PMF Management Solutions

Transcription

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2 PMF Management Solutions PTY LTD The Copyright Act 1968 of Australia allows for a maximum of one chapter or 10% of this book, whichever is greater, to be copied in any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or the body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act. For details of the CAL licence for educational institutions contact: Copyright Agency Limited, vie telephone on (02) , or info@copyright.com.au All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, recorded, or otherwise copied without the written permission of the publisher. Publisher PMF Management Solutions PO Box3494 Loganholme, 4129 Qld ISBN PMF Management Solutions has undertaken self-publishing of this work to ensure all intellectual property rights are maintained by PMF Management Solutions. Every effort has been made to trace and acknowledge copyright. However, should any infringement have occurred, the publisher tender their apologies and invite copyright to contact the publisher. I

3 About this Training Guide: This training guide is neither comprehensive nor an all-inclusive guide to the use of Microsoft Project 2010 (MP2010). Rather, it is a step-by-step beginner s guide to MP 2010 developed to assist new users plan, monitor and control project schedules and budgets. This guide will provide a suitable platform for users to undergo further training at a time when they feel confident. Users of this guide would benefit from having a basic understanding of the practice of Project Management, and competency using other programs within the Microsoft Office suite; however, this is not essential. Although this guide has used a Civil Engineering project as the basis for developing a project schedule and budget, any project (Construction, Business, Information Technology or Events Management) would be developed in a similar fashion. Additional project management training resources are available at the PMF Management Solutions website: II

4 About the Author: Rodney (Rod) Watton is a professional project management practitioner who has extensive theoretical knowledge and practical experience within the field. He holds a Masters of Project Management, Masters of Learning and Development and is a Certified PRINCE2 Practitioner. As a university lecturer, tutor, and vocational trainer, he has found it necessary to develop this practical step-by-step MP 2010 training tool. Utilising his experience in project management and MP 2010, he has developed this guide to assist those with limited or no experience in the use of this program. He aims to assist project personnel understand how to plan, develop, monitor and control a project schedule and budget via this software program. Editor: This training guide was edited by Jessica Noye, who is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in English Literature, at the University of Queensland and will graduate in June Edited Work: Microsoft Project 2010 Step By Step Microsoft Project 2007 Step By Step III

5 Contents 1. Starting a New Project Setting Project Summary Information Setting Project Static Date Setting Day and Week Setting Work and Non-work Days Setting Calendar (Fiscal / Non-Fiscal Year) Creating Tasks on Microsoft Project Entering Tasks Creating Summary Tasks Working with Summary Tasks Deleting Summary Tasks Moving about a Sheet Moving between Sheets Task Entry Split Screen Task Durations Input Task Durations Creating Task Relationships Creating Relationships Using the Link Tool Creating Relationships in the Predecessor Column Entering Milestones Entering Lag Time Entering Lead Time Critical Path Project Slack (Non-Critical Path) Adjusting the Schedule using Relationships Resourcing a Project Creating a Resource Pool Entering Materials and Other Costs Entering Fixed Costs Assigning Calendars to Resources Adjusting Resources Information Resourcing Effort Project Calculations Creating Simple Assignments Task Types Working with Fixed Unit Assignments Working with Fixed Duration Assignments Working with Fixed Work Assignments Working with the Driver Resource Effort Driven Resource Disable Effort Driven Resource IV

6 7. Resource Assignment Assigning Resources via Task Entry Assigning Resources via Task Information Assigning the same Information in Multiple Tasks Assigning Resources via Project Sheet Increasing Resource Material Resource Levelling Project Plan Complete Visualisation of Project Baseline Monitoring a Project Microsoft Project 2010 Amendments Monitoring and Adjusting Work Monitoring and Adjusting Costs Monitoring Usage Monitoring Variance Monitoring Earned Values Controlling a Project Updating % Complete Updating Durations Creating a New Table Updating Resource Usage Manually Adjusting the Project Schedule Reports Visual Reports Default Reports Planning Reports Gantt Chart Report Custom Reports Monitoring Reports Printing V

7 1. Starting a New Project To get started it is important to begin a new project with the needs of that project in mind. When using Microsoft Project 2010 each new Project is set up: Individually, with details specific to the project; During the Initiation and Planning Stages of the project; and According to the scheduled static commencement or finish date. Initial planning or estimating may begin in the Initiation Stage of a project. However this project plan would be further expanded during the Planning Stage of this project. This will ensure you develop a comprehensive Project Management Plan (PMP). To commence the planning of your project schedule and budget, open the Microsoft Project 2010 program, click on File and then New - the following screen will be displayed. Select Blank Project - the following screen will be displayed. 1

8 1.1. Setting Project Summary Information A project has specific properties that will appear in a variety of places. Some of them are used as headings whilst others may appear in reports that you generate. To set your project Summary Information, click on File then select Info then the following screen will appear. Click on the Project Information (dropdown arrow) and select Advanced Properties the following screen will appear. 2

9 Complete the Summary Information requested with the details of your project before clicking OK. To change the project name SAVE the project, and title the file, with the same name as the project plan. You will need to use the Save As function to change the file name Setting Project Static Date To begin the planning process it is essential to know when your project will commence or in some cases when it must be completed. This is done by setting the static start or finish date for the project. A project will have only one static date (the date that cannot be moved) that must be identified and set at the beginning of the project planning process. Click on Project then select Project Information the following screen will be displayed. 3

10 With each project you must identify the static date to commence planning. Your static date choices include: Static-Date Forward A set commencement date for the project that will provide schedule flexibility by delaying the project delivery date. Static-Date Backward A set completion date for the project that only provides schedule flexibility through additional work hours or increased project resources. To select the static date click on Schedule from: then select the Project Start Date or Project Finish Date (Project Start Date for our purpose) as shown in the following screen. Now select the start or finish date that you require. If you are using this guide for training purposes, select a static start date for the first Monday in the second week of the New Year. You may also select a range of calendars that may best suit your project (select the standard calendar for our purposes). Click OK Setting Day and Week There are a number of assumptions that have been programmed into Microsoft Project. These assumptions are vital for the operation of Microsoft Project and are required to help you keep track of your project. The good news is that you may set some of these assumptions, to accommodate the way your organisation works or to address the specific requirements of your particular project. 4

11 Unless you specify otherwise Microsoft Project uses a default base calendar, known as the Standard Calendar, to schedule the tasks of your project. This calendar assumes: Workdays Monday to Friday; Hours 8:00 am to 12:00 noon, then 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm; and No holidays (this includes public holidays). One of the most critical options that you will need to determine is the definition of a day and a week. Microsoft Project calculates everything based on minutes, so you will need to determine your day = 8 hours (Microsoft Project will then calculate 8 hours = 480 minutes). Click on Change Work Time in the Project tab the following screen will be displayed. Creating a new calendar (that can be used for a specific project or project resource) can be done by selecting the Create New Calendar button and naming the calendar to represent the project or project resource s specific requirements. To change the work hours to meet the project s requirements (remember this could be different to your organisation s work hours) click on the Change Working Time information box Options button the following screen will be displayed. 5

12 Adjust these settings to meet your or your organisation or project s work durations. For our purposes we will use the default settings. When you have completed adjusting your calendar, click OK. There are a couple of potential issues to be aware of when dealing with the Work Hours that you may have just changed. Be very careful with the default start time and default end time settings. If you change the definition of a day or a week after you have entered tasks and the task durations, the definition of a day or week in these tasks will not be redefined. I.e. if you changed the 8 hour day to a 10 hour day Microsoft Project will display the task with the duration of 0.8 days. It is important that this information is set prior to the commencement of entering any tasks Setting Work and Non-work Days After setting your work days you can also identify routine non-work days, such as rostered days off (RDO). It is generally the case that the days of work should be based on the days that most of the resources are available for the project. Click on Work Weeks then select Details the following screen will be displayed. 6

