MICROSOFT PROJECT 2010 Level 1

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1 MICROSOFT PROJECT 2010 Level 1

2 Microsoft Project 2010 Level 1 Contents CONTENTS PREFACE - PROJECT MANAGEMENT BASICS... 5 Project Management Overview... 6 Project Definition Techniques... 7 Project Planning Techniques... 8 Resource Management LESSON 1 - MICROSOFT PROJECT 2010 OVERVIEW Introduction Using the Interface Customising the Quick Access Toolbar LESSON 2 - STARTING A PROJECT Specifying a Project Start Date Adding a Nonworking Day Changing the Default Working Hours Changing Non Default Times How Long is a Day? Saving a Project Closing a Project Opening an Existing Project Exiting Microsoft Project LESSON 3 WORKING WITH AUTO SCHEDULED TASKS Overview of Tasks and Durations Entering Auto Scheduled Tasks Editing Task Names Change Highlighting Entering a Milestone Task LESSON 4 WORKING WITH MANUALLY SCHEDULED TASKS Manually Scheduling Tasks Editing Manually Scheduled Tasks Converting Auto Scheduled Tasks to Manually Scheduled Linking Manually Scheduled Tasks LESSON 5 - LINKING AND EDITING TASKS Linking Tasks Unlinking Tasks WWP Training Page 2

3 Microsoft Project 2010 Level 1 Contents Changing Task Relationships Inserting a Task Deleting a Task Moving a Task Inactivating a Task Applying Lag and Lead Time Splitting a Task Applying a Constraint Entering a Start or Finish Date Setting a Deadline Date The Task Inspector LESSON 6 - OUTLINING TASKS Outlining Tasks Indenting and Outdenting Tasks Collapsing and Expanding an Outline Linking Summary Tasks Adding Outline Numbering Creating a Project Summary Task Entering a Recurring Task Viewing and Hiding Recurring Tasks Editing Recurring Tasks LESSON 7 - WORKING WITH RESOURCES Using Resources Creating a Work Resource Creating a Material Resource Creating a Cost Resource Assigning a Work Resource to a Task Assigning a Material Resource to a Task Assigning a Cost Resource to a Task Removing a Resource Assignment Using the Team Planner LESSON 8 - ASSIGNING WORK AND SCHEDULING OPTIONS Understanding Work Viewing Work Scheduling Methods Non-Effort Driven Scheduling Methods Effort Driven WWP Training Page 3

4 Microsoft Project 2010 Level 1 Contents Controlling Effort Driven Scheduling LESSON 9 - ADJUSTING RESOURCES Addressing Resource Overallocations Viewing Resource Usage Resolving Conflicts by Increasing Units Levelling a Resource Leveling Options Entering a Leveling Delay Manually Clearing Leveling Splitting a Task Setting Task Level Priority LESSON 10 WORKING WITH A BASELINE Working with Baselines Using Baseline Tables Saving a Project Baseline Saving a Baseline for Individual Tasks Clearing a Baseline Tracking Progress APPENDIX A OTHER SCHEDULING OPTIONS Task Types Contouring a Work Assignment WWP Training Page 4

5 PREFACE - PROJECT MANAGEMENT BASICS In this lesson, you will learn: What is a project? How projects are managed To recognise project management tools WWP Training Page 5

6 Project Management Basics PROJECT MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW What is a project? The term project is very heavily used nowadays but despite continual usage its meaning is often not clearly understood. A project is a unique set of co-ordinated activities with definite starting and finishing points, undertaken by an individual or organisation to meet specific objectives within schedule, cost and performances parameters. (BSI 6079) A project must have a clearly defined start and finish date; if there is no finish date then you are probably managing an ongoing initiative, not a project. Another important point to note is that a project must have an objective. If there is no objective there is no project. However, objectives are only the expression of the underlying business needs, and it is therefore vitally important to set the correct objectives, and to be prepared to change these to suit the changing needs of the business. Commercial factors influence business needs and are helpful in establishing the right direction and defining the goal posts for the project. Unless everyone understands the business needs, and how the project fits into the organisation s overall strategy, it will be difficult to translate the need into clear project plans. In many cases, the manager s attention becomes so closely focused on the product, or on the technology, that changes in the business needs are neglected. This may lead to successful completion of an expensive project that the business no longer wants. What is Project Management? Project management is the discipline of ensuring that the project objectives are achieved within the given deadline, constraints and so on. It includes: Project Planning Project Control Quality Management Team Leadership Project management involves Definition, Planning, Execution, and Closing a project. In order to achieve a successful outcome, it is critical that you complete all four phases. When you define a project, you state the overall objective, describe the desired outcome, and explain the scope of the project. Planning a project involves identifying tasks and estimating the amount of time needed to perform each one. In addition, you need to list available resources and the costs associated with each one during the planning of a project. Once you have identified the tasks, resources, and costs, you can create a schedule. You can schedule tasks based on factors such as resource availability, time limitations, and the relationships between tasks. Managing the execution of a project means monitoring the progress of the project by making adjustments when necessary and communicating progress. The initial plan, called the baseline, can be compared to actual events. The project manager can evaluate the project for WWP Training Page 6

7 Project Management Basics potential problems and prepare to offset any negative consequences. The project manager must continually ask questions such as: What delays have occurred? What can be done to minimize their effect on the project s goals? Are the resources completing the tasks in the allotted time? Are the costs within the budget? All projects change as they evolve over time. Analysing your data prepares you to make informed decisions when changing the plan becomes necessary. Communicating the progress of the plan is important to management and to the project team assigned to perform the tasks of the project. In many situations, weekly progress or monthly status meetings are held, where problems are discussed and reports are reviewed. When you close a project, you mark all the tasks complete. A completed project can be very helpful in planning future projects. You can use the entire project or particular tasks as the basis for planning a new project. PROJECT DEFINITION TECHNIQUES One way to look at a project is using a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). This organises the project as a hierarchy as in a family tree, or an organisation structure. This method allows the project to be broken into convenient work packages on which the detailed plan is based. Examples of Work Breakdown Structures are: Time based For example, Phase I, Phase II and Phase III may be further broken down as Phase IA, Phase IB, Phase IC and so on. Work package based Looking at a Vehicle Design Project, the WBS could be: Process based Chassis, engine, gearbox, transmission, and so on; which is broken down further as: Chassis (frame, suspension, axles, and so on); which in turn may be further broken down as: Suspension (shock absorbers, springs, lever arms, and so on). If the above scope was not limited to design but to the vehicle from conception to the consumer, the work breakdown structure may be: Market Research, Prototype Design, Prototype Build, Prototype Test, Production Design, Manufacture, Marketing, Sales, Support, and so on. Organisation or resource based The WBS could also reflect the organisation structure if this is how the work is to be planned and controlled. Hence a typical discipline based project may be broken down as: Civil Engineering, Mechanical, Electrical, or Sales, Marketing, Production, Quality, and so on. WWP Training Page 7

8 Project Management Basics Location based On projects that may be developed or completed in distinct locations, the location of the work may be a convenient way to reference its part within the overall project. For example: London, Birmingham, Manchester or Zone A, Zone B, Zone C or typically, Floor 1, Floor 2, Floor 3 on a multi-storey building project. As can be seen from the above, there are no rules or preferences as to which WBS may suit a project best. This will largely be determined by the natural structure of the project, the timescale, and the anticipated method of control. The important principle is that the WBS structure should be consistent and logical with a clear and natural hierarchy and therefore will become the backbone of the project. This structure can be built into the project plan as Headings or Summary tasks. The detailed activities or tasks can be planned in to flesh out the project. It is good practise to place Milestones at the start and end of each phase or group of tasks and use the milestones to control the start of subsequent groups of tasks. Project Summary Summary Heading (Phase 1) Summary Heading (Phase 2) Summary Heading (Phase 3) Summary Heading (Phase 4) Summary Heading (Phase 1.1) Summary Heading (Phase 2.1) Summary Heading (Phase 2.2) Summary Heading (Phase 2.1.1) Summary Heading (Phase 2.1.2) Summary Heading (Phase 2.1.3) Work Breakdown Structure PROJECT PLANNING TECHNIQUES Today s project management software is a result of three major forces: the Gantt chart, the Critical Path Method (CPM), and the Project Evaluation Review Technique (PERT). The Gantt chart was initially called a bar chart, but the name was later changed to Gantt after its creator, Henri Gantt. This chart graphically represents the duration of tasks across a timescale, showing the start and finish dates. If you want to illustrate the length of time a project or an individual task will take, you use the Gantt chart. CPM is a scheduling system created by the Dupont Corporation. It is the foundation of all modern project management software. CPM calculates the duration of a project based on the WWP Training Page 8

9 Project Management Basics duration and relationships of each task. Tasks are defined as critical or non-critical. Tasks on the critical path (critical tasks) determine the completion date of the project. Critical tasks must be completed on time or the project will be delayed. Non-critical tasks have slack time, which means there is flexibility in the finish time of the task. A delay in a non-critical task will not cause a delay in the project. As changes to the project are made, however, noncritical tasks could become critical. PERT was developed by Lockheed in conjunction with the US Navy and used on the Polaris Missile Project. This scheduling system originally calculated expected durations. The MS Project 2010 Network Diagram view (previously called a PERT chart) graphically displays task relationships, showing you which tasks are dependent upon the completion of other tasks. Both the above techniques are described as Network Planning Techniques and are used to establish the minimum time necessary to complete a project. The calculations to be performed are relatively simple and can be carried out manually. However a computer can perform the calculations far more conveniently and quickly and can take account of complicating factors such as the availability of resources and nonworking time. In order to find the minimum time necessary to complete a project, it is necessary to identify the sequence of tasks with the greatest combined duration. This sequence of tasks is known as the critical path, and therefore network analysis is often called Critical Path Analysis (CPA) or the Critical Path Method (CPM). There may be more than one critical path through a network. Tasks on the critical path are only critical in the sense of time. The result of delaying any task on the critical path will be to delay all subsequent critical tasks, thus increasing the total duration of the project. Often project success is based on completing on time and therefore critical tasks act as a focus to what is important. To calculate the critical path for a project it is necessary to: Break the project down into its constituent tasks Link the tasks together in a logical sequence Estimate the duration of each task Total the duration of each path through the network of tasks Identify the resultant critical tasks which have no spare time Quantify the spare time, or slack, available to tasks on other paths Precedence Networks (Network Diagram or PERT Chart) A network is a diagrammatic representation of the tasks and dependencies within a project. The earliest type of network diagram was called an Activity on Arrow network and each task was depicted as an arrow on the diagram. This technique, although still used, is less popular than the Precedence network method, which is easier to understand. In the precedence network each task is drawn as a box or rectangle. The logical link or dependency between two successive tasks is shown as a line with an arrow, drawn from left to right. WWP Training Page 9

10 Project Management Basics Task B Task E Task A Task C Task F Task D Types of Dependency Precedence Network Example Most links between tasks are of the Finish-to-Start type. That is to say, for the later task (Successor) to start it must wait for the earlier task (Predecessor) to finish. Even then, it may be necessary to wait before the later task can start, if there is a lag (duration for the dependency) between the tasks. For example, you cannot unit test a programme until you have written it, so this is a Finish-to-Start dependency. A B Finish-to-Start Dependency Example A Start-to-Start dependency means that the later task (Successor) can start once the earlier task (Predecessor) has started. It there is a delay between linked tasks it is called, a lag. This is then defined as the minimum necessary lapse of time between the start or finish of the earlier task and the start or finish of the later task. Lags in MS Project can also be expressed as a percentage of the Predecessor s duration. A Predecessor SS 1-day lag A B SS 1-day lag B Successor Start-to-Start Example (with 1 day lag) A Finish-to-Finish dependency means that the later task (Successor) cannot finish until the earlier task (Predecessor) has finished. WWP Training Page 10

11 Project Management Basics A Predecessor FF 1-day lag A B FF 1-day lag B Successor Finish-to-Finish Example (with 1 day lag) There is a fourth type of dependency called a Start-to-Finish but this is rarely used in practise. Critical Path Analysis Critical path analysis is the process of calculating the earliest and latest dates at which each task may occur. The calculation takes place in two parts. The forward pass calculates the earliest start and finish dates for each task, and therefore indicates the total time in which the project may be completed by working As Soon As Possible. The backward pass works backward from the newly found project end date; it calculates the latest start and finish dates for each task, ie. working As Late As Possible. Critical tasks are those that are found to have identical early and late start and finish dates. Critical path analysis is a straightforward calculation to perform. It can be done manually, but is usually done by computer. Early project planning packages ran special batch programs to time analyse the project data. Modern computer programs like Project can reanalyse the entire project every time data is entered or updated on the screen. It may however be better to only perform critical path analysis (Calculate) on request for larger projects, and this option is catered for. Critical Path Analysis Example As we have said, critical tasks cannot be delayed without affecting all subsequent tasks and thus the end date of the project. However, the majority of tasks are not usually critical. Their start can be delayed to an extent without causing an overall delay in the project. Evidently, they cannot be indefinitely delayed without having an adverse effect on project completion. It is therefore important to know what constitutes an acceptable delay for these tasks. Project calls this Total Slack. The slack is the total time available for a task, less the WWP Training Page 11

12 Project Management Basics time required (the estimated duration) Task B Task E Task A Task C Task F Task D Early Start (ES) Duration Late Start (LS) Total Slack Name Early Finish (EF) Late Finish (LF) This can easily be calculated, as it is equal to the difference between the early and late dates calculated during the forward and backward passes, i.e. LS ES or LF EF. The term Free Slack is used to describe the amount of time by which a non-critical task can slip without affecting any other task. Date Constraints These are dates that are imposed due to external considerations. Typically, a project must be completed by a given date (Finish No Later Than), or we must cater for the availability of a key resource, and start using it as soon as it becomes available (Must Start On or Start No Earlier Than constraint). Imposing finish dates can lead to a situation where it is impossible to schedule tasks to finish before the must finish date. They then become hypercritical, and the slack is calculated as a negative value. The amount of negative slack is the duration by which critical tasks must then be reduced to achieve the imposed finish date. SLACK As Soon As Possible DELAY As Late As Possible (ALAP) DATE Constrained (Start No Earlier Than) DATE Constrained (Must Start On) Gantt Chart ~ Constraints Example WWP Training Page 12

13 Project Management Basics Gantt Charts The Gantt Chart is possibly the simplest picture of the tasks that make up a project. In fact, many people plan their work using a Gantt Chart without realising what it is. The Gantt Chart is simply a horizontal bar chart showing some or all of the tasks that make up a project. The horizontal axis shows elapsed time, often defined as calendar days, weeks or months. The vertical axis shows a sequence of tasks, usually but not necessarily, in order of start date. The left-hand end of each bar drawn shows the start of the task, the right-hand end shows the task finish, and the length of the bar indicates the duration of the task. By default Project schedules all tasks between their early start and early finish dates as it uses the As Soon As Possible constraint. Notice that the tables simply use the terms Start and Finish to reflect the position the task is scheduled. Therefore by changing a task to As Late As Possible the Gantt bar is moved later and the start and finish dates change, providing of course that you change a task that has slack. The default Project Gantt Chart does not show the critical tasks or slack, but this can easily be added with the help of the Gantt Chart Wizard. Traditional Gantt Charts did not show the links or dependency between Gantt bar (shown on Network diagram) however, MS Project uses a linked Gantt chart by default. (Link can be formatted to not display as well) Task A Task B Task C Task D Task E Task F C ritical N on-critical Slack RESOURCE MANAGEMENT There are many reasons why a time schedule can prove to be unrealistic, but the most common is that tasks that are scheduled to run in parallel cannot in fact happen simultaneously. Often the reason for such problems is that there are not enough resources to carry out all the tasks, which could be in progress at any one time. The term resource is typically used to represent anything required to perform an activity other than time and money. This encompasses reusable resources, such as people and equipment, as well as consumable resources such as materials. There are four main stages involved in dealing with resources. Define the resources availability and costs Resource Allocation (or Assignments) Resource Aggregation Optimisation WWP Training Page 13

