourorganization'sschedulemetricsintoanenterprisetemplate.
WiththeinformationthatStevehasprovidedinthecustomizedProjectGuide,
ProjectProfessionalrecalculatesthedurationsofseveraltasks,aswellassetsthe
correctprojectstartdate.
ThecustomizationoftheProjectGuideintheA.DatumActiveDirectoryenterprise
templateismodestinscope.However,itdemonstratestwoimportantthings:First,
thiscustomizedProjectGuideshowsyouthatyoucan,withsomedevelopment
effort,putwhateverkindofinformationyoucaretointotheProjectGuide.Inmature
projectmanagementorganizations,forexample,itiscommontofindarigorousand
standardizedprojectmanagementmethodologythatdefineshowtheorganization
doesprojectmanagement.Suchamethodologycouldbedescribedwithinacustom
ProjectGuidethatisintegratedwithenterprisetemplates.Second,thiscustomized
ProjectGuidesuppliesdata,suchastheprojectstartdate,totheactiveproject
plan.Moreinterestingly,itactsonuser-entereddata,suchasascopeestimate(the
expectednumberofActiveDirectoryusers,inthiscase),tomodifyothervalues,such
asthedurationsofseveraltasks.ArobustcustomizedProjectGuidecanserveasthe
firstpointofcontactandguidanceforProjectServerbasedEPMusersinanorganiza-
tion,providingthemassistancejustwhentheyneeditmostastheyarebuilding
newprojectplans.
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21
Tip TolearnmoreaboutdevelopingcustomizedProjectGuides,connecttoMSDN
(www.msdn.microsoft.com)andenterthesearchqueryMicrosoftProjectGuideArchitec-
tureandExtensibility.
StaffinganEnterpriseProjectwithResources
Aswithasingleprojectplanonthedesktop(inProjectStandard,forexample),one
keyresultoftheplanningstageinProjectServerbasedEPMisidentifyingthecorrect
resourcestoperformworkintheprojectandassigningthemtothecorrecttasks.The
combinationoftheenterpriseresourcepool(storedinProjectServer)andthefea-
turesinProjectProfessionalmakesthetaskofresourceidentificationandassignment
asophisticatedandpowerfulstepinplanninganenterpriseproject.
TheProjectProfessionalfeaturethatwellinvestigateinthissectionistheResource
SubstitutionWizard.Arelatedfeaturethatwewontlookathere,BuildTeamfrom
Enterprise,enablesyoutofilterandqueryenterpriseresourcestolocatethosewith
theskillsorotherattributes(suchaslocationoravailability)thatyouwant.Bothof
thesefeaturesrelyontheenterpriseresourcepoolandcertaininformationrecorded
withinit.
1 SteveMasters,aprojectmanageratA.DatumCorporation,isdevelopinganew
projectplaninProjectProfessionalbasedontheA.DatumActiveDirectoryenter-
prisetemplate.
ThecustomizedProjectGuideremainsavailableafterinitialuse
sothatyoucancomebacktoitasneededintheplanningstage.
427
21
SofarStevehasadjustedtheprojectstartdateandscopeviathecustomized
ProjectGuide(describedintheprevioussection).Nexthesreadytolookatthe
resourceassignments.
2 SteveswitchestotheResourceUsageviewandseesthatthisenterprisetemplate
includesgenericresourcesassignedtotasksandthatonlyasingletask,amile-
stone,doesnothaveagenericresourceassigned.
TheResourceUsageviewshowsthetaskstowhichgenericresources
(indicatedbyagrayresourceicon)areassignedinthisprojectplan.
Theplanwasbasedonanenterprisetemplate.
SteveswitchesbacktotheGanttChartviewandisreadytoreplacethegeneric
resourcesassignedtotasksinthisprojectwithrealworkresources(thatis,spe-
cificpeopleandteams)fromtheenterpriseresourcepool.Hedliketodothisby
mostcloselymatchingtheskillsrequiredforthetasksintheprojectplan(asindi-
catedbythespecificgenericresourcesassignedtoeachtask)withworkresources
whohavethematchingskills.
428
21
3 OntheToolsmenu,SteveclicksSubstituteResourcestostarttheResourceSubsti-
tutionWizard.
TheResourceSubstitutionWizardisusefulforreplacinggenericresources
withrealworkresourcesbasedontheworkresources'location,availability,
orothercriteria.Theworkresourcesreceivethetaskassignmentsthatthe
genericresourcesinitiallyhad.
TheWelcomepageofthewizardremindsStevethatthiswizardisdependenton
enterpriseresourceoutlinecodesinProjectServer.Resourceoutlinecodesidentify
geographiclocationofresourcesaswellasskillseachresourcepossesses,such
asparticulartechnicalorlanguageabilities.Askills-basedoutlinewithinanorgani-
zationisalsocalledaresource breakdown structure (RBS).
429
21
4 Stevecontinuesontothenextpageofthewizard.
TheResourceSubstitutionWizardcanactonseveralopenproject
plansatonceor,asshownhere,onasingleprojectplan.
TheResourceSubstitutionWizardcanactonseveralprojectplansatonce,but
SteveisfocusedonlyonthesingleprojectplanhehasopeninProjectProfessional.
430
21
5 Stevecontinuesontothenextpageofthewizard.HereStevechooseswhich
resourcesProjectProfessionalcanevaluatewhenstaffingthisprojectplan.Steve
wantsresourcesbasedwithinthewesternUnitedStates,sohechoosesthisoption
intheresourcebreakdownstructure.
Heretheprojectmanageridentifiesthelocation(West)fromwhichhe
wantstheResourceSubstitutionWizardtoidentifyworkresourcesthat
couldreplacegenericresourcesinthisprojectplan.Suchlocation
informationispartoftheresourcebreakdownstructure(RBS)ofthe
enterpriseresourcepoolinProjectServer.
431
21
6 Stevecontinuesontothenextpageofthewizard.ProjectProfessionalhasdeter-
minedthatseveralotherA.DatumCorporationprojectsstoredinProjectServer
containlinkstothisActiveDirectoryproject,orshareresourceswithit.
Theprojectmanagercansubstituteresourcesinanyprojectplans
thatshareresourceassignmentsorlinkstotheactiveprojectplan.
BecauseSteveknowsthatatthispointtheActiveDirectoryprojectcontainsonly
genericresources,heisnotconcernedwiththisstepandcontinuesonwiththe
resourcesubstitutionforthisproject.
432
21
7 Stevecontinuesontothenextpageofthewizard.Steveverifiesthattheresource
substitutionwilluseresourcesfromtheenterpriseresourcepool.
8 Stevecontinuesontothenextpageofthewizard.
Steveseesasummaryoftheoptionshehasselectedandisnowreadytostartthe
resourcesubstitutionprocess.
433
21
9 Steverunstheresourcesubstitutionprocess.
TheResourceSubstitutionWizardrunsandthenpresentsasummaryofthepro-
posedsubstitutions.Stevereviewsthislist.
AftertheResourceSubstitutionWizardruns,theprojectmanagerseesthe
substitutionsofrealworkresourcesforgenericinthissummaryform.
AtthispointStevecaneitheracceptthesubstitutionsintheprojectplanorsave
thelistforlateranalysis.Stevedecidestoaccepttheproposedsubstitutions.He
completesthewizard.
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21
Theprojectmanagercanchoosetomaketheresourcesubstitutions
orsavethesubstitutiondatatoafileforlaterconsideration.
Towrapuphisworkfornow,StevetakesalookattheGanttChartviewtoseethe
newworkresourcesassignedtotasksintheprojectplan.
435
21
AfteracceptingtheresultsoftheResource
SubstitutionWizard,therealworkresourcesare
giventhetasksthatthegenericresourceswere
originallyassignedto.Therearenoother
changestotheprojectplan.
Stevesnextstepswouldbetoreviewtheworkresourcesthatnowhaveassign-
mentsinthisprojectplanand,ifhewished,tofine-tunetheassignmentsbefore
publishingtheplantoProjectServer.
PublishingaPlantoProjectServer
Tomakeaprojectplanviewablebyotherstakeholders(suchasresourceswith
assignmentsintheprojectplan),theprojectmanagermustpublishtheprojectplan
toProjectServer.OnceaprojectplanispublishedtoProjectServer,itsnameis
appendedwith.Published,whichisaspecificversionoftheprojectplan.Otherpos-
sibleversionvaluesincludeArchiveandOffline,orincrementsofthesameversion
value(suchas.Published,.Published2,andsoon).ProjectServeradministratorscan
alsocreatecustomversionvaluesthatareuniquetotheirorganization.
AfterinitiallypublishingaprojectplantoProjectServer,theprojectmanagershould
republishupdatedinformationtokeepfreshthedatathatstakeholdersandothers
see.Inthefollowingexample,aprojectmanagerwillinitiallypublishaprojectplan
toProjectServerandthenlaterpublishupdatedinformation.
436
21
1 SteveMasters,aprojectmanageratA.DatumCorporation,isreadytopublishhis
newprojectplanbasedontheA.DatumActiveDirectoryenterprisetemplate.In
ProjectProfessional,StevepointstoPublishontheCollaboratemenuandthen
clicksAllInformation.
BecauseStevehasnotpreviouslysavedthisprojectplan,heispromptedtosave
itnow.
2 Steveenterstheinformationhewantsfortheplanheispublishing.
Whenusedconsistentlywithinanorganization,customenterprisefields
helpstakeholdersmakegoodcross-projectcomparisonsandclearlysee
projectstatusinProjectServer.
IntheCustomfieldssectionoftheSavetoProjectServerdialogbox,Stevesees
severalcustomenterprisefieldsthathecaneditforthisprojectplanifhewishes.
Theseenterprisefieldshelpidentifykeyvaluesespeciallywhencomparedto
otherprojectplansinProjectProfessional.
437
21
AfterSteveclicksSave,ProjectpublishestheplantoProjectServerandupdates
theplansnameinthetitlebaroftheProjectwindow.
