MS Project - Lesson #1B - Basics of Project Scheduling - Part 2Obj.docx

MS Project - Lesson #1B - Basics of Project Scheduling - Part
2Objectives - MS Project 2010
· Creating a summary task
· Working with subtasks
· Establishing task dependencies
· Specify lead and lag times
A project task list can be as few as 10 or as many as several
hundred tasks. With a large project, it can become difficult to
locate a specific task. Using MS Project, you can organize the
task list by creating a hierarchical structure. This process of
structuring a task list is known as outlining. Outlining is used
to organize common tasks into groups within the task list. The
groups can represent phases of the project.
In this lab, we will first use outlining to group the tasks of our
project into phases. We will create a main summary task to
represent the entire project and then several levels of summary
tasks below the main summary task to represent the phases of
the project.
Creating an Outline
1. Log onto Windows. Open MS Project.
2. Open your project file that you created in Lesson 1, Part A
(MyLab1a_XXX.mpp, where XXX are your initials.)
3. Save this file, using Save As, as MyLab1b_XXX.mpp, where
XXX are your initials.
Creating a hierarchical outline organizes the project tasks list
into groups of tasks. Each group of tasks is preceded by a
summary task, which describes the tasks within each group.
The outline of a project generally begins with a main summary

task. The main summary task is a brief description of the
project and all tasks are subordinate to the main summary task.
This main summary task is also helpful in generation of
summary reports and cumulative totals in budgeting and
resource management.
4. Click in the task namefield for task 1, Inventory current
equipment.
5. Right click and select Insert Task. A new blank task row is
inserted above and the task list is renumbered.
6. Type in (Student's Name) New System, where you enter your
first and last name for student name. For example, if you are
John Smith, your task will read John Smith's New System. Got
it?
7. Do not worry about duration.
8. Since this is our main summary task, we need to indent all
the other tasks to indicate that they are subtasks or subordinate
tasks.
9. We need to select all the tasks below our summary task (from
Inventory Equipment up to and including Project Meeting). One
way to do this is to click in the task name field for task 2,
Inventory Equipment. Click and drag so that all the task names
are selected. (Similar to Excel). (You can also click in task 2
name field, hold down the shift key and then click in the last
task name field.)
10. On the Task tab, you should see the following icons:
This is the Schedule Ribbon. The left arrow outdents a task to a
higher level; the right arrow indents a task lower level task,
thus creating a summary task above.
11. Press the Indent button (the right arrow). The selected tasks
are indented one level within the outline. Also notice the
duration for your main summary task. How did it come up with

7 days? In addition, notice the change in the Gantt chart in
representation of the summary task!
12. Press Crtl+Home. The cursor moves to the first task, your
main summary task, and is bold indicating that it is a summary
task. Your screen should like Figure 1.
Figure 1
The image above is of the Workbreakdown Structure as
currently designed. There are 15 total tasks. The main summary
task is task 1, and the recurring Project Meeting task is task 15.
Note: You can also automatically create a top level summary
task, from the Gantt Chart Tools, Format tab. In the Show/Hide
group, select the Project Summary task check box. The project
title is inserted from the title box on the summary tab of the
Project Properties dialog box. Since we are entering different
information for our project main summary task name, we will
not be practicing this procedure. Also, when this method is
used, the automatic outline numbering format is changed, which
we will get to in a few more steps.
We now want to create additional summary tasks below our
main summary task, perhaps to represent logical phases of the
project.
1. Select the task name field for task 2, Inventory Current
Equipment.
2. Right click and select Insert Task.
3. In the new Task 2 row, type Proposal Creation. (Again leave
the default 1-day duration).
4. Select tasks 3 through 7 (Inventory Equipment to Research
Products and Services).
5. Indent the tasks. These tasks are now subtasks to the

summary task of Proposal Creation. When you insert tasks, you
will also need to widen the Task Name Column.
Your project should now look like figure 2.
Figure 2
In the image above, the new summary task, "Proposal Creation"
is indented one time beneath, the main summary task. The next
five tasks are indented one time under "Proposal Creation".
Hint: You can also indent tasks using the mouse. Position the
mouse over the task name. The pointer changes to a two-way
arrow. Drag the task one level to the right.
6. On your own create three more summary tasks or phases
subordinate to the main summary task:
· Vendor Selection, which will include the subtasks of Issue
RFP's, Evaluate Bids and Award Contract.
· Implement System, which will include the subtasks of
Purchase Equipment, Install Wiring, Install Hardware, Install
Software and Test System.
· Leave Project Meeting where it is. We will treat this as
subtask to the entire project.
You will have to make use of the Outdent (Left Arrow) button
to move your new summary tasks to the left. Make sure,
however, you do not outdent too much! Compare your result
with figure 3 and make any necessary correction before
continuing the lab!
Figure 3
In the image above, the WBS is now created with one main
summary task, four summary tasks and then the work packages
beneath each of the summaries.
7. If all looks good, save your file.