13 Adjust these settings to meet your organisation or project s work requirements. For our purposes we will use the default settings. When you have completed adjusting the project s Standard Calendar, click OK. Through the selection of Details the number of occurrences can be selected to represent roster days off or reoccurring days off. Once the routine non-work days have been defined you can enter other irregular nonworking days. Irregular non-work days are days upon which no work can or will be done, such as, public holidays or company closures (between Christmas and New Year). For a specific one-off day select the date (click on the Day), select Exceptions, type in the name of the day or reason for the exemption (I.e. Show Holiday) press Enter (on the keyboard) and the day will be highlighted as an Exception day this is demonstrated using the screen below. 7

14 Adjust these settings to meet your or your organisation or project work schedule. For our purposes enter the 17th of August as a Show Holiday. When you have completed adjusting the project s Standard Calendar, click OK Setting Calendar (Fiscal / Non-Fiscal Year) Unless you specify otherwise, Microsoft Project will use a Financial Year calendar. If the fiscal year runs across two years, 2010/11, (as it does in Australia) Microsoft Project will only display the one year in the Gantt chart Display Jul 10 Dec 10, Jan 10 Jun 10. If you want to show the correct dates on the Gantt chart it is recommended that you leave the financial year as beginning in January. The years 2010 and 2011 noted above are only representations for the purpose of this guide. The actual year will vary depending on when you develop your project plan. Click on Change Work Time in the Project tab - the following screen will be displayed. 8

15 Click on Options, the following screen will be displayed. Select the fiscal year beginning month, click OK. You may also select to use auto or manual scheduling in this window. This is a new option in the 2010 version and is helpful during the management of the project schedule. This will be discussed further a little later. 9

16 2. Creating Tasks on Microsoft Project The planning of tasks is critical to the development of a schedule as they are the activities that define the work required to complete your project. If you omit one of these tasks it won t be scheduled, possibly invalidating a major component of your project. Determining the tasks is usually best done collaboratively with all project team members. It can take the form of an ideas generation session (there are several methods i.e. brainstorming) to work out the steps you need to complete your project. Entering tasks can be undertaken in one of two ways (all tasks then notation of the summary tasks or notation of the summary tasks then the subordinate tasks): Top down where specific summary tasks are worked out first and then the detail tasks that are required to complete the summary tasks. Bottom up where all the tasks are identified and then grouped according to the specific summary tasks (work packages). It is generally easier to determine the Work Breakdown Structure (also known as a WBS) prior to entering the tasks in the project. Additional tasks can be entered in later Entering Tasks Click on Task Name cell (Row 1), type in task and press Enter on your keyboard. Populate the Task Name field with each task to meet your project needs. This is done by entering the name of the task and pressing Enter (on the keyboard) after each entry. You can also tab through each field until the cursor reappears is in the Task Name field again. 10

17 To enter a new task after your WBS has been completed, simply click on the Task Name that you would like to add an additional task before, a drop down box will appear, click on Insert Task. You can now enter the new task name as shown on the screen below. Now enter in your project s full list of tasks, or the WBS. Exercise: If you are using this guide for training purposes, please insert the following information. 1 Urban Development Project 2 Initiation Stage 3 Client brief 4 Due diligence 5 Market analysis 6 Feasibility study 7 Geotechnical report 8 Develop subdivision plans 9 Finance approval 10 Submit plans to Council 11 Council approval 12 Develop Project Charter 13 Project Charter approval 14 Planning Stage 15 Survey lot 16 Dial before you dig 11

18 17 Develop operational plans 18 - Sewage services 19 - Water services 20 - Stormwater services 21 - Electrical services 22 - Telecommunication services 23 Client approval 24 Submit to council 25 Receive Council approval 26 Develop Project Management Plan 27 Project Management Plan Approval 28 Execution Stage 29 Install temp fencing 30 Deliver equipment 31 Demolish house and concrete pool 32 Install utilities 33 - Sewage services 34 - Water services 35 - Stormwater services 36 - Electrical services 37 - Communication services 38 Activate utilities 39 Construct driveway crossover 40 Survey and identify subdivided lots 41 Fence lots 42 Land remediation 43 Site clearance 44 Remove temp fence 45 Council approval of subdivision 46 Handover to client 47 Finalisation Stage 48 Lessons learned exercise 49 Terminate project team 50 Finalise project budget 51 Post project report 52 Communication project completion 53 Achieve project documents 54 Project Close 2.2. Creating Summary Tasks Summary Tasks are like headings that represent a Stage or Component of your project. However, as the name suggests they also summarise important information. Each Summary 12

19 Task will have subordinate tasks know as activities. These subordinate tasks are indented to the right noting they are subordinate to the summary task. Select the task or tasks that you would like to make subordinate to a summary task (you may highlight more than one task) then click on the indent button (Green East facing Arrow) in the Task toolbar. This will indent the highlighted tasks. You will note that the Summary Task now appears in bold and as a black bar with two downward facing arrows on the Gantt chart. This bar will identify the duration for this component of the project. Each summary task will have a + or - sign in a box alongside the name of the task. This allows you to expand or minimise the contents of the Summary Task. Continue this process to identify all your summary tasks within your project. You may also have summary tasks that are subordinate to other summary tasks. Summary tasks can be used to obtain project, stage or work package data. It is essential to set up your project so that you can glean this information quickly and efficiently Working with Summary Tasks Once Summary Tasks have been entered into a project you can then collapse the project to hide the subordinate tasks. This is a good way to be able to only observe the stages or components of the project. Additionally you have the capacity to only open or expand the stage or component that you are currently working on. To view this, as shown below: Click on the minus arrow to collapse the subordinate tasks. Click on the addition arrow to expand the subordinate tasks. 13

20 2.4. Deleting Summary Tasks Once a Summary Task has been set it cannot be deleted until you remove the subordinate tasks that report to the Summary Task. By using the outdent button (Green West facing Arrow), on the Task toolbar, you can outdent all the subordinate tasks until the Summary Task is no longer bold and the + or box has disappeared. Then by selecting the task name (previously the Summary Task) that you would like to delete, use the delete key on the keyboard to delete the task. The task name will be deleted and a symbol will appear in the cell next to the tasks name cell. Using the mouse, Right Click on the symbol and select the delete entire task radio button as shown in the screen below Moving about a Sheet A Sheet displays your data in columns and rows. The columns to the left of the Gantt chart actually represent part of a Sheet. As you scroll around and enter or change data you can sometimes get lost in a Task or Resource Sheet, especially if there are quite a number of rows and columns. Here are some helpful keyboard hints to help you re-orientate the project sheet so you can get your bearings. The brackets below represent keys on your keyboard. [Ctrl] + [Home] Takes you back to the top left hand corner of the sheet [Ctrl] + [End] Takes you to the bottom right hand corner of the sheet [End] Takes you to the last column in the current row 14

21 [Home] Takes you to the first column in the current row [Pg Dn] Jumps down one screen width [Pg Up} Jumps up one screen width 2.6. Moving between Sheets To make it easier to move between Sheets Microsoft Project enables you to set up a View Bar on the left side of the screen. This allows you to view many of the different work Sheets available and to easily switch between the Sheets. Right Click on the grey column on the left-hand side of your screen and select View Bar from the bottom of the drop down box. The following screen will be displayed Task Entry Split Screen You can split the Gantt chart screen to view the Task Entry Screen and Gantt chart simultaneously. In the View tab click on Other Views then select More Views (the More Views box is in alphabetical order) select Task Entry and then click Apply, as shown in the screen below. 15

22 The following screen will be displayed. To remove the two pane view from your screen, manoeuvre the mouse icon over the join between the two panes (Horizontal Split Bar) and Double Click to remove the bottom pane. Remember to save your work. 16