OnceaprojectplanispublishedtoProjectServer,.Published
isappendedtoitsname.Notethatthisisnotasinglefilelike
anMPPbutasetofdatawithintheProjectServerdatabase.
3 Later,aftermakingchangestoassignmentsintheActiveDirectoryWestproject
plan,Steveisreadytopublishtheupdatedinformation.StevepointstoPublishon
theCollaboratemenuandthenclicksNewandChangedAssignments.
Afterconfirmingthathewantstoresavetheprojectplan,Steveseesasummaryof
theassignmentchangeshehasmade.
438
21
WhenpublishingupdatedinformationtoProjectServer,theproject
managerseesasummaryoftheupdateandhastheoptiontonotify
affectedresourcesofthechangesviae-mail.
ProjectProfessionalsavestheupdatedinformationtoProjectServer,whereitis
availableforviewingbyotherpeopleatA.DatumCorporation,dependingontheir
roles.
KeyPoints
ProjectServerbasedenterpriseprojectmanagementenablesanorganization
topracticeprojectmanagementinaconsistent,efficientway.
EnterprisetemplatesareavailabletoProjectProfessionalusersinaProject
ServerbasedEPMsystemandhelpensureconsistentscheduleswithinan
organization.
CustomizedenterprisetemplatescanincludecustomProjectGuidecontentto
helptheuserfine-tuneaprojectplan,forexamplebychangingthedurationsof
keytasksbasedonthescopeoftheprojectsdeliverable.
TheResourceSubstitutionWizardandBuildTeamfromEnterprisearebothfea-
turesenabledbyProjectServerthathelpidentifytheoptimalworkresourcesfor
taskassignments.
439
Chapter 22 at a Glance 440
Record progress on assignments
in the Tasks Center in
Project Web Access,
page 444
Use the Outlook integration add-in,
to record progress on assignments,
within the Outlook calendar,
page 448,
Use a stoplight view to convey
the status of all projects
under way in the organization,
page 458
441
22
Tracking Work
with Project Server
See how resources report their progress on assignments and nonworking time
through the timesheet in Project Web Access.
See how resources report their progress from the Outlook calendar to Project
Server via the Outlook integration add-in.
See how project managers approve task changes (such as actual work) from
resources in Project Web Access and update project plans in Project Professional.
See how executives and other stakeholders can see project status at a glance
and drill into the details that most interest them in Project Web Access.
This chapter focuses on the role of a Project Serverbased enterprise project manage-
ment (EPM) system in tracking actual work and other schedule-related details in
projects that are under way. The specific tools involved can vary with the role of the
userProject Web Access serves the needs of resources, project managers, and exec-
utive stakeholders. Resources can also use their Outlook calendars as timesheets for
submission to Project Server, and project managers also use Project Professional to
manage the schedule changes processed through Project Server.
Note This chapter does not use practice files and is not written for hands-on practice.
We dont assume you have access to Project Professional and Project Server, or to the
sample database in Project Server that we illustrate here. Instead, this and the other
chapters in Part 4 describe and illustrate important features of a Project Serverbased
EPM system.
For more information, see Understanding the Key Pieces of Enterprise Project Manage-
ment, on page 420.
Reporting Actual Work Through Project Web Access
After the project manager has published a project plan to Project Server, resources
can review their assignments in Project Web Access, the browser-based interface for
Project Server. Resources can also report their personal nonworking time through
Project Web Access. They can enter this information directly into Project Web Access
or import it from Outlook into Project Web Access. For example, a resource can
442
22
Tracking Work with Project Server Part IV: Introducing Project Server
import as nonworking time any Outlook calendar appointments or events that are
longer than four hours and are marked Busy or Out of Office. The project manager
reviews these submissions and then can post them to the individual resource calendar
in the project plan. This method is a great way to simplify the task of keeping
resource calendars accurate and avoid scheduling work for a resource when he or
she will not be available.
In this example, a resource records actual work and upcoming nonworking time in
Project Web Access and then submits that information to a project manager.
1 Brad Sutton, a resource at A. Datum Corporation, logs on to Project Web Access to
view his assignments that have been published to Project Server.
After logging on, Brad sees a personalized Home page that lists any new tasks or
other items that affect him.
G22PS01.eps
The links or tabs at the top of the screen lead to the major areas of Project Web
Access, called centers. The Tasks link displays the Tasks Center, for example.
2 Brad clicks Tasks at the top of the screen to view his Tasks Center.
Every Project Serverbased EPM user who logs on to Project Web
Access sees a customized Home page. The tabs available also
vary per user, depending on the roles to which they are assigned.
443
Part IV: Introducing Project Server Tracking Work with Project Server
22
G22PS02.eps
Here Brad can see his assignments for multiple projects. Brad can view this infor-
mation in a timesheet format (the default) or as a personal Gantt chart.
G22PS03.eps
In the Tasks Center, resources see all their current
assignments and can record progress on those assignments.
In the Gantt Chart view, the resources assignments.
appear as Gantt bars under summary tasks and projects.
444
22
3 Brad switches back to the Timesheet view in the Tasks Center and changes the
view options to show his scheduled work for the week. He then reports his actual
work.
G22PS04.eps
4 Brad clicks Update All to submit the actuals he has recorded to his project man-
ager, Steve Masters.
Next, Brad needs to let his project manager know that he will be unavailable to work
July 24 and 25. Brad does not use Outlook for recording his free/busy time, so hell
report the nonworking time directly in Project Web Access.
5 Brad clicks Notify your manager of time you will not be available for project work in
the pane on the left.
Resources can display the scheduled work on their.
assignments (that is, the amount of work for which they.
were scheduled) and enter actual work below that.
445
22
G22PS05.eps
Brad sees that he can specify not only the time and duration but also the nature of
his absences.
6 Brad records his upcoming out-of-office time.
G22PS06.eps
After Brad clicks Submit, Project Web Access confirms the submission, and Brad is
able to continue with his work in the Tasks Center.
Resources can report a variety of types of nonworking time.
When nonworking times are approved by the project manager,
they affect the resources working time in their resource calendar.
446
22
Reporting Actual Work Through Outlook
Project Server includes a COM add-in for Outlook that enables Outlook users to see
their task assignments and report their status. This information is submitted to Project
Server for project manager approval and is eventually incorporated into the project
plan as actual work. The Outlook integration add-in allows team members who
would rather work in Outlook than in the Tasks Center in Project Web Access to
see their assignments and keep the project manager up-to-date on their status.
In this section well illustrate how a team member works with his Project Server
based EPM task assignments in Outlook.
1 Rob Young, a team member at A. Datum Corporation, has task assignments in sev-
eral active and upcoming project plans. Rob has previously installed the Outlook
integration add-in from Project Server. The add-in adds a toolbar and a new tab,
Project Web Access, to the Options dialog box (Tools menu) that Rob sees:
G22PS07.eps
2 Rob clicks the Import New Assignments button on the Project Web Access toolbar in
Outlook. After he enters his Project Server login information, he sees that a new
task assignment is available for him to import into Outlook.
The Outlook integration add-in (installed via Project Server) enables
resources to use the Outlook calendar interface to manage their
assignments in Project Server. These options allow resources
to fine-tune how they interact with Project Server.
447
22
G22PS08.eps
3 Rob checks his appointments for the week of August 18 and sees the multi-day
appointment that is a task assignment in the Active Directory West project.
G22PS09.eps
When importing assignment information from Project Server into Outlook,
the resource sees the essential schedule details of the assignment.
Imported assignments appear as appointments in the Outlook.
calendar. If the duration of the assignment is more than a.
single day, it appears as a multi-day appointment in Outlook.
448
22
4 Rob double-clicks the multi-day appointment. Between the Appointment and Sched-
uling tabs in the Project Web Access Appointment dialog box, the Outlook integra-
tion add-in adds the Project Web Access tab. Rob clicks that tab.
G22PS10.eps
Here Rob sees the key information for this assignmentthe task and project it is
part of, and his timesheet view.
If Rob wants to, he can display this and his other tasks in Project Web Access by
clicking the Go To Timesheet button. However, the timesheet grid for the task thats
visible here is fine for his reporting needs.
Opening an appointment and then clicking the Project Web Access tab
displays the schedule information about the assignment from Project Server.
449
22
5 Rob records his recent actual work on this task and verifies that the remaining work
is zero.
G22PS11.eps
At this point his actuals are recorded locally but havent been submitted to the
project manager. Rob takes care of this next.
The resource can record actual work or other details on.
this assignment here and then submit the information.
to the project managerwithout ever leaving Outlook.
450
22
6 Rob clicks the Update Project Manager button in the Project Web Access Appoint-
ment dialog box.
G22PS12.eps
The add-in submits Robs actuals to Steve Masters, the project manager of the
Active Directory West project. This update will remain in Project Server until the
project manager approves it, and then it will be recorded in the Active Directory
West project plan.
As far as the project manager is concerned, the actual work submitted through
Outlook is essentially the same as actuals submitted through Project Web Access. For
handling assignment details, the Outlook integration add-in makes Outlook a reason-
able substitute for Project Web Access for resources who prefer to work in Outlook.
Handling Actuals from Resources
When the project manger logs on to Project Web Access, he or she sees immediately
whether resources have submitted new actual work, nonworking time, or other infor-
mation. The project manager can then review the submissions and have them posted
to the project plan. After they are in the project plan, Project Professional responds to
actuals by recalculating task durations and rescheduling remaining work, as needed.
451
22
In this section well illustrate how a project manager reviews and processes informa-
tion submitted by resources.
1 Steve Masters, a project manager at A. Datum Corporation, logs on to Project Web
Access. Steve immediately sees that he has pending task changes from resources.
G22PS13.eps
Steve could also have navigated to the Updates Center in Project Web Access to
see this information.
Project managers, like all Project Web Access users, see a custom
Home page when they log on. In this case, the project manager
sees that he has new task changes from resources to evaluate.
452
22
2 Steve clicks the 6 task changes from resources link, and Project Web Access
switches to the Updates Center, where Steve can see the details of the task
changes from resources.
G22PS14.eps
3 Steve switches to the Gantt Chart view and then clicks the View Options link to see
how he can change the view of the task updates.