Hiding and Showing the Outline
By hiding and showing subtasks in the outline, you can display
only the information needed. Not only does this cut down on
the printing, but allows you to focus on any specific area of the
project.
The outline structure can be hidden or displayed using the
outline buttons on the Formatting toolbar (as previously
discussed) or by using the symbols next to each summary task.
The (+) symbol indicates all the subtasks of the summary task
are hidden and the (-) symbol indicates that all subtasks are
shown.
8. Select your main summary task ((Your name) New System).
Press the (-) symbol on the outlining toolbar to show only the
main summary task. The main summary task should be the only
task now listed.
9. Press the (+) symbol. Notice all the summary tasks and their
subtasks now reappear.
10. Click on the - symbol next to the summary task, Proposal
Creation. All the subtasks below Proposal Creation should now
disappear. Click the + symbol next to the summary task,
Proposal Creation. The subtasks for this summary task should
now reappear.
Viewing Outline Numbers
MS Project automatically assigns an outline number to each task
when you outline the schedule. (Do not confuse this with the
task number, which appears in the first column of your entry
table). The outline numbers are similar to a Work Breakdown
Structure (WBS).
11. Click in main summary task name ("Your Name New
Project). Select the Gantt Chart Tools Format Tab.

12. On the Show/Hide group, select the Outline Number check
box
13. The outline numbers are now displayed in each task name
field. (Once again, you may need to widen the Task Name
column.
14. Leave the numbers displayed for now.
Note: if you ever move a task (previously discussed in prior
lab), MS Project will automatically renumber the outline for
you. At this point, your screen should look like figure 4.
Figure 4
In the image above, the outline numbers are added to the task
name column. Task 1 is "1". The summary tasks beneath are
Proposal creation, "1.1", Vendor Selection "1.2", Implement
System, "1.3" and Project Meeting, "1.4". The work packages
beneath each summary task continues the numbering. For
example, Under Vendor Selection (1.1) the individual tasks are
numbered 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, etc.
Establishing Task Dependencies
When a task list is first developed, the tasks are listed one after
another, and the only consideration is the approximate logical
order or sequence in which they should occur. Right now, our
project looks like several isolated tasks that all start at the same
time and finish according to each task's duration. In reality, a
project is a series of related tasks and these relationships are

called dependencies. There are four types of dependencies:
Finish-to-Start (FS)
The finish of one task marks the start of another. This will be
the default when we link since it is the most common.
Start-to-Start (SS)
The start of one task marks the start of another. In other words,
both tasks may start at the same time. This is what our Gantt
Chart is currently showing.
Finish-to-Finish (FF)
The finish of one task marks the finish of another. In other
words, both tasks may finish at the same time.
Start-to-Finish (SF)
The start of one task marks the finish of another task. This is
the most uncommon dependency.
When a task is initially entered into MS Project, it is scheduled
to begin on the project start date. By linking tasks, you
establish a dependency that determines the sequence of tasks.
MS Project then schedules the tasks by setting the start and
finish dates of each task. The Gantt bars in the Gantt chart
view are then moved to the appropriate date on the timescale
and link lines are drawn to display the dependency.
1. Select all the tasks in your project by clicking on the task
name for the first task (Task #1) your main summary task, and
then dragging the cursor down to the last task, Project Meeting.
2. On the Task toolbar, in the Schedule ribbon press the Link
Tasks button.
3. Each task is now linked in a finish-to-start dependency. Your
screen should look similar to figure 5.
Link Line

Figure 5
In the image above, arrows link the connected tasks.
You need to notice several things at this point:
· The duration of your main summary task and your summary
tasks has now changed. Do you know why?
· The duration of your main summary task may read ####. This
means the number is too big for the size of the column, similar
to an Excel spreadsheet. Widen the column so the number will
appear by positioning your cursor to the right edge of the
column header for Duration. The cursor will turn to a double
horizontal arrow. Double click. You should see 44.25 days.
· On the Gantt chart, scroll to the end of the project and notice
how the summary tasks are linked.
· Also notice there is no link to the recurring task of Project
Meeting.
· Finally every task link is a Finish-to-Start dependency.
4. Now, select all the tasks of your project again.
5. Press the Unlink Tasks button Task toolbar, in the Schedule
ribbon.
6. All dependencies and links should be gone and your entry
table should look similar to figure 4 again.
7. Another way to link tasks, and perhaps better, is to select two
or more tasks before linking.
8. Click in task name 3, Inventory Current Equipment. Drag to
select all the tasks under the summary task of Proposal Creation
(see figure 6).
Figure 6
9. Click on the Link Tasks Button. Only these tasks should now