14 Project Management Basics The first step to allocating resources on a project is to define which resources, and what amount of these resources, are required to complete each task. Resource Allocation Deciding the amount of resources could be based on feedback from time sheets or work measurement data (if it is available). Typically the estimate is based upon your experience, although where possible it is useful to get input from the people who will actually be doing the work. This helps develop a commitment to the plan. Two key rules should be applied at this stage: Assume an ideal world Do not use excessive detail Assuming an ideal world may not come naturally, however, what you must do in your initial estimates is look at each activity in isolation and indicate who you would prefer to do this activity and how much effort would be required. When the plan is complete and analysed you find that you do not live in an ideal world and there are conflicts, which need to be resolved. Excessive detail in resource allocation is a common cause of disillusionment with project plans. If you include tasks which are only one or two hours long then reviewing and updating these tasks will need to occur on a daily basis. The overhead in maintaining the plan then becomes a significant part of your day. The key is to clearly identify the level of details appropriate to your project. With Project, you can use flexible scheduling techniques to determine how long tasks will take to complete and to model how resources work on tasks. The default option is Effort Driven scheduling which simply means that as you add additional resources the work estimate, i.e. total hours, will not change but the duration will shorten. Project uses the following calculation when working with resources Duration x No. of Resources (units) x Hrs/day = Work There are other options including selections for Fixed Units, Fixed Work or Fixed Duration, which act in combination with the Effort Driven option. Also, you should consider whether the assignment is contoured. (e.g. More effort is put in at the beginning and less towards the end) or at a constant flat rate. Avoid entering excessive amounts of detail; remember the objective is to improve the quality and accuracy of your plan. A pragmatic approach would be to enter the most important or scarce resources first, and if necessary resolve any conflicts that occur. The other resources can then be added to the plan if required, in the knowledge that the real resource issues have already been resolved. Resource Aggregation Having allocated resources to tasks, and time-analysed the project, we can calculate the total demand for each resource with tasks scheduled As Soon As Possible. A visual way to doing this is to draw a Resource Graph (resource histogram), underneath the Gantt Chart. In the example below, if we consider the allocation of a resource (labourer, bricklayer, project leader, programmer etc) to the tasks shown. Then by aggregation we can see on days 4 and 5 that 1.5 resources are required. That would be fine if we have 1.5 or 2 resources available but what if we do not? It is apparent that we are temporarily short of resources. WWP Training Page 14

15 Project Management Basics T a s k A T a s k B T a s k C T a s k D T a s k E S l a c k 1 R E S O U R C E G R A P H M a x A v a il a b l e Generally, small degrees of resource overload for short periods (one or two days) are probably not worth worrying too much about, as our estimates almost certainly contain a degree of inaccuracy themselves. However, if it is obvious that we are woefully underresourced, we will need to think about revising the work schedule as appropriate. Resource Optimisation The optimisation of resources can be affected by delaying some or all assigned tasks so that workload does not exceed the resources availability. This process is known as levelling one of Project s calculation options. Time or Resource Constrained It is important to decide whether the project should be time constrained, in which case achieving deadlines is priority number one, or resource constrained, in which case you cannot make more resources available. If you must adhere to deadlines, and also work within a resource budget, then you can only resolve resource shortfalls by reducing the amount of work to be carried out. In the worst case, a competent project plan is the best possible means of proving to management that you cannot possibly do what they ask with the means at your disposal. If the project is time constrained, tasks can be delayed with the aim of reducing the amount of resource overloading, while remaining within the deadlines imposed. In fact they are Levelled only within available slack, which is the option you select for this process with Project. WWP Training Page 15

16 Project Management Basics Task A Task B Task C Task D Task E De lay 1 De lay RESOURCE GRAPH M ax Available Resource Smoothing (Time Limited) Alternatively, if the project is resource constrained, tasks are delayed so as to remain within the resources availability, while minimising the resultant delay to the overall project deadline. This process is called levelling. Task A Task B Task C Task D Task E Delay 1 RESOURCE GRAPH Max Available Other Optimisation Techniques Resource Levelling (Resource Limited) It is a common fallacy to believe that you automatically shorten the duration of a task by simply applying more resource to it. In the majority of cases this is not so. Among project planners, a common saying is that you cannot produce a baby in one month with nine women. Considered another way; it should be apparent that if two mechanics take two hours to service a car, it does not follow that you can do it in half an hour with eight mechanics. The fact is that they would get in each other s way, and probably require someone else to co-ordinate the whole exercise. Review task duration WWP Training Page 16

17 Project Management Basics If a task has float, then extend the duration of the task by assigning the resource to work part-time (50% allocation). This releases the resource to work on another task at the same time. Alternatively you may need to add an assistant to work on a task to complete the task more quickly. Re-allocate existing resources Compare the histograms of people with similar skills. It may be evident that tasks can be re-allocated to other people who are not busy at the time the conflicts are shown. Increase resources available The most common method of increasing resources is to work overtime, although this may be unpopular and expensive. Alternatively if the demand is there it may be opportune to directly employ more staff or contract out some of the work. Review network logic You may wish to commence some tasks earlier than scheduled. Review the logic that controls the tasks it may be that the ideal constraints could be overcome and a different logic adopted. Split activities Consider interrupting non-critical tasks to make the resource available for critical tasks. Beware it is not practical to split all activities. Re-assess the task Firstly it may be necessary to review if a task has to be completed at all, that is, review project objectives. Secondly look at other ways of performing the task, using faster machinery, software development tools and so on. Whatever techniques you employ do not expect the computer to solve your resource problems for you. The best it can do is display the problems more clearly, you have to overcome them. WWP Training Page 17

18 LESSON 1 - MICROSOFT PROJECT 2010 OVERVIEW In this lesson, you will learn how to: Start Microsoft Project Use the interface WWP Training Page 18

19 Microsoft Project 2010 Overview INTRODUCTION Microsoft Project 2010 is a complete project management package. You can use it to organize a plan, schedule tasks, assign resources and costs to tasks, adjust the plan to satisfy constraints, monitor actual performance, revise the plan to meet contingencies, and prepare reports to communicate the plan and keep everyone informed regarding its current status. USING THE INTERFACE In order to work in Microsoft Project, you must first start Windows and then launch the Microsoft Project programme. When you launch Microsoft Project, the application window opens along with a new project file window. The Microsoft Project 2010 window contains the application title bar and window control buttons, the Ribbon, the Timeline, the status bar, the Zoom Bar and View Shortcut buttons. The project window contains your project data; Gantt Chart view is the default for all new projects. Tabs Title Bar Window control buttons Ribbon Timeline Split Bar Entry Table Gantt Chart View Shortcuts Status Bar Microsoft Project 2010 start-up screen showing the Gantt Chart View The Ribbon, located under the application Title Bar, allows you to access various commands grouped by function. The Ribbon can be customised to include additional commands, groups and tabs. Zoom Bar WWP Training Page 19

20 Microsoft Project 2010 Overview The Quick Access Toolbar, located in the top right-hand corner of the application window, provide shortcuts to Ribbon commands and can be customised to include more buttons, or change its location to below the Ribbon. The Quick Access Toolbar For new files created in Project 2010, the Timeline, is automatically displayed above most views. This shows a concise overview of the whole schedule. Otherwise, users can turn on the timeline view manually. Users can add tasks to the timeline, print it, or paste it into an e- mail message for an easy-to-view project summary. The Status Bar, located at the bottom of the application window, provides information about the current operation, and if a mode is enabled or disabled. The working area automatically opens as a view split into two panes - the Gantt Chart view. The left pane (the Entry Table) displays fields arranged in columns in which you can enter task information. Initially, you will only see a portion of the information in the left pane; however, you can widen the pane to see all the information it contains. The ID field is the first column from the left that contains numbers that Microsoft Project assigns to each task. The next column from the left is the Indicators field, which displays icons representing information about a task or resource, such as the task type. If you point to an indicator, a ToolTip containing information about the task and indicator appears. The next column from the left is the Task Name field, in which you can enter task names. The next column is the Duration field, in which you can enter the length of a task in minute, hour, day, week, or month increments. The final two columns that appear as default are Start and Finish. These columns can be used for typing in the dates of your tasks (manually scheduled). Alternatively, by auto scheduling the tasks, the Start and Finish columns show dates that have been calculated out by Project when you create relationships between tasks. The right pane (the Gantt Chart) displays a timescale and, after you enter information in the left pane, it displays a graphic representation of this information. While the Gantt Chart view is the default view, you can change the view in the work area at any time to display or enter different information for a project. If you have a wheel mouse, you can scroll through the Ribbon tabs by holding the mouse pointer over it and turning the wheel. CUSTOMISING THE QUICK ACCESS TOOLBAR The Quick Access Toolbar gives buttons that provide shortcuts for your frequently used commands. By default, it shows buttons for Save, Undo and Redo but you can add more. When you point to an item on the toolbar, a ToolTip appears giving a description and the shortcut keystroke for the command. You can reposition the Quick Access Toolbar so that is displays below the Ribbon. This makes it a little quicker to get to from the work area. WWP Training Page 20

21 Microsoft Project 2010 Overview You can add or remove buttons to/from the Quick Access Toolbar using the small downarrow at its right-hand side (Customize Quick Access Toolbar) or you can right-click it and select Customize Quick Access Toolbar. Procedures 1. Click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar drop arrow. 2. Select a command to add. 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for other commands on the list. 4. To remove a button, right click the button and select Remove from Quick Access Toolbar. 5. To relocate the Quick Access Toolbar below the Ribbon, right click anywhere over it and select Show Quick Access Toolbar Below the Ribbon. WWP Training Page 21

22 LESSON 2 - STARTING A PROJECT In this lesson you will learn how to: Add a nonworking day Change the working hours Save a project Close a project Open an existing project Exit Microsoft Project WWP Training Page 22

23 Starting a Project SPECIFYING A PROJECT START DATE Before you start to record information in Microsoft Project, it is advisable to enter some preliminary data, such as the planned start or finish date of the project. When completing the project information in the Project Information dialog box, you can schedule a project forward or backward. Scheduling forward means that you enter a start date for a project. The durations of the tasks that you then enter determine the finish date. Scheduling backward means that you enter a finish date for the project. It is recommended that you schedule from a start date because when you schedule from a finish date, Microsoft Project is unable to adjust the start date of tasks based upon resource constraints (known as leveling ). In addition, if using Auto Scheduling, scheduling from the project finish date schedules tasks to start as late as possible. When you start a project, you can also select a calendar. A calendar defines the work schedule as well as nonworking time, such as weekends and holidays. Microsoft Project offers three calendars by default; however, you can create your own calendars as needed. If you do not choose a calendar, the project will default to the Standard calendar, which designates eight-hour workdays and weekends as non-working time. You can also set a project priority, which is helpful when you are working with multiple project files. The priority can be set from 0 through 1000, with 1000 indicating a project of the highest priority. To start a new project, you can select the File tab and then click the New command. Select Blank Project and click the Create button. By default, the title bar displays Project1, Project2, etc. as the name of a new project until you save it with a new name. If you are working with multiple projects, each project opens in its own window. You can use the taskbar to quickly switch between open projects. The Project Information dialog box WWP Training Page 23

24 Starting a Project Procedures 1. Select the Project tab. 2. Click the Project Information command in the Properties group. 3. Click the Schedule from drop list. 4. Select the desired scheduling option (Project Start Date recommended). 5. Enter the start or finish date as appropriate. 6. Click OK. ADDING A NONWORKING DAY By default, the project calendar defines the standard working days (Monday to Friday) and nonworking days (Saturday and Sunday) for a project. The default calendar has no holidays, so you must enter the appropriate holidays as Exceptions. It is very important to mark all applicable nonworking days because durations are calculated according to this calendar. In all views, nonworking days are identified with grey shading. Procedures The Change Working Time dialog box 1. Select the Project tab. 2. Click the Change Working Time command in the Properties group. WWP Training Page 24

25 Starting a Project 3. Type a description (eg. Bank Holiday) for the nonworking day(s) in the first row of the Name column of the Exceptions tab. 4. Enter the date(s) of the nonworking day(s) in the Start and/or Finish columns. 5. Click OK. You can also select the non-working day(s) in the calendar, click into the first column of the Exceptions list and type a descriptive name for the selected non-working day and press Enter. The date will be automatically added to the Start and Finish columns. For nonworking days that occur on a regular basis (eg. certain Bank Holidays), you can click the Details button and set a recurrence pattern and range. To remove an Exception from the project calendar, select it in the list and click the Delete button. WWP Training Page 25

26 Starting a Project CHANGING THE DEFAULT WORKING HOURS In Microsoft Project, the default project calendar, called the Standard calendar, defines the standard working hours for all projects. The default working hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday, with an hour starting at noon for lunch. You can modify the default working hours to reflect the actual working hours for an entire project. You can also specify the length of the workday. For example, if the standard working hours at your company are 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM with an hour for lunch, you may need to adjust the project calendar. Procedures 1. Select the Project menu. 2. Click the Change Working Time command in the Properties group. 3. Click the Work Weeks tab. 4. Select [Default] in the Name column. 5. Click the Details button. 6. Select the day(s) that you want to change the times for (you can use the CTRL or SHIFT key to select multiple days). 7. Select the Set day(s) to these specific working times option button. 8. Enter the appropriate Start and End times for the selected days. 9. Click OK. 10. Click OK. WWP Training Page 26

27 Starting a Project CHANGING NON DEFAULT TIMES Project 2010 allows you to specify different working hours for individual periods of time. For example, perhaps your working week includes Saturdays and/or Sundays. Or there may be a particular week in the project when work is only possible in the mornings; you may wish, therefore, to adjust the times for this week in order for Project to schedule the tasks into the correct times available to do them. Procedures 1. Select the Project tab. 2. Click the Change Working Time command in the Properties group. 3. Click the Work Weeks tab. 4. Click in the Name column underneath [Default]. 5. Type a description (eg. Mornings only) for the time period. 6. Enter the dates for the period in question in the Start and Finish columns. 7. Click the Details button. 8. Select the day(s) that you want to change the times for (you can use the CTRL or SHIFT key to select multiple days). 9. Select the Set day(s) to these specific work times option button. 10. Enter the appropriate Start and End times for the selected days. 11. Click OK. 12. Click OK. HOW LONG IS A DAY? Project uses hours as a base unit for most of its calculations. When you enter durations into your project plan, Project converts them as follows: I day = 8 hours 1 week = 40 hours 1 month = 20 days (160 hours) If you have changed your project s default working hours, as detailed in a previous topic of this lesson, to anything that does not add up to an 8 hour day, a 40 hour week or a 20 day month, you must let Project know. Failing to do this will result in the task durations that you enter not fitting as expected into the calendar s working times and hence, not looking right on the Gantt Chart. WWP Training Page 27

28 Starting a Project Similarly, if you change the start time of your project s default working day to anything different to an 8:00am start and/or a 5:00pm finish, you must also let Project know or your Gantt Bars will look wrong by not fitting as expected into the start and/or end of each day. For example, you have set your project s default work week as follows: Monday Saturday: 9:00am to 5:30pm This adds up to a 7.5 hour day, 37.5 hour week (taking a 1-hour lunch break into account) and a 24 day month. You should, therefore, enter these hours and days together with the 9:00am start and the 17:30pm end in Schedule pane of Project Options under Calendar options for this project. Procedures 1. Select the Project tab in the Properties group. 2. Click the Change Working Time command in the Properties group. 3. Click the Options button at the bottom of the dialog box. 4. Under Calendar options for this project: enter the Default start time so that it matches the time entered for the default work week. 5. Enter the Default end time so that it matches the time entered for the default work week. 6. Enter the hours per day; this should match the length of the days that you entered in the default work week. 7. Enter the hours per week; this should match the length of the week that you entered in the default work week. 8. Enter the days per month; this should match the length of the week that you entered in the default work week (measured in days) multiplied by Click OK. 10. Click OK. WWP Training Page 28

29 Starting a Project SAVING A PROJECT When you start Microsoft Project 2010, it assigns the first blank project file a default name of Project1. This file name appears in the title bar followed by the name under which the software is registered. Each time you create a new file during the same session, the name changes to Project2, Project3, and so on. You can later change the default name to a name that represents the project. When you save the project under a new name, the title bar changes to reflect that name. The first time you save a project, the Save As dialog box opens. You can enter a file name and use the Save in list to specify where you want to store the project. The layout and appearance of this dialog box will vary depending on which version of Windows you are using (XP, Vista or Windows 7). All Microsoft Project 2010 files are saved with a.mpp extension. The Save As dialog box only opens the first time you save a file. After that, when you use the Save feature, the file is saved automatically, overwriting the current file. If you want to change the name of a project later, you can select the File tab, click the Save As command and save a copy of the file with a different name. You can set save options, such as specifying the default version and location in which to store project files and enable the AutoSave feature in the Save pane of the Options dialog box. To open this dialog box, select the File tab and click the Options button. Although Microsoft Project 2010 can open Project 2007, 2003, 2002 and 2000 files directly, when you go to save one, Project 2010 gives you the option of saving it in the new file format or keeping it in the original. If you decide to save it in the original format, you will lose new features of Project 2010 such as, change highlighting, task drivers information and cell background colours. Procedures 1. Click the Save button on the Quick Access Toolbar or select the File tab, Save command. 2. Enter the desired file name. 3. Depending on the Windows version being used, navigate to the location (drive\folder) on your computer system where you wish to store the file. 4. Click Save. WWP Training Page 29

30 Starting a Project CLOSING A PROJECT When you have finished working in a project file, you can close it. If you have made changes to the file without saving them, Microsoft Project will prompt you to save the changes before closing the file. You can save the changes at this point or close the file without saving the changes. Procedures 1. Select the File tab. 2. Click the Close command at the left. OPENING AN EXISTING PROJECT Before you can view or edit a project file, you need to open it. You can work with one project at a time or open multiple projects when necessary. It is a good idea, however, to only open any necessary projects to enable Microsoft Project to run more efficiently. In the Open dialog box, you can open an existing project by selecting the desired file from a list or by entering the name of the file you want to open. When you open the Open dialog box, you may need to select the drive or folder where the file resides. How to do this will vary depending on which version of Windows you are using. In addition to opening Microsoft Project 2010 files, you can also open project files created in Microsoft Project 2007, 2003, 2002 (XP), Files created in Project 98 cannot be opened directly unless you enable the option as follows: Select the File tab. Click Options. Open the Trust Center pane. Click the Trust Center Settings... button. Select the Legacy Formats pane. Select one of the following options: o Prompt when loading files with legacy or non default file format o Allow loading files with legacy or non default file format You cannot, however, open files from a version earlier than 98, such as 4.1, 4.0 or 3.0. WWP Training Page 30