In the Updates Center, project managers can see the
details of task changes submitted by resources, and
approve, reject, or hold on to all or some of them.
453
22
G22PS15.eps
4 Steve switches to the Timesheet view and then adjusts the View Options to show
scheduled work as well as actual work submitted by the resources. He also hides
the task pane in Project Web Access to see more of the Timesheet view.
G22PS16.eps
Expanding the View Options area of a view in Project Web
Access shows the display options available for the active
view. These options vary, depending on the type of view.
454
22
5 Today Steve is mainly focused on Brad Suttons most recent work on the 200GB
USB v2 External Hard Drive project. For the two tasks in this project for which Brad
has submitted actuals, Steve clicks in the Accept? column and, in the drop-down
list that appears, clicks Accept.
G22PS17.eps
The other task changes that resources have submitted to Steve will remain in the
Updates Center until Steve acts on them.
6 To conclude the update process for these assignments, Steve clicks the Update
button.
Project Server opens the 200GB USB v2 External Hard Drive project in Project
Professional, records the actual work against Brad Suttons assignments, and
prompts Steve to save the project plan.
When a project manager approves only some task changes, the other task
changes remain in the project manager's Update Center for future action.
455
22
G22PS18.eps
The project plan remains open in Project Server, where Steve can evaluate the
actual work submitted by Brad Sutton and other resources and make schedule
adjustments as needed.
With Project Web Access and the Outlook integration add-in, all the actual work and
resource working time settings recorded in the project plan can come directly from
the resources; the project manager does not have to reenter this information into the
project plan. However, the project manager always maintains control over what infor-
mation is and is not incorporated into the project plan.
Keeping Stakeholders Informed
One of the primary purposes of a Project Serverbased EPM system is to keep the
status of active projects accurate, timely, and visible. Executive stakeholders and
sponsors are often especially interested in the high-level status of a collection of
related projects, often called a portfolio or program, and want to drill into the details
Once the project manager approves the task changes.
from resources, Project Server updates the schedule.
in Project Professional and displays the results.
456
22
of a specific project only when they see some indication of a problem. The Project
Center in Project Web Access is where executives and other stakeholders can most
easily see multi-project status at a glance. The Project Center can be substantially cus-
tomized with display options and custom views, as well see here.
Jo Brown is an executive at A. Datum Corporation and oversees several of the
projects under way there (she manages the project managers). Jo relies on the project
managers within her organization to keep their project status accurate and uses the
Project Center as the primary way to view project status. When she sees something
there that concerns, her, she digs deeper into the project details and then consults
with the project manager.
1 Jo Brown logs on to Project Web Access and displays the Project Center.
G22PS19.eps
The Summary view, which is currently applied in the Project Center, shows each
project as an item on a Gantt chart. As with other views in Project Web Access,
Jo can alter this view to focus on the data shes most interested in or switch to
another view. The Project Server administrators at A. Datum Corporation have cre-
ated custom views specifically for executives such as Jo. Next Jo switches to a cus-
tom view.
In the Project Center, each project appears as an item in the Gantt Chart
view. Every project name is clickable, and displays the details of each project.
457
22
2 Jo selects A. Datum Executive Summary in the Choose a view box and then closes
the task pane in Project Web Access to see more of the view.
G22PS20.eps
This type of custom view is sometimes called a stoplight view because it represents
key project status measures (in this case, budget and schedule) with green (good),
yellow (moderate problem), or red (major problem) indicators. This view also groups
project by location.
Jo likes this view because she can scan for the red light projects and focus her
limited time on those projects to see what is causing the budget or schedule
variance.
In this customized stoplight view, red, yellow, and.
green icons indicate key schedule status values (in this.
case, budget and schedule variance) for each project.
458
22
3 Jo scrolls through the projects listed and sees a few with a red light for project
schedule status. She hovers the mouse pointer over the red light in the Project
Schedule column of the published version of the 100X DVD Drive project.
G22PS21.eps
A ScreenTip appears that informs Jo that the projects schedule status is red
because its scheduled completion date is more than five days after the baseline
completion date. Five days is the red light threshold specified by this view for
schedule variance.
In this custom stoplight view, the Project Budget and Project Schedule.
indicators are determined by predefined thresholds. In this case, a.
projects completion date that has more than five days variance is.
identified with a red indicator. Hovering the mouse pointer over the.
indicator reveals the threshold.
459
22
4 Jo scrolls the project list to the right to see that this project has moderate exposure
(as indicated by the yellow flag in the Project Exposure column) and that the project
manager is Steve Masters.
G22PS22.eps
Before Jo discusses this projects status with Steve, shed like a bit more detail
about the schedule variance in the project.
5 Jo scrolls the project list back to the left and then clicks the name of the project.
The project appears in the Project Center in the Gantt Chart view.
460
22
6 Jo switches to the Tasks Tracking view and locates the first schedule variance in
the project.
G22PS23.eps
Jo can see that the first task in the Technical Feasibility Analysis phase of the
project started later than planned. She can locate later variance in the project plan
as well. This will help her focus her discussion with the project manager, Steve
Masters.
Key Points
Both the Tasks Center in Project Web Access and calendar appointments in
Outlook (with the support of the Outlook integration add-in) serve as time-
sheets for resources to report progress on their assignments.
The Updates Center in Project Web Access allows project managers to evaluate,
approve, or reject task change submissions from resources. Approved task
changes cause Project Server to update the affected project plans in Project
Professional.
The Project Center in Project Web Access enables executives and other stake-
holders to see project status across the organization and drill into the project
plans that most interest them.
The Gantt Chart view in the Project Center looks very similar to the same
view in Project Professional and is ideal for drilling into project details.
Chapter 23 at a Glance 462
Create a new risk and,
associate it with a project plan,
page 466,
Create an issue for a
project plan and assign it
to someone for resolution,
page 470,
Create or upload documents,
you want associated with,
specific projects or tasks,
page 472,
463
23
Managing Risks,
Issues, and Documents
with Project Server
Create a risk in Project Web Access and associate it with a project.
Create an issue, associate it with a project, and assign it to someone for
resolution.
Create a document library for a project and upload a document.
Project Server can integrate with Windows SharePoint Services (abbreviated as WSS,
and previously called SharePoint Team Services). This integration adds the risk, issue,
and document management capabilities of WSS to a Project Serverbased enterprise
project management (EPM) system.
When WSS is integrated with Project Server, some features of WSS are applied in
ways that make them more applicable to enterprise project management. Document
lists in WSS, for example, can now be associated with specific projects in the Project
Server database, or with tasks within those projects. Note that WSS is not included
with Project Server. Windows SharePoint Services is included with and requires the
Windows Server 2003 operating system.
Each project published to Project Server gets a WSS subweb provisioned for it. Project
Web Access users then interact with the WSS Risks, Issues, and Documents pages
directly in Project Web Access. Risks, issues, and documents can all play essential
roles in supporting Project Serverbased EPM, and well walk through each of these
on the following pages.
Note This chapter does not use practice files and is not written for hands-on practice.
We dont assume you have access to Project Professional and Project Server, or to the
sample database in Project Server that we illustrate here. Instead, this and the other
chapters in Part 4 describe and illustrate important features of a Project Serverbased
enterprise project management (EPM) system.
For more information, see Understanding the Key Pieces of Enterprise Project Manage-
ment, on page 420.
464
23
Managing Risks, Issues, and Documents with Project Server Part IV: Introducing Project Server
Managing Risks
The WSS integration with Project Server affords an excellent tool for identifying, track-
ing, and mitigating threats to project success, that is, for risk management. As the term
is used in Project Server, a risk is a record of a potential threat (or less likely, an oppor-
tunity) that could affect the completion of a task or project. The Risks functionality in
Project Server allows an organization to identify, rank, and track the risks they are
most interested in. You can also associate risks with issues, documents, or other risks.
Risks and issues (another feature enabled in Project Server by WSS, and described in
the next section) have some similarities. However, one distinguishing aspect of a risk
is the trigger. A trigger is the criteria or threshold that needs to be met before a risks
contingency plan goes into effect. In a large organization, different people may be
involved in defining or quantifying risks, developing contingency plans, and specify-
ing a risks trigger. Should a risk materialize into an actionable item, it may become
an issue for ongoing tracking and mitigation. You can enable e-mail notification and
alerts to keep track of risk status and see the status on all risks associated with a
project, or all risks within an organization.
In this section, well see how to create a new risk (that is, formally identify something
as a risk) for a project.
1 Jo Brown, an executive at A. Datum Corporation, logs in to Project Server and navi-
gates to the Risks Center.
Jo sees the projects that have been published to Project Server.
G23PS01.eps
Jo wants to create a new risk for the 100X DVD Drive project.
Risks, which are
potential problems
or opportunities,
can be associated
with projects
published to
Project Server;
with tasks within
those projects;
or with other
risks, issues, or
documents.
465
Part IV: Introducing Project Server Managing Risks, Issues, and Documents with Project Server
23
2 Jo clicks the 100X DVD Drive project name and displays the Risks page for that
project.
G23PS02.eps
Currently this project has no risks associated with it.
3 Jo clicks New Risk and displays the Risks: New Item page.
G23PS03.eps
The values contained within a risk help identify the nature of the risk
(threat or opportunity), trigger points, mitigation plans, and owner.
466
23
4 Jo enters the risk information, and assigns the risk to the project manager of the
100X DVD Drive project, Steve Masters.
G23PS04.eps
5 Jo clicks Save and Close to record the risk and returns to the Risks page for this
project. The new risk appears there.
G23PS05.eps
After a risk is created, its status and owner are visible on the
Risks page for the project with which the risk is associated.
467
23
Managing Issues
Issues, as the term is used in Project Server, are action items with a structured discus-
sion about a specific topic. At all times an issue has an owner (such as a project man-
ager or a team member) and a status (such as active or resolved). Use of issues is an
excellent way to keep track of action items about projects, when the action items
shouldnt appear in the projects themselves. You can also think of issues as risks that
evolved into actionable items and require tracking and mitigation.
