Microsoft project 2010

Microsoft Project 2010
A Quick Overview
Santosh Dwivedi, PMP®,Prince2®,CSM®

Contents
 Introduction to Microsoft Project
 Using MS Project
 Setting up Calendars
 Build the plan
 Track and Manage
 Different views
 Know the Terms
© Santosh Dwivedi, PMP®, Prince2®, CSM®
2

Introduction to Microsoft Project
 A scheduling tool, with many additional features to facilitate
project management
 A strong tool that is built around the PERT and CPM basics
 Incorporates use of a WBS (Task list) format
 A highly visual, yet checklist-intensive program
 Balances visual approach (charts, graphs, etc.) with logical structured
approach (task and resources lists)
 The most widely used PM program because:
 It is fairly generic in its approach
 Highly automated once configured; requires relatively low amount of user
manipulation
 Scalable – can be used for small to enormous projects
 A cost-effective choice for casual users
3

Using MS Project
 Pre-requisites
 Define the Project
 The objective of the project should be defined by the person/group that is
going to manage the project.
 Tasks, start times, and deadlines should be clearly established.
 Setting up Calendars
 Build the Plan
 Set a start date
 Enter tasks/durations
 Assign resources
 Link tasks
 Fine tune the plan
 Track and Manage
 Set a baseline
 Enter actuals
 Adjust plan
 Close Project
4

Setting Calendars
 Setting Project Calendar
 In Gantt Chart view,
click on “Change
Working Time” icon
 Click on “Create New
Calendar”
 Set the list of Holydays,
Non-working days,
working Hrs. etc.
 Setting Resource Calendar
 Select the resource
name from dropdown
 Set the details e.g. list
of leaves and non-
working Hrs. etc. for
the resource.
Note: You will need to enter resources
first (to be discussed later), before you
can setup resource calendar
5

Build the Plan
 Setting a Start Date
 Click on the “Project
Information” button
under “Project” Tab
to set the project
start date . Setting
an accurate start
date will make
future entries more
convenient.
 Entering Tasks and
Work(hrs.)
 Tasks are entered in
the “Task Name”
column
 Subtasks are
created by indenting
a task.
 Enter your effort
estimates(Hrs.) in
“Work” column
6

Build the Plan…
 Assigning Resources
 A resource can be a
single person, a piece of
equipment, or it can
represent a group, such
as Plumbers
 Information on resources
include Availability,
Costs, and Working Time
 Resources are very
important in accurate
scheduling
 To Assign a Resource:
 Select the task to
which you want to
assign the resource
 Click the Assign
Resources button on
the toolbar
• If resources are not already set up, double click on
the “Resource Name” box
7

Build the Plan…
 Entering Start Date
 Enter the start date in
“Start” column for each task
 By default each task has
project start date
 End Date
 The End date for a given
task is generally calculated
by the system and Shown
under “Finish” column
 You can also enter End date
manually, but it is not
considered a good practice,
in general.
 Duration
 Duration is calculated by the
system based on the hrs.
entered and resource
assigned.
 Can be overwritten to extend
the task duration longer or
shorter * System calculated duration is shown with “?”
8

Build the Plan…
 Linking Tasks
 Some tasks require that
another task be completed
before it can begin. These
tasks must be linked.
 Tasks and subtasks are
linked by assigning
Predecessors.
 Predecessor
 A task that must start
or finish before
another task can start
or finish
 Successor
 A task that cannot
start or finish until
another task starts or
finishes
 A task becomes a
successor when a row
number is entered in
the predecessor
column
9

Build the Plan…
 Task Dependencies
 There are 4 type of
dependencies:
 Finish to Start (FS)
 This is the default
dependency
 The successor can
start only after
predecessor is finished
 Start to Finish (SF)
finish only after
predecessor is started
 Many times this type of
dependency lead to
slack
 Start to Start (SS)
start in parallel with
predecessor
 Finish to Finish (FF)
 The successor should
finish along with
predecessor finish
FS
SF
SS
FF
10

Build the Plan…
 Fine Tune the Plan
 When all resources
have been assigned
and appropriate tasks
are linked, the
original Gantt chart
will be complete
 Check to make sure
tasks have been
linked correctly and
task durations are
correct
 The plan is now ready
to be base-lined for
tracking project
progress
11

Track and Manage
 Setting Baseline
 A baseline compares your
original plan for the project
with the actual course of the
project.
 You can see which tasks
started earlier or later than
planned, exceeded their
original budget, took longer
than planned, and so on
 Create a baseline after
you've polished the plan and
just before you actually start
work on the project
 To track costs, be sure to
enter cost information before
you create the baseline
 Updates can easily be made
to the baseline if information
is missing
 The Baseline plan includes:
 Tasks (start and finish dates, duration,
work, cost, splits, time-phased work,
and time-phased cost)
 Resources (work, cost, time-phased
work, and time-phased cost)
 Assignments (start and finish dates,
work, cost, time-phased work, and time-
phased cost)
12