23 3. Task Durations Tasks that you enter into your project should take a defined amount of time to complete; this is known as the Task Duration. To create your project schedule you will need to: Assign a duration (time period) to each of the tasks; Enter how the tasks are related to or independent from one-another; and Assign the resources required to complete those tasks. The durations of each task must be entered to enable Microsoft Project will to calculate the project schedule and identify the Critical Path. The Critical Path is made-up of the tasks that will impact the completion date of the project should there be any movement in their commencement, duration or completion. It is recommended that prior to entering your task durations you reset the default manual scheduling to the automatic scheduling. Automatic scheduling is more useful during the preparation or planning of the schedule. To reset all tasks to automatic scheduling, highlight all tasks in the WBS. It is often easier to highlight from the bottom to the top of the worksheet. Once highlighted, in the Task tab click on Auto Schedule. The Task worksheet will transform from the screen above to the screen shown below. 17

24 3.1. Input Task Durations The Microsoft Project default for each task is 1 day, although you can alter the duration of the task to meet your projects timelines. To identify your requirement to enter an input into the duration field Microsoft Project has placed a question-mark (?). However, glitches within some Microsoft Project programs may result in no (?) being displayed. You can enter the Duration in minutes (m), hours (h), days (d), weeks (w) or months (mo). Microsoft Project will internally convert your duration entries into minutes so that the defined hourly units, as set out in the duration of a day and a week in the calendar, will be costed appropriately. You can also specify an Elapsed Duration period, where the passing of a period of time is important to that task. Elapsed duration is based on 24 hours (this is effective to allow for concrete to set). You may also use lag time for this purpose as will be discussed later. Elapsed Duration can be entered in elapsed minutes (em), elapsed hours (eh), elapsed days (ed), elapsed weeks (ew) or elapsed months (emo). Although you can enter elapsed durations this training manual will not consider this option further. To adjust the duration of the task click on the Duration cell of the task for which you want to set the time period. Enter a numeric number to represent the duration and the Duration Code as identified above. Durations cannot be entered in summary tasks (Bolded Tasks). Summary tasks automatically calculate the duration of all their subordinate tasks. Exercise: If you are using this guide for training purposes, please insert the following information. ID Task Name Durations Project Process 1 Urban Development Project Project 2 Initiation Stage Project Stage 3 Client brief Summary Task 18

25 4 Due diligence 4H = (4 Hours) 5 Market analysis 3D = (3 Days) 6 Feasibility study 1W = (1 Week) 7 Geotechnical report 4H = (4 Hours) 8 Develop subdivision plans 1D = (1 Day) Lag to be entered later 9 Finance approval 2D = (2 Days) 10 Submit plans to Council 1H = (1 Hour) (1 Week Lag) 11 Council approval 2H = (2 Hours) (4W Lag) Lag to be entered later 12 Develop Project Charter 3 W = (3 Weeks) 13 Project Charter approval 0 Duration = (Milestone) Project Process Milestone 14 Planning Stage Project Stage 15 Survey lot 3D = (3 Days) 16 Dial before you dig 30M = (30 Minutes) 17 Develop operational plans Summary Task 18 - Sewage services 1D = (1 Day) 19 - Water services 2D = (2 Days) 20 - Stormwater services 1D = (1 Day) 21 - Electrical services 2D = (2 Days) 22 - Telecommunication services 2H =(2 Hours) (2 D Lag) Lag to be entered later 23 Client approval Summary Task 24 Submit to council 2H =(2 Hours) 25 Receive Council approval 1H = (1 Hour) (4W Lag) Lag to be entered later 26 Develop Project Management Plan 1 Mo = (1 Month) 27 Project Management Plan Approval 0 Duration = (Milestone) Project Process Milestone 28 Execution Stage Project Stage 29 Install temp fencing 2H =(2 Hours) 30 Deliver equipment 4H =(4 Hours) 31 Demolish house and concrete pool 1W = (1 Week) 32 Install utilities Summary Task 33 - Sewage services 1D = (1 Day) 34 - Water services 2D = (2 Days) 35 - Stormwater services 1D = (1 Day) 36 - Electrical services 1D = (1 Day) 37 - Communication services 3D = (3 Days) 38 Activate utilities 1D = (1 Day) 39 Construct driveway crossover 1D = (1 Day) 40 Survey and identify subdivided lots 4H =(4 Hours) 41 Fence lots 3D = (3 Days) 42 Land remediation 4H =(4 Hours) 43 Site clearance 1D = (1 Day) 44 Remove temp fence 4H =(4 Hours) 45 Council approval of subdivision 4H =(4 Hours) 46 Handover to client 0 Duration = (Milestone) Project Process Milestone 47 Finalisation Stage Project Stage 48 Lessons learned exercise 4H = (4 Hours) 19

26 49 Terminate project team 4H = (4 Hours) 50 Finalise project budget 1H = (1 Hour) 51 Post project report 4H = (4 Hours) 52 Communication project completion 1D = (1 Day) 53 Achieve project documents 2H = (2 Hours) 54 Project Close 0 Duration = (Milestone) Project Process Milestone 3.2. Creating Task Relationships When you first enter tasks into your project they are not linked in anyway. This is evident from the fact that they all start on the same day and appear in the Gantt chart flush along the left-hand side on the project start date line. In most projects the tasks are interdependent and will relate to one-another. Creating tasks relationships is also known as sequencing the project tasks to create the project schedule. Sequencing the projects tasks allows you to schedule the project activities in the order in which they will most efficiently produce the project s objectives. However, it also provides the project manager with the opportunity to build into the schedule some breathing space, also known as slack or float, to ensure that the project can manage minor delays. Microsoft Project provides you with four relationships options that can be established between tasks: Finish-to-Start where a task cannot start until its predecessor has been finished; o This is the most common relationship and Microsoft Project s default. Start-to-Start where both or multiple tasks commence at the same time; Finish-to-Finish where both or multiple tasks must finish at the same time; or Start-to-Finish where the finish of one task is dependent on another task starting. o The first task cannot finish until the second task has commenced Creating Relationships Using the Link Tool There are many ways to create relationships between tasks in Microsoft Project, though one of the easiest is the use of the Link button in the Task toolbar. This will create a default Finishto-Start relationship between the tasks that have been selected on the screen. There is also an unlink button to unlink the relationship. Select the Task Names that you want to link by highlighting the tasks then click on the Link button in the Task toolbar. You will observe that the tasks are linked via a line with an arrow showing the direction of the task relationship. This is shown in the screen below. You may also unlink tasks by using the unlink button. 20

27 Creating Relationships in the Predecessor Column The quickest and easiest way to create relationships is in the predecessor column. If the predecessor column is not presently observable manoeuvre the mouse icon over the line between the entry sheet and the Gantt chart, the icon arrow will change to parallel lines with east and west arrows. Hold the left mouse button down and move the bar to the right until the Predecessor column is visible. Enter the Task ID number or Task ID numbers you would like this task to precede. If you have more than one task, use a comma between each number. To assign a different relationship, from the default FS relationship, you must add the prefix (SS, FF or SF) after the task relationship number. If you use a SS, FF or SF relationship you must link (noted by the lines between tasks) the task at the beginning and the end of the bar on the Gantt chart. Start-to-start (SS) relationships are closed by conducting the following, as shown below. Finish-to-finish (FF) relationships are closed by conducting the following, as shown below. 21

28 Start-to-finish (SF) relationships are closed by conducting the following, as shown below. Please note: Selecting the correct relationships is critical to developing a schedule that can be delivered by the project team. The over use of start-to-start and finish-to-finish relationship can create a tight schedule and place undue pressure on the project team. It also provides limited slack should there be minor delays Entering Milestones Milestones are events that occur in your project. A Milestone is entered like a normal task except that it is assigned a Duration period of zero (0). Milestones can be entered when you first create your project or after you have entered your tasks. To enter the Milestone after you have entered your tasks, click on the Task that you want to place a Milestone above, select Insert, then New Task. Assign zero duration (0) and a finish-to-start relationship to the preceding task. A diamond will be displayed on the Gantt chart. A diamond is the international symbol to identify a milestone within a Gantt chart. 22