As with risks and documents (described in the next section), you can associate issues
with specific projects or tasks. You can also enable e-mail notification and alerts to
keep track of issue status and see the status on all issues associated with a project.
In this section, well see how to create a new issue and assign it to someone for
resolution.
1 Steve Masters, a project manager at A. Datum Corporation, logs in to Project Server
and navigates to the Issues Center.
Here Steve sees the list of the projects he manages (under My Projects) and other
projects at A. Datum that he can view.
G23PS06.eps
2 Steve wants to create a new issue for a task in the 100X DVD Drive project, so he
clicks that projects name.
The Issues page for the 100X DVD Drive project appears; currently it has no issues.
468
23
G23PS07.eps
3 Steve clicks New Issue and, in the page that appears, enters the information he
wants for the issue. Steve assigns the issue to Brad Sutton, a resource who has
assignments in the 100X DVD Drive project.
4 Steve enters the issue information he wants Brad to act upon.
G23PS08.eps
Unlike a risk, an issue is an actual, actionable item. The issue
properties specify the nature of the issue, owner, and importance.
469
23
5 When hes finished, Steve clicks Save and Close.
The new issue appears on the projects Issues page, ready for Brad Sutton to
resolve.
G23PS09.eps
Managing Documents
Associating documents with projects or tasks is an extremely useful capability
afforded by the Project ServerWSS integration. Common types of documents you
might want to link to projects or tasks include specifications, budgets, and various
project management documents such as risk management plans.
There are two types of document libraries: project and public. For project document
libraries, project managers set up the properties of the document libraries associated
with their projects. Project managers can specify options such as the default templates
to use for Office documents and access permissions to the documents. With public
document libraries, all Project Server users have access unless the server administrator
specifies otherwise. Both types of libraries support e-mail notification when a docu-
ment has been changed. For documents in a project document library youll see
visual indicators and links to those documents in the Project Center and Tasks Center.
470
23
In this section, well see how to create a document library for a project and upload a
document to the library.
1 Jo Brown, an executive at A. Datum Corporation, logs in to Project Server and navi-
gates to the Documents Center.
2 Jo clicks the name of the 100X DVD Drive project, the project for which she wants
to upload a document.
G23PS10.eps
Jo sees that this project has not yet had a document library created for it, so shell
do that next.
3 Jo clicks the Create Document Library link.
Project Server prompts Jo to enter information about this projects document library
and how she wants it to appear to Project Web Access users.
471
23
G23PS11.eps
4 After recording the document library information she wants, Jo clicks Create.
Project server creates the new document library.
G23PS12.eps
472
23
5 Jo already has the document she wants to add to this projects document library,
so she clicks Upload Document.
6 Jo browses to the document she wants and clicks Save and Close.
The uploaded document appears in the projects document library.
G23PS13.eps
Key Points
Project Server can integrate with Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) for docu-
ment, issue, and risk management with an enterprise project management
focus.
Risks and issues are similar, but risks are potential problems or opportunities
whereas issues are actionable items.
Documents, issues, and risks can be associated with projects; tasks within in
projects; or with other documents, issues, or risks.
V
Appendixes
473
A
AShortCoursein
ProjectManagement
Throughoutthisbook,weveincludedadviceonhowbesttouseMicrosoftOffice
Project2003whilefollowingsoundprojectmanagementpractices.Thisappendix
focusesonthebasicsofprojectmanagement,regardlessofanysoftwaretoolsyou
mayusetohelpyoumanageprojects.Althoughprojectmanagementisabroadsub-
ject,thisappendixusestheprojecttrianglemodel.Inthismodel,youconsider
projectsintermsoftime,cost,andscope.
UnderstandingWhatDefinesaProject
Succeedingasaprojectmanagerrequiresthatyoucompleteyourprojectsontime,fin-
ishwithinbudget,andmakesureyourcustomersarehappywithwhatyoudeliver.
Thatsoundssimpleenough,buthowmanyprojectshaveyouheardof(orworkedon)
thatwerecompletedlate,orcosttoomuch,ordidntmeettheneedsoftheircustomers?
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (publishedbytheProject
ManagementInstitute,2000)referredtoasthePMBOK,pronouncedpimbok
definesaprojectasatemporaryendeavorundertakentocreateauniqueproductor
service.Letswalkthroughthisdefinitiontoclarifywhataprojectisandisnot.
Tip FormoreinformationabouttheProjectManagementInstituteandthePMBOK,see
AppendixB,WhatsNext?
First,aprojectistemporary.Aprojectsdurationmightbejustaweek,oritmightgo
onforyears,buteveryprojecthasanenddate.Youmightnotknowthatenddate
whentheprojectstarts,butitsouttheresomewhereinthefuture.Projectsarenotthe
sameasongoing operations,althoughthetwohavealotincommon.Ongoingoper-
ations,asthenamesuggests,goonindefinitely;youdontestablishanenddate.
Examplesincludemostactivitiesofaccountingandhumanresourcesdepartments.
Peoplewhorunongoingoperationsmightalsomanageprojects;forexample,aman-
agerofahumanresourcesdepartmentforalargeorganizationmightplanacollege
recruitingfair.Butprojectsaredistinguishedfromongoingoperationsbyanexpected
enddate,suchasthedateoftherecruitingfair.
Next,aprojectisanendeavor.Resources,suchaspeopleandequipment,needtodo
work.Theendeavorisundertakenbyateamoranorganization,soprojectshavea
senseofbeingintentional,plannedevents.Successfulprojectsdonthappensponta-
neously;someamountofpreparationandplanninghappensfirst.
475
A
AShortCourseinProjectManagement PartV: Appendixes
Finally,everyprojectcreates a unique product or service.Thisisthedeliverablefor
theproject,thereasonthattheprojectwasundertaken.Arefinerythatproducesgas-
olinedoesnotproduceauniqueproduct.Thewholeidea,inthiscase,istoproduce
astandardizedcommodity;youusuallydontwanttobuygasfromonestationthatis
significantlydifferentfromgasatanotherstation.Ontheotherhand,commercialair-
planesareuniqueproducts.AlthoughallBoeing777airplanesmightlookaboutthe
sametomostofus,eachis,infact,highlycustomizedfortheneedsofitspurchaser.
Bynow,youmaybegettingtheideathatalotoftheworkthatgoesonintheworld
isprojectwork.Ifyouschedule,track,ormanageanyofthiswork,thencongratula-
tionsareinorder:youarealreadydoingsomeprojectmanagementwork!
Projectmanagementhasbeenarecognizedprofessionsinceaboutthe1950s,but
projectmanagementworkinsomeformhasbeengoingonaslongaspeoplehave
beendoingcomplexwork.WhentheGreatPyramidsinEgyptwerebuilt,somebody
somewherewastrackingresources,schedule,andthespecificationsforthefinal
deliverable.
Tip Projectmanagementisnowawell-recognizedjobinmostindustries.Tolearn
moreaboutorganizationsthattrainprojectmanagersandadvanceprojectmanagement
asaprofession,seeAppendixB,WhatsNext?
TheProjectTriangle:SeeingProjects
inTermsofTime,Cost,andScope
Youcanvisualizeprojectworkinmanyways,butourfavoriteiswhatssometimes
calledtheproject triangle:
Scope
Time Cost
Thisthemehasmanyvariations,butthebasicideaisthateveryprojecthassomeele-
mentofatimeconstraint,hassometypeofbudget,andrequiressomeamountof
476
PartV: Appendixes AShortCourseinProjectManagement
A
worktocomplete.(Inotherwords,ithasadefinedscope.)Thetermconstrainthasa
specificmeaninginProject,butherewereusingthemoregeneralmeaningofalim-
itingfactor.Letsconsidertheseconstraintsoneatatime.
Time
Haveyoueverworkedonaprojectthathadadeadline?(Maybeweshouldask
whetheryouveeverworkedonaprojectthatdidnothaveadeadline.)Limitedtime
istheoneconstraintofanyprojectwithwhichweareallprobablymostfamiliar.If
youreworkingonaprojectrightnow,askyourteammemberswhattheproject
deadlineis.Theymightnotknowtheprojectbudgetorthescopeofworkingreat
detail,butchancesaretheyallknowtheprojectdeadline.
Herearesomeexamplesoftimeconstraints:
Yourebuildingahouseandyoumustfinishtheroofbeforetherainyseason
arrives.
Youareassemblingalargedisplayboothforatradeshowthatstartsintwo
months.
Youaredevelopinganewinventorytrackingsystemthatmustbetestedand
runningbythestartofthenextfiscalyear.
Mostofushavebeentrainedtounderstandtimesincewewerechildren,andwe
carrywristwatches,paperandelectronicorganizers,andothertoolstohelpusman-
agetime.Formanyprojectsthatcreateaproductorresultinanevent,timeisthe
mostimportantconstrainttomanage.
Cost
Youmightthinkofcostsimplyasdollars,butprojectcosthasabroadermeaning:
costsincludealltheresourcesrequiredtocarryouttheproject.Costsincludethe
peopleandequipmentwhodothework,thematerialstheyuse,andalltheother
eventsandissuesthatrequiremoneyorsomeonesattentioninaproject.
Herearesomeexamplesofcostconstraints:
Youhavesignedafixed-pricecontracttodeliveraninventory-trackingsoftware
systemtoaclient.Ifyourcostsexceedtheagreed-uponprice,yourcustomer
mightbesympatheticbutprobablywontbewillingtorenegotiatethecontract.
Thepresidentofyourorganizationhasdirectedyoutocarryoutacustomer-
researchprojectusingonlythestaffandequipmentinyourdepartment.
Youhavereceiveda$5,000granttocreateapublicartinstallation.Youhaveno
otherfunds.
477
A
Forvirtuallyallprojects,costisultimatelyalimitingconstraint;fewprojectscouldgo
overbudgetwithouteventuallyrequiringcorrectiveaction.