show link lines on the Gantt chart.
10. On your own, link the subtasks under Vendor Selection.
11. On your own, link the subtasks under Implement System.
12. Compare your results to figure 7.
Figure 7
In the image above, the project duration is 20 days. Proposal
Creation equals 20 days, Vendor Selection, 12 days, Implement
System, 12 days and Project Meeting 0.25 days.
If you are paying attention, you will notice one possible
problem with this dependency list: each phase or summary task
starts at the same time. Might be hard to implement system
before awarding the contract!
13. We need to show the dependencies between the work under
the summary tasks. However, we cannot use the previous
method because these tasks are non-contiguous.
14. To link non-contiguous tasks; follow the next steps very
carefully because it is extremely important that you select tasks
in the proper order!
15. Click in the summary task name for Proposal Creation.
16. Hold down the Control key on your keyboard while you do
the next two instructions.
17. Click in the summary task name for Vendor Selection.
18. Click in the summary task name for Implement System.
19. Release the Control key and press the Link Tasks button on
the main toolbar.
20. Check your Gantt chart to see if the summary tasks were
linked properly and in the right order. Also check the main
summary task duration. It should read 44 days. If not, unlink
all tasks and begin this section again.
21. One last thing…. It is NOT a good idea to link summary
tasks to summary tasks. Why? When doing project work it is
the LAST task in a group that will initiate the NEXT task – not

the summary tasks to each other. So, on your own, unlink
summary tasks and relink them using the appropriate task.
(Task 7 is the predecessor task to Task 9, and Task 11 is the
predecessor to Task 13.) When you are done, your table should
look like:
The image above shows the entire project linked and a total
duration of 44 days.
Changing Task Dependencies
Because not all tasks need to be in a Finish-to-Start
dependency, you can change the dependencytype. Currently all
of our tasks, except the main summary task (which is rarely
linked to any other task except to another project) and our
recurring task of Project Meeting, are defaulting to a Finish-to-
Start dependency. However, we want to make it clear that the
tasks of installing wire, hardware, and equipment must finish at
the same time before we begin testing the system. So how do
we do that?
First, we need to clarify two important terms, predecessor and
successor. A task that must start or finish before another task
can begin is called a predecessor (or independent) task. A task
that depends on the start or finish of a preceding task is called a
successor (or dependent) task.
In our example project, we will make the assumption that we
cannot begin any installation process until purchasing has been
completed. However, we make the assumption that installing
the wiring, hardware and the software can begin any time after
the purchasing, but all tasks must finish at the same time before
we begin testing.

1. Click in the subtask name field for Install Wiring.
2. Right-click and select Information from the pop-up menu.
3. The Task Information dialog box should now appear. Select
the Predecessor tab.
Figure 8
The Task Information dialog box details information about a
particular task, including notes. This information is important
when troubleshooting problems with scheduling, etc.
4. The predecessor information states that the subtask, Purchase
Equipment, is the only predecessor task to the Install Wiring
successor task. Under Type is listed Finish-to-Start (FS). This
is what we want, so press OK to close the Task Information box.
5. Select the task name for Install Hardware and open the Task
Information for this task. Select the predecessor tab.
6. The predecessor task for Install Hardware is Install Wiring.
We want to indicate that the dependency of these two tasks is a
Finish-to-Finish, since we need these tasks to finish at the same
time.
7. Click the Finish-to-Start (FS) type drop-down box for the
predecessor task of Install Wiring and select Finish-to-Finish.
Figure 9
8. Press Ok. Scroll out on the Gantt chart to view how the
dependencies look (Figure 10).
Figure 10
9. On your own, change the dependency between Install
Software (successor) and Install Hardware (predecessor) to a
Finish-to-Finish (FF). Remember, the successor task is the one
you want to click on! Your Gantt chart should now look like
figure 11.