29 3.4. Entering Lag Time In a real project, relationships can be more complicated that the four relationships covered so far. In some project we have to wait for a task to dry, cure or set before we can continue with the next task. So that we don t allocate cost with the waiting period we can use Lag Time. Microsoft Project therefore allows you to delay the start of a task, even though there may be a Finish-to-Start relationship. This delay is known as Lag Time. Lag Times are represented numerically, as a direct duration value. For example, waiting for a task to dry, cure or set, may take 2 days. This would be written as 2d in the Lag Field of the task (because this is the task that lags behind its predecessor). Don t forget the time it takes for something to dry, cure or set will include both work and non-work time. Lag Time is used to ensure tasks take the required time to be property completed without incurring any additional costs to the task, and ultimately the project. Double Click on the task beneath the task you want to add a timed delay or Lag Time. Click on the Predecessor tab and then enter the lead time you require. Two day Lag would be entered as 2d. This is shown in the screen below. The Gantt chart will be updated to show that there is a two day delay before the predecessor task will commence as demonstrated in the screen below. 23

30 3.5. Entering Lead Time Before entering Lag or Lead Time, you should select all tasks and click on Auto Schedule in the Task toolbar. This will allow Microsoft Project to automatically adjust the schedule first. Lead Time is the exact opposite of Lag Time. Instead of delaying the start of the next task it allows the task to commence early. This is generally used if one task can be started before another task is totally finished. This will still be a Finish-to-Start relationship, though there will be a slight overlap because one task may be commenced prior to the preceding task being completely finished. I.e. the project budget estimating can commence prior to the full project schedule has been completed. Lead Times are represented numerically, as a direct duration value. For example, starting the budget may begin 1 day early, while the schedule is being finalised. This would be written as -1d in the Lag Field of the tasks (Lead is noted as minus Lag in Microsoft Project). Double Click on the task beneath the task you want to add Lead Time to, click on the Predecessor tab and then enter the Lead Time you require. One day Lead would be -1d. Enter the Lag and Lead Time necessary for your project. Exercise: If you are using this guide for training purposes, please insert the following information. ID Task Name Durations Relationship Predecessor 1 Urban Development Project 2 Initiation Stage 3 Client brief Summary Task 4 Due diligence 4H = (4 Hours) FS - Default 24

31 ID Task Name Durations Relationship Predecessor 5 Market analysis 3D = (3 Days) FS - Default 4 6 Feasibility study 1W = (1 Week) SS = Start-to-Start 5SS 7 Geotechnical report 4H = (4 Hours) SS = Start-to-Start 6SS 8 Develop subdivision plans 1D = (1 Day) FS - Default "5,6,7" 9 Finance approval 2D = (2 Days) FS - Default 8 10 Submit plans to Council 1H = (1 Hour)(1W Lag) FS - Default 9 11 Council approval 1H = (1 Hour) FS - Default Develop Project Charter 1 W = (1 Weeks) FS - Default Project Charter approval 0 Duration = (Milestone) FS - Default Planning Stage 15 Survey lot 3D = (3 Days) FS - Default Dial before you dig 30M = (30 Minutes) FS - Default Develop operational plans Summary Task 18 - Sewage services 1D = (1 Day) FS - Default Water services 2D = (2 Days) SS = Start-to-Start 18SS 20 - Stormwater services 1D = (1 Day) SS = Start-to-Start 19SS 21 - Electrical services 2D = (2 Days) SS = Start-to-Start 20SS 22 - Telecommunication services 2H =(2 Hours) (2 D Lag) FS - Default "19,20,21" 23 Client approval Summary Task 24 Submit to council 2H =(2 Hours) FS - Default Receive Council approval 1H = (1 Hour) (4W Lag) FS - Default Develop Project Management Plan 1 Mo = (1 Month) FS - Default Project Management Plan Approval 0 Duration = (Milestone) Execution Stage FS - Default 29 Install temp fencing 2H =(2 Hours) FS - Default Deliver equipment 4H =(4 Hours) FS - Default Demolish house and concrete pool 1W = (1 Week) FS - Default Install utilities Summary Task 33 - Sewage services 1D = (1 Day) FS - Default Water services 2D = (2 Days) FS - Default Stormwater services 1D = (1 Day) SS = Start-to-Start 34SS 36 - Electrical services 1D = (1 Day) SS = Start-to-Start 35SS 37 - Communication services 3D = (3 Days) FS - Default 36SS 38 Activate utilities 1D = (1 Day) FS Default "33,34,35,36,37" 39 Construct driveway crossover 1D = (1 Day) FS Default Survey and identify subdivided lots 4H =(4 Hours) FS Default Fence lots 3D = (3 Days) FS Default Land remediation 4H =(4 Hours) FS Default Site clearance 1D = (1 Day) FS Default Remove temp fence 4H =(4 Hours) FS Default Council approval of subdivision 4H =(4 Hours) FS Default Handover to client 0 Duration = (Milestone) FS - Default Finalisation Stage 48 Lessons learned exercise 4H = (4 Hours) FS Default 46 25

32 ID Task Name Durations Relationship Predecessor 49 Terminate project team 4H = (4 Hours) FS Default Finalise project budget 1H = (1 Hour) FS Default Post project report 4H = (4 Hours) FS Finish-Finish 50FF,49 52 Communication project completion 1D = (1 Day) FS Default Achieve project documents 2H = (2 Hours) FS Default Project Close 0 Duration = (Milestone) FS - Default 53 If you are using the automatic scheduling option, it is recommended that you hide the default Start and Finish columns during schedule planning process to prevent any manual adjustment of dates. Manual adjustment of dates often confuses the automotive processes in Microsoft Project Remember to save your work. 26

33 4. Critical Path Microsoft Project 2010 no longer uses the Gantt chart wizard (from 2003 and 2007) to display the Critical and Non-Critical Path. Using the View Bar on the left-hand side of you screen select Tracking Gantt. Tracking Gantt displays the Critical and Non-Critical Path of your project. The Critical Path is shown in Red whilst the Non-Critical Path is shown in Blue. The Critical Path comprises of all the tasks that affect the completion date of the project, while the Non-Critical Path comprises of tasks that have some slack before they would impact the project. When a Non-Critical Path task uses all the slack time available it will turn to Red and appear on the Critical Path. It is only tasks with a start-to-start (SS), finish-to-finish (FF) or start-to-finish (SF) relationship that may appear, in Blue, on the Non-Critical Path. Glitches in Microsoft Project may result in some non-critical task not being displayed in Blue Project Slack (Non-Critical Path) The scheduled Start and Finish dates represent the dates that Microsoft Project calculates during its forward view of your tasks, and thus the Critical Path. The Critical Path is determined using the longest task of any group of tasks being conducted simultaneously. 27

34 The finish date of the longest task is used as the point at which Microsoft Project commences its backward view of your tasks. Each task, unless it has been made dependent on another task, is assigned the same finish date, and its duration is used to calculate the appropriate start data from that point. Slack is defined in Microsoft Project as the amount of time that a task can slip before it affects either a dependent task or the completion of the project. Free Slack is the amount of slippage time before one task delays another, while Total Slack is the amount of time a task can stop before affecting the project completion date. As tasks on the Critical Path include all the tasks that take the longest time (and also the shortest time, confusing but true), before the next task may begin, there is no Slack in Critical Path tasks. Conversely, all Non-Critical Path task consist of some Slack before the task affects the Critical Path. Additional slack can be built into your schedule using lag time to delay the commencement of forward tasks. This is advisable for all tasks that present a high risk of delay. I.e. tasks that are completed outdoors have a risk of being delayed by poor weather conditions Adjusting the Schedule using Relationships As noted previously, Microsoft Project provides the ability for you to set the schedule to auto or manual. This allows greater flexibility to adjust your project schedule. For example if you need to add a new task but you do not have the ability to stretch the schedule you can: (1) set the schedule to manual; (2) insert the new task; (3) make adjustments to surrounding tasks to keep the schedule on track; and (4) reset the schedule back to auto. It is recommended to set all tasks to auto scheduling during the planning of the project schedule and to use manual scheduling during the execution of the project. 28