Scope
Youshouldconsidertwoaspectsofscope:productscopeandprojectscope.Every
successfulprojectproducesauniqueproduct:atangibleitemoraservice.Youmight
developsomeproductsforonecustomeryouknowbyname.Youmightdevelop
otherproductsformillionsofpotentialcustomerswaitingtobuythem(youhope).
Customersusuallyhavesomeexpectationsaboutthefeaturesandfunctionsofprod-
uctstheyconsiderpurchasing.Product scope describestheintendedquality,features,
andfunctionsoftheproductofteninminutedetail.Documentsthatoutlinethis
informationaresometimescalledproductspecifications.Aserviceoraneventusually
hassomeexpectedfeaturesaswell.Weallhaveexpectationsaboutwhatwelldoor
seeataparty,aconcert,orasportingevent.
Project scope,ontheotherhand,describestheworkrequiredtodeliveraproductora
servicewiththeintendedproductscope.Whereasproductscopefocusesonthecus-
tomerortheuseroftheproduct,projectscopeismainlytheconcernofthepeople
whowillcarryouttheproject.Projectscopeisusuallymeasuredintasksandphases.
Herearesomeexamplesofscopeconstraints:
Yourorganizationwonacontracttodevelopanautomotiveproductthathas
exactrequirementsforexample,physicaldimensionsmeasuredto0.01mm.
Thisisaproductscopeconstraintthatwillinfluenceprojectscopeplans.
Youareconstructingabuildingonalotthathasaheightrestrictionof50feet.
Youcanuseonlyinternalservicestodeveloppartofyourproduct,andthose
servicesfollowaproductdevelopmentmethodologythatisdifferentfromwhat
youhadplanned.
Productscopeandprojectscopearecloselyrelated.Theprojectmanagerwhoman-
agesprojectscopewellmustalsounderstandproductscopeormustknowhowto
communicatewiththosewhodo.
Time,Cost,andScope:ManagingProjectConstraints
Projectmanagementgetsmostinterestingwhenyouhavetobalancethetime,cost,
andscopeconstraintsofyourprojectsbalanceasonahighwire.Youcouldalso
thinkofjugglingtheseconstraints,orjugglingthemwhileonahighwirewell,you
478
479
A
gettheidea.Letsreturntotheprojecttrianglemodel.Theprojecttriangleillustrates
theprocessofbalancingconstraintsbecausethethreesidesofthetrianglearecon-
nected,andchangingonesideofatriangleaffectsatleastoneotherside.Hereare
someexamplesofconstraintbalance:
Iftheduration(time)ofyourprojectscheduledecreases,youmightneedto
increasebudget(cost)becauseyoumusthiremoreresourcestodothesame
workinlesstime.Ifyoucantincreasethebudget,youmightneedtoreduce
thescopebecausetheresourcesyouhavecantdoalloftheplannedworkin
lesstime.
GXAPS02
Ifyoumustdecreaseaprojectsduration,makesurethatoverallprojectquality
isnotunintentionallylowered.Forexample,testingandqualitycontroloften
occurlastinasoftwaredevelopmentproject;iftheprojectdurationisdecreased
lateintheproject,thosetasksmightbetheonescutback.Youmustweighthe
benefitsofdecreasingtheprojectdurationagainstthepotentialdownsideofa
deliverablewithpoorerquality.
Ifthebudget(cost)ofyourprojectdecreases,youmightneedmoretime
becauseyoucantpayforasmanyresourcesorforresourcesofthesameeffi-
ciency.Ifyoucantincreasethetime,youmightneedtoreduceprojectscope
becausefewerresourcescantdoalloftheplannedworkinthetimeyouhave.
3...Ordecrease
projectscope.
2...Andyou
mayalso
haveto
increase
yourcost...
1Decreasethedurationof
yourprojectschedule...
Time Cost
Scope
Yourinitialprojectplanhasthese
time,costandscopeconstraints.
Youshouldadjustyourplanifyour
scheduledurationisdecreased.
480
A
GXAPS03
Ifyoumustdecreaseaprojectsbudget,youcouldlookatthegradesofmaterial
resourcesforwhichyouhadbudgeted.Forexample,didyouplantoshoota
filmin35mmwhencheaper16mmfilmwoulddo?Alower-gradematerialis
notnecessarilyalower-qualitymaterial.Aslongasthegradeofmaterialis
appropriateforitsintendeduse,itmightstillbeofhighquality.Anotherexam-
ple:fastfoodandgourmetaretwogradesofrestaurantfood,butyoumayfind
high-qualityandlow-qualityexamplesofeach.
Youshouldalsolookatthecostsofthehumanandequipmentresourcesyou
haveplannedtouse.Canyouhirelessexperiencedpeopleforlessmoneyto
carryoutsimplertasks?Reducingprojectcostscanleadtoapoorer-qualitydeliv-
erable,however.Asaprojectmanager,youmustconsider(ormorelikely,com-
municatetothedecisionmakers)thebenefitsversustherisksofreducingcosts.
Ifyourprojectscopeincreases,youmightneedmoretimeormoreresources
(cost)todotheadditionalwork.Iftheprojectscopeincreasesaftertheproject
hasstarted,itscalledscope creep.Changingprojectscopemidwaythrougha
projectisnotnecessarilyabadthing;forexample,yourintendedcustomer
mighthavechangedandyouneedtodeliveradifferentproducttothenewcus-
tomer.Changingprojectscopeisabadthingonlyiftheprojectmanagerdoesnt
recognizeandplanforthenewrequirementsthatis,whenotherconstraints
(cost,time)arenotcorrespondinglyexaminedand,ifnecessary,adjusted.
3...Ordecrease
projectscope.
2...Andyoumay
alsohaveto
increaseyour
projectduration...
1Decreasethe
projectcost...
Time Cost
Scope
costisdecreased.
481
A
GXAPS04
Time,cost,andscopearethethreeessentialelementsofanyproject.Tosucceedasa
projectmanager,youllhavetoknowquiteabitabouthowallthreeofthesecon-
straintsapplytoyourprojects.Youneedatooltohelpmanagethem.
Thebestprojectmanagementtoolintheworldcanneverreplaceyourgoodjudg-
ment.However,therighttoolcanandshouldhelpyouaccomplishthefollowing
whilelookingandfeelinglikeotherproductivityprogramsyoumightusefrequently:
Trackalltheinformationyougatheraboutthework,duration,andresource
requirementsforyourproject.
Visualizeyourprojectplaninstandard,well-definedformats.
Scheduletasksandresourcesconsistentlyandeffectively.
Exchangeprojectinformationwithallstakeholdersoveranintranetorthe
Internet.
Communicatewithresourcesandotherstakeholders,whileleavingultimate
controlinthehandsoftheprojectmanager.
Inthechaptersofthisbook,youwereintroducedtotherichfunctionalityofProject
inarealisticcontext:managingaprojectfromconceptiontocompletion.
Noteverythinginthisbookmighthaveappliedtoyourneeds,andyouprobably
haveneedsthatthisbookdidntaddress.But,aftercompletingthistutorial,youreoff
toagreatstartwithProject.
3...Or
increase
projectcost.
2...Andyoumay
alsohaveto
increaseyour
projectduration...
1Increasethe
projectscope...
Time Cost
Scope
projectscopeisincreased.
B
WhatsNext?
Ifyouvecompletedmostorallthechaptersinthisbook,yourewellonyourwayto
masteringMicrosoftOfficeProject2003.However,onebookcanonlygetyousofar.
TohelpfurtheryourProjectandprojectmanagementknowledge,hereareafew
sourcesavailabletoyou.
JoiningaProjectLearningCommunity
IftheresonethingwecansayaboutProjectusers,itsthattheylovetotalkaboutthe
programandtheirworkwithitandtoshareideaswithothers.Whetheryouworkin
alargeorganizationorindependently,yourelikelytofindacommunityofProject
usersnearby.
Ifyoureinalargeorganization,especiallyonewithastrongprojectmanagement
focus,youmightfindaninternalProjectusergrouporsupportgroupthere.Such
groupsoftenmeetinformallytoprovidepeertrainingandsupport,tocritiqueproject
plans,andtosharebestpractices.Ifthereisntsuchagroupinyourorganization,you
mightwellstartone.
Inthepublicrealm,therearemanyProjectusergroupsaroundtheworld.These
groupstypicallymeetonaregularbasistosharetipsandtricksaboutProject.For
example,inthePugetSoundareainthenorthwestUnitedStates,wheretheauthors
liveandwork,theresanactiveMicrosoftProjectUserGroup(MPUG)chapterthat
meetsmostmonthsforinformalideasharingandforformalpresentationsbyindustry
experts.JoiningausergroupisagreatwaytobroadenyourexposuretoProject
usage;italsocanbeagreatsourceforinformalproductsupport,training,andcareer
networking.
HereareafewplaceswhereyoucaninvestigateProjectusergroupsandrelated
resources:
TheofficialProjectareaoftheOfficeOnlineWebsiteatmicrosoft.comincludes
avarietyoftoolsfromMicrosoftandotherProjectuserstohelpyoumanage
yourprojects.FinditontheWebatwww.office.microsoft.com
TheMicrosoftProjectUsersGroup(MPUG)offersbothfreeandsubscription-
basedinformationaboutavarietyofProjectandprojectmanagementresources,
aswellasadirectoryofProjectusergroupsaroundtheworld.Finditonthe
Webatwww.mpug.org
483
B
WhatsNext? PartV: Appendixes
Msproject.comisanindependentclearinghouseofinformationaboutProject.
TheWebsitecontainslinkstoavarietyofresourcesthatwouldinterestany
Projectuser.FinditontheWebatwww.msproject.com
TheofficialProjectnewsgroupoffershelpanddiscussionswithotherusersof
Project,includingMicrosoftMostValuableProfessionals(MVPs).Youcanuse
anynewsreadersoftwaretoaccessthisnewsgroup.Tovieworsubscribetothis
newsgroup,pointyournewsreadertonews://msnews.microsoft.com/
microsoft.public.project
ForhelpwithVisualBasicforApplications(VBA)inMicrosoftProject,point
yournewsreadertonews://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.project.vba
JoiningaProjectManagementLearningCommunity
Probablymorethanmostotherdesktopprograms,Projectrequiresyoutobe
involvedinaspecificformalactivity:projectmanagement.Projectmanagementcan
beanexcitingmixoftechnical,organizational,andsocialchallenges.TheProject
ManagementInstitute(PMI)istheleadingorganizationofprofessionalprojectman-
agement.PMIfocusesonsettingprojectmanagementstandards,developingand
offeringeducationalprograms,andcertifyingProjectManagementProfessionals
(PMPs)andCertifiedAssociatesinProjectManagement(CAPMs).