Figure 11
In the image above, arrows for Finish to Finish tasks link from
the end of one Gantt bar to the end of its successor.
10. While the chart clearly shows the three tasks finishing at the
same time (also reducing the number of days to complete this
phase to 8 days), the chart gives the indication that once Install
Software and only Install Software is finished, can Test System
begin. In reality, allthreetasks, Install Wiring, Install Hardware
and Install Software must finish before Test System. We need to
clearly indicate that Test System has more than one predecessor
task.
11. To add another predecessor task to a successor task, we can
use the Task Information.
12. Select the task name, Test System, and open the Task
Information for this task.
13. Click in the next row under Task Name to open a drop-down
menu and select Install Hardware.
Figure 12
14. Leave the type as Finish-to-Start.
15. Add Install Wiring in the next row and leave as Finish-to-
Start.
16. Press OK. While the duration of the summary task does not
change, notice the change in your Gantt chart. We are now
clearly indicating that all three tasks are predecessors to the
Test System task.
Figure 13
There is one other detail missing from this arrangement or flow.
Remember that a successor task can have more than one
predecessor task. In the case of Install Hardware and Install

Software, they also are dependent on the Purchase Equipment
task. Therefore, we need to add that information to them.
17. Add Purchase Equipment as a predecessor task to Install
Hardware, with a Finish-to-Start dependency.
18. Add Purchase Equipment as a predecessor task to Install
Software, with a Finish-to-Start dependency.
Look at your Gantt chart to see the difference. Can you detect
it?
There are many ways to accomplish what we just did. However,
the task information properties dialog box is the best way to
troubleshoot. If you ever make a mistake in linking tasks or
dependencies, I have found the best way is to select the task or
tasks you want to correct and unlink the tasks and start over
again. Trust me…
(Note: another way to link tasks and set dependencies is to enter
the information directly in the Predecessors Column of your
Table: Entry. To see this column, just move the divider to see
the column or use the scroll bar at the bottom of the table.
Notice the syntax of setting dependencies other than Finish-to-
Start. This is another handy way to quickly set up dependencies;
yet because it only gives the number of the task, it is harder to
ensure that you have the right task(s) without the actual name of
the task).
19. Check your work and if you feel everything looks right (40
days total for the total project, 20 days for Project Creation
phase, 12 days for Vendor Selection phase, and 8 days total for
Implement System phase), save the file; if not, unlink all tasks
and start again at the section on dependencies and linking.
Understanding Lag and Lead Time

In addition to dependency type, you can further define the true
impact of task relationships using lead time and lag time.
Lead time creates an overlap in a dependency that can shorten
the project duration. For example, if you specify a lead time of
one day on a Finish-to-Start dependency, the two tasks overlap
in time by one day. The last day of the first task takes place
while the first day of the second task takes place. (Analogous to
getting “a head start”).
Lag time creates a delay, or gap, in the task dependency that
can lengthen the project duration. For example, if I specify a
lag time of one day, the successor task begins one day after the
predecessor task in a Finish-to-Start dependency.
To demonstrate lead time, let's say that Install Wiring can begin
prior to the finish of Purchase Equipment (at least we can start
doing some preparation ahead of time).
1. Bring up the task information for the task Install Wiring.
2. Select the Predecessor tab.
3. Under the column Lag, you should see 0d for 0 days for
Purchase Equipment.
4. In the lag cell, type in the number -1 (that's minus one).
5. Press OK. Check the duration for the phase Implement
System. It should now have been reduced by one day to 7 days.
Also look at your Gantt chart and notice that the start date for
Install Wiring has now moved to prior to the finish of Purchase
Equipment (figure 14).
Figure 14
To demonstrate lag time, let's say that we want to wait two days
after evaluating bids before awarding the contract (a cooling off
period).

6. Bring up the taskinformation for the task AwardContract.
7. Select the Predecessor tab.
8. Under the column Lag for the task Evaluate Bids, type in the
number 2.
9. Press OK. Check the duration for the phase Vendor
Selection. It is now 14 days. Also look at the effect on your
Gantt chart (now 41 days).
One final item: If you notice that your project meeting only
occurs once, in the first week of the project. What if you want
to schedule it for everyFriday until the end of the Project? In
this case, you would bring up the Recurring Project Information
for the summary task Project Meeting and indicate when the
meetings will end (such as the end of the project) or the number
of times the meetings will occur.
1. If I want to have project meetings every Friday until the end
of the project, I need to know when the project will finish.
2. Select File Tab, select the Info tab.
3. The finish date should be December 4, 2013. (If it isn’t, go
back to lag and lead time section).
4. Go back to the Task Tab and select the summary task Project
Meeting. (Make sure the Project Meeting is number 1.4 and not
1.3.6. If it is the later, you need to “outdent” or move the task
in the outline to the left).
5. Right-click and select Information from the menu.
6. In the Range of Recurrence section, change the End by date
to December 4, 2013 and Press OK (Figure 15).
Figure 15
7. Hide the subtasks under Project Meeting to just show the
Project Meeting summary task! (The total duration of the
Project Meeting task is 35.25 days. Do you know why?).