35 Now that all the relationships have been finalised we can now see what Microsoft Project has calculated as our project completion date. Microsoft Project will enable you to monitor progress and make adjustments or changes as you require to the task durations and relationships, to control actual performance in order to meet the planned performance. If you need to make adjustments to help meet deadlines, this is where you should start. Review your schedule to identify what tasks can be conducted simultaneously, to save time. This is done by re-entering the number in the Predecessors column and adding SS or FF. Alternately, you can consider the use of lead time to commence some tasks earlier than there planned start date, but not at the same time as the preceding task. Remember to save your work. 29

36 5. Resourcing a Project Resources are: (1) People; (2) Equipment; (3) Facilities; and (4) Materials needed to complete each of the tasks of the project. You can enter resources into Microsoft Project on an individual name basis or as a consolidated group. You may also enter resources as individuals or as a team. The method you use is totally up to you and your project. In Microsoft Project there are two Resource Types that allows you to allocate costs to a task and ultimately the project: (1) Work people and equipment, which can be costed hourly; and (2) Materials supplies and stock items that are consumed during the project, which are calculated as a single cost per unit. There is a third Resource Type, Cost, yet is you select Cost it will not allocate a cost for the resource. Therefore, it is not covered in this training guide. There is a variety of information that you can enter into the resources sheet of the project. The most important of these is the Cost, so you can keep a track of your budget. Microsoft Project will use this data to calculate the Costs of each task and ultimately the full project budget. This can be done via: (1) entering the resource details at one time and then assign the resources to their tasks; or (2) entering and assigning the resources as you go along the list of tasks. Microsoft Project also allows you to allocate a fixed cost to any of the tasks Creating a Resource Pool Entering the project s resources into a Resource Sheet will enable you to allocate the resources to the tasks. Select Resource Sheet from the View Bar, running down the left-hand side of the screen the following screen will be displayed. To enter Resources, click in the first Resource Name cell and type the name of your first resource. Press tab to move to Type of Resource. If the resource will be costed at an hourly rate select Work, if the resource will be costed at a single rate for each unit select Material. Tab across and complete the cost data for the resource. 30

37 Max Units In the Resource Availability section of the dialog box, there s a field called Units, which is functionally the same as Max Units. When you set this field, you re setting the Max Units. Once you understand the concept of Max Units, Resource Availability will be much easier to understand. Max Units is basically the percentage of the resource s full working day, as defined by that resource s Calendar, which determines how much the resource is available to work on the project. If the resource s Calendar says the resource can work eight hours a day, five days a week, and their Max Units value is 50%, then the resource available to work 20 hours a week, four hours a day, one hour every two hours, or 30 minutes per hour. You use Max Units to determine if a resource is over allocated. Project will see a resource as over allocated if the resource s scheduled tasks at any point make the resource s total Units for any given time period greater than its Max Units value. Max Units may need to be increased (percentage) to equal the number of people working in that Group. I.e. 100% = 1 person / 200% = 2 persons / 450% = 4.5 persons. Standard Rate is the regular time rate for a resource. It can be per hour, week, month, or year. For most projects, this is the prime driver of project cost calculations. Basic cost calculations for a task happen at the assignment level where: Cost = (Regular Work * Standard Rate) + (Overtime Work * Overtime Rate) + Cost per Use. Overtime Rate is the overtime rate for this resource. Remember that Project does not know when overtime starts. It calculates overtime cost from values you enter in the Overtime Work field. So if you enter 10 hours of work, Project won t see the first eight hours as regular work and the last two as overtime. If you know that the last two hours are overtime, you need to enter eight hours in Regular Work and two hours in Overtime Work. Per Use Cost defines a cost associated with the use of a resource. This might be a contract initiation charge, or you might use it for resources that work on a flat fee or per-job basis instead of by the hour. This value gets added to the Cost field of every task to which the resource is assigned. The Use in this case it is not used on the project, but on each task. So if a resource with a Per Use Cost value of $100 is assigned to three tasks, the project will see a cost related to Per Use Cost for this resource in the amount of $

38 Cost Accrual - relates to how the cost will be accrued by the project. I.e. if a resource is a consultant who is paid at the completion of an assigned task then the cost will only be accrued at the completion of the task. Your options are: Start accrued upon commencing the task. End accrued upon completion of the task. Prorated accrued as the task is completed (Default) Entering Materials and Other Costs When a material resource is added to the Resource Sheet the Type field must be changed to Material, as opposed to the default Work. You will also need to tab across to the Material Label field to add a unit of measure. If you make a mistake adding a Resource, use the mouse Right Click on the Resource Number and click on Cut Resource. The Type field of Cost should not be used. As noted previously it will not allocate costs to the project. Exercise: If you are using this guide for training purposes, please insert the following information. 32

39 5.3. Entering Fixed Costs Fixed task costs are allocated via the task sheet. Click on Gantt chart and move your Gantt chart to the right to expose the Add New Column column. Click on the drop down menu and select Fixed Costs the following screen will appear. You can enter a Fixed Cost for any task within the project. Microsoft Project will recalculate the total cost and project budget to include all Fixed Costs. Enter task specific Fixed Cost to the necessary project tasks Assigning Calendars to Resources For Microsoft Project to calculate the level of resources required it needs to know how much time a Resource can work on the project. The time commitments of the resources are controlled through the Resource Calendar. Unless you assign a specific calendar to the resources, Microsoft Project will allocate to the default Standard Calendar. If you wish to alter a resource from the Standard Calendar, select the resource and alter the Base Calendar field. The Standard Calendar has been set at the commencement of this guide. Adjusting it now will create calculation problems in the schedule and budget Adjusting Resources Information Microsoft Project can alter the Availability Dates of a resource. This can be useful in the event that a resource will not be available to work on the project for a specified period of time. This Availability Information can be entered through the Resource tab in the Resource Information box. In the Resource Sheet view, Double Click on the resource that you would like to adjust the following screen will appear. 33

40 Highlight Available From/To and adjust the resources availability to the project. You may also change the resource working time through the Change Working Time. Click on the Project tab, and then select Change Working Time the following screen will display. You may want to record the reason for a resources change in availability, through the Notes tab in Resource Information. I.e. the project scheduler is on annual leave from 3 January 2012 to 9 January

41 An icon will appear in the information cell to indicate there is a note regarding this resource. Remember to save your work. 35

42 6. Resourcing Effort Microsoft Project performs a number of internal calculations once all the resources have been assigned. These calculations are different depending on the current settings for a task and whether all the task information has been entered Project Calculations Microsoft Project calculates three main elements: (1) Work effort to complete the task; (2) Duration time to complete the task; and (3) Units number of resources required to complete the task. At any point in time one element will be fixed while the other two will be variable. As such Microsoft Project will take what you input in a fixed element and automatically adjust the variable elements: Fixed Work Tasks (Work = duration x units). Fixed Duration Tasks (Duration = work / units); or Fixed Unit Tasks (Units = work / duration); Work in Microsoft Project is also known as Effort. In Microsoft Project the amount of effort expended on a task by a resource is the amount of work that the resource, which is assigned to the task, will perform in order to complete the assigned task. This means that all the Effort performed by each resource must be calculated to understand exactly how much Effort is required to complete the task. I.e. two resources doing 1 hour of work on one task is equivalent to 2 hours of effort Creating Simple Assignments Using the split screen option (detailed in section 2.7 of this guide) highlight the task that you want to create a simple assignment on. Click in the cell under the Resource Name to reveal the drop down box. Click on the arrow in the drop down box to reveal the Resources the following screen will appear. 36