PMIsA Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge(PMBOKGuide2000
Edition)describesgenerallyacceptedprojectmanagementpractices,knowledge
areas,andterminology.Inaddition,PMIpublishesthejournalsProject Management
JournalandPM Network.YoucanlearnmoreaboutPMIontheWebatwww.pmi.org
TwoWebsitesorportalsthatmightinterestyouareProjectConnectionsand
GanttHead.Youcanfindthesesubscription-basedsitesatthefollowingWebaddresses:
www.projectconnections.com
www.gantthead.com
Bothsitesofferawidevarietyoftraining,discussionforums,andindustry-specific
metricsandbestpracticesforprojectmanagement.
FinalWords
Thereare,ofcourse,manyworthwhilecommercialandnonprofitorganizationsdedi-
catedtoProjectandprojectmanagementbesidesthosewevedescribedhere.Project
enjoysaleadingpositioninthediverse,sometimescontentious,butalwaysinterest-
ingworldofprojectmanagement.WhereveryouareinyourownProjectandproject
managementknowledgeandcareerdevelopment,youcanfindagreatvarietyofsup-
portingorganizationsandpeerstoday.Goodluck!
484
Glossary
accrual Themethodbywhichaprojectincursthecostofataskoraresource.The
threetypesofaccrualarestart,prorated,andend.
actual ThedetailsabouttaskcompletionrecordedinaProjectplan.Priortorecord-
ingactuals,theprojectplancontainsscheduledorplannedinformation.Com-
paringplannedprojectinformationtoactualshelpstheprojectmanagerbetter
controlprojectexecution.
ACWP Anearnedvalueindicator;theacronymstandsforActualCostofWorkPer-
formed.Inearnedvalueanalysis,thisistheactualcostsoftasksthathavebeen
completed(ortheportioncompletedofeach)bythestatusdate.
allocation Theportionofthecapacityofaresourcedevotedtoworkonaspecific
task.
assignment Thematchingofaworkresource(apersonorapieceofequipment)to
atask.Youcanalsoassignamaterialresourcetoatask,butthoseresources
havenoeffectonworkorduration.
AutoFilter Aquickwaytoviewinatableonlythetaskorresourceinformationthat
meetsthecriteriayouchoose.ToturnonAutoFilter,ontheProjectmenu,pointto
FilteredFor<filtername>,andthenclickAutoFilter.TofilteratablewithAutoFilter,
clickthearrownexttoacolumnheading,andchoosethecriteriayouwant.
BAC Anearnedvalueindicator;theacronymstandsforBudgetAtCompletion.This
isthesameasbaselinecost.
basecalendar Acalendarthatcanserveastheprojectcalendarorataskcalendar.A
basecalendardefinesthedefaultworkingtimesforresources.Projectincludes
threebasecalendars,namedStandard,24Hours,andNightShift.Youcancus-
tomizethese,oryoucanusethemasabasisforyourownbasecalendar.
baseline Theoriginalprojectplan,savedforlatercomparison.Thebaselineincludes
theplannedstartandfinishdatesoftasksandassignments,aswellastheir
plannedcosts.Projectplanscanhaveupto11baselines.
BCWP Anearnedvalueindicator;theacronymstandsforBudgetedCostofWork
Performed.Inearnedvalueanalysis,thisisthebudgetedcostoftasksthathave
beencompleted(ortheportioncompletedofeach)bythestatusdate.BCWP
alsoiscalledearnedvalue,becauseitrepresentsthevalueearnedintheproject
bythestatusdate.
485
Glossary
486
BCWS Anearnedvalueindicator;theacronymstandsforBudgetedCostofWork
Scheduled.Inearnedvalueanalysis,thisistheportionoftheprojectsbudget
thatisscheduledtobespentbythestatusdate.
bottom-upplanning Amethodofdevelopingaprojectplanthatstartswiththe
lowest-leveltasksandorganizesthemintobroadphases.
burdenedlaborrate Aresourcecostratethatreflectsnotonlytheresourcesdirect
payrollcost,butalsosomeportionoftheorganizationscostsnotdirectly
relatedtotheresourcesassignmentsonaproject.NotethatProjectdoesntsup-
portaburdenedlaborratedirectly;ifyouwanttouseone,simplyenteritasa
resourcesstandardorovertimecostrate.
calendar Thesettingsthatdefinetheworkingdaysandtimeforaproject,resources,
andtasks.
consolidatedproject AProjectplanthatcontainsoneormoreinsertedprojectplans.
Theinsertedprojectsarelinkedtotheconsolidatedprojectsothatanychanges
totheinsertedprojectsarereflectedintheconsolidatedplan,andviceversa.A
consolidatedprojectplanisalsoknownasamasterprojectplan.
constraint Arestriction,suchasMustStartOn(MSO)orFinishNoLaterThan
(FNLT),thatyoucanplaceonthestartorfinishdateofatask.
contour Themannerinwhicharesourcesworkonataskisscheduledovertime.
Projectincludesseveralpredefinedworkcontoursthatyoucanapplytoan
assignment.Forexample,aback-loadedcontourschedulesasmallamountof
workatthebeginningofanassignmentandthenschedulesincreasingamounts
ofworkastimeprogresses.Youcanalsomanuallycontouranassignmentby
editingworkvaluesinausageview,suchastheResourceUsage.Applyinga
predefinedcontourormanuallycontouringanassignmentcausesProjecttodis-
playaworkcontouriconintheIndicatorscolumn.
CopyPicture Thefeaturethatenablesyoutocopyimagesandcreatesnapshotsof
a view.
costratetable TheresourcepayratesthatarestoredontheCoststabofthe
ResourceInformationdialogbox.Youcanhaveuptofiveseparatecostrate
tablesperresource.
cost Theresourcesrequiredtocarryoutaproject,includingthepeoplewhodothe
work,theequipmentused,andthematerialsconsumedastheworkiscom-
pleted.Costisonesideoftheprojecttrianglemodel.
CPI Anearnedvalueindicator;theacronymstandsforCostPerformanceIndex.
Inearnedvalueanalysis,thisistheratioofbudgetedtoactualcost(CPI=
BCWP/ACWP).
criticalpath Aseriesoftasksthat,ifdelayed,willpushouttheenddateofaproject.
Glossary
CV Anearnedvalueindicator;theacronymstandsforCostVariance.Inearned
valueanalysis,thisisthedifferencebetweenbudgetedandactualcost(CV=
BCWPACWP).
CV% TheratioofcostvariancetoBCWS,expressedasapercentage(CV%=[(BCWP
ACWP)/BCWP] 100).Thisisanearnedvalueindicator.
deadline Adatevalueyoucanenterforataskthatindicatesthelatestdatebywhich
youwantthetasktobecompleted.Ifthescheduledcompletiondateofataskis
laterthanitsdeadline,youarenotified.Thebenefitofenteringdeadlinedatesis
thattheydonotconstraintasks.
deliverable Thefinalproduct,service,oreventaprojectisintendedtocreate.
dependency Alinkbetweenapredecessortaskandasuccessortask.Adependency
controlsthestartorfinishofonetaskrelativetothestartorfinishoftheother
task.Themostcommondependencyisfinish-to-start,inwhichthefinishdateof
thepredecessortaskdeterminesthestartdateofthesuccessortask.
destinationprogram Theprogramintowhichyouplacethedatawhenexchanging
databetweenProjectandanotherprogram.
duration Thespanofworkingtimeyouexpectitwilltaketocompleteatask.
EAC Anearnedvalueindicator;theacronymstandsforEstimateAtCompletion.In
earnedvalueanalysis,thisistheforecastedcosttocompleteataskbasedon
performanceuptothestatusdate(EAC=ACWP+[BACBCWP]/CPI).
earnedvalueanalysis Asophisticatedformofprojectperformanceanalysisthat
focusesonscheduleandbudgetperformanceascomparedtobaselineplans.
Earnedvalueusesyouroriginalbaselineestimatesandprogresstodatetoshow
whetheryoureahead,behind,oronscheduleascomparedwiththeactual
costsincurred.
effort-drivenscheduling Aschedulingmethodinwhichtheworkofataskremains
constantregardlessofthenumberofresourcesassignedtoit.Asresourcesare
addedtoatask,thedurationdecreases,buttheworkremainsthesameandis
distributedamongtheassignedresources.Effort-drivenschedulingisthedefault
schedulingmethodinProject,butitcanbeturnedoffforanytask.
elapsedduration Theamountoftimeitwilltaketofinishatask,basedona24-hour
dayanda7-dayweek.
enterpriseprojectmanagement Projectmanagementpracticedinaformal,consis-
tentwaythroughoutanorganization.
enterpriseresourcepool WhenusingaProjectServerbasedenterpriseprojectman-
agementsystem,acentralrepositoryofgenericandworkresourcesthatcanbe
sharedbyallprojectspublishedtoProjectServer.
487
Glossary
enterprisetemplate WhenusingaProjectServerbasedenterpriseprojectmanage-
mentsystem,templatesthatarestoredinProjectServerandavailabletoProject
Professionalusers.Enterprisetemplateshelpensureconsistentuseofbestprac-
ticesandmetricswithinanorganization.