31 Starting a Project You can open a recently opened file by selecting its name from the Recent command of the File tab. This lists recently used folders as well as recently used files. Click the pushpin next to a file name or folder to always keep it at the top of the list. You can set Microsoft Project to automatically open the last project file you on which were working when you start the program. To enable this, select the File tab menu, click the Options command, select the Advanced pane and select the Open last file on startup check box under General. Then click OK. Procedures 1. Select the File tab. 2. Click the Open command. 3. Navigate to the location on your file system where the project file is stored. 4. Select the name of the project you want to open. 5. Click Open. EXITING MICROSOFT PROJECT When you have finished working with Microsoft Project, you should exit the program in the proper manner. If you have made changes to an open project without saving them, you will be prompted to save the changes when you exit the program. You can save the changes and then exit the program or exit the program without saving the changes. You can also exit Microsoft Project by clicking the Close button at the top right of the application window title bar. Procedures 1. Select the File tab. 2. Click the Exit command. WWP Training Page 31

32 LESSON 3 WORKING WITH AUTO SCHEDULED TASKS In this lesson you will learn to: Understand tasks and durations Enter Auto Scheduled tasks and durations Edit Auto Scheduled task names and durations Work with change highlighting Enter a milestone task WWP Training Page 32

33 Working with Auto-Scheduled Tasks OVERVIEW OF TASKS AND DURATIONS Tasks A project is made up of tasks. A task is an essential job or operation that should be finished in order to complete a project. Most tasks are assigned a duration, which is the length of time it takes to complete a task. The exceptions to this are milestone tasks that normally have a zero duration. Tasks can occur in sequence, or they can stand alone. Microsoft Project uses the tasks along with their associated durations and relationships to determine the overall length of a project. You can use the Task Sheet in the Gantt Chart view (the default view) to quickly create a task list. After creating tasks, you can edit, move, and delete them, as well as insert new tasks in the task list. You can create relationships between tasks to specify how they are dependent upon one another. Additionally, you can create recurring tasks, sort and filter tasks and apply constraints or deadlines to them. On the Task Sheet, you will see an Indicator column at the left. The indicator column displays icons that provide information about the associated task, eg. notes and/or whether there is a hyperlink or constraint set on the task. You read the information in a ToolTip, a small label that appears when you hover the mouse pointer over the icon(s). Indicator icons and associated ToolTip Information about tasks also appears in the form of In-cell Indicators and Options Buttons. In-cell Indicators present themselves as small, green triangles in the top left-hand corner of a cell. When you hover the mouse pointer over one of these, an Option Button appears to the left of the cell giving alternatives to a recently executed action. The In-cell Indicator and associated Option Button will remain available for as long as its listed actions can be carried out. They do not appear on printouts. In-cell Indicator and associated Option Button with menu Indicator and Option Button preferences can be set using Options in the File tab. Open the Display pane and pick preferences under Show indicators and options buttons for:. WWP Training Page 33

34 Working with Auto-Scheduled Tasks Durations When you enter a task in Microsoft Project, you can also enter the duration of the task. The duration is the time needed to complete that task. You can enter the duration as you enter each task name, or you can enter all the tasks and then enter the durations later. As you enter tasks, Microsoft Project will enter a default duration of one day if you do not enter the duration. A question mark (?) follows the default duration to indicate that this is an estimated duration and may not be accurate. If you enter a number without a unit of duration, Microsoft Project will add days after the unit. You can specify a duration by entering the letter m for minute, the letter h for hour, the letter d for day, the letter w for week, or the letters mo for months. In addition, if you are unsure of the duration, you can type a question mark (?) after the duration to indicate that it is an estimate. When you enter a duration, you should keep in mind that Microsoft Project schedules tasks to occur only on working days (Monday through Friday, by default). A duration of one week (1w) equals five working days and a duration of seven days (7d) equals one week of five business days, plus two business days in the following week. A seven day task would appear as nine days long on the Gantt chart because it includes two nonworking days (Saturday and Sunday, by default). In addition to weekend days, any other nonworking days, such as a holiday or vacation, are skipped when tasks are scheduled. You can also indicate elapsed time for a task. Elapsed time represents both the working and nonworking time between the start of a task and the end of the task. If you enter an elapsed duration, Microsoft Project enters a fixed duration for the task, scheduled through the nonworking days defined by the project calendar. You can indicate elapsed time by entering the letter e before the unit of duration, such as 2ed for two elapsed days. This feature is helpful for a task such as drying paint. If it takes 48 hours to dry, the elapsed time would be 2ed, which equals two days of 24 hours, compared with 2d, which equals two days of eight hours or 16 hours total. ENTERING AUTO SCHEDULED TASKS The default setting in all new Project 2010 projects is Manually Scheduled. To set the project to Auto Schedule, you must select Auto Schedule as the "Mode" before entering any tasks. If any manually scheduled tasks have already been entered into the project, and you want to change them to Auto Schedule, you must also select them and click Auto Schedule in the Tasks group of the Tasks tab.. WWP Training Page 34

35 Working with Auto-Scheduled Tasks Alternatively (if you have the Task Mode column displayed), you can select Auto Schedule from the drop-down list or even double click the tasks select Auto Schedule in the General tab of the Task Information dialog box. If, however, you have opened a project that was created in a previous version of Microsoft Project, tasks will already be set to Auto Schedule. This is because manual scheduling was not possible in previous versions of Project and because the file opens in Compatibility Mode, you will not be able to change the Mode anyway.. You can change the default for all new projects to Auto Schedule by selecting Options in the File tab, opening the Schedule pane, selecting All New Projects next to Scheduling options for this project: and selecting Auto Schedule in the New tasks created: drop down list.. Microsoft Project does not demand that you have all the necessary information available when entering a task. You may choose to add only the task name, the task name and duration, or any combination of the task name and other associated information. You can enter tasks in the Gantt Chart view, which is the default view. If several consecutive tasks have the same information, such as the same duration, you can use the Fill feature to enter the information. To use this feature, select the field containing the information you want to copy and then point to the lower right corner of the field until the mouse pointer changes to a black cross. Then, drag the Fill handle up or down as necessary to complete the task information. You can also select other fill commands by selecting the Tasks tab and selecting an option from the Fill command in the Edit group. Remember that durations are scheduled on working days. Therefore, if you enter seven days (7d), Microsoft Project schedules the tasks for seven business days (or one week of five business days plus two business days in the following week). To enter five or ten business days at one time, you can enter a duration of one week (1w) or two weeks (2w), respectively. WWP Training Page 35

36 Working with Auto-Scheduled Tasks Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view, if necessary. 2. Select the first empty field in the Task Name column. 3. Type a task name. 4. Select the corresponding field in the Duration column. 5. Enter a duration for the task. 6. Press [Enter]. EDITING TASK NAMES Entering tasks and durations You can edit tasks by replacing the current entry or by editing portions of an entry. To replace an entire entry, you can select the field containing the entry and type the new entry. To edit only portions of an entry, you can: use in-cell editing. Using in-cell editing, you simply select the field, pause for a second or two and then click again to place a cursor in-between the text. You can also select a cell and press the F2 key on the keyboard to add a cursor at the right of the cell text. double-click the cell to open the Task Information dialog box. The task name and/or duration of the task can be edited in any of the tabs. Use the "Entry Bar." This displayed by default in earlier versions of Project but now has to be enabled in the Display pane of the Options dialog box.. Using the Entry Bar to edit a task name WWP Training Page 36

37 Working with Auto-Scheduled Tasks You can also select a task by clicking its corresponding Gantt bar in the Gantt Chart view. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view, if necessary. 2. Select the field containing the entry you want to change. 3. Type the new entry. 4. Press [Enter]. 5. To use in-cell editing, select the field containing the entry. 6. Press [F2] to put the field in edit mode. 7. Edit the entry as desired. 8. Press [Enter]. 9. To edit an entry in the Entry Bar (if displayed), select the field containing the entry. 10. Select the text you want to edit in the Entry Bar. 11. Enter the new text. 12. Press [Enter]. CHANGE HIGHLIGHTING Change Highlighting provides quick visibility of changes to your project's scheduling data. As you plan your project and modify the task information, the resulting changes are highlighted, so that you can quickly see what dates are altered as a result of changes to another task. If the changes aren't desirable for your project, you can easily undo them and restore the previous data. Cells highlighted to show changes following an edit to a task duration Change Highlighting can be disabled/enabled by adding a custom tab and command to the Ribbon. WWP Training Page 37

38 Working with Auto-Scheduled Tasks ENTERING A MILESTONE TASK A milestone task indicates that a goal should be reached in a particular phase of a project, such as Begin Planning. Since a milestone task marks an event or progress in your project, it is not allotted a specific duration. Instead, you designate a task as a milestone by entering a duration of zero days for the task. A milestone task is shown on the Gantt chart as a filled, diamond shape with the date of the task beside it. You enter a milestone task just as you do other tasks. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Insert a new task where you want to enter the milestone task. 3. Click into the Task Name column for the new tasks. 4. Enter a name for the milestone task. 5. Select the Duration field. 6. Enter a duration of 0 days for the milestone task and press [Enter]. 7. Create or adjust links as necessary. Or 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Insert a new task where you want to enter the milestone task. 3. Select the Task tab on the Ribbon. 4. Click Milestone in the Insert group. 5. Enter a name for the milestone task. 6. Create or adjust links as necessary. WWP Training Page 38

39 LESSON 4 WORKING WITH MANUALLY SCHEDULED TASKS In this lesson you will learn to: Understand and enter manually scheduled tasks Edit manually scheduled tasks Convert manually scheduled tasks to auto scheduled Link manually scheduled tasks WWP Training Page 39

40 Working with Manually Scheduled Tasks MANUALLY SCHEDULING TASKS Project 2010 introduces a new mode that gives users complete control over how tasks are scheduled manual scheduling (a.k.a. user controlled scheduling). With manual scheduling, changes to factors such as task dependencies, constraints, and project calendars do not automatically adjust task dates. Note: Manual scheduling was not supported in previous versions of Microsoft Project. Hence, files created in a previous version of Project cannot be manually scheduled when opened in Project To manually schedule a project created in an older version of Microsoft Project, you must carry out a Save As command and select Project (*.mpp) from the Save as type: drop down list. Pre Project 2010 file opened in Compatibility Mode showing Manually Schedule command disabled From a user perspective, manual scheduling is much like planning a project in Excel or entering appointments and To-Dos in Outlook. Tasks are typed in freeform and dates and/or durations entered as desired. In the manual scheduling mode, tasks can even be entered on an ad hoc basis without durations, start dates or end dates. A project plan containing manually scheduled tasks WWP Training Page 40

41 Working with Manually Scheduled Tasks The same project containing auto scheduled tasks This method of working will suit users who wish to use Microsoft Project as a simple calendar to display against a timescale, when tasks get done. It is also of use to more experienced project managers who initially wish to capture all of the high-level (and possibly vague) information for their project with "placeholder tasks", and eventually transform these into a well-structured, presentable plan. When manually scheduled tasks are entered without a start or finish date, Project schedules them to start at the beginning of the project (as defined in the Project Information dialog box see page 23) and colours them (by default) light blue and white to indicate that they have not yet been given start and/or finish dates and durations. Once start and/or finish dates have been confirmed, they are coloured (by default) in teal. Manually scheduled tasks with no dates The same tasks after they have been given dates In Project 2010, tasks are manually scheduled by default. Project managers who are accustomed to automatic scheduling with past versions of Project can turn off the manual scheduling feature for specific tasks or for the entire project. Working with Auto Scheduled tasks is covered fully in Lesson 3 on page 34 and Lesson 5 on page 48. Procedure 1. Enter tasks into the Task Name column of the Task Sheet as described in the previous lesson. 2. Enter a start date for the tasks in the Start column of the Task Sheet. 3. Enter a finish date for the tasks in the Finish column of the Task Sheet Or 1. Enter tasks into the Task Name column of the Task Sheet as described in the previous lesson. 2. Enter a duration for the tasks, Project will calculate the relevant start or finish date. WWP Training Page 41

42 Working with Manually Scheduled Tasks EDITING MANUALLY SCHEDULED TASKS You can edit manually scheduled tasks by replacing the current entry in the Task Sheet, editing portions of an entry or, in the case of dates and durations, clicking and dragging task bars on the Gantt Chart. To replace an entire entry, you can select the field containing the entry and type the new entry. To edit only portions of an entry, you can: use in-cell editing. Using in-cell editing, you simply select the field, pause for a second or two and then click again to place a cursor in-between the text. You can also select a cell and press the F2 key on the keyboard to add a cursor at the right of the cell text; double-click the cell to open the Task Information dialog box. The task name, duration and/or start and finish date of the task can be edited in any of the tabs; Use the "Entry Bar." This displayed by default in earlier versions of Project but now has to be enabled in the Display pane of the Options dialog box. To edit the duration and/or dates of a task, you can: hold the mouse pointer over the right-hand edge of a bar on the Gantt Chart until it changes to a shape. Click and drag left to shorten the task duration or click and rag right to lengthen the task duration. A "HelpTip" appears as you click and drag showing the new duration of the task; Lengthening the duration of a task by clicking and dragging hold the mouse pointer over the centre of a task bar on the Gantt Chart until it changes to a shape. Click and drag left to start and finish the tasks sooner or click and drag right to start and finish the tasks later. A "HelpTip" appears as you click and drag showing the dates that you are moving the task onto. Moving a task to start sooner by clicking and dragging WWP Training Page 42

43 Working with Manually Scheduled Tasks CONVERTING AUTO SCHEDULED TASKS TO MANUALLY SCHEDULED If you have been using project to automatically schedule a project, you may sometimes wish to convert some or all of your tasks to manually scheduled. This could be useful to increase flexibility and to ease the scheduling of tasks that are not dependant on others in the project, but that need to be inserted within the existing plan to start and finish on specific dates. It is also useful if you have opened a project that was created in an older version of Microsoft Project and wish to take advantage of Project 2010's manual scheduling features. To ensure that future tasks in the current project are added as manually scheduled, you must select Manually Schedule as the "Mode." If any auto scheduled tasks have already been entered into the project, and you want to change them to Manually Schedule, you must select them and click Manually Schedule in the Tasks group of the Tasks tab. Alternatively (if you have the Task Mode column displayed), you can select Manually Scheduled from the drop-down list or even double click the tasks select Manually Scheduled in the General tab of the Task Information dialog box. Note: If you have opened a project that was created in a previous version of Microsoft Project, you will not able to change the tasks to Manually Scheduled unless you upgrade the file by carrying out a Save As command and select Project (*.mpp) from the Save as type: drop down list. WWP Training Page 43

44 Working with Manually Scheduled Tasks Procedure Change future inserted tasks to Manually Scheduled 1. Ensure the file is in the Project 2010 format. 2. Select the Tasks tab on the Ribbon. 3. Click the Mode command in the Tasks group. 4. Select Manually Scheduled. Change existing tasks to Manually Schedule 1. Ensure the file is in the Project 2010 format. 2. Select the task(s) that you want to change to manually scheduled. 3. Select the Task tab on the Ribbon. 4. Click Manually Schedule in the Tasks group. LINKING MANUALLY SCHEDULED TASKS You can create links between manually scheduled tasks. This can be useful for identifying and clarifying the order in which tasks have to be performed; similar to a flow chart. For example, in a project for developing a new product, it is important for stakeholders to realise that the market research must be carried out before a proposal document is produced. WWP Training Page 44

45 Working with Manually Scheduled Tasks Linking manually scheduled tasks is a mid-way house between auto scheduling and manual scheduling - a hybrid project. Links between tasks come in four types with the most common being the "Finish-to-Start" link. This is used to specify that a task may not start until another one has finished. In the picture below, Disassemble furniture cannot start until Disconnect computers has finished. Furthermore, for the tasks to be carried out in an effective and timely manner, Disassemble furniture must start as soon as possible when Disconnect computers is finished. Linked manually scheduled tasks When two tasks are linked, the one that come first is called the Predecessor and the one that follows it is called the Successor. In the picture above, Disconnect computers is the predecessor of Disassemble furniture and Disassemble furniture is the successor of Disconnect computers. Hence, if you create a Finish-to-Start link between two manually scheduled tasks, and then manually reschedule one of the tasks by moving it or changing its dates, you may end up with a scheduling conflict, ie. an undesirable, impossible or illogical situation caused when one tasks has to be done while another upon which it depends, has not yet finished or is still in progress. Project warns you of scheduling conflicts between linked manually scheduled tasks by "dotting" the top and bottom border of the affected task(s). Scheduling conflict created between two linked, manually scheduled tasks If you wish to correct scheduling conflicts that have been created as described above, you can select the tasks and click the Respect Links command on the Ribbon. This will automatically move the successor task onto the most suitable date. This may however create scheduling conflicts elsewhere, so it is wise to select the entire project when you use the Respect Links command. For further details, explanations and procedures about linking tasks and working with task dependencies, see the following lesson in this book (page 46). Simple Finish-to-Start links can easiest be created between manually scheduled tasks by clicking and dragging from one task bar to another on the Gantt Chart or, by selecting the two tasks in question and clicking the Link Tasks command in the Schedule group of the Task tab on the Ribbon. Procedure 1. Select two or more consecutive tasks that you want to link. 2. Select the Task tab. 3. Click the Link Tasks command in the Schedule group. WWP Training Page 45