43 Select the resource from the drop down box and assign the resource by clicking OK. Task Types Microsoft Project s default position is to make alterations to Duration before Work and finally Units. Simply, if the Duration cannot be changed then Microsoft Project will attempt to change Work before finally changing Units. These default calculations can be manipulated by changing the type of the task that you are working on. There are three types of task. Task Type Usage Impact Fixed Duration Use this if the duration of the task must remain constant Change the Units and Work will be adjusted; change the Work and Units will be adjusted Fixed Units This is the default setting. It means that Units will not be altered by Microsoft Project Change the Duration and the Work will be adjusted; change the Work and the Duration will be adjusted. Fixed Work Used when the work is to remain constant. Change the Duration and the Units will be adjusted; change the Units and the Duration will be adjusted Working with Fixed Unit Assignments As a default, new tasks entered into Microsoft Project are created with a Fixed Unit classification. This means that once the task is entered, if the Duration is changed then the Work hours will automatically update, or if you change the Work hours, the Duration will automatically update. To manually override the default settings, Double Click on the Duration window and retype the desired duration or click on time allocation in the Work cell and retype the desired time allocation. 37

44 6.4. Working with Fixed Duration Assignments In any project there are some tasks that need to have their Duration fixed. This means that if the Duration is fixed, the Units and Work become variable. To manually set a fixed Duration, chose Fixed Duration from the Task type drop down box. Click OK, click on time allocation in the Work cell and retype the desired time allocation, click OK. Then click on percentage in the Units cell and retype the desired percentage, click OK Working with Fixed Work Assignments In any project there are some tasks that need to have their Work fixed. Fixed Work tasks means the Work is fixed and the Units and Duration are both variable. To manually set Fixed Work select it from the Task Type drop down box. Click OK, click on time allocation in the Duration cell and retype the desired time allocation, click OK, click on percentage in the Units cell and retype the desired percentage, click OK. 38

45 6.6. Working with the Driver Resource Every task that has resource assignments will have at least one Driver Resource. This Driver Resource is fully occupied throughout the duration of the task. When there is only one resource in the task the amount of work for that resource determines the duration of the task. I.e. if there are two engineers required to complete the civil engineering plan in 8 days, then one engineer would take 16 days Effort Driven Resource Effort driven resourcing is the default for Microsoft Project. When a task is Effort Driven the Total Effort (Work) must remain the same after a change in resource assignment. Once the resources are entered into a Task Effort the Work Effort will remain constant. Add another resource to the same task as above and you will observe the work is now split equally between the two allocated resources. The Work Effort remains unchanged. Therefore, if you want the Work Effort to remain the same, but you need two resources to be allocated to the task you will have to manually adjust the Work Effort. Click in the Work cell 39

46 next to each resource and reallocate the required work duration. Assign the Work Effort to each resource by clicking OK. You can allocate the same Work Effort to both resources or different Work Effort levels to each of the resources Disable Effort Driven Resource To disable the Effort Driven Resource, select the Resources in the Resource Name cell and delete. Click on Effort Driven to remove the tick. Click OK. Click in the Resource Name cell and replace the desired Resources through the drop down box, tab across to Units and add the desired percentage and click OK. Remember to save your work. 40

47 7. Resource Assignment Once tasks and resources have been entered into the project (via the Resource Sheet) the resources can be assigned to a task or many tasks. This can be done through several methods: (1) Task Entry; (2) Task Information; or (3) Project Sheet. More than one resource can be allocated to any task Assigning Resources via Task Entry Using the split screen option (detailed in section 2.7 of this guide) click on view then select more views. Click on More Views in the View tab and select More Views (the More Views box is in alphabetical order) then select Task Entry and then click Apply. Highlight the Task that you want to allocate resources. Click in the cell under the Resource Name to reveal the drop down box. Click on the arrow in the drop down box to reveal the Resources the following screen will appear. Select the resource, one at a time if you are allocating more than one, from the drop down box and assign the resource. Then allocate the required percentage in Units. Confirm the allocation of the resource by clicking OK. Not all resources will be required for each task on a full-time basis. As such you will need to only allocate a resource on a part-time basis. This is done by reducing the Units percentage to represent the period of time that the resource is required for the task, as noted above. 41

48 7.2. Assigning Resources via Task Information Using the mouse, Double Click on the task that you want to allocate resources, this will reveal the Task Information box. Select the Resources tab and click in the first cell under Resource Name, this will reveal a drop down box with all the resources. Allocate the resource and percentage of work or quantity of material required of the resource. Remember this is done in the Units column. Confirm the allocation of the resource by clicking OK Assigning the same Information in Multiple Tasks Highlight the multiple tasks that you would like to input the same information. Using the mouse, Right Click and select Information, and then select the data box (Resource tab) that you would like to enter the information that will be the same for all tasks selected. Enter the data (I.e. Project Manager / Civil Engineer) and confirm the input of data via clicking OK. 42

49 7.4. Assigning Resources via Project Sheet Removing the split screen option (as detailed in section 3.7 of this guide) to resume the normal Gantt chart Project Sheet. Highlight the task that you want to allocate resources. Click in the Resource Names of the task you want to allocate resources. This will reveal the drop down box. Click on the arrow in the drop down box to reveal all the resources in alphabetical order. Allocate the resource by ticking the required resources checkbox, then hit enter. You can enter multiple resources per task via selecting each resource by clicking on each resource, which will then display a tick in the checkbox to indicate it will be assigned. Exercise: If you are using this guide for training purposes, please insert the following information. ID Task Name Resource Name 1 Urban Development Project 2 Initiation Stage 3 Client brief Summary Task 4 Due diligence Project Manager, Project Officer[50%] 5 Market analysis Project Manager 6 Feasibility study Project Manager 7 Geotechnical report Geo Tech 8 Develop subdivision plans Civil Engineer 9 Finance approval Client 10 Submit plans to Council Project Officer 11 Council approval Project Officer 12 Develop Project Charter Project Manager, Main Contractor, Project Officer 43

50 ID Task Name Resource Name 13 Project Charter approval 14 Planning Stage 15 Survey lot Surveyor 16 Dial before you dig Project Officer 17 Develop operational plans Summary Task 18 - Sewage services Civil Engineer 19 - Water services Civil Engineer 20 - Stormwater services Civil Engineer 21 - Electrical services Electrical Engineer 22 - Telecommunication services Communications Engineer 23 Client approval Client 24 Submit to council Admin Officer 25 Receive Council approval Project Officer 26 Develop Project Management Plan Project Manager, Main Contractor, Project Officer 27 Project Management Plan Approval 28 Execution Stage 29 Install temp fencing Fencer, Temporary Fence[1] 30 Deliver equipment Plumbing Supplies[1],Electrical Supplies[1], Labourer 31 Demolish house and concrete pool Demolition Team[1],Fill[1] 32 Install utilities Summary Task 33 - Sewage services Electrical Engineer, Main Contractor 34 - Water services Main Contractor 35 - Stormwater services Main Contractor 36 - Electrical services Main Contractor 37 - Communication services Main Contractor 38 Activate utilities Civil Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Main Contractor 39 Construct driveway crossover Concrete[1],Concrete Steel[1],Concrete Team 40 Survey and identify subdivided lots Surveyor 41 Fence lots Fencer, Timber Fence[1] 42 Land remediation Turf [1] 43 Site clearance Main Contractor, Labourer 44 Remove temp fence Fencer 45 Council approval of subdivision Inspector 46 Handover to client 47 Finalisation Stage 48 Lessons learned exercise Project Manager, Project Officer, Main Contractor 49 Terminate project team Project Manager 50 Finalise project budget Project Manager, Governance Board 51 Post project report Project Manager, Project Officer 52 Communication project completion Project Manager 53 Achieve project documents Admin Officer 54 Project Close 44