Entrytable ThegridontheleftsideofthedefaultGanttChartview.
exportmap ThespecificationsforexportingfieldsfromProjecttootherfileformats,
suchasHTML.Projectincludesseveralexportmaps,whichyoucanuseasthey
areormodify.
field Thelowest-levelinformationaboutatask,resource,orassignment.
filtering Awaytoseeorhighlightinaviewonlythetaskorresourceinformation
thatmeetsthecriteriayouchoose.
fixedconsumptionrate Afixedquantityofamaterialresourcetobeconsumedin
thecompletionofanassignment.
fixedcost Asetamountofmoneybudgetedforatask.Thisamountisindependent
ofresourcecostsandtaskduration.
fixedduration Atasktypeinwhichthedurationvalueisfixed.Ifyouchangethe
amountofworkyouexpectatasktorequire,Projectrecalculatesunitsforeach
resource.Ifyouchangedurationorunits,Projectrecalculateswork.
fixedunits Atasktypeinwhichtheunitsvalueisfixed.Ifyouchangetheduration
ofatask,Projectrecalculatestheamountofworkscheduledforthetask.Ifyou
changeunitsorwork,Projectrecalculatesduration.
fixedwork Atasktypeinwhichtheworkvalueisfixed.Ifyouchangetheduration
ofthetask,Projectrecalculatesunitsforeachresource.Ifyouchangeunitsor
work,Projectrecalculatesduration.
flexibleconstraint AconstrainttypethatgivesProjecttheflexibilitytochangethe
startandfinishdates(butnottheduration)ofatask.AsSoonAsPossible
(ASAP)andAsLateAsPossible(ALAP)arebothflexibleconstraints.
freeslack Theamountoftimethatataskcanbedelayedwithoutdelayingthestart
dateofanothertask.
fullyallocated Theconditionofaresourcewhenthetotalworkofhisorhertask
assignmentsisexactlyequaltohisorherworkcapacity.
GanttChartview ApredefinedviewinProjectconsistingofatable(theEntrytable
bydefault)ontheleftandagraphicalbarchartontherightthatshowsthe
projectplanovertime.
488
Glossary
genericresource WhenusingaProjectServerbasedenterpriseprojectmanagement
system,aspecialtypeofresourcethatcandescribetheexpectedskillsofaspe-
cifictypeofworkresource.Projectmanagerscanplanwithgenericresources
andthenreplacethemwithworkresourcesbasedonmatchingskills(andother
factors).
ghosttask AtaskthatrepresentsalinkfromoneProjectplantoanother.Ghost
tasksappearasgraybars.
Globaltemplate AProjecttemplatenamedGlobal.mptthatcontainsthedefault
views,tables,filters,andotheritemsthatProjectuses.
group Awaytoreordertaskorresourceinformationinatableanddisplaysummary
valuesforeachgroup.Youcanspecifyseverallevelsofgroups.(Theterm
groupisalsousedtorefertotheResourceGroupfield,whichisunrelated.)
Groupfield Afieldinwhichyoucanspecifyagroupname(suchasadepartment)
withwhichyouwanttoassociatearesource.Ifyouorganizeresourcesinto
groups,youcansort,filter,orgroupresourcesbygroup.
HTMLtemplate AsetofHTMLtagsandcodesappliedtoProjectdataasitsexported
throughamap.ProjectincludesseveralHTMLtemplates,whichyoucanuseas
theyareormodify.
hyperlink Alinktoanotherfile,aspecificlocationinafile,apageontheWorld
WideWeb,orapageonanintranet.
import/exportmap Asetofspecificationsforimportingspecificdatatoorfrom
Projectfields.Projectincludesseveralbuilt-inmaps,whichyoucanuseasthey
areormodify.Importandexportmapsaresometimesreferredtoasdatamaps.
inflexibleconstraint Aconstrainttypethatforcesatasktobeginorendonacertain
date.MustStartOn(MSO)andMustFinishOn(MFO)arebothinflexible
constraints.
insertedproject AProjectplanthatisinsertedintoanotherProjectplan,calleda
consolidatedplan.Aninsertedprojectisalsoknownasasubproject.
interimplan Atasksstartandfinishvalues,savedforlatercomparison.EachProject
plancanhave,atmost,10interimplans.
lagtime Adelaybetweentasksthathaveataskrelationship.Forexample,lagtime
causesthesuccessortaskinafinish-to-startrelationshiptobeginsometime
afteritspredecessortaskconcludes.
leadtime Anoverlapbetweentasksthathaveataskrelationship.Forexample,lead
timecausesthesuccessortaskinafinish-to-startrelationshiptobeginbeforeits
predecessortaskconcludes.IntheProjectinterface,youenterleadtimeasneg-
ativelagtime.
489
Glossary
linemanager Amanagerofagroupofresources;alsocalledafunctionalmanager.A
linemanagermightalsohaveprojectmanagementskillsandresponsibilities,
dependingontheorganizationsstructure.
link Alogicalrelationshipbetweentasksthatcontrolssequenceanddependency.In
theGanttChartandNetworkDiagramviews,linksappearaslinesbetweentasks.
macro Arecordedorprogrammedsetofinstructionsthatcarryoutaspecificaction
wheninitiated.MacrosinProjectuseVisualBasicforApplications.
materialresources Theconsumablesthatareusedupasaprojectprogresses.As
withworkresources,youassignmaterialresourcestotasks.Unlikework
resources,materialresourceshavenoeffectonthetotalamountofworksched-
uledonatask.
maximumunits Themaximumcapacity(asenteredintheMax.Unitsfield)ofa
resourcetoaccomplishtasks.Ifyouallocatetheresourcebeyondcapacity,
Projectalertsyouthattheresourceisoverallocated.
MicrosoftOfficeSystemEnterpriseProjectManagementSolution Thesetoftools
andpracticesbuiltuponProjectServerand(optionally)WindowsSharePoint
Services.
milestone Asignificanteventthatisreachedwithintheprojectorimposeduponthe
project.InProject,milestonesarenormallyrepresentedastaskswithzero
duration.
negativeslack Theamountoftimethattasksoverlapduetoaconflictbetweentask
relationshipsandconstraints.
nightshift AbasecalendarincludedwithProjectdesignedtoaccommodatean11:00
P.M.8:00A.M.graveyardworkshift.
noncriticaltasks Thetasksthathaveslack.Noncriticaltaskscanfinishwithintheir
slacktimewithoutaffectingtheprojectcompletiondate.
note Theinformation(includinglinkedorembeddedfiles)thatyouwanttoassoci-
atewithatask,resource,orassignment.
OLE Aprotocolthatenablesyoutotransferinformation,suchasachartortext
(calledanobject),todocumentsindifferentprograms.
ongoingoperation Anactivitythathasnoplannedenddateandisrepetitivein
nature.Examplesincludeaccounting,managinghumanresources,andsome
manufacturing.
Organizer Adialogboxwithwhichyoucancopyviews,tables,filters,andother
itemsbetweentheGlobal.mpttemplateandotherProjectplans,orbetweentwo
differentProjectplans.
490
Glossary
outline AhierarchyofsummarytasksandsubtaskswithinProject,usuallycorre-
spondingtomajorphasesofwork.
outlinenumber Numbersthatindicatethepositionofataskintheprojectshierar-
chy.Forexample,ataskwithanoutlinenumberof4.2indicatesthatitsthe
secondsubtaskunderthefourthtop-leveltask.
overallocated Theconditionofresourceswhentheyareassignedtodomorework
thanistheirnormalworkcapacity.
phase Asequenceoftasksthatrepresentamajorportionoftheprojectswork.In
Project,phasesarerepresentedbysummarytasks.
planning Thefirstmajorphaseofprojectmanagementwork.Planningincludesall
theworkindevelopingaprojectscheduleuptothepointwherethetrackingof
actualworkbegins.
predecessor Ataskwhosestartorenddatedeterminesthestartorfinishofanother
taskortasks,calledsuccessortasks.
productscope Thequality,features,andfunctions(oftencalledspecifications)of
thedeliverableoftheproject.
programoffice Adepartmentwithinanorganizationthatoverseesacollectionof
projects(suchasproducingwingsandproducingengines),eachofwhichcon-
tributestoacompletedeliverable(suchasanairplane)andtheorganizations
strategicobjectives.
progressbar AgraphicalrepresentationonabarintheGanttChartviewthatshows
howmuchofataskhasbeencompleted.
project Atemporaryendeavorundertakentocreateauniqueproductorservice.
projectcalendar Thebasecalendarthatisusedbytheentireproject.Theproject
calendardefinesnormalworkingandnonworkingdaysandtimes.
projectscope Theworkrequiredtoproduceadeliverablewithagreed-uponquality,
features,andfunctions.
projectsummarytask Asummarytaskthatcontainstop-levelinformationsuchas
duration,work,andcostsfortheentireproject.Theprojectsummarytaskhasa
taskIDof0andisdisplayedthroughtheViewtaboftheOptionsdialogbox,
whichisavailablebyclickingtheOptionscommandontheToolsmenu.
projecttriangle Apopularmodelofprojectmanagementinwhichtime,cost,and
scopearerepresentedasthethreesidesofatriangle.Achangetoonesidewill
affectatleastoneoftheothertwosides.Therearemanyvariationsonthis
model.
491
Glossary
recurringtask Ataskthatrepeatsatestablishedintervals.Youcancreatearecurring
taskthatrepeatsforafixednumberoftimesorthatendsbyaspecificdate.
relationship Thetypeofdependencybetweentwotasks,visuallyindicatedbyalink
line.Thetypesofrelationshipsincludefinish-to-start,start-to-start,finish-to-
finish,andstart-to-finish.Alsoknownasalink,alogicalrelationship,atask
dependency,oraprecedencerelationship.
report Aformatdesignedforprinting.Projectincludesseveralpredefinedreports,
eachfocusingonspecificaspectsofyourprojectdata.Youcanalsodefineyour
ownreports.
resourcecalendar Theworkingandnonworkingdaysandtimesofanindividual
workresource.
resourceleveling Amethodofresolvingresourceoverallocationbydelayingthe
startdateofanassignmentoranentiretaskorsplittinguptheworkonatask.
Projectcanlevelresourcesautomaticallyoryoucandoitmanually.
resourcemanager Apersonwhooverseesresourceusageinprojectactivitiesspecif-
icallytomanagethetimeandcostsofresources.Aresourcemanagermightalso
haveprojectmanagementskillsandresponsibilities,dependingontheorganiza-
tionsstructure.
resourcepool AProjectplanthatotherprojectsusefortheirresourceinformation.