Checkpoint:
From the File Tab, select Info and then Project Information.
You will be given 2 choices, Advanced Properties and Project
Statistics. click Project Statistics. If your screen matches figure
16 (below), then save your project file and print the following
reports:
1. Your Gantt chart view and include only these columns from
the table: Task ID, Indicators, Task Mode, Task Name, and
Duration. To do this, slide the Gantt Chart divider to the left or
right as necessary. (All columns must be wide enough to see the
entire information in the fields). DO NOT DELETE
COLUMNS. Check to make sure your project information is
correctly inserted into your printouts, in the headers and
footers. Do NOT forget that this is lab #1B… Also, make sure
your Gantt timeline is set to the default of weekly for major
timeframe and daily for minor time frame. Your print out
should be no more than 3 pages.
2. Project Summary Report
3. Unstarted Tasks Report, with appropriate header/footer
information. Fit this printout to 1 page.
4. Attach your printouts to the back of the Review Questions
sheet IN ORDER, or submit to the dropbox.
When submitting required printouts, if you are not bringing
them to class, from the Print Preview Page, take a screen shot
(in Windows <ALT><Prt Scr>) of the report and paste the
screen shot to a MS Word Document. Make sure to crop the
screen to show only the report. After cropping, resize the image
appropriately. If the printout is on more than 1 page, paste each
page individually.
Add these images to the Word document, containing printouts
created in Part A, Week_1_Printouts_XXX.docx. Remember to
replace "XXX" in the file names with your initials and ensure
that all of your files are all clearly labeled and include your
initials in the file name. Submit this file to the Weekly iLab

Dropbox.
Figure 16
Printing tip: There is an easier way to specify which columns of
the table you want to print without worrying about how your
screen appears. While in Page Setup, after you change your
header and footer information, select the tab View. You can
quickly specify to print all columns or the first X columns. Try
it out.)
When you have completed this lesson, please save it as
MyLab1b_XXX.mpp and submit the file to the Weekly iLab
Dropbox. Remember to replace "XXX" in the file names with
your initials and ensure that all of your files are all clearly
labeled and include your initials in the file name.
Also, complete the following page. Submit this Review
Question sheet to the Weekly iLab Dropbox.
Review Questions
Name ____________________________
Answer the following questions (use MS Project Help, if
necessary):
1. What is the difference between a main summary task and a
summary task?
2. On the View Tab, what does the Outline button with plus and
minus signs do?

3. What is a milestone?
4. What predefined report can you not make changes to the
header and footer?
5. Give a real-world example of
a) A successor task requiring lead time
b) A successor task requiring lag time
Turn in this sheet with your MS Project file to the Week 1 iLab
Dropbox.
MS Project Lesson #1, Part B Page 12
MS Project - Lesson #1A - Basics of Project Scheduling - Part 1
Objectives - MS Project 2010
· Understanding Project Scheduling
· Introduction to Microsoft Project
· Working with Project Tasks

· Basic views, time scales and reports
Whether you are a project manager or not, project management
techniques are extremely helpful in meeting goals and objects.
Project management techniques define a path to a specified goal
and then supervise the implementation.
MS Project can help you establish your initial plan as well as
monitor progress. MS Project can quickly produce reports and
other information that will help keep management, customers,
and your project team informed. To get the most from MS
Project, not only do you need to understand project management
terminology, you also need to be familiar with the software
itself. Therefore, do not attempt to quickly finish the lab, but
take your time and read all instructions carefully.
Understanding Project Scheduling
A typical project is composed of tasks and resources. After
tasks are identified, you organize the tasks in a logical
hierarchy, also called a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
Eventually, this sequence will show the interdependencies of
each task. Then each task is given a duration. In MS Project,
this can be in weeks, days, hours or minutes. You can also
specify a milestone, which will represent an event that marks
the completion of a group of related tasks.
To accomplish any task, you need resources. Resources can
include people, equipment, material or special facilities
necessary to complete a task. Resource availability and
scheduling are important constraints to completing a task.
Once you establish a plan, complete with tasks and resources,
you will often need to refine the plan before saving it as a
baseline. The baseline is your guideline to help manage the
project.