46 Working with Manually Scheduled Tasks 4. To break a link, select the linked tasks and click the Unlink Tasks command in the Schedule group. 5. To create a link by clicking and dragging; a. Hold the mouse pointer over the predecessor task bar on the Gantt Chart until it changes to a shape. b. Click and drag onto the bar that you wish to make the successor. The mouse pointer will change to a chain shape as you click and drag. c. Release the mouse button. Linking tasks by clicking and dragging 6. If linked, manually scheduled tasks create a scheduling conflict: a. Select the conflicting tasks (the one with the dotted top and bottom border. b. Select the Task tab. c. Click the Respect Links command in the Schedule group. d. Repeat steps a. to c. for any further conflicting tasks. WWP Training Page 46

47 LESSON 5 - LINKING AND EDITING TASKS In this lesson, you will learn how to: Link tasks Unlink tasks Change task relationships Insert a task Delete a task Move a task Apply lag and lead time Apply a constraint Enter a start or finish date Set a deadline date View task drivers WWP Training Page 47

48 Linking and Editing Tasks LINKING TASKS A project is more than just a list of tasks. At times, the start or completion of one task is dependent upon the start or completion of another. Linking tasks sets up a dependency relationship between two or more tasks. Creating task dependencies is not limited to linking two consecutive tasks, you can also link multiple consecutive tasks, as well as two or more non-consecutive tasks. When you link tasks, a line with an arrow appears on the Gantt chart to identify the relationship between the tasks. This line is referred to as a link line. Linked tasks (auto-scheduled tasks) When two tasks are linked, the one that come first is called the predecessor and the one that follows it - or more correctly, the one that is dependent on it - is called the successor. In the picture below, New electrical system is the predecessor of IT installations and IT installations is the successor of New electrical system. This is because New electrical system has to occur first, and only once it has been finished can IT installations start. A task, however, can be both a successor AND a predecessor. In the scenario below, as well as being a successor in its relationship with New electrical system, IT installations is also a predecessor to Refurbish office. Predecessors and successors are discussed more fully on page 50. Note: to obtain full advantage from using links between tasks, ensure you set your project Mode and tasks to Auto Schedule. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Select two or more consecutive tasks that you want to link. 3. Select the Task tab on the Ribbon. WWP Training Page 48

49 Linking and Editing Tasks 4. Click the Link Tasks button in the Schedule group. 5. Select the first of two or more non-consecutive tasks you want to link. 6. Hold [Ctrl] and click the remaining non-consecutive tasks you want to link. 7. Select the Task tab on the Ribbon. 8. Click the Link Tasks button in the Schedule group. Alternatively, tasks can be linked by: using the Task Information dialog box. This is opened by double clicking the successor task, selecting the Predecessors tab and adding the predecessor task name in the table. clicking and dragging from the middle of one Gantt bar to another bar on the Gantt Chart (see item 5 on page 46). typing the predecessor's ID number in the Predecessor field for the successor task. UNLINKING TASKS After linking tasks, you may later decide to unlink them. When you unlink tasks, the relationship between them is deleted. You may need to unlink tasks that no longer depend upon one another or that you want to link to different tasks. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Select the tasks you want to unlink. 3. Select the Tasks tab on the Ribbon. WWP Training Page 49

50 Linking and Editing Tasks 4. Click the Unlink Tasks command in the Schedule group. CHANGING TASK RELATIONSHIPS Nearly every project has tasks that must be scheduled based on when a previous task is completed or at least started. This relationship between tasks is known as a dependency relationship. A dependency relationship tells Microsoft Project which tasks must be started or finished before other tasks can begin. This method assists Microsoft Project in calculating the length of a project and its finish date. In Project 2010, this is known as Auto Schedule. Note: to obtain full advantage from using links between tasks, ensure you set your project Mode and tasks to Auto Schedule. In task relationships, there are predecessor tasks and successor tasks. A predecessor task must either start or finish before another task can start or finish. A successor task depends on a previous task to start or finish before it can start or finish. Microsoft Project provides four possible types of task relationships: Finish-to-Start, Start-to-Start, Finish-to-Finish, and Start-to-Finish. In a Finish-to-Start relationship, the predecessor task must be complete before the successor task can start. For example, the walls must be primed before you can start to paint them. In a Start-to-Start relationship, both tasks start simultaneously. For example, plumbing and electricity can be installed at the same time in a house being built. In a Finish-to-Finish relationship, both tasks finish simultaneously. For example, all the inspections of the house must finish at the same time. In a Start-to-Finish relationship, the start of the predecessor task determines the end of the successor task. For example, the task of roofing a home is scheduled to start on a particular date. At the time work on the roof starts, the task of obtaining the roofing materials must end. The Finish-to-Start relationship is the default relationship when two tasks are linked. You can change task relationships in the Task Dependency dialog box. You can view information about the relationship of tasks by pointing to the link line in the Gantt chart. When you point to the line, a ToolTip appears and displays the type of relationship, such as Start-to-Start, and the task names. The Task Dependency dialog box WWP Training Page 50

51 Linking and Editing Tasks You can quickly display the Gantt bar for a selected task by clicking the Scroll To Task the Ribbon. command in the Editing group of the Task tab on You can quickly highlight a task on the Task Sheet by clicking its bar on the Gantt Chart. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Point to the link line joining the tasks for which you want to change the relationship type. 3. Double-click the link line between two tasks. 4. Select the Type list. 5. Select the desired type of relationship. 6. Click OK. INSERTING A TASK You can insert tasks in the task list at any time. This option allows you to add new tasks in their logical place in an existing list. When you insert a new task, Project 2010 will place the task at the beginning of the project. It is then usually necessary for you to re-assess the dependencies that the new task has in the project and create or edit links as necessary. Note: If the project you are working on was originally created in a previous version of Microsoft Project and the file has opened in Compatibility Mode, you need to be aware that when inserting a new task, Project will try and link the new tasks into your project. If you insert, therefore, a task between two linked tasks with a Finish-to-Start relationship, the newly inserted task is linked as well. If you insert a task between two linked tasks with a Start-to-Start, Finish-to-Finish, or Start-to-Finish relationship or where there is lag or lead time, the newly inserted task is not linked. WWP Training Page 51

52 Linking and Editing Tasks Inserting a new task You can insert more than one blank row at a time by selecting multiple rows. Then, when you execute the New Task command or press the [Insert] key, a new tasks is added for each of the selected rows. You can control whether Project automatically links new tasks to existing ones (if it can), by selecting or deselecting the Autolink inserted or moved tasks option. This can be accessed by selecting the File tab, clicking the Options button, opening the Schedule pane and selecting (or deselecting) the check box under Scheduling options for this project. WWP Training Page 52

53 Linking and Editing Tasks Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Select the task above which you want to insert the new task. 3. Select the Task tab on the Ribbon. 4. Click the top half of the Task command in the Insert group. 5. Enter the new task name. 6. Select the Duration field. 7. Enter the desired duration. 8. Press [Enter]. 9. Create or adjust links as necessary. You can also insert a new task by right-clicking the row above which you want the new task and selecting New Task from the shortcut menu. You can space out sections or groups of tasks by inserting blank rows in your project. Select the row where you want the space and click the lower half of the Task command in the Insert group. Select Blank Row from the menu. DELETING A TASK Deleting a task deletes the data permanently and removes the corresponding row in the Gantt chart. When you delete a task in Project 2010, any successor(s) of the deleted task will drop back to the beginning of the project. It is then usually necessary for you to re-assess the remaining dependencies and create or edit links as necessary. Note: If the project you are working on was originally created in a previous version of Microsoft Project and the file has opened in Compatibility Mode, you need to be aware that when deleting a task, Project will try to relink back into your project, the successor(s) of the deleted task. If you delete, therefore, a task that was linked with Finish-to-Start relationships to its predecessor and successor tasks, a new relationship is formed. The former predecessor and successor tasks are linked with a Finish-to-Start relationship after the deletion. If any other type of relationship exists before you delete a task, a link is not maintained WWP Training Page 53

54 Linking and Editing Tasks after its deletion and the deleted task's successor(s) drop back to the beginning of the project. If you delete a task in error, you can click the Undo button on the Quick Access Toolbar to recover the most recent deletion. You can control whether Project automatically relinks any remaining successors of a deleted task (if it can), by selecting or deselecting the Autolink inserted or moved tasks option. This can be accessed by selecting the File tab, clicking the Options button, opening the Schedule pane and selecting (or deselecting) the check box under Scheduling options for this project. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Select the ID number for the row containing the task you want to delete. 3. Press the [Delete] key. If you select just the cell containing the task name of a task and press the Delete key, an Option Button will appear to the left of the cell. When you point and click the Indicator, a list will appear from which you can either delete only the contents of the task name cell or the entire task. You can also delete a task by right-clicking anywhere along its row and selecting Delete Task from the shortcut menu. WWP Training Page 54

55 Linking and Editing Tasks MOVING A TASK You can reposition tasks anywhere in your project schedule. Microsoft Project attempts to maintain the links when you move a task. If you do not want to maintain the links with the new task sequence, it is probably best to unlink the task prior to moving it and then link it after the move. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Select the ID number for the row containing the task you want to move. 3. Click and drag the task ID number up or down the task list. A grey line will move in-between other tasks. Release the mouse button when the grey line is inbetween the tasks that you want to move the selected task. Moving task 15 between tasks 13 and 14 You can also move (or copy) tasks using the Cut and Paste commands in the Clipboard group of the Task tab on the Ribbon. You can also copy tasks using the Cut and Paste commands in the Clipboard group of the Task tab on the Ribbon. INACTIVATING A TASK You can make tasks inactive but still keep them in a project. These "ghost tasks" retains their information (eg. dates, predecessors and successors, resource assignments, costs, etc.) but no longer plays an active part in scheduling, allocations or cost/work information. Inactive tasks often hold important data (such as cost information) that can be valuable for archival purposes and what-if planning. WWP Training Page 55

56 Linking and Editing Tasks Procedure 1. Select the task that you want to inactivate. 2. Select the Task tab on the Ribbon. 3. Click the Inactivate command in the Schedule group. APPLYING LAG AND LEAD TIME Tasks can be delayed or overlapped to more accurately reflect how your schedule will actually work. You can delay tasks by specifying a lag time or overlap tasks by specifying a lead time. In a Finish-to-Start relationship, lag time is the amount of delay between when Task A (the predecessor task) finishes and Task B (the successor task) begins. For example, two days of lag time might be necessary for the paint on the walls to dry before pictures can be hung. Lead time is the amount of time prior to the finish of Task A when Task B can begin. For example, on a road paving project, painting the lane dividing lines can begin before the entire road is complete. If you insert a task between two linked tasks that have a lag or lead time, the newly inserted task is not linked. Lead and lag time are both entered in the same field. You must enter lag time as a positive number, including the unit of duration. If you do not enter a unit of duration, a default duration of days is entered. For example, you would enter 2d for two days of lag time. Lead time is entered as a negative number. For example, -2d means that the task can start two days before the predecessor task is finished. You can also enter lag and lead time as percentages, such as 50% for lag time and -50% for lead time. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. The Task Dependency dialog box WWP Training Page 56

57 Linking and Editing Tasks 2. Double-click the link line between the tasks for which you want to enter a lag or lead time. 3. Enter the desired lag or lead duration in the Lag: spin box. 4. Click OK. SPLITTING A TASK You may need to split a task if part of the task occurs on one day and part on another, nonconsecutive day. For example, it will take a painter two days to paint a room. On the first day, the painter applies the first coat. Two days later, on the second day of the task s duration, the painter applies the second coat. In this situation, you could split the task to show that the painter works on the task on two non-consecutive days. This type of scheduling would enable the painter to work on other tasks between the first day and second day of the split task. As you track your project and mark tasks complete, you may also need to split tasks that are partially complete. You can then reschedule the unfinished work for a later time. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Click the Split Task button in the Schedule group of the Task tab. 3. Point to the area of the task bar where you want the split to begin. 4. Click and drag the mouse from the start of the split to the point where you want work on the task to begin again. 5. Release the mouse button. WWP Training Page 57

58 Linking and Editing Tasks Click & drag from here.to here Splitting a task To remove a split, drag the right hand portion of the split task bar until it touches the left portion. WWP Training Page 58

59 Linking and Editing Tasks APPLYING A CONSTRAINT With Auto Scheduled tasks, most of the time you will schedule a project from a start date forward. In this situation, when you add a task to the project, it is automatically scheduled to start as soon as possible. Some tasks, however, may be subject to deadlines imposed by customers or internal company needs. These deadlines or restrictions are called constraints. For example, you cannot begin digging the foundations to a new building until a specific date because the equipment will not be available until that time. The constraint classifications are described in the following table: Constraint As Late As Possible (ALAP) As Soon As Possible (ASAP) Finish No Earlier Than (FNET) Finish No Later Than (FNLT) Must Finish On (MFO) Must Start On (MSO) Start No Earlier Than (SNET) Start No Later Than (SNLT) Description The task starts as late as possible, given its relationships, without holding up the completion of the project. This constraint is used by default when scheduling a project from a finish date backward. When this constraint is applied, you do not enter a date manually. The task starts as soon as possible, given its relationships. This constraint is used by default when scheduling a project from a start date forward. When this constraint is applied, you do not enter a date manually. The task must not be completed before the date specified. This constraint is assigned automatically if you enter a finish date for a task in a project scheduled from the start date forward. The task must be completed on or before the date specified. This constraint is assigned automatically if you enter a finish date for a task, when scheduling from a finish date backward. The task must finish on the date specified, regardless of its relationships and other scheduling factors. You should use this constraint sparingly. The task must start on the date specified, regardless of its relationships and other scheduling factors. You should use this constraint sparingly. The task starts on or after the date specified. This constraint is assigned automatically if you enter a start date for a task in a project scheduled from the start date forward. The task starts on or before the date specified. This constraint is assigned automatically if you enter a start date for a task in a project scheduled from the finish date backward. As indicated above, the As Soon As Possible constraint is the default when you schedule forward and the As Late As Possible constraint is the default when you schedule backward. You should, and probably will, use these constraints as much as possible. While other WWP Training Page 59

60 Linking and Editing Tasks constraints provide some flexibility, these two constraints allow Microsoft Project the greatest flexibility in scheduling your project. The constraint indicators are described in the following table: Indicator Description The task has an inflexible constraint that includes: FNET (scheduled from the finish date), FNLT (scheduled from the start date), MFO, MSO, SNET (scheduled from the finish date), and SNLT (scheduled from the start date). The task has a flexible constraint that includes: FNET (scheduled from the start date), FNLT (scheduled from the finish date), SNET (scheduled from the start date), and SNLT (scheduled from the finish date). The task was not completed within the time frame of the constraint. When you point to a constraint indicator, a ToolTip displays the type of constraint and the appropriate date. Procedures Applying a constraint 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Double-click the task to which you want to apply a constraint. 3. Select the Advanced tab. 4. Select the Constraint type list. 5. Select the desired constraint type. 6. Select the text in the Constraint date text box. 7. Type the desired date. 8. Click OK. WWP Training Page 60

61 Linking and Editing Tasks ENTERING A START OR FINISH DATE In the case of Auto Scheduled tasks, you can add constraints to tasks by entering a date directly in the Start or Finish columns. By entering a start date, you impose a Start No Earlier Than constraint on the task. By entering a finish date, you impose a Finish No Earlier Than constraint on the task. After you manually enter a start or finish date for an Auto Scheduled task, a Planning Wizard dialog box may open warning you that the start or finish date you have entered contravenes the dependency between two tasks. If the successor task has a specified start date, it no longer depends on the finish date of the predecessor task. The Planning Wizard dialog box gives you the option to remove or keep the link. The Planning Wizard dialog box The Planning Wizard is enabled by default; however, you can disable this feature if desired. Planning Wizard options are accessed by opening the Options dialog box (File tab, Options button), clicking Advanced at the left and deselecting Advice about scheduling under Planning Wizard. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Click in the start or finish column for the task that you want to add a Start No Earlier Than or Finish No Earlier Than constraint. 3. Type the date and press [Enter] or select it from the drop-down calendar. 4. Select the desired option in the Planning Wizard dialog box, if required. You can also set Start No Earlier Than and Finish No Earlier Than constraints by double clicking a task to open the Task Information dialog box and entering the dates into the Start: or Finish: boxes of the General tab. WWP Training Page 61