51 7.5. Increasing Resource Material Resource materials can be increased from 1 unit to as many as is required by the project. Using the mouse, Double Click on the task that you want to increase the units of resource material, and then select the resource. Using the arrows increase the number of units to represent the number of units to be assigned. When you click OK Microsoft Project will automatically recalculate the new costs to the project and assign these costs accordingly. Repeat the necessary steps to increase the material for each task in your project Resource Levelling Resource levelling will adjust your project schedule to eliminate the over allocation of project human resources, though it is not always possible to level all over allocations. Over allocation occurs when a series of task have time allocations where one or more resources are working in more than one area at the same time. This will generally happen when one resource is working at 100% allocation on numerous tasks. Over allocation is indicated by the shape of a red man in the task information box as shown in the following screen. To adjust the schedule to create some slack you may use the levelling option within Microsoft Project. Using the Resource tab, select Levelling Option the following screen will appear. 45

52 You may choose to set automatic levelling or click on Level All to adjust the schedule so that the resources are levelled through the adjustment of task durations. You will now observe the red men, in the information box, have disappeared. Resource levelling is a bit of a misnomer as the process simply extends the duration of the tasks to enable the over allocated resource to complete each task using more allocated time. Remember to save your work. 46

53 8. Project Plan Complete You have now completed the input of data for your project plan and should now set the baseline so Microsoft Project can monitor the actual performance of the project. Performance monitoring measures actual performance against the planned performance of your project. Select the Tracking Gantt from the View Bar on the left side of the screen, and then select the Project tab. From the Project toolbar select Set Baseline the following screen will appear. Ensure the Set Baseline and Entire Project radio button is selected and then click OK. When you view the Tracking Gantt, you will now observe a series of grey bars under the Gantt chart bars, this shows the baseline. As you adjust the schedule to meet the actual performance of the project, the grey bars will remain in situ to always identify the baseline schedule. 47

54 8.1. Visualisation of Project Baseline If you would like to format the appearance of your Gantt chart, click on the Format tab. There are several different types of Bar Styles that may better suit your needs. Click on the arrow in the bottom right hand corner of the Gantt Chart Style the following screen will appear. Remember to save your work. 48

55 9. Monitoring a Project Now that you have completed your project plan it is important to monitor its progress to ensure that you know when to take appropriate corrective action. Corrective action is only taken if the actual performance of the project starts to move away from the project s planned performance. To begin this process it is essential to set up Microsoft Project accordingly. As we have finished with the planning phase we now need to hide columns that we will not be widely used during the monitoring and controlling phase of the project. Select the Tracking Gantt from the View Bar on the left-side of the screen. Use your mouse to move the Gantt chart to reveal all the columns. Move your mouse into the grey column name section of the screen, so that the mouse icon becomes a black downward facing arrow. Highlight the following columns: Duration, Start, Finish, Predecessors and Resource Names (if not previously hidden). Right Click in the highlighted area and select Hide Column. All hidden columns can be returned at any time should you need to readjust the baseline project schedule, budget or resources. This is done following the steps below. Now you need to input new columns that will enable you to monitor the progress of the project. To do this you will want to monitor both the project s actual schedule and budget against the planned schedule and budget to identify any variances. 49

56 Using the Add New Column column add the following columns: Baseline Duration, Actual Duration, Duration Variance, Baseline Cost, Actual Cost and Cost Variation. To save this table for future monitoring, click on the View tab, then click on Tables and then select Save Fields as New Table then name this table Project Monitoring. The drop down box in Add New Column is in alphabetical order. If you have used more than one baseline select the appropriate Baseline Duration and Cost columns. Once you have developed the custom table you may now reset your Entry Table by reversing the process above. If you want to hide the Add New Column column select the Format tab, select column settings drop down box and then select the Display Add New Column. This will hide and unhide this column as shown in the screen below. To view project statistic information, use the Project tab click on Project Information, then click on the statistics button on the bottom of the information box the following screen will be displayed. 50

57 9.1. Microsoft Project 2010 Amendments Microsoft Project no longer automatically progresses the project based on the date of the computer. As such you will need to use the controls systems within the Project tab to manually up-date the progress of the project. In the event that the commencement of the project is delayed or brought forward, you simply adjust the start date by selecting the Move Project button on the Project tab. By selecting this button you simply move the start date of the project to meet your project s needs. If you do not reset the baseline then the baseline will still be attached to the original dates. You may set a new baseline by selecting Baseline 1 (2, 3 and so on) from the baseline drop down box and clicking OK. It is suggested that you never remove the original baseline as this will provide valuable information for your lessons learned exercise at the conclusion of the project. 51

58 After the project starts you will be able to monitor its progress by clicking on the Update Project button Monitoring and Adjusting Work Monitoring and adjusting work outputs can be conducted through the Work table. Click on the View tab, then click on Tables and then select Work. The following table will appear. If you adjust the Work or Baseline column Microsoft Project will still see these amendments as variances to the Baseline. You should only adjust the Actual Work, Remaining Work and the % Work Complete cells. This will allow you to amend the work that has been completed, and the work still to be completed regardless of the originally planned work durations. 52

59 The baseline work duration represents all resources working on the task. This may result in the work duration being divided by the number of resources allocated to the task Monitoring and Adjusting Costs Monitoring and adjusting costs can be conducted through the Cost table. Click on the View tab, then click on Tables and then select Cost the following table will appear. The cost for any task can be adjusted by changing the Fixed Cost or Actual Cost cells to make the necessary changes in the actual cost of the task. This also works if you enter a minus amount. The Variance cell will demonstrate the saving in the task s cost. You cannot alter any actual cost data until some work has been undertaken. To adjust the work complete status, click on View then select Table (Name) and click on Tracking. You may also go back into the Resource Sheet and adjust the hourly rate for a resource or increase in the cost of materials. These changes will also be noted in the variance column in the cost table. 53

60 Changing the Project Manager s hourly rate from $75 to $100 has resulted in an increased cost to the project of $3,550 as shown in the screen below Monitoring Usage Monitoring work outputs can be conducted through the Usage table. Click on View tab, select the Tables drop down box and then select the Usage Table the following table will appear. The Work cell details the amount of work that is attached to the task. I.e. if two resources are attached to the tasks and the task duration is 8 hours then the Work cell will show there is 16 hours of work for that task. The Duration cell details the duration of the task. I.e. if the Duration cell indicates 8 hours then the task will take 8 hours to complete Monitoring Variance Monitoring the variance will simply monitor details of the project baseline and the actual data entered to determine the level of change. Click on the View tab, select the Table drop down box and then click the Variance table the following table will appear. 54

61 9.6. Monitoring Earned Values Abbreviations to note as part of the Earned Value monitoring process include: PV = Planed Value (Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled) EV = Earned Value (Budgeted Cost of Work Performed) AC = Actual Cost (Actual Cost of Work Performed). CV = Earned Value Cost Variance SV = Earned Value Scheduled Variance EAC = Estimate at Completion BAC = Budgeted at Completion VAC = Variance at Completion Earned Value Analysis enables you to review what has been cumulatively earned up to the current date or a status date of the project. Click on the View tab, select the Tables and then click on More Tables the following screen will appear. Select Earned Value and then click Apply the screen below will be displayed. You may need to adjust the screen to observe all the data. Using the mouse manoeuvre the icon over the join between the two panes (Vertical Split Bar) and slide to the right to reveal all the data. 55

62 The Planned Value and Earned Value columns will populate themselves as the tasks are completed and the project is updated. This will enable you to focus on the current tasks of the project that are being completed. The EVA report can only be run once details have been populated in at least one cell in each column. Ultimately, the project manager would like to keep the Earned Value and Actual Cost as close as possible. The earned value is directly linked to the planned value, which is the project s baseline budget. The Earned Value Analysis (EVA) will only analyse the project once all costs have been allocated and the baseline set. External to Microsoft Project, an EVA may also be known as Earned Value Management (EVM). 56