MS Project Basics
When you first start MS Project, a blank project file is
displayed in Gantt Chart View. (If you need to open an existing
MS Project file, the file extension is .mpp.) Let's take a look at
the main window:
Select All
Entry Table
Task ID
Gantt Chart
Divider
View Bar
The above image is the default screen for MS Project 2010. The
right side of the screen consists of the area for the Gantt Chart.
The left side of the screen is the Entry table where tasks,
durations, and other task information is entered. The Entry
Table and Gantt Chart are separated by a moveable Divider
Pay particular attention to this layout. The Entry table is where
we enter our tasks and durations. The Gantt chart will
eventually show our tasks and durations in a graphical bar chart.
The other part of significance is the divider. This allows you to
show more or less of the Entry table/Gantt chart.
In Project 2010 the menu bar is set up into Ribbons. To access
the various ribbons, Tabs are selected across the top of the
menu bar. Within the ribbon the various sections are divided
into groups:
TABS

GROUPS
The above image displays the Microsoft Ribbon in the top of the
window. The ribbon is navigated via Tabs. Within each tab are
Groups and within each of the Groups are individual commands.
The first step in creating a project is establishing the project
information.
1. Select Project Information from the Project tab and the
Properties group
The Project Information is used for information that is critical
to the scheduling of tasks and resources. It contains the start
date and finish date of the overall project, the current date
(taken from the computer), and which calendar you will be
using. You must always enter this information when creating a
new project.
2. Enter the starting date of this project as October 9, 2013.
(Note: you can only enter the start date or the finish date, but
not both!).
3. Leave the other information as is and Press OK.
4. Next we are going to define other project information. Select
File on the Project Tab. Next select, Info. On the right hand
side of the screen select Project Information and then Advanced
Properties.

5. The Project Properties screen appears and the Summary tab
should be selected.
6. In the Title box, type Maynard Furniture Company Project.
7. In the Subject box, type New System.
8. In the Author's and the Manager's box, type in your name.
This information will be displayed on reports. In the Company
box, enter MGMT404 followed by your professor’s name. Click
OK.
9. Save the project as MyLab1a_XXX.mpp (where XXX are
your initials).Basic Setup
1. Before we start entering data there are a few setup tasks we
need to do.
2. The first is to change how MS Project calculates the
schedule. (We will explain this in week 5)
3. Go File, then Options. The Project Options window opens.
4. Select Schedule. The Project Options window now should be
visible.
5. Under Scheduling options for this project check the box
labeled "New tasks are effort driven"

6. Click OK to close the window.
7. Next, select the Gantt Chart Tools Format tab from the
ribbon. Click the check box to show the tasks that will be on
the Critical Path.
8. Select the Task tab. With these settings we are ready to start
entering data
Entering tasks
1. Click in the first field in the Task Name column. Type
Inventory current equipment.
2. Press the tab key. The information is entered and the
selection moves to the Duration column for task 1. (You may
need to slide the divider to the right to see the column). Also
notice the task is represented on the Gantt chart.
3. Change the duration to 3 days by typing 3 and press enter.
Notice the duration "days" or the letter "d" is automatically
assumed. If different, you would enter m for minutes, h for
hours, d for days or w for weeks after the number, such as 3w

would be three weeks).
4. By default, MS Project 2010 enters tasks as Manually
Scheduled. This allows the user to schedule individual dates for
the tasks. We however, want MS Project to schedule the tasks
for us.
5. For task 1, In the Task Mode column, select Auto Schedule.
This will enable MS Project to automatically assign the start
and end dates for each task.
6. To change this as the default mode, at the bottom left of the
screen there is a button where you can change this default
setting. Click on this and change the setting so all new tasks
are set to be Auto Scheduled. You can also do this from the
Task tab, Tasks group and selecting the Mode button, or from
the Options screen we looked at earlier.
7. Enter the following tasks and durations for this project:
Assess current department needs 2 days
Design and diagram new system 5 days
Proposal to accounting 3 days
Research products and services 7 days
Issue RFPs 7 days
Evaluate bids 5 days
Award contract 1 day
Meet with vendor 1 day
Purchase equipment 4 days
Install wiring 3 days
Install hardware 2 days
Install software 2 days
(Note: it is very important that you make any changes to
these durations prior to assigning resources. If you need to
change duration after assigning resources, you should unassign
all resources, change the duration and then re-assign the

resources!)
8. When you enter tasks, note that “1 Day?” is the automatic
default for duration. (You may need to slide the divider to the
right to see the column). Also notice the task is represented on
the Gantt chart. For durations that are only 1 day, make sure to
manually type 1 and then the <Enter> key to remove the “?”.
9. Next make sure each task is "Auto Scheduled" when you are
finished.
10. Notice as you enter each task and the duration, how the
tasks are presented on the Gantt chart.
(Tip: By default MS Project 2010 automatically wraps the text
on the task names. Some readers may find this not very clear.
To see the entire task name on one line, position your cursor on
the vertical line between the Task Name column header and the
Duration column header. When the cursor turns to a double
arrow, either drag the line to the right to increase the column
width or double-click. Another method is to double click on the
Task Name column header and select Best Fit. To see the
Duration column, move the divider between the tasks and the
Gantt chart. When you are done, then also adjust row height).
11. The text wrap can be toggled on and off from the Gantt
Chart Tools Format tab, in the Columns group and the Wrap
Text icon. Please turn this off now.
12. Change the duration of the task Award contract to 0 days.
Notice the symbol on the Gantt chart. This is a milestone task,
which has no duration but is used to mark progress in a project.