62 Linking and Editing Tasks SETTING A DEADLINE DATE In addition to using the available constraint types, you can set a deadline date for a task. Unlike other constraints, a deadline date is not inflexible and does not affect the project schedule. Instead, the deadline date assists you in keeping your schedule. When you assign a deadline date to a task, a down arrow appears on the Gantt chart, next to or on the bar for the task, indicating the deadline date. If you point to the deadline symbol, a ToolTip displays the word Deadline followed by the task name and the deadline date. If you do not complete a task by the assigned deadline date, an indicator appears in the Indicator column to alert you. You can then make the necessary adjustments to your schedule. The missed deadline indicator is a red triangle containing a white exclamation point. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Double-click the task for which you want to set a deadline date. 3. Select the Advanced tab. 4. Select the text in the Deadline text box above Constrain task. 5. Enter the desired deadline date. 6. Select OK. Setting a Deadline WWP Training Page 62

63 Linking and Editing Tasks THE TASK INSPECTOR Schedules shift throughout the project lifecycle, as tasks are planned and completed. You can use Project 2010 to help understand how changes to one task may affect the rest of the project and to track schedule changes. One way to do this is with change highlighting (see page 37). Another way is by using the Task Inspector. The Task Inspector pane provides information on what factors are affecting the start date of the selected task. You can click different tasks without closing the Task Inspector pane. The Task Inspector pane always displays the scheduling drivers for whatever task is selected. In addition to the task name and start date, the following information is displayed in the Task Inspector pane, as applicable. Heading Actual Start and Assignments Leveling Delay Constraint Type and Date Summary Task Predecessor Tasks Subtasks Calendars Procedures 1. Select the Task tab on the Ribbon. 2. Click the top half of the Inspect command in the Tasks group. 3. View the information in the task pane at the left of the work area. WWP Training Page 63

64 Linking and Editing Tasks Project window showing Task Inspector pane at the left If you inserted another project into the current project, you must first expand its project summary task before using the Task Inspector. If the task is not expanded, you will receive an error message. If the information in the Task Inspector pane is incorrect, or you are unsure of its accuracy, press F9 to recalculate the project data. WWP Training Page 64

65 LESSON 6 - OUTLINING TASKS In this lesson, you will learn how to: Outline tasks Indent and outdent tasks Collapse and expand an outline Link summary tasks Add outline numbers Create a project summary task Enter a recurring task View and hide recurring tasks Edit recurring tasks WWP Training Page 65

66 Linking and Editing Tasks OUTLINING TASKS Tasks can be organised into an outline in any view that includes a task sheet. Creating an outline allows you to view the structure of a project more easily. You can group related tasks together to identify the major phases of a project. When you arrange the tasks in an outline, you create summary tasks and subtasks. Summary tasks summarize the cost, work, and scheduling information of other tasks. The duration of a summary task is the span of time between the earliest start date and the latest finish date of all its subtasks. The Gantt bar for a summary task has inverted triangles at both ends and extends from the earliest start date to the latest finish date of its subtasks. Subtasks are tasks that have been indented below a summary task. When you indent a task, the task above the indented tasks becomes the summary task. When subtask information changes, the summary task changes as well. In addition to creating summary tasks to represent phases in a project, you can also display a project summary task. A project summary task summarizes information for all project tasks. You can choose to view only the summary tasks or expand them to view all the subtasks. You can also link the summary tasks to clearly see the project relationships. In addition, you can view the work breakdown structure (WBS). The WBS is a hierarchical organisation of tasks that uses codes to show which tasks are required to complete the next highest level of tasks. You can outline both manually scheduled tasks and auto-scheduled tasks. INDENTING AND OUTDENTING TASKS In order to create an outline, you need to decide which tasks should be subtasks and which should be summary tasks. Subtasks are related tasks that have been indented below a summary task. The summary task summarizes information about the subtasks, and is usually a critical step or phase in a project. In addition to subtasks, summary tasks can also include other summary tasks, such as a sub-phase. Once you decide on the arrangement of your outline, you can indent (demote) and outdent (promote) tasks. You can indent or outdent a single task or multiple tasks at the same time. When you indent a task, you cannot indent it more than one level below the preceding task. You can, however, have a significant number of levels of tasks within a project. Anything you do to a summary task affects its subtasks. If you move, delete, outdent, or indent a summary task, all of its subtasks are similarly affected. WWP Training Page 66

67 Linking and Editing Tasks An outlined project plan Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Select the task(s) you want to indent or outdent. 3. Click the Indent button or the Outdent button on the Formatting toolbar. COLLAPSING AND EXPANDING AN OUTLINE You can collapse an outline when you want to view only the summary tasks and then expand it to view the subtasks. You can collapse individual summary tasks or collapse all summary tasks to view the major phases of a project. You can use the minus sign its subtasks. You can then use the plus sign subtasks. next to a summary task in the task list to collapse it and hide to expand the summary task and display its In addition, you can use the Outline command in the Data group of the View tab to display outline levels 1 through 9. When you enter a new task in the task list, it is considered outline level 1. If you indent a task below a level 1 task, it becomes a level 2 task, and so on. For example, if you only want to view the first two levels of your outline, you can use the Outline command and display Outline Level 2. WWP Training Page 67

68 Linking and Editing Tasks Collapsing an outline You can also hide or display subtasks by using the Show drop-down list on the Formatting toolbar or by selecting the summary task and then using the Hide Subtasks and Show Subtasks buttons. To collapse all subtasks at once, you can also use the Filter list on the Formatting toolbar to filter for Summary Tasks. This procedure only displays the summary tasks and not any other tasks in your task list. You can also collapse and expand summary tasks in other views, including the Network Diagram view. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Click the minus symbol to the left of the summary task you want to collapse. 3. Click the plus symbol to the left of the summary task you want to expand. 4. Click the Outline command on the View tab to display a list of outline levels. 5. Select the desired outline level. LINKING SUMMARY TASKS You can link summary tasks just as you link other task types. Linking summary tasks provides you with a good visual aid for viewing task relationships. You can hide the subtasks and then clearly view the link line between the summary tasks. WWP Training Page 68

69 Linking and Editing Tasks Linking summary tasks is not the same as linking subtasks. If you have a summary task with unlinked subtasks and then link that summary task to another summary task, only the summary tasks are linked. If you want any of the subtasks to be linked, you have to link them individually. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Select the first summary task you want to link. 3. Hold [Ctrl] and select the next summary task you want to link. 4. Click the Link Tasks button in the Schedule group of the Task tab. ADDING OUTLINE NUMBERING Microsoft Project can assign unique outline numbers for each task, based on its level in the hierarchy of the task list. Top level tasks will be numbered 1, 2, 3, etc. and their corresponding subtasks will be numbered 1.1, 1.2; 2.1, 2.2, etc. Outline numbered tasks Whenever a change is made to the task hierarchy, the outline numbers are automatically updated. Built-in outline numbers are displayed with the task in the Task Name field, and cannot be edited. Procedures 1. Select the Gantt Chart Tools > Format tab. 2. Select the Outline Number check box in the Show/Hide group. WWP Training Page 69

70 Linking and Editing Tasks CREATING A PROJECT SUMMARY TASK You can display a project summary task to quickly view cost, work, and scheduling information for your entire project. When you display a project summary task, it is inserted at the beginning of the task list and reflects the name of the project file. You can collapse and expand the project summary task, just as you collapse and expand other summary tasks. When you collapse a project summary task, no other tasks appear since all project tasks are subtasks of this task. The Gantt bar for a project summary task has inverted triangles at each end and is gray. This bar extends from the start date of the project to its end date. Procedures 1. Select the Gantt Chart Tools > Format tab. 2. Select the Summary Tasks check box in the Show/Hide group. ENTERING A RECURRING TASK You may have tasks that occur at regular intervals during a project, such as a weekly progress meeting. Instead of entering each individual occurrence of the task, you can create a recurring task. A recurring task appears on the project schedule at the specified intervals and is identified by a recurring task indicator. The recurring task indicator appears as two arrows in a circular formation. When you create a recurring task, you enter the recurring task name, the recurring task duration (the length of time it takes for each occurrence), the time increment (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.), and the frequency within each time increment (every, every other, etc.). You can also indicate how many occurrences of the task you want to schedule, or allow Microsoft Project to default and schedule the recurring task throughout the project. In addition, you can choose a calendar to use when scheduling the task. If you attempt to schedule a recurring task on a nonworking day, Microsoft Project will prompt you to change it to a working day. Since a recurring task may appear throughout the length of a project, you can place it anywhere in the task list. You may want to enter all recurring tasks at the end of the project if they are meetings and similar types of tasks, or you can insert your recurring tasks where they are appropriate. After you create a recurring task, Microsoft Project calculates the total duration of all subtasks and displays that figure in the Duration field for the recurring task. The duration of a recurring task is the span of time between the earliest start date and the latest finish date of all its subtasks. WWP Training Page 70

71 Linking and Editing Tasks The Recurring Task Information dialog box If you later add or edit tasks resulting in a change in the project duration, you will need to edit the recurring task(s) to correspond with the new duration. Microsoft Project does not automatically increase the number of occurrences of a recurring task to include a new duration. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Select the row in the Task Sheet where you want to enter the recurring task. 3. Select the Task tab. 4. Click the Task command in the Insert group. 5. Select Recurring Task Enter a recurring task name. 7. Select the Duration spin box. 8. Enter the duration for each occurrence of the task. 9. Select the desired options under Recurrence pattern. 10. Continue to select the desired scheduling options. 11. Select OK. WWP Training Page 71

72 Linking and Editing Tasks VIEWING AND HIDING RECURRING TASKS A recurring task appears on the task list as a single task in bold type with the recurring task indicator to its left. Although it appears as a single task, a recurring task is actually made up of several subtasks. Each subtask represents one occurrence of the task and can be viewed or hidden as desired. The number of subtasks typically depends on the duration of the task, since subtasks can be scheduled for the entire length of a project. Each subtask has a constraint indicator to its left, illustrating that the task should start no earlier than the date for which it is scheduled. Procedures Viewing recurring tasks 1. Switch to appears the Gantt Chart view. 2. Click the plus sign to the left of the recurring task to view the subtasks. 3. Click the minus sign to the left of the recurring task to hide the subtasks. EDITING RECURRING TASKS A recurring task is made up of subtasks that represent each occurrence of the recurring task. You can edit the recurring task, which will affect all subtasks, or you can edit the individual subtasks. This feature is helpful as schedules change. For example, if you scheduled a recurring task for every Monday and a few members of the project team took a vacation day on the same Monday, you could reschedule the subtask for another day. WWP Training Page 72

73 Linking and Editing Tasks Depending upon what part of a subtask you edit, the changes will remain or be overwritten if you later make changes in the Recurring Task Information dialog box. If you change the duration or name of a subtask, the changes will remain even if you later change this information in the Recurring Task Information dialog box. If you change the date of a subtask and later change the date in the Recurring Task Information dialog box, the change will be overwritten. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Double-click the recurring subtask that you want to edit. 3. Select the General tab if necessary. 4. Enter the desired duration for the subtask in the Duration spin box. 5. Select the Start or Finish box to select a new date for the subtask. 6. Continue to edit the task as desired. 7. Click OK. WWP Training Page 73

74 LESSON 7 - WORKING WITH RESOURCES In this lesson, you will learn how to: Use resources Create a work resource Create a material resource Create a cost resource Assign a work resource to a task Assign various resources to a task Assign a material resource to a task Remove a resource assignment WWP Training Page 74

75 Working with Resources USING RESOURCES Resources are the people, equipment, and supplies that are used to perform the tasks defined in a project plan. In a project, you can add resources, assign resources to tasks, add cost and scheduling information for the resources, and then monitor the work and costs of each resource. You create resources in the Resource Sheet view, which displays resource information in a table format. In this view, each column represents a different field in which you can enter data and each row represents a different resource entry. In Microsoft Project 2010, there are three types of resources: work resources - people or a pieces of equipment that use effort to complete a task material resources - supplies or other consumable items used to complete a task. cost resources - a cost item (eg. capital expenditure on equipment, or variable costs such as airfare or lodgings) to that task. Cost resources give you more control when calculating costs for tasks that are not time-based. Tasks costs are discussed fully in our Microsoft Project 2010 Level 2 course. CREATING A WORK RESOURCE Work resources are the people and equipment that work to complete a task in a project. You can create work resources in the Resource Sheet view. When you create a work resource, you first need to complete the Resource Name field. In this field, you can enter the name of an individual; a name representing interchangeable people, such as Carpenter; or the name of the equipment, such as Overhead Projector. By default, resources you enter into the resource sheet are work resources, as indicated by the text Work in the Type field. In addition to the Resource Name field, you should also complete the Max. Units field in which you can enter a value representing the availability of a resource. This field defaults to 100%, indicating that the resource is available full-time to work on any tasks. However, you can change this percentage to accurately reflect the resource s availability. For example, if a resource is only available part-time, you could change the Max. Units field for the resource to 50%. If, on the other hand, two resources, such as two plumbers, are available, you could change the Max. Units field for the Plumber resource to 200%. The manner in which Project uses these percentage units to calculate, durations and work (man-hours) is discussed more fully in subsequent topics and lessons. At the time you create a resource, you may also want to change the Initials field since Microsoft Project defaults to the first initial of the resource name and does not recognise duplicate initials. By eliminating duplicate initials, you can later sort and filter resources by the Initials field, if desired, or use them in place of resource names against task bars in the Gantt Chart. WWP Training Page 75

76 Working with Resources You may also want to assign a resource to a group. A group is a name that represents related resource types, such as Management. Assigning resources to groups is helpful because it gives you the choice of tracking and filtering information by an individual resource or a group. While you can view and track information on the group level, you cannot assign a group to a task. The resource sheet includes other fields in which you can enter data when you create a work resource. If you do not enter information in the other fields, Microsoft Project enters default values in some of them. Later, when you have created all of your resources and assigned them to tasks, you can enter cost information and resource codes, as well as scheduling information. The only field you cannot complete for a work resource is the Material Label field. This field is used for entering a unit of measurement, such as tons, for a material resource. The Resource Sheet view If you type the same information for consecutive resources, such as the same group name, a Planning Wizard dialog box may open, advising you to use the Multiple Resource Information dialog box to enter this information. WWP Training Page 76

77 Working with Resources You can change the Max. Units field to display decimals using the Show assignment units as a: option in the Schedule pane in the Options dialog box. To open this dialog box, select the File tab and then click the Options button. Procedures 1. Switch to the Resource Sheet view. 2. Select the first empty field in the Resource Name column. 3. Enter the name of the work resource. 4. Select the corresponding field in the Max. Units column. 5. Enter the maximum units that the resource is available. 6. Continue to enter the information as necessary for the work resource. 7. Press [Enter] after each entry. CREATING A MATERIAL RESOURCE Material resources are the supplies and other consumable items needed for your project. You can create material resources in the Resource Sheet view. Unlike work resources, material resources do not typically impact the schedule since they do not perform work to complete a task. For this reason, you can create them at the same time you create work resources, or you can enter them later, along with cost information. Material resources could potentially impact the project schedule if they are not available until a certain date. For example, you ordered custom tiles for your kitchen and you scheduled this task to start on August 1. The tiles, however, will not be shipped until August 5. In this situation, the material resource would affect the schedule. When you create a material resource, you need to enter the resource name in the Resource Name field and change the Type field to Material. You should also enter a material label for the resource in the Material Label field. A label represents the unit of measurement for the resource. For example, if the material resource is Paint, then you might enter gallons as the material label. Some fields in the resource sheet are unavailable for material resources. For example, since you do not need to specify availability of the resource for scheduling, the Max. Units field is unavailable. In addition, since overtime rates do not apply to materials, the Ovt. Rate field is also unavailable. As with work resources, it is a good idea to change any duplicate initials in the Initials field. You can also assign material resources to groups using the Groups field as desired. WWP Training Page 77

78 Working with Resources Procedures 1. Switch to the Resource Sheet view. 2. Select the first empty field in the Resource Name column. 3. Enter the name of the material resource. 4. Select the Type field. 5. Select the Type list. 6. Select Material from the Type list. 7. Select the Material Label field. 8. Type the label for the material resource. 9. Continue to enter the desired information for the material resource. 10. Press [Enter]. CREATING A COST RESOURCE In older versions of Microsoft Project (pre-2007), there were just Work and Material resources, hence when you back save a Project 2010 file to a version prior to 2007, any costs resource information will be lost. The following dialog box will appear to warn you. A Cost Resource adds the ability to account for task costs that bear no relationship to the Work assigned on the task. Although you can add Fixed Costs to a task, these only let you account for a single 'lump sum' per task. This is not ideal in situations where you had more than one kind of cost per task. Cost resources, therefore, make it easy to have multiple non-work related costs for each task. You can then keep track the amount of each kind of cost across all the tasks. For example, if you have two Cost Resources, Travel and Hardware, you can assign them to many tasks, and then using the Resource Usage view you can see quickly how much money is scheduled to be spent on Travel and Hardware across all your tasks. You can even use the Resource Usage view to adjust where across the duration of the task the cost associated with the cost resource falls. All aspects of project costs are covered fully in our Microsoft Project Level 2 course. WWP Training Page 78