Track and Manage
 To set a baseline:
 On “Project” tab
 Click on “Set
Baseline”
13

Track and Manage
 Entering Progress
 Update actual start and
finish dates for a task.
 On the “Task” tab,
point to “Mark on
Track” and then
click “Update
Tasks”
 Under Actual, type
Start and Finish
dates
 Update progress on a
task
 Double-click on the
task to be updated
 Enter a percentage
 On the Gantt chart,
a progress bar
appears in the task
bar
14

Track and Manage
 Tracking Gantt Chart
 Tracks the progress of
the project
 Shows what tasks are
overdue and what has
been completed on time
 Click on the “Tracking
Gantt” icon
 Tracking Progress
 Determining if tasks are
starting and finishing
according to plan:
 In the Tracking Gantt,
under “View” tab select
“Tables” and click
“Variance”
 Drag the Divider bar to
the right to view
variance.
15

Track and Manage
 Tracking Progress
 Determine if tasks
cost more or less
than budgeted
 In the Tracking
Gantt, under
“View” tab, select
“Tables” and
click “Cost”
 Drag the Divider
bar to the right
to view Total
Cost and
Baseline fields
16

Different Views
 Network Diagram View
 Shows a flowchart of the
project.
 Each box represents a
task in the project.
 Connecting arrows show
dependencies between
tasks.
 To view, click the
“Network Diagram” icon
 Calendar View
 Keeps tabs on when
tasks occur.
 Quickly see how long
tasks take, when they
start and finish, and how
they occur in relation to
other tasks.
Calendar icon
17

Different Views
 Task Usage View
 Work with task and
resource information
side by side.
 Easily create useful
reports about when a
resource is scheduled to
work on a task.
 To view, click the Task
Usage icon
 Resource Graph View
 See whether resources
are over-allocated, what
capacity they're working
at, and how much they
cost in a timescale graph
Resource Graph icon
18

Different Views
 Resource Sheet View
 Easy way to
review, add, edit
data about
resources.
 Resource Usage View
 Work with resource
and task
information side by
side
19

Know the Terms
 Duration
 The total span of working time or elapsed time required to
complete a task.
 Duration = Work ÷ Resource Units
 Work
 The total effort required to complete a task
 Resource
 Resources are the people, equipment and supplies used to
complete tasks in a project
 Resource Units
 Indicate how much of a resource's available time, according
to the resource calendar, is being used to work on a particular
task. In a project schedule, resource effort is expressed as
assignment units or sometimes just as units.
20

Know the Terms . .
 Fixed Duration
 For a constant task duration, as assigned work is increased so
will assigned units.
 Decrease the units and the work will correspondingly reduce.
 If assigned units are greater than max units, a resource over-
allocation will arise
 Fixed Units
 As the task's assigned units remain constant, an increase /
decrease in assigned work will result in a corresponding
increase / decrease in task duration.
 Fixed Units is the default task type for new tasks.
 Fixed Work
 If assigned work should remain constant, then as a task's
duration goes up assigned units will go down (and vice
versa).
 If assigned units are greater than max units, a resource over-
allocation will arise.
21

Know the Terms . .
 Effort-Driven
 Only comes into play after the initial resource assignments
have been made
 Work stays constant
 When resources (manpower) are assigned or removed from a
task, Microsoft Project will extend or shorten the duration of
the task to accommodate change in resources
 This is the default option for new tasks
 Over-allocation
 Situation when more hours of a resource are allocated than
are available
 Identifying Over-allocated Resources
 Special leveling indicator
 Resource Usage View – over-allocated resources are red
 Over-allocation can be resolved by leveling project
© Santosh Dwivedi, PMP®, Prince2®, CSM® 22

Know the Terms . .
 Leveling
 Resolving resource conflicts or over-allocations by delaying or
splitting certain tasks.
 During leveling, assignments are rescheduled according to the
resource availability profiles, assigned units, and resource
calendars, as well as the task's duration and constraints.
 It is instigated either automatically or (more commonly) by
the command level now.
 Tools | Level Resources . . . (hour by hour)
 Gant Chart
 A Gantt Chart is a visual tool to help Plan, Manage, and Track
a project or projects.
 Milestones
 A reference point marking a major event in a project and
used to monitor the project's progress
 To create a milestone, Enter “0” in the duration field

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