13. What if you need to insert a task later? Easy. For example,
select task #13 Install software and Right click and select click
Insert Task. A new task row will now be inserted above the
current task.
14. Type Test system as your new task and duration of 1 day.
(Remember next to select "Auto Scheduled".
15. Since “Test system” actually should be our last task, we
need to move it. Therefore click (but do not hold down the
mouse button) the task ID for task #13 - Test system. The
entire row should be selected.
Task ID
16. With the pointer still positioned on the task ID, drag down
until a horizontal gray bar is displayed after task #14. Then
release. Test system should now be your last task.
17. What if you want to delete a task? Click anywhere in the
row for the task Meet with vendor. Right click and select click
Delete Task.
Another type of task you may want to enter is a recurring task,
such as a team meeting, etc. Generally recurring tasks are not
included on a project, but it helps in resource scheduling.
18. Below the last task (task #13: Test System), click in the
Task Name Column, but do not type anything.
19. From the Task tab in the Insert group, click Select the arrow
under Task and choose Recurring Task.

20. The Recurring Task Information Box appears.
21. In the Name box, type Project Meeting.
22. Press the tab key and enter 2h for duration of 2 hours.
Select Weekly for "Recurrence pattern" and check the box for
Friday. Leave "Recur every" as is. We have scheduled a
weekly 2-hour meeting every Friday for the duration of the
project. Click OK. (Notice the circular arrows in the indicator
column next to the task name).
19. Save the project before continuing.
Displaying Project Information in Views
Before closing out this project, we need to spend a little time
with views. A view is a format in which you can enter and/or
display information in MS Project. Your default view is known
as the Gantt view: it is made up of the Entry table on the left,
used to enter task information, and the Gantt chart on the right,
which graphically represents the task information on a
timescale.
Task and resource views in MS Project fall into three
categories: sheet views, chart and graph views, and form views.
Each view displays combinations of project information in
different ways. Understanding what is your current view and
changing views is critical in mastering MS Project.
Sheet views display task or resource information in a row and
column format (similar to MS Excel). Chart and graph views
provide a graphical representation of task or resource
information. Form views display task or resource information

in a format that displays a single task or single resource at a
time. You use a form view when you want to focus on detailed
information about a specific task or resource.
MS Project comes with 27 (MS Project 2010) predefined views.
1. From the Task tab and the View group, click Calendar. What
do you see?
2. Now click on Task Usage. How is this different?
3. Finally, click on Network Diagram. Graphical view of
tasks…
4. Return to the Gantt Chart view.
5. Another item to explore is the timescale for the Gantt chart.
On longer projects, you may not be able to see all the tasks on
the Gantt chart. You can use the scroll bars to the right and on
the bottom of the Gantt chart or you can adjust the timescale of
the chart (shown above). The top line of the timescale is
referred to as the Major timescale (Oct 6, ‘13, etc.) and the
bottom line as the Minor timescale (SMTWTFS). To adjust the
timescale, you can use the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons on
the View toolbar under Zoom:
6. Click the Zoom In button (the one with the + sign). Notice
the Major timescale changes to a day and the Minor timescale
changes to 6-hour increments.

7. Now click on the Zoom Out button (the one with the - sign).
The Major timescale returns to a week and the Minor timescale
changes to day increments.
8. Click on the Zoom Out button again. Notice the Major
timescale changes to a month and the Minor timescale changes
to 3-day increments.
9. Click the Zoom In button again to return to the default of a
week and one-day increments.
You can also specify your own timescale by selecting the
Timescale dialog box on the View tab, Zoom group and the
down arrow under "Timescale:" or by right clicking on the time
scale on the Gantt chart.
Printing Project Schedules and Reports
To manage a project effectively, you will need to communicate
project information to a variety of people, therefore it is
important the reports printed are understandable by the readers.
You can print views and reports that meet the needs of a
specific person or group. MS Project comes with 27 predefined
views and 22 Visual reports and 29 standard reports. Before
you print a view or report, it should be previewed to determine
the number of pages that will be printed and if any additional
information needs to be added.
Using the PageSetup dialog box, you can select page
orientation, adjust scaling, change margins, and add or change
the headers and footers. You can also add page breaks to
control the flow of information. You can also create a legend at
the bottom of the Gantt chart to explain the symbols used in the
chart. (With the exception of the Project Summary report, you
must do this for each report/printout; it is NOT a universal page
setup!)