79 Working with Resources Procedures 1. Switch to the Resource Sheet view. 2. Select the first empty field in the Resource Name column. 3. Enter the name of the cost resource. 4. Select Cost from the Type drop down list. 5. Enter other cost resource information, if required. ASSIGNING A WORK RESOURCE TO A TASK Once you have created work resources, you can assign them to specific tasks. Assigning resources to tasks enables you to see if you have enough resources to complete the tasks or if the resources are overallocated. A resource is overallocated if it is assigned more work than it can complete in the given timeframe. In most resource views, overallocated resources appear in red with a warning indicator. You can assign resources to tasks in a task view, the most practical for general purposes being the Gantt Chart. Resources can be assigned to tasks in the Gannt Chart view by various methods, eg: The Resource Name field in the Task Sheet. This provides quick, easy functionality when assigning resources on a "who does what" basis. Can be awkward to use when assigning work resources at units other than 100%, material resource quantities and cost resources. The Task Information dialog box. This gives the most flexibility when it comes to assigning resources to tasks. Not only can multiple resources be added with ease, but units can also be entered with any subsequent work calculations only being carried out by Project when the OK button is clicked. This means you can always cancel the changes you ve made if incorrect. Removing and replacing resources is also quicker, easier and more reliable using the Task Information dialog box. The Assign Resources dialog box. This makes it easier to assign multiple resources to tasks, schedule their work (as a percentage of the resource s time) and remove or replace assigned resources. You can also assign resources to tasks in resource views such as: The Team Planner; and Resource Usage view. After assigning a resource to a task, the resource name appears to the right of the appropriate task bar in the Gantt chart. For work resources, the unit percentage appears to the right of the resource name if it is a percentage other than 100%, which is the default. If using the Assign Resources dialog box, a checkmark appears to the left of the resource name, indicating it is assigned to the currently selected task. WWP Training Page 79

80 Working with Resources The Assign Resources dialog box You can see how much work a resource is doing in total over a period of time by selecting the resource in the Assign Resources dialog box and clicking the Graphs button. Procedures Using the Resource Name field 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view, if necessary. 2. Click in the Resource Name column for the task that you want to assign a resource to. 3. Click the drop down arrow. 4. Select the resource(s) that you wish to assign. 5. Press Enter. Assigning resources in the Task Sheet (Entry table) WWP Training Page 80

81 Working with Resources Using the Resource Assignment dialog box 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Select the Resources tab. 3. Click the Assign Resources button in the Assignments group. 4. Select the task in the task list to which you want to assign a work resource. 5. In the Assign Resources dialog box, select the work resource that you want to assign to the selected task. 6. Click Assign. Or 1. If you wish to assign a resource to a tasks for more or less that 100%, click in the Units column for the desired resource and enter the value. 2. Click Assign. 3. Continue assigning resources in this way to other tasks, as necessary. 4. Select Close to close the Assign Resources dialog box. Assigning a resource using the Assign Resources window To assign more than one resource to a task, select the first resource as described above, hold down the CTRL key on the keyboard and then select the second resource. Continue holding down the CTRL key and selecting more resources as necessary. Click Assign when finished. Using the Task Information dialog box 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. WWP Training Page 81

82 Working with Resources 2. Double-click the task to which you want to assign various resources. 3. Select the Resources tab. 4. Select the Resource Name field. 5. Select the Resource Name list. 6. Select the first resource you want to assign to the task. 7. Select the Units field for the resource. 8. Enter the desired unit value. 9. Continue to assign the desired resources to the task. 10. Click OK. Assigning multiple resources and units to a task using the Task Information dialog box You can assign resources to summary tasks if desired. Be careful, however, not to assign the same resource to the subtasks of the summary task as this may result in overallocated resources. ASSIGNING A MATERIAL RESOURCE TO A TASK You can assign material resources to tasks at the same time you assign work resources to tasks. However, since material resources do not perform work and do not typically impact the schedule, you can also wait and assign them when you begin to enter cost information. When you assign a material resource to a task, you need to enter the amount of the resource required for the task in terms of the material label you assigned to it. For example, if you entered sq.mts (m3) as the material label for the Concrete material resource, you would need WWP Training Page 82

83 Working with Resources to assign x sq.mts of concrete to the desired task. If you do not enter an amount, Microsoft Project defaults to 1; therefore, in this example, 1 sq.mts of concrete would be assigned to the task. When you assign material resources to tasks, you indicate whether the resource has a variable material consumption or a fixed material consumption. A variable material consumption is a time-based quantity of a material resource needed for a task, such as 25 yards of concrete per week. This value, therefore, will change as the task duration changes. A fixed material consumption is a fixed quantity of a material resource needed for the entire task, such as 20 gallons of paint to paint the entire house, regardless of duration. You assign material resources in the Assign Resources dialog box, just as you assign work resources. In the Units field, you enter the amount of the resource needed for the task. If you entered a material label for the task, you simply enter the amount of the resource needed. If you did not enter a material label, you should enter one before you assign a material resource to a task; otherwise, only a number will appear next to the task without an identifying unit. To indicate fixed material consumption, you simply enter the amount, such as 25 for 25 sq.mts of concrete. To indicate variable consumption, you need to enter the time label along with the amount, such as 25/w to indicate 25 sq.mts of concrete needed per week. You can enter a /d for day, /w for week, /mo for month, as well as /m for minute and /h for hour. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view, if necessary. 2. Double-click the task to which you want to assign the material resource. 3. Select the Resources tab. 4. Click into the first available row of the Resource Name field. 5. Click the drop-down arrow at the right. 6. Select the material resource you want to assign to the task. 7. Click into the Units field for the material resource. 8. Enter the desired unit value. 9. Continue to assign additional material resources to the task as necessary. 10. Click OK. WWP Training Page 83

84 Working with Resources ASSIGNING A COST RESOURCE TO A TASK Assigning costs to a cost resource is done in the same way as Units are set for an assignment. In the Assign Resources dialog there is a new field called "Cost". It is only active for cost resources. When you assign a resource to a task you just enter the amount you want to represent for that cost resource and click 'Assign'. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view, if necessary. 2. Double-click the task that you want to assign a Cost Resource to. 3. Select the Resources tab. 4. Click into the first available row of the Resource Name field. 5. Click the drop-down arrow at the right. 6. Select the cost resource you want to assign to the task. 7. Click into the Cost field for the material resource. 8. Enter the desired unit value. 9. Continue to assign additional material resources to the task as necessary. 10. Click OK. Assigning a cost resource to a tasks You can only enter or change a value in the Cost field if the resource is designated as a Cost Resource in the Resource Sheet. Although Project calculates and shows the current cost of work and resource materials in the Cost field, this cannot be edited. WWP Training Page 84

85 Working with Resources REMOVING A RESOURCE ASSIGNMENT You can remove a resource assignment at any time. Before you remove a resource assignment, you need to switch to a task view, such as the Gantt Chart view. When you remove an assignment, the resource remains in the resource list, but it is no longer assigned to the selected task. Since some tasks in your project may be set to effort-driven scheduling (see Lesson 8, page 95), the duration of the task may be affected when you remove a resource. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view, if necessary. 2. Double-click the task from which you want to remove a resource. 3. Select the Resources tab. 4. Select the Resource Name in the Resource Name column. 5. Press Delete on the keyboard. 6. Continue to delete resources from the tasks as necessary. 7. Click OK. You can also remove or replace a resource assigned to a task using the Remove or Replace button in the Assign Resources dialog box. USING THE TEAM PLANNER The Team Planner is new in Microsoft Project It is a view that allows you to assign resources to tasks in an intuitive drag-and-drop way and quickly and easily see what members of your project team are doing at any given point of the schedule. WWP Training Page 85

86 Working with Resources The main idea behind Team Planner is combining the power of the Gantt chart with the simplicity and familiarity of moving and deleting appointments in the Outlook calendar when viewed in a timeline form such as Week or Month. The Team Planner lets you: Easily see your team s work laid out over time - each team member s work is represented in a single row, making it easy to glance across the timescale and see who does what and when. Quickly spot problems - overallocations are highlighted in red (see Lesson 9 on page 99) Drag and drop to resolve those problems The Team planner works best in cases where the user needs a simple, manually scheduled project where resources are purely assigned to tasks on a who does what basis. Moving and assigning/reassigning tasks is then largely a matter of clicking and dragging them to/from the appropriate area of the Team Planner view. Moving, by clicking and dragging, Auto-scheduled tasks may result in date constraints being added to tasks, and/or other unexpected or undesired results to occur to your schedule. The Team Planner displays a row for each resource in the project. On the left, resource names appear. All of the tasks that a resource is assigned to appear on the same row on the right. Resources tasks that don't have a start date or end date (this only occurs with manually scheduled tasks) appear immediately to the right of the relevant resource name. Tasks that are not assigned to anyone appear at the bottom. Unscheduled tasks for a resource Resource Names Manually scheduled task (bright blue) Auto-scheduled task (light blue) Assigned tasks against timescale Non-working time for resource (light grey) Unscheduled and unassigned tasks Unassigned tasks against timescale The Team Planner WWP Training Page 86

87 Working with Resources Procedure 1. Select the Resources tab. 2. Click the top half of the Team Planner command in the View group. 3. Carry our tasks as necessary using the table below as a guide. TASK Assign a task to a resource Move a task to a different time in the schedule ACTIONS Click and drag the task vertically from the Unassigned Tasks area onto the relevant dates against the timescale to the right of the resource s name. To keep the task unscheduled but assigned to a person, click and drag it into the Unscheduled Tasks column immediately to the right of the resource s name. Click and drag the task horizontally onto the alternative dates against the timescale. Re-assign a task to a different resource View non-working time Rollup task information. Only works if the project plan has been outlined. Select multiple items Move items using the keyboard Click and drag the task vertically onto the row for the new resource. Alternatively, right click a task and click Reassign To. This is especially useful if you want to maintain the same dates. A person's non-working time (as defined in the resource s Work Weeks setting) will appear as greyed out against the timescale. If a task bar covers the greyed-out days, they may be difficult to see! Select the Team Planner Tools > Format tab. In the Format group, select the level of detail by clicking Rollup, and then an outline level. When tasks are rolled-up, the highest-level task will appear as a single bar Hold down CTRL while clicking multiple resource or task names. You can also drag the mouse over multiple items to select them You can navigate through items in Team Planner using the arrows keys. To move a highlighted task, use CTRL + arrow. To scroll the view, use ALT + arrow. WWP Training Page 87

88 Move items beyond the window Get quick information about tasks Modify task information, eg. constraints, scheduling methods, add notes etc. Modify resource information, eg. type, group, working days and times, add notes etc. Resolve overwork problems automatically Inactivate a task Working with Resources Dragging a task to the edge of the Team Planner will automatically cause the view to scroll. In this way, you can drag a task further into the future (or past) without having to release the mouse button. Hover over a task to read important and useful information about how it is being schedule. You'll find that the old familiar tooltips have been greatly expanded to help you make important scheduling decisions Double click the relevant task bar against the timescale. Double click a resource name in the table at the left. On the Team Planner Tools > Format tab, click Prevent Overallocations. When this setting is on, if moving one task would create a conflict with another, then the second task will be automatically moved to prevent any overallocations. Right click on the task bar to inactivate a task. Inactivating a task doesn't delete it from the project, even though the task will disappear from the Team Planner. WWP Training Page 88

89 LESSON 8 - ASSIGNING WORK AND SCHEDULING OPTIONS In this lesson, you will learn to: Understand the concepts of work as opposed to duration View work data Use non-effort driven scheduling Use effort driven scheduling Understand why work and duration are re-calculated when resources are added or removed from tasks Control how work and duration are re-calculated when resources are added or removed from tasks Change options for how work and duration are re-calculated when resources are added or removed from tasks WWP Training Page 89

90 Assigning Work and Scheduling Options UNDERSTANDING WORK When you assign work resources to a task, Microsoft Project calculates the work (effort or man-hours) required to carry out the task. Work measures how long resources are actually spending on a task and is based on the duration of the task multiplied by the number of hours in a working day (as defined in the project calendar), multiplied by the units assigned to the task. Work = Duration of task x Units assigned For example, if you make a 100% unit resource assignment to a task with a 3-day duration (meaning that the resource will be fully utilised working on that task over the three-day period), Project calculates that the task requires 24 hours of work (assuming an 8 hour working day). Work = 3 x 8 x 1 Work = 24 If, however, you make a 50% unit assignment to the same task, then the total work needed for the task is 12 hours. Work = 3 x 8 x 0.5 Work = 12 In another scenario, if you assign three resources to the same task, the work done will be 72 hours. Work = 3 x 8 x 3 Work = 72 You specify how much time resources spend on tasks by entering percentage units. In the screenshot below, a resource is being assigned to a 5-day task for just 10% of their time. This means that over the 5-days that you have allowed for the task to be completed, it requires just 4 hours work (assuming a 40-hr working week) and hence, the resource only needs to spend 4 hours on the task spread over the 5-day period. Assigning a resource to a 5-day duration task for 10% of their time WWP Training Page 90

91 Assigning Work and Scheduling Options Similarly, a task with a duration of 5-days being done by three resources will require 120 hours of work (5 x 3 x 8), not 40 (assuming a 40 hour working week). If you were paying the resources 10/hour, the total for the task would be 1,200 (40 x 3 x 10) NOT 40! Assigning multiple resources (300%) to a 5-day task. NB: Producing work statistics is not necessary in all projects. A large number of people who use Microsoft Project wish to resource their tasks purely on a "who does what basis;" the amount of time that the resources actually spend on the tasks is immaterial or irrelevant to their needs. If this is the case, there is nothing wrong with assigning resources at the default 100%. You may, however, discover that Project will identify many overallocations in your project. See Lesson 9 on page 99. Work is an important measure for assessing the effort that goes into a project as opposed to merely ascertaining the span of time that the project takes to get from beginning to end. A project lasting one month in duration but requiring 10,000 hours work is a more significant undertaking than a project lasting 6 months and requiring just 1,000 hours of work. Work statistics are also useful for determining resource productivity and effectiveness on a project. Accurately held work data might flag up that some resources could more usefully be utilised elsewhere. Also, if you want Project to calculate the costs of your project with any degree of accuracy, it becomes essential to enter, monitor and control work data accurately. Calculation of resource costs are covered fully in our Microsoft Project 2010 Level 2 course. VIEWING WORK After you have assigned resources to tasks, you can view work values in many ways, the simplest being: 1. To see the total work being done on each task, apply the Work table to the Gannt Chart view; 2. To see the total work being done by each resource, apply the Work table to the Resource Sheet. WWP Training Page 91

92 Assigning Work and Scheduling Options 3. To see a breakdown of the work being done on each task by each resource, use Task Usage view. Task Usage view also breaks down the work being done on a daily basis, against a timescale. 4. To see a breakdown of the work being done by each resource on each task, use Resource Usage view. Resource Usage view also breaks down the work being done on a daily basis, against a timescale. Work table (Tasks) Work table (Resources) Task Usage view Resource Usage view Procedure 1. Select the View tab on the Ribbon. 2. Select Gannt Chart in the Task Views group. 3. Click the Tables command in the Data group. 4. Select Work from the menu. 5. To return to the default view, select Entry from the Tables menu. 6. Select Resource Sheet in the Resource View group. WWP Training Page 92

93 Assigning Work and Scheduling Options 7. Click the Tables command in the Data group. 8. Select Work from the menu. 9. To return to the default view, select Entry from the Tables menu. 10. Select Task Usage in the Task Views group. 11. Select Resource Usage in the Resource Views group. SCHEDULING METHODS NON-EFFORT DRIVEN It is very important to realise that the first resource assignment that you make to a task has an intrinsic bearing on the way that the duration and work of the task are affected when resources are added or removed. By default, Microsoft Project 2010 uses non-effort-driven scheduling to determine how the work and duration of a task are recalculated when units are added or removed from tasks. If a task is non-effort driven, Project assumes that the work of a newly assigned resource will be added to the existing work of all other named resources. Behaviour when adding resources In practice, this means that the duration of a task will be unaffected when additional resources are added to it. For example: A 4-day duration task is entered in the project plan (Duration = 32 hrs (4 days x 8 hrs/day) : Work = 0 : Units = 0) A 100% assignment (Project Manager) is initially made to the task: the duration remains unchanged. Duration ALWAYS remains unchanged when as assignment is made to an unresourced task but Project calculates the work needed for the task. (Duration = 32 hrs : Work = 32 hours : Units = 1 (or 100%) A further 100% assignment (Admin) is made to the task. The duration remains unchanged but the work increases. The balance between the Work = Duration x Units formula is retained by increasing the Work unit. (Duration = 32 hrs : Work = 64 hours : Units = 2 (or 200%) Behaviour when removing resources With non-effort-driven scheduling, in most cases, the task duration also remains unchanged when resources are removed from a task. For example: A 4-day task has a 200% resource assignment (100% Project Manager + 100% Admin). WWP Training Page 93