63 10. Controlling a Project To control the project we need to ensure that you update Microsoft Project with accurate and timely data. To do this you need to enter progress by changing the % Complete field. To obtain this information the project manager will need to conduct or request performance reports that provide the up-to-date information. Entering % Complete will cause Microsoft Project to automatically calculate the remaining percentage. This would be fine if the Remaining Duration is exactly as planned, although this is often not the case. To circumvent this you can enter Actual Duration and the Remaining Duration of each task and allow Microsoft Project to calculate the % Complete. Similarly, if you don t enter Actual Start or Actual Finish, Microsoft Project will assume the dates of the original plan remain current. Finally, if you enter the Actual Finish date Microsoft Project will assume that the task is 100% Complete Updating % Complete You can update the % Complete for the whole project or each task individually. Updating the work complete for the whole project saves having to update each individual task, if the project is going to plan. To update the whole project use the Project tab and select Update Project the following screen will appear. To update the % Complete for the whole project you simply select a date from the Date drop down box. You can chose to either update task to the % Complete or update task from 0% Complete to 100% Complete, then click OK. 57

64 If some tasks are starting to slip you may need to enter their % Complete individually. To update an individual task, highlight the task that you would like to update, use the Task tab click on Mark on Track and then select Update Tasks the following screen will appear. Update the % Complete data box by entering a number that represents the percentage complete or adjusting the arrows to reveal the correct percentage, then click OK. Alternately, you can update an individual task in the Task tab, highlight the task that you would like to update, the click on the desired predefined percentage (%) complete button Updating Durations To update tasks via Durations you can only update each task individually. Highlight the task that you would like to update, use the Task tab click on Mark on Track and then select Update Tasks the following screen will appear. 58

65 You will need to subtract the Actual Duration, for work that has been completed, from the Duration to determine the Remaining Duration. Though this can be different if the task is slipping, you will then need to enter both figures and calculate the variance. Once this has been determined you can update the Actual Duration data box and the Remaining Duration data box or use the arrows to select the required numbers. Remember to ensure these figures represent the duration and click OK Creating a New Table To assist you in collecting the correct data you can create a New Table that will enable you to identify the information you need to enter. This will provide you with a form to send to the project resources to ensure that you collate current data. To create a New Table click on View select Tables, then click on More Tables. Ensure the Task radio button is selected and then click New (on the right hand side of the information box), The following screen will appear. 59

66 Exercise: If you are using this guide for training purposes, please insert the following information. Rename the table (Work Input) and check the Show in menu button. Please enter the following data and then click OK. Field Name Align Data Width Title Align Title Header Wrapping Text Wrapping ID Centre 4 Centre Name Left 22 Task Name Centre Yes No Actual Start Left 10 Actual Start Centre Yes No % Work Complete Left 10 Work Done Centre Yes No Remaining Duration Left 10 Work Remaining Centre Yes No Notes Left 40 Comments Centre Yes Yes The information from the exercise above should be represented in the information box as shown below. 60

67 Once you have created the new table it can now be used to collate the data by Microsoft Project. You can now select the Work Input table from the table menu. You may create other specialised tables to meet your project s specific requirements. Just follow the process noted above and be sure to name your table correctly. The Work Input table is demonstrated below Updating Resource Usage Using the View tab select Resource Usage. The following screen will be displayed. You can now manually update the Resource Usage data. Select the cell that has the work duration you want to amend and update the work hours accordingly. When you update the work duration the Work column will automatically be updated. When you check the Work Table you will observe the variance column has been automatically updated with the additional or reduced resource work allocation. 61

68 10.4. Manually Adjusting the Project Schedule When a finish static date has been assigned to a project it is important to be able to manually adjust the schedule. This will allow the project scheduler to bring the project in on schedule, through the completion of multiple tasks simultaneously or creating additional work hours. A good project scheduler will make allowances in a project schedule that will assist in manually adjustment of the schedule during the execution stage of the project. To view the slack in a project select Gantt chart, use the View tab, then Tables and then click on Schedule the following screen will be displayed. In addition to incorporating slack in the schedule, through the use of lag time, you may also make adjustments to the schedule using lead time that will enable some tasks to commence early. You may also adjust the schedule using start-to-start (SS) or finish-to-finish (FF) relationships. These tasks will then commence or conclude at the same time. These tools will assist in bringing the schedule back on track with no or limited additional costs. To adjust the schedule via manually scheduling, in the Gantt chart view, Double Click on the task that you would like to adjust the following screen will be displayed. 62

69 You may now select Manual Schedule and adjust the start and/or finish dates. This will mean the resource may need to complete this task using non-work hours. You will observe that the bar on the Gantt chart will change to the aqua (manual schedule) colour and under the Task Mode column the bar is now shown as a drawing pin. This is a useful tool for manually adjusting tasks to keep the project on track. Don t forget to you may need to establish a new baseline. 63

70 11. Reports Microsoft Project allows you to run Visual Reports and default Reports, including: Overview Current Activities Costs Assignments Workload Customised Visual Reports To view the Visual Reports available click on Visual Reports in the Project tab the following screen will appear. Visual Reports are viewed in a Microsoft Excel or Visio. Click on the tab to select your report, select the report and click View. Visual reports will only be available once you have entered data of work that has been completed from the project. Visual Reports will not work until project execution begins. 64

71 11.1. Default Reports To view the default Reports available click on Reports then select Reports the following screen will appear. Select the Category of report you require and click Select. I.e. select Overview and click Select the following screen will appear. You may also choose to edit your preferred report prior to running. Select the Category of report you require and click Select. I.e. select Project Summary and click Select a summary report will be prepared ready to print. As the requirements of reports will vary dramatically from organisation to organisation and project to project, the best way to become familiar with the variety of reports is through practical experience. Take the time to practice running the variety of reports available in order to evaluate their purpose. 65

72 11.2. Planning Reports Planning reports can be run and printed to provide you with a hardcopy of the project plan. This may be helpful for use in presentations and other communications. There are several reports that you will find very useful for providing information in conjunction with the Gantt chart. This would include the columns that provide planned, actual and variance data Gantt Chart Report To view a report that combines the Gantt chart and desired information, select the columns required and adjust the screen to show the information you need from the report. Use the split screen line and the Gantt chart view panel to adjust the screen as demonstrated below. Increase or decrease the columns, adjust the Gantt chart and adjust the zoom (in/out) to display the maximum level of information in the Gantt chart for the report. You can view the report via the print preview panel. When excluding columns from printed reports, it is essential to place the split screen line in the middle of the first column that you do not want displayed in the report. The zoom in / out function allows you to see more of the Gantt chart on the report and print far less pages if you have zoomed appropriately. 66

73 11.4. Custom Reports Select the Project tab, click on Reports and then click on Custom and click on select the following screen will be displayed. The report names are listed in alphabetical order, simply scroll down and highlight the report you want. Scroll through the reports using the arrows located at the bottom of the report Monitoring Reports When running Visual Reports it is essential to select the program in which the report will be provided. The options include Microsoft Excel and Visio. Using the Project tab, click on Visual Reports the following screen will appear. 67

74 Simply un-tick the Microsoft Visio tick box and the report will be provided in Microsoft Excel format. Or, if you would like the report in Visio, simply un-tick the Microsoft Excel tick box and the report will be provided in Microsoft Visio format. Visual Reports can only be run after you have commenced the project and entered actual data noting some element of work has been performed. Until this point Microsoft Project will have difficulty in running Visual Reports. 68

75 12. Printing Visual reports can be printed from the Microsoft Excel or Visio program. Printing default reports is easy as the report will automatically take you into the printing zone. However printing a Gantt chart report is quite different. Remember to adjust the appearance of the Gantt chart and check the report provides the desired information, via print preview, before your print. Adjust your report as noted in section of this guide. Double check your report through print preview before printing. This will ensure you save a lot of time, ink and paper. Below is the screen set up ready to print. Below is the printed report generated from the screen above. 69

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