1. On the File tab, Print, then Page Setup.
The Page Setup dialog box appears:
2. Click the Header tag. The top box is the Preview box and the
bottom box is the Text box.
3. Select the Left tab next to Alignment. In the Text box, type
Lesson #1A on the first line. (The left corner will always be the
lab number, so make sure you change it in future labs!)
4. Select the Center tab. Next to the General box displaying the
text, "Page Number", click the down arrow and select Project
Title. Click Add.
Note: the project title is displayed in the Preview box (based
upon the information you entered in the Project Information
earlier). The text box shows the “&” sign or the "place marker"
for this information. The nice thing here is that if you ever
change the Project Information, the changes will automatically
appear on any reports that contain this information in the
header.
5. Press Enter. (The cursor should now be on the second line
for your center header information). From the same drop-down
tab, add Manager Name. Press Enter and add File name as your
third line and add Report Name as your fourth and final line.
6. Select the Right tab. Notice the seven icons below the text
box. Select the middle (or fourth icon) to insert the currentdate
in this section of your header.
7. On your own, make sure Page Number is in your footer and it
is center aligned and then press OK. Review the Print Preview

to view the changes. What is missing? Notice that there is
nothing displayed in the fourth line of the header for report
name? Why??? This is a view and not a defined report so there
is nothing to display in this field. In order to see the view
name, the parameter in the fourth line of the header would have
to be changed to View Name – we will NOT do this at this time.
The fourth line will display as a blank line when we are in a
view format and not a report format.
8. Click the File tab to return to the Gantt chart view.
Previewing and Printing Views and Reports
page individually.
Save the Word document containing printouts as
Week_1_Printouts_XXX.docx. Remember to replace "XXX" in
the file names with your initials and ensure that all of your files
are all clearly labeled and include your initials in the file name.
In the second part of this lesson, there will be more printouts to
add to the Week_1_Printout_XXX.docx file.
9. On the File tab, click the Print button. Place the mouse
pointer over the preview page. The pointer changes to a
magnifying glass.
10. Click the lower-left corner of the preview page. The view is
zoomed in so you can see the legend to the Gantt chart. If you
ever want to change the contents of this legend, you can go to
the same Page Setup in our previous steps and select Legend.

11. Click on the magnifying glass again to return to normal
view. Make sure the task names column and the duration
column can be seen in their entirety and the Gantt chart also
appears in your window.
12. Click Print and print this view. We have just printed the
Gantt chart view.
13. To view and print reports: From the Project tab, click
Reports in the Reports group.
14. The Reports box opens. Each icon represents a category of
reports. The first five (Overview, Current Activities, Costs,
Assignments and Workload) represent 22 predefined reports.
The last category, Custom, allows you to create your own
report.
15. Select Overview and then select Project Summary. The
Project Summary report now opens in Print Preview.
16. Select Page Setup for this report. Notice something
interesting? The header and footer (and legend and view) tabs
are grayed out. For some reason, only known to Microsoft, this
is the only report that you cannot change the header and footer.
To that end, it is imperative that you enter all appropriate
project information and project properties as discussed in the
lab!
17. Print the Project Summary. This is a very important report.
It lists all relevant summary information as to project progress
and achievement of your project objective.
18. On your own, find the report, Unstarted Tasks. Before you
print this report, make sure your header and footer contain the

appropriate information!Printthereport when all is well.
19. Save your file and exit MS Project.
page individually.
Save the Word document containing printouts as
Week_1_Printouts_XXX.docx and submit this file to the Week 1
iLab Dropbox, along with the MyLab1B_XXX.mpp file and the
completed Review Questions at the end of Lesson 1B.
Remember to replace "XXX" in the file names with your initials
and ensure that all of your files are all clearly labeled and
include your initials in the file name.
In part 2 of this lesson we will continue working with task
information by outline and linking these tasks and discussing
interdependencies and constraints.
1. On the Project tab, click Project Information. In the Project
Information dialog box, click Statistics. The following screen
should appear. Use this to check your progress…
MS Project Lesson #1, Part A Page 7

MS Project - Lesson #1B - Basics of Project Scheduling - Part 2Obj.docx

MS Project - Lesson #1B - Basics of Project Scheduling - Part 2Obj.docx

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