94 Assigning Work and Scheduling Options (Duration = 32 hrs : Work = 64 hours : Units = 2 (or 200%) A 100% assignment (Admin) is removed from the task. Duration remains unchanged. (Duration = 32 hrs : Work = 32 hours : Units = 1 (or 100%) A task's duration will be affected, however, in cases where you reduce the units for a resource to a level below the initial assignment. For example: A 4-day task is initially given a 100% unit assignment of one resource (Project Manager), and a 200% unit assignment of another resource (Admin). (Duration = 32 hrs : Work = 96 hours : Units = 3 (300%) The Project Manager is completely removed from the task. The task duration remains the same but the work is decreased to keep the Work = Duration x Units formula in balance. (Duration = 32 hrs : Work = 64 hrs : Units = 2 (200%) If, however, you leave the Project Manger assigned but remove instead a 100% assignment of Admin resource, then the duration will lengthen. This is because you initially "told" Project that it would require TWO Admin resources to carry out the task in the allotted duration. By removing ONE of the Admin resources, Project assumes the one left behind will also have to do the work of the other, hence the duration of this particular task doubles. In this case, the duration is lengthened and the work kept the same (Duration = 64 hrs : Work = 96 hrs : Units = 2 (200%) The same would be true if you reduced the initial 100% assignment of Project Manager. Project assumes that the Project Manager s availability has been reduced and hence, the work that s/he was initially assigned to do, would have to be spread over a longer period of time. IMPORTANT NOTE: Versions of Microsoft Project prior to 2010 (but only back to v4.1 (1995)) used effort-driven schedulingas a default the opposite to that used in Project Hence, when opening a Microsoft Project file that was created in a pre-2010 version of Project, a task's behaviour (with respect to duration, work and units) when adding or removing resources will, in most cases, be different to that described above. To learn more about how effort-driven scheduling works, see the next topic in this lesson. WWP Training Page 94

95 Assigning Work and Scheduling Options SCHEDULING METHODS EFFORT DRIVEN With effort-driven scheduling, after the initial resource assignment is made, Project calculates the total amount of work required to complete the task. This is no different to what happens with non-effort-driven scheduling. The difference occurs when the number of resource units assigned to a task are later added or removed; the duration will, in most cases, change. This is because the amount of work required to complete the task remains the same. Project assumes that the added resource will share the total work with the other named resources and thus, help get the task done more quickly. In practice, this means that the duration of a task will usually be affected when additional resources are added or removed from it. For example: Behaviour when adding resources A 4-day duration task is entered in the project plan (Duration = 32 hrs (4 days x 8 hrs/day) : Work = 0 : Units = 0) A 100% assignment (Project Manager) is initially made to the task. Duration remains unchanged. As with non-effort-driven scheduling, duration ALWAYS remains unchanged when as assignment is made to an un-resourced task. (Duration = 32 hrs : Work = 32 hours : Units = 1 (or 100%) A further 100% assignment (Admin) is made to the task. Duration is reduced to 16 hours (2 days). This is because Project assumes the Admin resource will help the Project Manager get the work done more quickly. (Duration = 16 hrs : Work = 32 hours : Units = 2 (or 200%) A task's duration will not be affected, however, in cases where you increase the units for a resource to a level above the initial assignment. For example: A 4-day task has initially been given a 100% unit assignment of one resource (Project Manager), and a 200% unit assignment of another resource (Admin). (Duration = 32 hrs : Work = 96 hours : Units = 3 (300%) An additional 100% units of an additional resource (Researcher) is added to the task. The task duration - as you might expect - reduces. (Duration = 24 hrs : Work = 96 hrs : Units = 4 (400%) WWP Training Page 95

96 Assigning Work and Scheduling Options If, however, you do not add an additional different resource, but add instead an additional 100% assignment of an existing resource (Admin), then the duration will remain unchanged. (Duration = 32 hrs : Work = 96 hrs : Units = 4 (400%) Behaviour when removing resources The task duration also changes when resources are removed from a task. For example: A 4-day task has a 200% resource assignment (100% Project Manager + 100% Admin). (Duration = 32 hrs : Work = 64 hours : Units = 2 (or 200%) A 100% assignment (Admin) is removed from the task. Duration lengthens. Project assumes that the removed resource's work will have to be done by the remaining resource. (Duration = 64 hrs : Work = 64 hours : Units = 1 (or 100%) CONTROLLING EFFORT DRIVEN SCHEDULING Irrespective of which scheduling method (effort driven or non effort driven) your project tasks are set up to with, you can change it. Which one you decide to use will essentially depend on how you want Project to recalculate work and duration when you add or remove resources. In general, if you need only to know who does what, and you do not need to provide work (effort) statistics or calculate out accurate resource costs, the Microsoft Project 2010 default of non-effort-driven will probably work best. You enter a duration for how long you want each task to take, and you can then add or remove resources at will with little, if any, interference with recalculation of duration. In cases where a project s tasks are measured in hours - as is the case in some engineering, IT and manufacturing projects - the preferred option is probably best set to effort-driven. Hence, if a task that is known to take, for example, 16 man-hours effort, it s duration can be automatically controlled by adjusting the number of resources assigned to it. In either case, the option can be changes by opening the Task Information dialog box and changing the Effort Driven check box in the Advanced tab. WWP Training Page 96

97 Assigning Work and Scheduling Options This can be done on a task by task basis or all the task of the project simultaneously. It is also possible to change the default setting for all future projects created on your computer. See procedures below. Alternatively, you can make use of the Indicator that appears after you modify the resources assigned to a task. This consists of a green triangle in the top left corner of the Resource Name field (if the change was made directly in the Resource name field) or the Task Name field (if you made the change in the Assign Resources dialog box or the Task Information dialog box). When you hold the mouse pointer over the cell containing the indicator, an option button appears to the left from where you can select from a list of alternative scheduling options. A similar event occurs when making a change to the duration of a task that has had resources assigned to it. This time, the green triangle appears in the corner of the Duration field (if the change was made directly in the Duration field) or the Task Name field (if you made the change in the Task Information dialog box). If you do not wish to make use of this feature, clear the Edits to work, units or duration check box in the Display pane of the Project Options dialog box (File tab > Options button). WWP Training Page 97

98 Assigning Work and Scheduling Options A final solution is to manually edit the duration of a task that has been changed by Project s scheduling calculations, to the value that YOU want it to be! Procedures Changing the scheduling option for a single task 1. Double click the task that you want to change the scheduling option for. 2. Select the Advanced tab. 3. Click the Effort driven check box to add or remove the tick mark as required. 4. Click OK. Changing the scheduling option for all tasks 1. View the Gantt Chart. 2. Select all the tasks by clicking any one of the column headings. 3. Select the Task tab. 4. Click the Information command in the Properties group. 5. Select the Advanced tab. 6. Click the Effort driven check box to add or remove the tick mark as required. 7. Click OK. Changing the default scheduling option for all future tasks that you add to a project 1. Select the File tab. 2. Click the Options button. 3. Open the Schedule pane. 4. Tick or untick the New tasks are effort driven: check box under Scheduling options for this project:. 5. Click OK. WWP Training Page 98

99 Assigning Work and Scheduling Options Changing the default scheduling option for all future projects 1. Select the File tab. 2. Click the Options button. 3. Open the Schedule pane. 4. Select All New Projects in the Scheduling options for this project: drop down list. 5. Click OK. To learn more on how Project can recalculate the Work = Duration x Units formula when scheduling tasks, see Appendix A on page 121). WWP Training Page 99

100 LESSON 9 - ADJUSTING RESOURCES In this lesson, you will learn how to: Address resource overallocation View resource usage Resolve conflicts by increasing units Level a resource Specify leveling timeframes Change the leveling order Level by entering a delay amount Clear leveling Split a task Change leveling to automatic Set task level priority WWP Training Page 100

101 Adjusting Resources ADDRESSING RESOURCE OVERALLOCATIONS Microsoft Project schedules tasks in accordance with their specifications, such as the estimated durations, their relationships with other tasks, date constraints, available working days and times and resource availability. Tasks are scheduled to begin in the first available time slot on the resource calendar after any relationship requirements are satisfied. Microsoft Project does not consider that a resource may already be involved in another task. For example, if an employee is assigned to do three eight-hour tasks in one eight-hour day, the employee is overallocated. For this reason, you should review workloads to uncover allocation problems after you have assigned resources. When resource overallocation or conflicts arise, you must develop a strategy to resolve them. The following list provides ways to address overallocations: 1. Increase the number of resources available, when possible. This solution, of course, is not always economically feasible. 2. Add underallocated resources to the task to assist the overallocated resource. This solution is often the most satisfactory, but also requires more effort from the project manager. 3. Schedule overtime hours or weekend work for the overallocated resources to get the project back on track. This solution should be used when the overallocation is not substantial. 4. Change the resource calendar to reflect longer working hours. 5. Adjust task relationships or constraints so that a resource is not assigned beyond its capacity. 6. Delay tasks until a resource is available. Often, this solution is not viable when deadlines are involved. 7. Split a task so that a resource can work on it at a later time. Overallocated resources appear in red in most of the resource views and with a warning symbol in the Indicator column of the associated Resource Sheet. In task views (eg. Gantt Chart or Task Usage), tasks with overallocated resources are flagged up with a red person icon in the Indicator column. The Resource Usage view is one view in which you can clearly review resource allocation and see if any of your resources are overallocated. Resource amounts appear as a percentage. For example, if three plumbers are available to work full-time on any tasks, the maximum unit for the Plumber resource would be 300%. WWP Training Page 101

102 Adjusting Resources VIEWING RESOURCE USAGE You can view resource allocation and quickly identify overallocated resources in the Resource Usage view. This view displays each resource name and the list of tasks to which each resource is assigned, as well as the sum of the work assignments. By default, the Resource Usage view uses a timescale similar to the Gantt Chart view, but it shows number values instead of bars. These numbers are the scheduled amount of work for each resource for the duration of the task(s) to which they are assigned. If a resource is overallocated, the resource name and numbers appear in red. You can add fields to display the actual work already completed by the resource (Actual Work) and the total work accumulated for the resource (Cumulative Work). You can also add fields to view the amount of work for which the resource is overallocated (Overallocation), the cost for all tasks assigned to the resource (Cost), and the amount of time remaining that the resource is available (Remaining Availability). Resource Usage view displaying overallocated resources You can quickly view the scheduled amount of work for a resource for a particular task in the Resource Usage view by selecting the task and clicking the Scroll To Task command in the Editing group of the Task tab. Formatted numbers that are too wide to fit into a cell appear as a series of hashes (#). To view an entire number, you can increase the column width by dragging the right column border in the column heading to the desired width. WWP Training Page 102

103 Adjusting Resources Procedures 1. Switch to the Resource Usage view. 2. Scroll the left pane as necessary to view the desired resource. 3. Scroll the timescale to display the hourly breakdown for the desired task(s). 4. Select the Format menu. 5. Point to the Details command. 6. Select the field you want to display. RESOLVING CONFLICTS BY INCREASING UNITS One method of solving overallocation problems with a resource is to increase the maximum units assigned to the task, if possible. For example, if your project shows that the Electrician resource is overallocated during the seventh month of the project, additional electricians could be hired for that one month period. Procedures 1. Switch to the Resource Usage view. 2. Double-click the overallocated resource to which you want to add units. 3. Select the General tab. 4. Select the Units field in the Resource Availability table. 5. Enter the new unit value(s) in the Units field in the Resource Availability table. 6. Select OK. LEVELLING A RESOURCE If multiple tasks have been scheduled at the same time, resource overallocation can result. The resources can be spread out over a longer period of time or tasks can be delayed or split to lessen the demand for the resources. This process is called resource leveling, which is one way to resolve resource conflicts. In most resource views, overallocated resources appear in red. In resource views with an indicator column, an indicator appears to let you know that a resource is overallocated and should be leveled. The indicator appears in the Indicators column in the shape of a yellow diamond containing a black exclamation mark. In most task views (eg. Gantt Chart or Task Usage) overallocated tasks are flagged up with a red person indicator. You can choose to level one resource/task at a time, a selection of resources/tasks or all resources/tasks simultaneously in both resource and task views. Leveling commands, options and tools are to be found in the Resource tab on the Ribbon. WWP Training Page 103

104 Adjusting Resources Leveling commands (Resource tab) Leveling options allow you to level resources manually (ie. when you want to) or automatically as tasks are added to the schedule (not recommended). Other options can search for overallocations in a specified time period, such as daily or weekly, so that you can level resources in a specified time frame, such as on a particular day or month. You can set leveling options to control the way in which multiple resources are leveled and specify if the project finish date is affected by levelling (Level only within slack). You can also set options to control the leveling of multiple resources assigned to the same task, allow tasks to be split and specify whether to level manually scheduled tasks or not. The Resource Leveling dialog box If you try to level a resource and leveling is not an possible, a dialog box will open, informing you of any problems and providing alternatives. Procedures To level individual resources 1. Select the Resource tab. 2. Click the Level Resources command in the Level group. WWP Training Page 104

105 Adjusting Resources 3. Select the resource to level (you can select more than one resource by holding down the CTRL or SHIFT key). 4. Click Level Now. To level all resources 1. Select the Resources tab. 2. Click the Level All command in the Level group. If Project is not able to level an overallocated task, a warning message will appear explaining why and giving instructions on how to proceed. There may be circumstances where Project is unable to level any overallocated resources! If that is the case, you have no alternative but to make your own decision to resolve the issue using the suggested strategies on page 63. LEVELING OPTIONS Leveling calculatons Manual leveling (the default) occurs only when you click Level Resources or Level All commands as explained in the previous topic. When leveling for resources is set to Automatic, Microsoft Project levels tasks as soon as an overallocated resource is detected. This type of leveling takes place instantaneously as tasks are entered into the project. While allowing Microsoft Project to level tasks automatically can be helpful, you should remember that you will not know when overallocations exist. For this reason, you may not want to use the automatic feature as it prevents you from seeing overallocations and deciding on the best way to address them. WWP Training Page 105

106 Adjusting Resources The first time you select the Automatic option, you also need to set any other leveling options as desired in the Resource Leveling dialog box. In addition, if you are in a resource view, you will be prompted to level the entire pool or selected resources when you choose the Automatic option. The next time an overallocation occurs, the resource is automatically leveled and you will not be prompted to make any selections. If you choose automatic leveling, clear the Clear leveling values before leveling check box. When this check box is cleared, Project levels only new and unleveled assignments. This check box is selected by default, but when leveling automatically, leaving it selected can significantly slow down your work in the schedule because all tasks are leveled. By default, Microsoft Project looks for overallocations on a Day by Day basis; meaning that if a resource is overallocated, Microsoft Project will level the resource only if the assigned tasks cannot be completed in one day. Therefore, if the resource is assigned two tasks on the same day and one requires two hours and the other requires three hours, the resource will not be leveled. On the other hand, if both tasks require six hours, the resource will be leveled. You can change the time period in which Microsoft Project looks for overallocations to Minute by Minute, Hour by Hour, Week by Week, or Month by Month. Leveling range The levelling options dialog box In addition, by default, Microsoft Project levels an entire project unless you indicate otherwise. You can specify a timeframe in which you want Microsoft Project to level resources. Therefore, if your project lasts six months, you can set Microsoft Project to only level overallocated resources in a particular month or week, on a specific day, etc. Resource overallocations When Microsoft Project levels resources, it uses a set of rules to determine the order in which the tasks will be delayed. When more than one task will be delayed, you have three selections to determine the order in which the tasks are delayed. In the Resource Leveling dialog box, you can display the Leveling order list under Resource overallocations and select one of the following options: ID Only; WWP Training Page 106

107 Adjusting Resources Standard; Priority, Standard. When the ID Only option is selected, Microsoft Project chooses the task with the higher ID number as the task to delay. The Standard option is the default order of leveling. With the Standard option, Microsoft Project uses five criteria to determine which task should be leveled first. The order of these criteria is as follows: 1. predecessor relationships, 2. slack, 3. dates, 4. priority, and 5. constraints on the task. The Priority, Standard option is the same as the Standard option, but the order of the criteria changes. The priority is the first determining factor, followed by predecessor relationships, slack, dates, and constraints. Priority refers to the level of importance you attach to a task regarding leveling. You can assign a priority level from 0 through 1000, with 1000 indicating that the task is not to be leveled. By default, all tasks are assigned a priority level of 500. To prevent the finish date of your project from being delayed, select the Level only within available slack check box. NB: If you select this check box, you may get error messages indicating that Project can't level the entire schedule. Project may not level the schedule because there is seldom enough slack in a schedule to reschedule assignments without running out of slack time. To allow leveling to adjust when a resource works on a task independently of other resources that are working on the same task, select the Leveling can adjust individual assignments on a task check box. If you want leveling to interrupt tasks by creating splits in the remaining work on tasks or resource assignments, select the Leveling can create splits in remaining work check box. If a resource is assigned to tasks concurrently beyond what the resource's schedule can handle, then a task that has remaining work can be split and worked on when the resource's schedule will allow it. The Level tasks with the proposed booking type check box is only applicable to projects being used in conjunction with enterprise options on Project Server. To allow leveling to change manually scheduled tasks, select the Level manually scheduled tasks check box. The buttons at the bottom of the dialog box are: WWP Training Page 107