Resourcepoolscontaininformationaboutresourcestaskassignmentsfromall
projectplans(calledsharerplans)linkedtotheresourcepool.
resources People,equipment,andmaterial(andtheassociatedcostsofeach)
neededtocompletetheworkonaproject.
risk Aneventthatdecreasesthelikelihoodofcompletingtheprojectontime,within
budget,andtospecification(or,lesslikely,anopportunitytoimproveproject
performance).
schedulingformula ArepresentationofhowProjectcalculateswork,basedonthe
durationandresourceunitsofanassignment.Theschedulingformulais
Duration Units=Work.
scope Theproductsorservicestobeprovidedbyaproject,andtheworkrequired
todeliverit.Forprojectplanning,itsusefultodistinguishbetweenproduct
scopeandprojectscope.Scopeisonesideoftheprojecttrianglemodel.
ScreenTip Ashortdescriptionofanitemonthescreen,suchasatoolbar,button,or
bar.ToseeaScreenTip,pointtoanitemuntiltheScreenTipappears.
492
Glossary
semi-flexibleconstraint AconstrainttypethatgivesProjecttheflexibilitytochange
thestartandfinishdatesofataskwithinonedateboundary.StartNoEarlier
Than(SNET),StartNoLaterThan(SNLT),FinishNoEarlierThan(FNET),and
FinishNoLaterThan(FNLT)areallsemi-flexibleconstraints.
sequence Thechronologicalorderinwhichtasksoccur.Asequenceisorderedfrom
lefttorightinmostviewsthatincludeatimescale,forexample,theGanttChart
view.
sharerplan Aprojectplanthatislinkedtoaresourcepool.Sharerplansuse
resourcesfromaresourcepool.
shortcutmenu Amenuyoudisplaybypointingtoanitemonthescreenandthen
right-clicking.Shortcutmenuscontainonlythecommandsthatapplytotheitem
towhichyouarepointing.
slack Theamountoftimethatataskcanbedelayedwithoutdelayingasuccessor
task(freeslack)ortheprojectenddate(totalslack).Slackisalsoknownasfloat.
sorting Awayoforderingtaskorresourceinformationinaviewbythecriteriayou
choose.
sourceprogram WhenexchangingdatabetweenProjectandanotherprogram,the
programinwhichthedataresidedoriginally.
SPI Anearnedvalueindicator;theacronymstandsforSchedulePerformanceIndex.
Inearnedvalueanalysis,thisistheratioofperformedtoscheduledwork
(SPI=BCWP/BCWS).
split Aninterruptioninatask,representedintheGanttbarasadottedlinebetween
segmentsofatask.Youcansplitataskmultipletimes.
sponsor Anindividualororganizationthatbothprovidesfinancialsupportand
championstheprojectteamwithinthelargerorganization.
stakeholders Thepeopleororganizationsthatmightbeaffectedbyprojectactivities
(thosewhohaveastakeinitssuccess).Thesealsoincludetheresources
workingontheprojectaswellasothers(suchascustomers)externaltothe
projectwork.
Standardbasecalendar AbasecalendarincludedwithProjectdesignedtoaccom-
modatean8:00A.M.5:00P.M.MondaythroughFridayworkshift.
statusdate Thedateyouspecify(notnecessarilythecurrentdate)thatdetermines
howProjectcalculatesearnedvalueindicators.
successor Ataskwhosestartorfinishisdrivenbyanothertaskortasks,calledpre-
decessortasks.
493
Glossary
summarytask Ataskthatismadeupofandsummarizesthesubtasksbelowit.In
Project,phasesofprojectworkarerepresentedbysummarytasks.
SV Anearnedvalueindicator;theacronymstandsforScheduleVariance.Inearned
valueanalysis,thisisthedifferencebetweencurrentprogressandthebaseline
plan(SV=BCWPBCWS).
SV% TheratioofschedulevariancetoBCWS,expressedasapercentage(SV%=
[SV/BCWS] 100).Thisisanearnedvalueindicator.
table Aspreadsheet-likepresentationofprojectdata,organizedinverticalcolumns
andhorizontalrows.EachcolumnrepresentsoneofthemanyfieldsinProject,
andeachrowrepresentsasingletaskorresource.Inausageview,additional
rowsrepresentassignments.
task Aprojectactivitythathasastartingandfinishingpoint.Ataskisthebasic
buildingblockofaproject.
taskcalendar Thebasecalendarthatisusedbyasingletask.Ataskcalendar
definesworkingandnonworkingtimesforatask,regardlessofsettingsinthe
projectcalendar.
taskID AuniquenumberthatProjectassignstoeachtaskinaproject.IntheEntry
table,thetaskIDappearsinthefarleftcolumn.
taskpriority Anumericrankingbetween0and1000ofatasksimportanceand
appropriatenessforleveling.Taskswiththelowestpriorityaredelayedorsplit
first.Thedefaultvalueis500.
tasktype AsettingappliedtoataskthatdetermineshowProjectschedulesthetask,
basedonwhichofthethreeschedulingformulavaluesisfixed.Thethreetask
typesarefixedunits,fixedduration,andfixedwork.
TCPI Anearnedvalueindicator;theacronymstandsforToCompletePerformance
Index.Inearnedvalueanalysis,thisistheratioofremainingworktoremaining
budget,asofthestatusdate(TCPI=[BACBCWP]/[BACACWP]).
template AProjectfileformatthatenablesyoutoreuseexistingprojectplansasthe
basisfornewprojectplans.Projectincludesseveraltemplatesthatrelatetoa
varietyofindustries,andyoucancreateyourowntemplates.
time Thescheduleddurationsofindividualtasksandtheoverallproject.Timeis
onesideoftheprojecttrianglemodel.
timephasedfield Thetask,resource,orassignmentvaluesthataredistributedover
time.Thevaluesoftimephasedfieldsappearinthetimescalegridontheright
sideofviewssuchastheTaskUsageorResourceUsageview.
494
Glossary
timescale ThetimescaleappearsinviewssuchastheGanttChartandResource
Usageviewsasabandacrossthetopofthegridanddenotesunitsoftime.You
cancustomizethetimescaleintheTimescaledialogbox,whichyoucanopen
fromtheFormatmenu.
top-downplanning Amethodofdevelopingaprojectplanbyidentifyingthehighest-
levelphasesorsummarytasksbeforebreakingthemintolower-levelcompo-
nentsorsubtasks.
totalslack Theamountoftimethatataskcanbedelayedwithoutdelayingthe
projectsenddate.
tracking Thesecondmajorphaseofprojectmanagementwork.Trackingincludes
allthecollecting,entering,andanalyzingofactualprojectperformancevalues
suchasworkontasksandactualdurations.
underallocated Theconditionofresourceswhentheyareassignedtodolesswork
thanistheirnormalworkcapacity.Forexample,afull-timeresourcewhohas
only25hoursofworkassignedina40-hourworkweekisunderallocated.
units Astandardwayofmeasuringthecapacityofaresourcetoworkwhenyou
assigntheresourcetoataskinProject.Unitsareonevariableinthescheduling
formula:DurationUnits=Work.
VAC Anearnedvalueindicator;theacronymstandsforVarianceAtCompletion.In
earnedvalueanalysis,thisistheforecastedcostvariancetocompleteatask
basedonperformanceuptothestatusdate(VAC=BACEAC).
variableconsumptionrate Aquantityofamaterialresourcetobeconsumedthatwill
changeifthedurationofthetasktowhichitisassignedchanges.
variance Adeviationfromthescheduleorbudgetestablishedbythebaselineplan.
view Avisualrepresentationofthetasksorresourcesinyourproject.Thethreecat-
egoriesofviewsarecharts,sheets,andforms.Viewsenableyoutoenter,orga-
nize,andexamineinformationinavarietyofformats.
WBS(workbreakdownstructure) Theidentificationofeverytaskinaprojectthat
reflectsthattaskslocationinthehierarchyoftheproject.
workresources Thepeopleandequipmentthatdotheworkoftheproject.
work Thetotalscheduledeffortforatask,resource,resourceassignment,orentire
project.Workismeasuredinperson-hoursandmightnotmatchtheduration
ofthetask.Workisonevariableintheschedulingformula:DurationUnits
= Work.
workspace Asetofprojectplansandsettingsthatyoucansaveandreopenby
openingasingleworkspacefile.Workspacefileshavethe.mpwextension.
495
AbouttheAuthors
CarlS.Chatfield
CarlisthesitemanagerforProjectandFrontPageonOfficeOnline
(www.office.microsoft.com).PriortohisassignmenttoOfficeOnline,Carlhad
workedonOfficeapplicationssince1991.Carlisalsoatechnicalcommunication
instructorattheUniversityofWashington.HeisagraduateoftheMastersprogramin
TechnicalCommunicationattheUniversityofWashingtonandhasbeencertifiedasa
ProjectManagementProfessional(PMP)bytheProjectManagementInstitute.Helives
inKirkland,Washington.
TimothyD.Johnson
TimisatechnicaleditorintheProjectUserAssistanceteamatMicrosoft.Priortojoin-
ingtheProjectUserAssistanceteamin2000,hewasaProjectsupportprofessional
forsixyears(goingallthewaybacktoProject3.0ifyoucalledMicrosoftProduct
SupportServiceswithaProjectquestion,theresagoodchanceyoutalkedtoTim).
TimlivesinIssaquah,Washington.
Acknowledgments
Wewouldliketothankourfamiliesfortheirpatiencewhilewedevelopedthisbook.
From Carl:thankyouRebecca,Alden,Lathan,andMona.From Tim:thankyou
Ratsamy(Mimi),Brian,andBrenda.
TheauthorsalsowishtoacknowledgethemembersoftheProjectBusinessUnitat
MicrosoftAdrianJenkinsinparticularwhoprovidedvaluableandtimelyanswers
toourtechnicalquestions.

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