108 Adjusting Resources If you want to clear the previous leveling results before leveling again, then click Clear Leveling. If you are leveling manually, click Level All. If you are leveling automatically or just wishing to save settings for the next manual leveling, click OK. Procedures 1. Select the Resource tab on the Ribbon. 2. Select settings and options as described in the discussion above. 3. Click Level Now to level manually. 4. Select OK to save options without levelling or, if the Automatic option has been selected under Leveling calculations, to activate the command. ENTERING A LEVELING DELAY MANUALLY If the source of the overallocation is because you assigned a resource to more than one task at the same time, one or more of the tasks can be delayed in order to distribute the demand on the resource. The previous topic explains how Project can do this for you, but you may wish to exact greater control and judgement by entering leveling delay manually. This can be done in the Levelling Gantt view. Entering a levelling delay manually in the leveling Gantt WWP Training Page 108

109 Adjusting Resources Although this can work well in a small, non-complex project, it may be difficult to use in a large project containing many overallocated resources. Microsoft Project, therefore, provides you with Resource Allocation view to more easily identify when, where and how the resources are overallocated. Resource Allocation view is a combination view. The top pane displays the Resource Usage view and the bottom pane displays the Leveling Gantt view. You enter the delay amount in the Leveling Gantt view in the Leveling Delay field. This field is always based on elapsed time. Therefore, if you enter a 7 in this field, a value of 7 edays would be entered by Microsoft Project, indicating seven elapsed days. If you are using the Standard project calendar, seven elapsed days includes Saturday and Sunday. Procedures The Resource Allocation combination view 1. Click the View tab on the Ribbon. the overallocation 2. Click Other Views > More Views in the Resource Views group. 3. Select Resource Allocation in the Views: list. 4. Select the resource name in the top pane associated with the task you want to delay. WWP Training Page 109

110 Adjusting Resources 5. Scroll the Resource Allocation view, if necessary, to find the first overallocated task. 6. Enter the desired delay amount in the Levelling Delay column of the Levelling Gantt view (bottom pane). 7. Press [Enter]. 8. To remove the combination and reset the screen to a single view: a. Untick the Details check box in the Split View group of the View tab. b. Select the desired view as normal (Gantt Chart, Resource Sheet, etc.) The Next Overallocation is a useful command for finding the next overallocated resource when analysing issues in Resource Usage view. It can be found in the Level group of the Resource tab. Ensure you have selected a task at the beginning of the project before using the command as it is unable to search backwards in time. CLEARING LEVELING There may be cases where you leveled a particular resource or an entire project, and are still not satisfied with the results. You can reverse the leveling action immediately after leveling a resource using the Undo command on the Quick Access Toolbar, the Clear Leveling button in the Leveling Options dialog box or, the Clear Leveling command in the Level group of the Resource tab. When you use the Clear Leveling button in a task view, you have the option to clear the leveling for the entire project or the selected task only. In addition, you can remove a delay by entering a 0 in the Leveling Delay field in the Leveling Gantt view. WWP Training Page 110

111 Adjusting Resources Procedures 1. Select the task associated with the leveling action you want to remove, if applicable. 2. Select the Resource tab. 3. Click the Clear Leveling command in the Level group. 4. Select the Entire project or Selected tasks option. 5. Click OK. If clearing leveling in a resource view, you are not prompted for entire project or selected resources. All tasks have their levelling values cleared. SPLITTING A TASK Another way that you can address overallocations is to split a task. Splitting a task is helpful when you have two tasks that overlap and use the same resource. For example, you could split the first task where the second task begins and then resume work on the first task when the second task is complete. You may also need to split a task if part of the task occurs on one day and part on another, non-consecutive day. For example, it will take a painter two days to paint a room. On the first day, the painter applies the first coat. Two days later, on the second day of the task s duration, the painter applies the second coat. In this situation, you could split the task to show that the painter works on the task on two non-consecutive days. This type of scheduling would enable the painter to work on other tasks between the first day and second day of the split task. As you track your project and mark tasks complete, you may also need to split tasks that are partially complete. You can then reschedule the unfinished work for a later time. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view. 2. Click the Split Task button in the Schedule group of the Task tab. 3. Point to the area of the task bar where you want the split to begin. 4. Click and drag the mouse from the start of the split to the point where you want work on the task to begin again. 5. Release the mouse button. WWP Training Page 111

112 Adjusting Resources Click & drag from here.to here Splitting a task To remove a split, drag the right hand portion of the split task bar until it touches the left portion. WWP Training Page 112

113 Adjusting Resources SETTING TASK LEVEL PRIORITY By default, all tasks have a priority level of 500, which is a medium level priority. The higher the priority level assigned to a task, the less likely it is that the task is selected for delay. Therefore, a task with a priority of 900 is less likely to be delayed than a task with a priority of 400. You can also assign a priority of 1000 to a task, indicating that the task is not to be leveled. Procedures 1. Switch to the Gantt Chart view, if necessary. 2. Double-click the task that you want to prioritise. 3. Select the General tab, if necessary. 4. Select the number in the Priority spin box. 5. Enter the desired priority. 6. Select OK. Setting a task level priority If you are working with multiple projects, you can set project priority levels to indicate how you want the tasks in each project leveled in relation to one another. This is done in the Project tab > Project Information dialog box. WWP Training Page 113

114 LESSON 10 WORKING WITH A BASELINE In this lesson, you will learn how to: Work with baselines Use baseline tables Save a project baseline Save a task baseline Clear a baseline Update progress View the Tracking Gantt WWP Training Page 114

115 Working with a Baseline WORKING WITH BASELINES A baseline is a copy of the scheduled dates, cost, and work data that is used to track the progress of a project by comparing it against the current schedule. It is usually a copy of the final plan just before work on a project begins. You must remember to create the baseline copy before you start entering actual data. When you enter actual data, you are recording the schedule as it happens and you no longer wish this to affect the original plan. When the baseline is saved, the current dates, work, and cost data are used for comparison with the actual progress of the project. Before deciding on the final baseline, everyone involved in the project should know what is expected of them and agree to perform according to the plan. In addition, necessary approval should be obtained for the required resources. USING BASELINE TABLES When you first save a baseline, the baseline data and the information in the current schedule will be identical; however, as you track your progress, the actual data could vary from the original plan. Microsoft Project provides three tables that allow you to compare the baseline with the current schedule: Variance, Cost, and Work. The Variance table displays information regarding dates only. This table displays the start and finish dates and baseline start and finish dates, along with the start and finish variances. Until actual information is entered, the start and finish dates display the anticipated start and finish dates. Once the project starts and you enter actual information, the Start and Finish fields display the actual dates. The Cost table displays cost information, including the total cost, baseline, actual, and remaining cost information. It also displays the variance between the total cost and baseline cost. Tasks that have not started display an actual cost of 0 and a remaining cost that equals the total cost. Once the project starts and you enter actual information, the Actual field displays the actual costs. If costs vary from the plan, the Variance field will display the difference. The Work table displays information regarding the number of hours of work for each task. It displays the total work, baseline, actual, and remaining work values. It also displays the variance between the total work and baseline values, and the percentage complete for each task. Tasks that have not started display 0 hours of actual work and the remaining work amount equals the total work value. Once the project starts and you enter actual information, the Actual field will display the actual hours of work. Completed tasks display 100% in the % W. Comp. field. WWP Training Page 115

116 Working with a Baseline SAVING A PROJECT BASELINE The baseline plan is the original project plan you save to track progress. The baseline plan includes task start and finish dates, as well as resource and cost information. You can use the baseline to compare with the actual data recorded as your plan progresses. This information may also be useful when the project is completed, should you have a similar project in the future. When you create a baseline plan, Microsoft Project copies the plan information for dates, work, and cost entered from the current fields into the baseline fields. You can save the baseline at any time, but it is a good idea to wait until you have completely entered the plan. If you need to change the plan later, you can save the original baseline again, save additional baselines or save an interim plan. You can set up to 11 different baselines. Baseline information stores the current: Start dates Finish dates Work Durations Costs You can set up to 11 different interim plans. Interim plan information stores only the current start and finish dates and is only included for compatibility purposes with legacy versions of Project. Procedures Saving a project baseline 1. Select the Project tab. 2. Click the Set Baseline command in the Tracking group. WWP Training Page 116

117 Working with a Baseline 3. Click Set Baseline in the menu. 4. Click OK. Whenever you use the Save Baseline list after a baseline has been saved, the date that the baseline was saved is shown next to the listed item. SAVING A BASELINE FOR INDIVIDUAL TASKS When you save the baseline, the default option makes a copy of the baseline for the entire project; however, you can also save a baseline of selected tasks. Saving a baseline of selected tasks is helpful when you save a baseline of the entire project and then realise you need to adjust certain task information. You can revise the tasks and then save the baseline for only those tasks. In addition, you may need to add tasks during the life of the project, after the baseline has been saved. You can select those new tasks and save a baseline for them, adding them to your original plan. When saving a baseline for selected tasks, you can select those you want baseline data to roll up. If you want updated baseline data for the selected tasks (and all other subtasks that share the same summary task) to be rolled up to those tasks' summary tasks, select the To all summary tasks check box. Otherwise, summary tasks baseline data may not accurately reflect subtask baseline data. If you want selected summary tasks' baseline data to be updated to reflect either deletions of subtasks or added tasks for which you have previously saved baseline values, select the From subtasks into selected summary task(s) check box. If you have selected both subtasks and summary tasks, select both check boxes. Procedures 1. Select the task you want to correct or add to the baseline. 2. Select the Project tab. 3. Click the Set Baseline command in the Tracking group. 4. Click Set Baseline in the menu. 5. Select the Selected tasks option. 6. Under Roll up baseline, select your preferred option. 7. Click OK. WWP Training Page 117

118 Working with a Baseline CLEARING A BASELINE After saving baseline data, you may decide that you do not want this data used for comparison purposes. If desired, you can clear the baseline and save it at a later time. You may also want to clear baseline data if you plan to use a completed project as the basis for future projects. You can clear baseline information for the entire project or for a particular task. In addition, you can clear the dates saved in an interim plan as desired. Procedures The Clear Baseline dialog box 1. Select the task you want to correct or add to the baseline. 2. Select the Project tab. 3. Click the Set Baseline command in the Tracking group. 4. Click Set Baseline in the menu. 5. Select Clear baseline plan or Clear interim plan option. 6. Select from the relevant drop down list, the Baseline or Interim fields that you want to clear. This will only apply if you have saved multiple baselines of interim plans. 7. Select the Entire project or Selected tasks option. 8. Click OK. TRACKING PROGRESS Once the project has started, it is extremely important that you track the progress of the individual tasks and the project as a whole. Tracking the project involves entering and WWP Training Page 118

119 Working with a Baseline revising date, cost, and work information; comparing the actual data to the baseline plan; and viewing project progress using the various tools provided by Microsoft Project. As a project progresses, you may discover tasks that start early or finish late, as well as tasks that cost more or less than expected. As you analyze the task relationships that exist, you may want to revise some of them in order to stay on or near schedule. You may need to modify tasks in order to meet the projected finish date. As you record the actual information into your project, Microsoft Project reschedules the tasks that are affected by this data. As you look at the affected tasks, you can take corrective action as soon as possible to minimize future problems. You can also look at various scenarios using what-if analysis to help you decide on the best solution. The Update Tasks dialog box provides functionality for entering percentage complete for tasks, actual start and finish dates for task and in the case of tasks that have started but not yet finished, how much work has been done and how much there is left to do. Once you have updated your project with actual data, you can use various tables (see Using Baseline Tables on page 115 of this lesson) and the Tracking Gantt to view variances. You should update your project often. These updates allow Microsoft Project to warn you of potential problems and help your project get completed as close to the original finish date and budget as possible. Implementing a project and entering data is covered fully in our Microsoft Project Level 2 course. Procedure 1. Select the task you wish to update. 2. Select the Task tab on the Ribbon. 3. Click the Mark on Track command in the Schedule group. 4. Select Update Tasks. 5. Enter as required, data to reflect how the task is progressing. 6. Click OK. 7. Select the View tab. WWP Training Page 119

120 Working with a Baseline 8. Click the lower half of the Gantt Chart button. 9. Select Tracking Gantt. 10. Note variances between baseline (grey bar) and current tasks (blue and red bars). The Tracking Gantt WWP Training Page 120

121 APPENDIX A OTHER SCHEDULING OPTIONS TASK TYPES In addition to Effort driven tasks, Microsoft Project includes three other task types: fixed duration, fixed units, and fixed work. The default type for tasks in Microsoft Project 2010 is fixed units. You can change the task type to fix the duration, units, or work for a given task. A fixed units task is a task in which the resource amount you assign is a fixed value that will not change even if the duration or amount of work changes. The only way to affect the fixed unit is to change it. For example, if you initially assign a resource to a task (units = 100%) and then add an additional resource (units = 100%), the assignment value for the first resource remains at 100%. If you later add another resource ( units = 100%), the assignment value for the first and second resources assigned to the task will remain at 100%. The unit value will remain fixed; however, the duration of the task and work assigned to each resource will change. A fixed duration task is a task in which the duration is a fixed value; any changes you make to the resource or work amount do not change the duration of the task. If you do not want the duration of a task to be affected when you alter resource assignments, you can use this task type (referred to as fixed duration scheduling). For example, you assign a resource (units = 100%) to a task with a fixed duration of three days. You later assign another resource (units = 100%) to the task. The duration of the task remains at three days since it is fixed, however, each resource is only required to work part-time (50%) on the task. In this example, the amount of work assigned to each resource is cut in half. A fixed work task is a task in which the amount of work is a fixed value that will not change even if the resource value or duration changes. For example, you schedule a fixed work task for two days and assign a resource (units = 100%) to it. The resource is assigned 16 hours of work based on two 8-hour days. You later change the task duration to one day. Instead of the work for the resource changing from 16 hours to 8 hours, as it would for a fixed units task, two resources (units = 200%) are now assigned to the task, to complete 16 hours of work in one day. Changing the task type You can disable the Effort driven option next to the Task type list in the Task Information dialog box for fixed units and fixed duration tasks. If you disable effort-driven scheduling, the amount of work assigned to each resource will increase. WWP Training Page 121

122 Microsoft Project 2010 Foundation Additional Scheduling Methods Procedures 1. Double-click the task for which you want to change the type. 2. Select the Advanced tab. 3. Select the Task type drop down list. 4. Select the desired task type. 5. Click OK. CONTOURING A WORK ASSIGNMENT You can contour work assignments to more accurately reflect how a resource will work on a task. When you contour a task, the workload for the resource is redistributed. By default, all resources use a Flat contour, meaning work is distributed evenly for the duration of a task. You can contour work assignments using one of the following preset contours provided by Microsoft Project 2007: Back Loaded, Front Loaded, Double Peak, Early Peak, Late Peak, Bell, and Turtle. As their names indicate, the Back Loaded contour schedules more work at the end of the task and the Front Loaded contour schedules more work at the beginning. The names of the Double, Early, and Late Peak contours also indicate how the work is distributed, with the peaks indicating the most hours of work. When you use the Bell and Turtle contours, the most hours of work are scheduled in the middle of the duration, with varying amounts at the beginning and end for each contour. When you apply a preset contour to a task, the work distribution changes accordingly and the duration of the task is impacted. After applying a preset contour, you can change the start or finish date of a task as necessary. After you apply a preset contour, an indicator appears to the left of the resource name in the Indicators column in the shape of a bar graph reflecting the work distribution. Selecting a pre-set Work Contour You can also contour work assignments by changing the work distribution manually in the Task Usage view. In this view, you can enter the work values to reflect exactly how a resource will work on a task. When you manually edit the contour, an indicator appears to WWP Training Page 122

123 Microsoft Project 2010 Foundation Additional Scheduling Methods the left of the resource name in the Indicators column in the shape of a preset contour indicator with a pencil on top of it. Manually contouring work for a resource in Task Usage view You can contour assignments for both work resources and material resources. When you contour a work resource assignment, the schedule may be impacted as you change the workload for a resource. When you contour a material assignment, you change the amount of the materials available during the duration of a task. For example, if you need 75 tons of steel per week to complete a task, Microsoft Project will show 15 tons available during each of the five work days by default. However, if you know only 10 tons will be available the first day, 20 tons the second day, and so on, you can contour the assignment. Depending upon your situation, contouring a material resource assignment may also impact the schedule. While the preset contours can be helpful in evaluating different scenarios and planning your project, you will probably manually edit the work distribution in most situations. When you manually edit a contour, you can change the work values without significantly affecting the duration. For example, if a resource is scheduled to complete a task by working eight hours a day for three days, you could manually edit the contour so that the task is complete at the end of four days, which should not greatly impact your schedule. You could enter six hours on the first day, four hours on the second day, eight hours on the third day, and six hours on the fourth day to reflect how this resource will actually work. You could also manually edit a contour if a resource will not work full-time on a task for the entire duration. To apply a preset contour, double click the desired resource in the Task Usage view and then select a contour from the Work contour drop list. By default, a resource will be overallocated if you contour the work assignment so that the resource works more than eight hours a day. WWP Training Page 123

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